𝙁𝘼𝘾𝘼𝘿𝙀 (𝐚 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲)

¦Chapter 15¦

~ Jason ~

My friends sat in a corner murmuring something to themselves. They just told me what Laila had done. The whole school is already talking about it.

I saw the way the students stared at them when they walked into their classes. Christian just kept smiling looking in Laila's direction.

In fact, he was not the only one who was amused by what Laila did. I was. I couldn't stop myself from laughing when they told me what she had said and done. Favor busted lips to top it all. And they thought I was crazy.

He kept touching it and the others kept telling him it would be fine. It just sounded and looked so funny. He was more embarrassed than the others and he didn't come to school a day after that.

Sincerely, I don't know how I feel about it myself. I don't know if I was supposed to be angry, surprised, or happy about it.

I knew something like this would happen. I didn't know it would be so soon.

And because of the incident, my friends have been quiet since. They were scared of her. I have never seen them scared of any student. They imitate me. But this was different.

The fear was laced in their voices. They had the strength to beat her, but there was something that made them feel weak to hurt her.

I could remember their words to me.

"You should have seen her eyes. It means hell," George said.

"She didn't blink when I moved close to her. All she had been doing is hiding under a Facade," Saheed added.

"She showed her real self that day," Favour said quietly. "I didn't know she was so tough."

"She is really from the ghetto. What girl's hand is so strong? My mom had to put ice on it." Saheed said and he unconsciously touched his cheek. I couldn't help but smile.

No one had amused me like this in a long time.

"She is just like Vicki," Obinna said and the others nodded.

Vicki was in junior class two then and we were a year higher than her in class. She is the first and only girl; in fact, the only student before Laila to confront us.

She was a very fat girl who did nothing than write stories. The girls usually make fun of her. Even the teachers sometimes call her funny names. I and my friends also found her amazing. She was too dull and she just watched people make jest of her.

Obinna and I decided to make her our little doll. But everything changed.

Vicki stood up for herself.

She wrote some stupid stuff about us in the school magazine making me angry and I added her to my blacklist.

She had yelled at me and said some things I never knew she could say. I was more than shocked and for the first time in my entire life, I apologized. With the way she talked with tears, I felt a little guilty and I apologized to her in a letter.

She left for London after that day. And No one had challenged us since her... until Laila.

***
Leaning on my locker in the hallway, I was scrolling through the assignments that the teachers gave to us in the class group when I heard footsteps approaching. I raised my gaze to see Laila approaching me. She was busy packing her hair in a ponytail and she was unaware of my presence.

She was coming from the swimming area. Just like the old music room is my sanctuary, I guessed the swimming area was the same for her because I noticed she was always coming out of there after school hours.