K A I R A

2 4

Sports day was here again, and this time, the red house students were uniformly lined up on the basketball court instead of our usual spot. The sun blazed down through the high windows, causing sweat to prickle on our skins. Today's student coordinator was none other than our supposedly flawless head boy, his presence commanding attention as he stepped onto the makeshift podium, his fangirls in SS 1 cheering him on with piercing voices. I joined the rest of the seniors in hissing. There was nothing special about Kazeem for girls to fawn over him this much.

Amara rolled her eyes. "I'm waiting for the day this boy graduates."

"Honestly." I laughed. "You took the words out of my mouth. I can't believe these girls right now."

Following his directions on the warm up exercises for the day, my best friend continued her rant, "He hasn't even done anything serious since he got his position as a prefect. Assuming he made a new policy now, I wouldn't mind the whistles he gets now and then. Maybe I would even join his cheerleaders...or not."

"It's because he's light-skinned ," Folashade chimed in, her voice cutting through the crowded noise. We could have used the open soccer field instead of this cramped court. "And he's athletic," she added with a wink.

I scoffed, cracking my knuckles. "I've seen better."

"Yo, so you do look for handsomeness in boys."  Folashade nudged me on the shoulder. It surprised me; we weren't exactly on that level of friendship, at least right now. Sensing my surprise, she paused her lumberjack exercise and placed her hands on her waist.

Glancing at the already tired Amara and myself, she started, "You know, I've been thinking about something."

"About what?" Amara began stretching her arms overhead.

"Inviting you both to my birthday party this Friday," her eyes gleamed under the fluorescent lights. She clasped her hands together, her bottom lip jutting out in a very dramatic pout. "Pretty please? It's my seventeenth birthday."

Reflecting on it, I realized I truly had no reason to avoid social interactions with my classmates anymore, despite all that happened last term. Folashade, despite her talkativeness, was genuinely a nice person.

I sensed Amara waiting for my response before giving hers.

I shrugged. One birthday party wouldn't hurt. "Sure, I'll come."

"For real?" Her voice was almost drowned out by the huffing and puffing of the exercising animals, I mean, boys in SS3. She turned to Amara. "You're coming too, abi?"

"Of course." Amara rolled her eyes but let out a soft laugh.

By the time we finished our PE session, the room reeked of sweat. The killing smell of perspiration hung in the air. Most girls hadn't bothered participating in the exercises, so it definitely came from the guys. Though I did little exercise, my shirt clung to my back damp and uncomfortable, as Kazeem dismissed everyone. Students began to exit the basketball court through the different exits, their shuffling footsteps echoing off the walls.

"Why did I put myself through this?"

"Do I know?" I handed her a bottle of water as we walked out of the emptying room. "You're fit enough."

"I'm not so sure."

"Why? Did anyone complain about your body?"

Though I asked this jokingly, I didn't expect her to nod after drinking some water. Who dared to talk negatively about Amara's body? God did take His time in creating her. There were times I would have traded my skeletal frame for hers in a heartbeat.