IT ALL STARTED WITH A BOY

Gangs, Boys, Explosions And Football

            "Ohhh, you two are soooo in love!" Tishe sang as well walked into the hall towards our lockers. I groaned, why are their lockers next to mine?! Gazelle, I had no problem with, but the other two....gosh!
"Both of you were just staring into each others eyes, drinking in the water from the fountain of love."she said, a hand over her heart. Caitlyn fake gagged and I nudged her,smiling. She smiled back and walked over to Tishe.
"Tish, stop teasing them when we all k ow you've been crushing on Richard Peters since like forever."
Tishe's face deepened and Gazelle and I chuckled.
"True. I've watched you enough to notice how stupid you act in front of Mr Bad boy." I said and she glared at me.
"Tishe and Richie sitting in a tree,"
"K-i-s-s-i-n-g.' Caitlyn and I sang. Gazelle laughed as Tishe walked away from us.
"That'll teach her to make fun of people." Caitlyn said as we reached our lockers.
"Must you guys talk so loudly. I mean, the entire hallway can freaking hear you." Tishe said, crossly. I smirked as I opened my locker taking out my Chemistry, Civic Education and Estate History textbooks.
"I do hope our Chemistry class is going to be interesting. My old Chemistry teacher was dreadfully dull." Gazelle said to me. I shrugged.
"It's boring sometimes, but that's only if Mr Ogunsanya is taking us. If Professor Dike is taking us then get ready to have lot of chemical fun."
"Thank God I'm a Commercial student." Caitlyn said, throwing a pack of gum into her locker.
"Science class is not so bad." Gazelle responded.
"E tin ko chemical po, eyin omo science students." Caitlyn sang, smiling while Gazelle and I rolled our eyes.
"And I'm the only Art student in our glorious group." Tishe said.  We closed our lockers and put our books in our bags.
"Come on, Tish. Get your books or we'll be late." Caitlyn said then shuddered.
"I did NOT just say that."
"Do you need any help there?" Gazelle asked as Tishe struggled to open her locker.
"It's..stuck..oh!"
She fell back and Richrd Peters caught her just in time. He helped her up and smiled at her. She smiled back, blushing.
"Tishe."
"Hey Richard." she replied nervously. He looked at the rest of us.
"Gazelle. Caitlyn." he snickered, "Big head boy."
I rolled my eyes.
"Sinful priest."
He smirked. Then he turned to Caitlyn.
"HQ after school, Kitty. Don't forget."
Caitlyn sighed.
"For the hundredth time, Peters, I won't."she responded and he walked away. I noticed that he and Caitlyn had similar tattoos and they both were the exact same black leather jacket. I frowned, the only people who dressed like that were........
Oh no.
She isn't.
But....gosh.
She is!
"You're a Fang."
Caitlyn smirked.
"Took you long enough."
"You're a Fang! Caitlyn, you're a Fang! Like the notorious gang. A Fang!"
"Yes, Jefferson. I am a full fledged member of the gang that controls the west side of Crystal Point estate known as the West Side Fangs."
I stared at her then at her cousins.
"You knew?"
They shrugged; Tishe with a small smile and Gazelle with her usual blank face.
"You knew!? And you didn't tell me! Guy, you're like in a cult..."
"Correction, gang. Not cult. There's a huge difference."
I shook my head as Caitlyn pulled out a packet of plantain chips from her jacket pocket. Tishe tried opening her locker again and Gazelle played with the end of her tie.
"The Fangs are the most feared and most powerful loan sharks in Ikorodu. They give loans to everybody; from petty drug dealers to large mafias. They kill their debtors."
Caitlyn shrugged.
"Just our way of getting rid of the muck of the world."
"You have no right to take matters into your own hands."
