Flashback
Three years ago
Sinful feelings, I have. The world will not understand me, these feelings. How could it be? But when one finds love so pure and true, it matters not what anyone thinks, but you.
"The poem's lovely, Senior", Berakah giggled as Senior Kosarachi read her poem to her.
"Do you think your friend will like it?" she asked expectantly.
"Of course, she would," Berakah reassured her. Senior Kosarachi bit her lips nervously. "I don't know, let's just forget about it."
"Stop worrying so much. You need to tell her how you feel. You need this, and she should know just how you feel about her," Berakah told her.
"Good day, Senior Zite," stopped to greet her, his eyes on Berakah, who gave him a shy smile. "Chizitere, Do you know where Chidinma is?" she asked him, as she and Berakah shared a secret look.
"Mm, I think I saw her with Moses in front of our computer lab," he replied, noticing the look they shared.
"Emerald, why do I have to do this?" Kayode sighed heavily as he followed Emerald. She spun around to face him, eyebrows corked and lips pulled into an amused smirk. "I've told you, I prefer you call me Emmy; it's more romantic that way." Kayode shook his head. "We are not in a relationship."
"Of course, we are," she countered, continuing to pull him towards the class. "I mean, no one talks to you, only me, so that makes us in a relationship."
"No, we are not," he insisted. "You keep saying you are in love with me, but Moses... because Moses won't give you the time of day, and that's because he's hell-bent on chasing Chidinma."
Emerald stopped dead in her tracks and said in a low voice, "Don't be a fool; no one is chasing Chidinma, and I love you. I like you, which is why we are going to do my assignment since we are together." She flipped her hair and continued walking until they reached the empty classroom.
"Do you have the textbook?" Kayode asked as he settled into a seat. "No, but I will get one," she said, walking straight to Berakah's desk, which happened to be locked with a silver padlock with intricate designs.
Using a metal comb to tinker with the padlock, Emerald succeeded in unlocking it. "These fancy padlocks are too easy to jack," she smirked at Kayode who just stared at her.
She took out the textbook, causing a little pink and white paper with beautiful handwriting to fall out from between the pages. "Eh, so even Ju con get love letters," she said in Pidgin as she gingerly picked up the paper.
"Don't read it," Kayode warned.
He really wanted to leave. "If she left it in a textbook in a locked desk, then it's not meant to be seen by others."
Emerald ignored his words and read the contents of the letter. She was silent for some minutes.
"Emerald?" Kayode called.
She burst into hysterical laughter and waved the paper around. "So, even girls love her," she said, grinning like a Cheshire cat.
Kayode, despite his resolve, grabbed the paper from her hands and read it. He went pale immediately.
"Why, Kosarachi? What is this?"
He dropped it back in Berakah's locker. "It's probably a prank. Let's just leave it at that," he said, as he began to pick up Emerald's books. "Let's use another classroom to solve your assignments."
Reluctantly, Emerald followed him to the next class, her eyes still sparkling with mischief.
"I really like you, a lot," Moses held Chidinma's hands as he walked side by side.
"Moses, I've already told you, we can only be friends," Chidinma replied, as she gave him a sympathetic smile and untangled herself from his hold.
"Chidinma!" someone called. It was Berakah, whose eyes twinkled as she landed on her friend. "Come with me, I want to give you something." She held onto her arm and tugged.
"Moses, see you later," she gave him an apologetic glance, to which he only nodded.
The two girls left his presence; he was on his way back to the hostel when a voice called him.
"Moses!"
He turned back to face Emerald, who sashayed towards him, giving him a sly smile. She licked her lips. "What do you want?" he snapped at her.
Emerald shrugged. "I thought you might want to know the reason why Chidinma keeps rejecting you."
At this, his interest was piqued. "And how would you know that?" he asked suspiciously.
She gave him a playful stare. "We girls have our ways."
He continued staring at her, his eyes narrowing.
She cleared her throat uncomfortably. "She keeps rejecting you because... she plays for the other team."
His arched brow showed his confusion. "She's a lesbian," Emerald stated matter-of-factly.
He snorted. "No, she isn't."
Wordlessly, she handed him Senior Kosarachi's letter. He read it, his expression shifting from confusion to disgust and finally anger.
"Senior Kosarachi is harassing her," he said.
Emerald nodded. This wasn't what she wanted; she wanted him to hate Chidinma, but he was pushing the blame on Senior Kosarachi.
Oh well, I never liked the senior anyway, she thought to herself.
"It's unfortunate that I have to announce to you, my dear students, that it has come to my knowledge that a student of ours has been engaging in homosexuality," the principal announced on the assembly ground.
The students murmured, and soon there was a ruckus.
"Keep quiet!" the principal commanded.
"Kosarachi Anazodo, the Christian prefect of the school, who was meant to be an example to you all, has been expelled from this school."
Students gasped at the announcement.
"This is rubbish!" Berakah cried out, frantically scanning the crowd for her friend's face among the SS3 classes.
"I've always disliked that girl; she was always too strange," Emerald retorted, glancing at Kayode, who shook his head and sighed.
"How can they do this?" Berakah demanded, her voice trembling.
"I never got the letter. Berakah had told me she couldn't find what she wanted to give me, and she had seemed a bit nervous that day." She raised her worried eyes at Zite.
"Moses acted on impulse and told the principal what was going on, but the real question is, how does this letter connect with the killer?", Zite pondered. She had a sudden overwhelming sense of dread. Her heart palpitated, her hands shook.
"Goldie is in trouble, we need to find them." She held Zite's wrist.
Toro walked in and noticed their proximity. He raised an eyebrow and said, "The detective wants everybody back in their dormitories. They are going to look for the others with Mr. Obidike."
In that instant, Chidinma sprang up. She had to find Goldie. She had to save her best friend. She knew something bad was just going to happen.
"Chidinma, you have to calm down." Zite tightened his arms around her. He hugged her, and then she cried.
YOU ARE READING
E❌ tension
Mystery / Thriller"Abeg extension will soon start and we'll be in school while everyone's at home let's eat now that we still can", Goldie said. "What do you mean by that?", Chidinma said. "I watched a movie where a group of students were staying in school and things...
