Rats, Roses And Paper Bones

Chapter 24: 'congratulations'

I was going to be like my mother at all costs.

I'd learnt from her that sometimes, all you needed to do was believe in the people you loved. And who knows? Maybe, in doing so, you'd learn to love them better—even with all their flaws.

"Thanks for sticking up for me," my sister said after the whole ruckus had died down.

I'd managed to save her butt again, as usual, but this situation had felt more serious than the previous ones.

Still, I'd chosen to trust her.

If anyone knew my sister, it was me. I was probably the only person in the school who knew her well enough to know she couldn't have done what they were accusing her of. So I couldn't just stand there and let her take the blame for something I knew she hadn't done.

Not on my watch.

"Your sister may have gotten off the hook this time," Promise had warned me, "but if we don't find the person behind this within a week, we'll have to hand the matter over to the house mistress for further investigation."

She paused, then gestured towards my sister's handwriting on the note.

"Your sister might not be so safe then, because of… you know."

I looked her straight in the eye.

"I promise you, my sister has nothing to do with this."

I thought about the lengths I would go to defend my sister as I watched her walk away, looking considerably more cheerful now that she'd been let off the hook.

"I really mean it. Thank you, sis."

She had noticed me staring.

I smiled.

"You owe me. Big time."

---

I got into the classroom just in time for Maths and walked straight to my seat beside Michael.

He had been staring at me the entire time.

"Um… it's obvious you're staring," I said nervously as I sat down.

He smiled and looked away.

"Nothing. It's just… your hair."

"Oh."

Of course.

I'd brought this upon myself.

I'd decided to do something different with my hair that morning. It had been Victoria's idea, of course.

In her exact words:

"You need to add a little bit of colour to your black-and-white life, Doyin."

I had to admit, it was funny that she thought decorating my hair like Minnie Mouse would somehow add colour to my life.

She had packed my hair into two fluffy buns and secured them with two pink hairpins—one with a butterfly and the other with a flower.

"It really brings out your eyes," Michael said, still looking at me.

"I like it."

"Well, thanks for the compliment," I replied, trying not to smile too much.

I hadn't expected him to notice.

But he had.

"Oh, there's more where that came from," he said cheekily.

I almost cringed.

"Funny."

"Speaking of funny…"

Thankfully, he seemed to realise he was about to embarrass himself and changed the subject.