Gone Bad (Nigerian Novel) -Editing

Chapter 12 : Belle of the Ball

I wave for the last time before my mother's black honda dissapears down the road.

"Thank God." I say to Victoria who had been watching me shoo my mother with amusement.

It was Friday and we were having a weekend slumber party.

My mum had only agreed on the condition that we group studied as finals were a few weeks away.

Not that it mattered though - I had sat for all my foreign college entrance exams, this was only a back up.

"Oya cinderella let us begin." Victoria says ascending the steps.

"What about your mom?" I ask glancing at the clock.

We had an hour and a half left but her mom hadn't left for night vigil service.

"She'll be gone in an hour and it's me she'll want to check with to go over security drills. Just follow me." she responds and I hike up the steps with her.

In her room the stale scent of body mist and shower gel still hangs in the air and she turns the fan knob to one.

I flip the light switch to reveal the familiar violet coloured walls that had begun to peel near the ground.

Her room is a mess with uniforms hanging on the wardrobe doors, mountains of revisional test papers littering the plastic table in the corner and a thin layer of dust from a few days of postponed sweeping.

I simply drop my bag on her queen sized bed and begin unzipping it -familiarity deadens you to alot of things.

"Are you excited for the gala." Victoria asks staring at me like I was the luckiest girl in the world.

"I feel like Cinderella when she snuck out to the ball -young, afraid to get caught, and like a fraud." I deadpan looking up from my search.

She frowns and this and argues. "Don't say that, you're ruining a good fairytale with your pessimism."

I pull the expensive nylon from my bag and answer her. "It's called being realistic."

Victoria rolls her eyes and sets on pulling out her makeup products.

"You're such a dead guy." she says taking out everything but her foundation and concealer.

We had different skintones so I had come with mine, they were a 16th birthday gift from my sister that I rarely used.

My friend on the other hand, was a self taught make up artist since she could steal from her mother's cosmetic bag without her noticing.

I take the dress out of the protective nylon and my friend squeals behind me.

My reaction is a different kind of stunned as my eyes skim the length of the soft lustrous fabric.

It was a floor-length champagne dress with a beautiful drape. It had a red carpet appearance with it's full skirt and cowl neck that was sure to reveal the little bust I had.

My shock came from when I saw how high the slit ventured up my thigh.

"This is so gorgeous, there's no way you could have had this in your closet. No offense but tell me everything!" Victoria gushed."

I shake my head at her stripping out of my uniform unsurely.

"You're using your hand and not your mouth to change, don't be stingy with gist na." she wines and I give in.

"I some errand boy he sent after school delivered Isren's alleged gift." I say and her brows shoot up.

"Nothing comes for free in Lagos." she says.