Balogun

SHAME

I hurt myself with thoughts of you. Only you are my poison. Only you are my antidote.
     - adetayo_first

xXx

Abike was able to leave the kitchen by ten a.m.  She had been working since seven a.m and to say she was tired was an understatement.

Despite her weariness, she raced down the stairs towards the general room.
She had to see her friends.

They were going to come up to the arena for duty reassignment later but Abike couldn't wait.

She hadn't stopped thinking about what Fatima told her yesterday and she wanted to know if her friends thought that way too.

She was happy when she saw the three of them huddled together on Modupe's bed and they seemed equally happy to see her.

"Abike!" Mariam stood to hug her.
Abike hugged back and sat on the bed beside the other two girls. Mariam sat too.

"Hi Abike." Modupe and Yetunde grinned at her.

"Hi Modupe. Yetunde." Abike smiled at them.

"I haven't seen you in two days. What happened, Abike? And what in the name of God am I hearing?" Mariam started with the questions.

"What are you talking about Mariam?"

"We heard the Prince decided to come to the level four building two days ago and he was very angry when he saw the Palace maids in there..." Yetunde said slowly.

"Ok?" Abike urged her. The girls knew something. What was it?

"Then we heard he came upstairs and caught Bola and a Palace maid having sex..." Modupe finished. "You were the only one in the room, Abike. So it has to be you."

"Oh my god, that must have been so embarrassing." Yetunde held Abike's arm. "I am so sorry, Abi."

Abike jerked away.
"We weren't having sex. Who started this rumor, for god's sake?"

The girls were quiet for a few seconds.
"You weren't having sex?"

"Yes!" Abike cried.

"Then what happened? Why did the Prince beat Bola up?"

"I...I don't know." She lied.

"When you ran out of the building that day, why were you crying?" Mariam asked.

"Because the Prince was shouting and angry..."

"Oh my God." Modupe interrupted Abike's lies. "I would have cried too if the Prince yelled at me."

"I wouldn't cry. I would just drop down and suck his dick."

"Mariam!"

"What?" The girl shrugged and looked back to Abike. "We need to find whoever started this rumor because it's annoying. I actually thought the Prince caught you and Bola, you know?"

Abike sighed gratefully. The girls believed her. As for who started the rumours, she knew it had to be one of the officers who were hovering outside Bola's door that unfortunate day.
It had to be one of them!

"Well, I hope I get to serve the Prince this week." Mariam shook excitedly on the bed and her breasts swayed. "I won't be like Abike. I would take full advantage of my time and by the end of the week, I would have joined his harem."

"As slut number fifty one." Modupe and Yetunde cackled.

"Girl, let it be number hundred, I do not care. And they are not sluts, do you not see the way those girls are being treated like Queens? Please spare me."