Summer In Dreamington

CHAPTER 1: BADASS ME

IKEJA, LAGOS.
PRESENT DAY
27TH JUNE, 2018.

‘Cynthia, you are crazy. No arguments about that. YOU are the craziest friend I’ve ever had’, Paul said and shook his head.
‘You don’t need to tell me. I already know. Craziness is my middle name’, I said and winked at him. He always told me that every day so tell me, how I could forget? If he calls telling the boring Geography teacher that I’d rather kiss a toilet seat than apologize to that egotistical human being, then he hasn’t had a taste of my craziness in a long while. The human being had stepped on me and refuse to admit his wrongdoings lest of all apologize. So I decided to teach him a moral lesson during lunch, which I am certain would help him, by walking towards him and ‘accidentally’ spilling my juice on his yellow shirt. The being still had the guts to ask me to apologize. Wait until he starts to wash that shirt of his then he would realize that apologies could take you a long way in life. The look on his face when I smirked at him after spilling the drink on him will forever remain plastered in my head. I chuckled at the image and got a quizzing look from Paul. The siren rang and I shot up from my seat and ran out of the class not wanting to be late for my next class. It was one of the classes I especially looked up to every day and never missed it for anything. I entered the bubbling class and walked straight to my usual desk and got seated. I looked round and smiled. One of the reasons I loved this class was that we were many who offered the class so no special attention was given to me, unlike my other classes. I liked staying on my own and even my best friends, Paul and Ore always respected that. It was the only joint class we never sat together. Here, I could think as well as do anything I wanted without being questioned or watched and that includes admiring my Mathematics teacher without getting caught. As if on cue, the class grew silent and I knew he had just walked in. I looked up to see the teacher I admired most in this school looking especially clean this morning. Not that he did not always look clean but this morning was different. He was on a new haircut and also had a shave. In fact his crisp white shirt was blinding from where I sat. I laughed at the train of my thoughts and a few puzzled glances were sent my way. I shrugged and stuck my tongue out at them to mind their business. I could not help admire the way he kept himself clean and properly trimmed. His wife must be a lucky woman, if she did exist. Other teachers paid little attention to their appearance and only a few, with him topping the list, made extra effort to look good.
‘Today, we will be treating Statistics’, he said interrupting my thoughts. He was responded with groans and moans as people started shuffling their legs and adjusting to a comfortable position in preparation to sleep. I never understood why people hated Math. I felt that it was only lazy people who despised it. I looked around and concluded that majority of my classmates were lazy. I brought out my notebook and turned my entire focus to the board. Well, not my entire focus. I had to spare some for Mr. Mike, our teacher. If Paul was seated next to me, I could see him giving me a dirty look with a ‘you are so crazy’ written all over his face. I chuckled to myself at that. Pity he was seating three rows ahead of me. Now I can enjoy myself fully without being caught. I chuckled silently.

****
Phone rings
‘Are things set?’ a voice came from the other side of the line.
‘Yes.
‘What of the girl?’
‘Ready as ever’, the man seated on the rocking chair said and smiled spitefully.
‘Good. Bring her in’. With that, the line went dead.
‘Dreamington, here we come’, the man said and began to laugh wildly which ended in a fit of cough.
‘Here we come’
****

My walk back home seemed longer than normal as my head throbbed badly. The sun was not helping matters as it shone like it was out to melt me. Why did Paul have to volunteer to organize that party?  Seriously who attends a party with a 50 minutes lecture and 10 minutes leisure time? Was that even called a party? I cannot imagine he went ahead to volunteer for that when we agreed we were staying away from the ‘limelight’, if that’s what it is called. I was edgy and frustrated now and I needed someone to take it out on. He would have been the perfect candidate if only he was here. Worse of all, I can’t believe I’m actually missing his company. As I increased my pace I found myself cursing the sun. My head was bent trying to dodge the sun rays. I envisioned myself in the bathtub having a cold bathe. I was just turning into my street when I accidentally bumped into someone. I should have seen the feet of the person as my head was bent but it was as if the person had purposely timed my turning. I did not have time to complete the thought as I became unsteady. I would fallen down if cold hands had not gripped me and stood me up. Chills ran through my body as I felt the hold on me grow tight. I looked up to see a hooded man, probably in his early thirties glaring down hard at me. How I knew he was glaring at me despite the dark shades as well as the hood that blocked me from seeing his face completely, I would not know. Maybe it was the way his mouth lifted in an ugly smirk or the way his eyebrows were raised too high for a normal human being. I gently removed my hands from his uncomfortable grasp and murmured a quick ‘thank you’ before hurriedly dashing off.