"Jeff, most of the people we deal with are low lives. People who have been causing havoc in Crystal Point for years. The guy that raped six year old  Eniola? He took a small loan from us, I personally made sure he couldn't pay back. This is Nigeria. A country where if we don't get rid of the dirt ourselves, no one will help us sweep it away. Nothing but corruption works in this country. Did you really think the government would have found justice for Eniola? What about Demilade Fayemi? The boy who was being abused by his step father? Did the government do anything? The stupid police men in this estate did not even take him serious when he reported the case. They only told him that his step father wouldn't hit him if he didn't offend him. That he was a man. That boys don't get abused. So, do you really think that we can rely on that kind of law enforcement? The gangs in this estate aren't here to cause havoc, we are the only kind of law enforcement that actually works in Ikorodu. Sure we fund some mafias and drug houses and all that stuff. But we pick our customers very carefully. We won't loan money to anyone that plans to hurt the community. We're here to save it, not harm it."
I stared at her. Sure, the Fangs haven't exactly hurt any innocent civilians and they always stayed within the boundaries of the east side. But taking lives? That was just cruel and heartless. That petty low life drug dealer might be a father with a wife and two little girls waiting for him at home to provide the next meal for them. I don't support crime, but she was right. This is Nigeria. A country that only caters for the rich and powerful. Life was simply survival of the fitest. The rich, whether politicians or business tycoons, preyed on the poor. Leaving them to scavenge for crumbs and scraps. The middle class families, like mine, lived as honestly as we could. Regular paying jobs, whether self employed or salary earning, with average houses and maybe even a small car. I was what you would call average. But I had met those who were at rock bottom. Those who didn't have any other choice than to succumb to the devil. Drug addicts, fraudsters and prostitutes. Mom dealt with a lot of them and I had accompanied her to some of her field work. The sight made me feel fortunate yet depressed. It felt unfair that I had a roof over my head, clean and constant food and water and a loving family.
I had a PS4, they had sticks and stones.
I had health insurance, they had cocaine and heroin....if they could afford it.
I had a part time paying job at the local library, they had a rundown vegetable stand.
I can decide to skip a meal cos I 'just wasn't hungry', they went hungry almost everyday.
There were only few people ready to help these people. Eniola's rapist would never be justified. Demola's step father was most definitely a monster. But no one deserves to die in the hands of another.
But then, we'll all die one day.
"Jeff?"
I sighed.
"I still don't feel like you and your gang have any right to kill people. No matter what they've done. It's wrong and makes you no better than them."
Caitlyn frowned.
"If we don't do it, someone else will."
I exhaled and leaned on my locker. The warning bell rang and I looked to Tishe.
"Tishe, haven't you gotten your locker open yet?"
"It's..still...stu-ahhhhhhhhh!"
I felt something push me to the floor and a deafening sound reverberated through the hallway. I heard screaming and the rush of footsteps around me. I turned over and sat up. My left shoulder hurt and I think I might have sprained my ankle. I looked to my left and found Tishe sprawled on the floor, her left leg in a twist.
"Tishe!" I screamed rushing over to her side. Caitlyn was hunched over her and Gazelle knelt beside her.
"Tish! Darling, are you alright?" Gazelle asked. Tishe stirred and coughed violently.
"Ugh... What happened?"
"Uhm, your locker kinda exploded." Caitlyn said, helping her sit up. I looked at her locker. It had now been replaced with a gaping smoking hole that gave a view of the Chemistry lab. I looked around, a crowd had already gathered and our Chemistry teacher, Mrs Olamuyiwa came running towards us.
"Blood of Jesus! Adelanwa, Michael, are you two alright? Did you injure yourselves?"
I held my aching ankle.
"I think I sprained my ankle. My shoulder hurts a bit too."
Tishe tried moving her right leg and flinched.
"God that hurts so much."she whispered. Mrs Olamuyiwa looked like she had just been given a life sentence.
"That Mr Peretti...you!" she pointed at a random student. A junior.
"Go and tell Olakunle Peretti that he should go and wait for me in the staff room."
The junior nodded and ran off.
"Stop running in the hallway!" she shouted after him, "Oya, Miss Taiwo and Miss Blossom, help me carry Tishe to the clinic. Mr Adelanwa, can you manage to walk to the clinic?"
I looked at my ankle. The clinic wasn't too far. I guess I can bear it. I nodded.
"Oya, stand up. Sorry ehn. Is it paining you? Ha, pele dear. Sorry."