“Shelah Akinola” The name came out fluidly, as Shelah shook the handsome boy’s sweaty palm.
She cringed inwardly, anticipating when he would drop her hand, and she could discreetly wipe her palms on the flapping skirt of her gown. The boy kept a firm grip on her hand, giving Shelah ample opportunity to take another sweeping glance around the sprawling compound of Wexford High.
It was Shelah’s first day, and it had been six hours since her parents dropped her off for resumption, that Sunday morning. Accustomed to being a Day student, Shelah had been both excited and scared when she realised she would be starting her SS2 class as a boarder, at Wexford High School. After the expected words of admonishment, and customary inspection and check-in, her parents had driven off, leaving her looking forlorn and forsaken.
To prove its history, the main school building of Wexford High was a beautiful stone mansion. It used to belong to an old Aare ona Kakanfo, but his children had been unable to maintain the needless home after his death, so they sold it to another family. It was the eldest member of this new family that initially converted it into a high-class hotel, but given the kind of small community it was in, the idea turned out to be a colossal failure.
Unaccustomed to defeat, the man, with the help of his siblings, decided to convert it into a high-class boarding school for children of the elites and middle class. Over time, other buildings were added, but the gothic feeling of the school remained intact. Every walkway was flanked by neatly pruned flowers, and the stone buildings often shone brilliantly, in the bright light of the sun.
When the boy started rubbing his thumb on the back of her hand, Shelah knew it was time to end what would be the longest handshake known to man. She withdrew her hand not-so-gently, and the cute boy looked crestfallen for a moment.
“Shelah.” He said it, as if he was testing the taste of it on his tongue. “That’s a beautiful name.”
“Thank you.”
“My name is Chike Obiora. My friends call me Chiks.”
Scrunching her nose, Shelah looked into his eyes. “Chiks? Doesn’t Chike sound better to you?”
He placed his hands in his pockets, and positioned himself awkwardly, the way boys did, thinking it was swaggy. “Chiks is cooler.”
“Okay.” Shelah shrugged. “That’s fair.”
“I see you’re in Marigold house.”
“And I see you’re a Daffodil.” Shelah retorted with a smile.
After she had gotten her acceptance email from the school, she spent most of her long vacation, reading up on the school’s history, activities, and formations. She had discovered that they ran the school quite liberally, compared to other schools in the Country. Each student was mandated to use housewear sewn in the general style, and they must be in the colours of their respective school houses.
There were four houses; Iris house, with purple and cream as their official colours. Daffodil house, with yellow and white as their official colours. Marigold house, with Gold and Orange as their official colours. Begonia house, with pink and lavender as their official colours. Each house had a building as its dormitory. Each dormitory had a common room cum lobby, and the staircase on the right led to the girls’ dorm, while the one on the left led to the boys’.
During school hours, the students would don their school uniform. Their skirts or trousers were a shade of grey, while the shirts were pure white. The blazers were navy blue, and the ties were white with navy blue stripes.
“The actual house with class.” His grin was sardonic.
“Yes! If your definition of class is looking like a plate of custard and sour milk.”
His grin subsided immediately, and he was about to say something in response, but he was interrupted by a screechy female voice.
Shelah had been standing with Chike right in the middle of the basketball court. They ran into each other after Shelah left her new dorm for a walk, right after she was settled in.
The owner of the screechy voice turned out to be a plain-looking senior student, also in Marigold house. Shelah had been introduced to her earlier, when they were doing the mandatory introductions of prefects. Her face was nothing impressive, so Shelah couldn’t recall her name.
There was something akin to fury on her face as she stomped towards the standing duo. When she got to them though, she was all smiles, and Shelah wondered if she had imagined the initial look.
“Chike!” She exclaimed in a breathy voice.
Chike turned his charming smile to his classmate. “Laide. What’s up?”
Laide looked flustered, and her light-skinned complexion was starting to turn a shade of red. She looked like a ripe tomato.
She waved a hand, in a gesture of nonchalance. “Nothing important. I was just looking for the new students, and I was told there was one here.” She finally turned her roving eyes towards Shelah.
She had a smile permanently etched on her face, but Shelah could see the malice beneath the façade.
“I’m sorry Senior,” Shelah said. “I didn’t know I was mandated to stay put in the hostel all through the day.”
Laide rolled her eyes. “Of course, you’re not mandated. I just needed to debrief you guys on something.” She diverted her attention to Chike, silently dismissing Shelah.
“Debrief?” Shelah was angry about the deliberate snub. “I thought that the little house orientation we had an hour ago, contained all the information we needed to know about school and life here.”
Laide looked irritated by her continuous presence, and she showed this by huffing, before responding to Shelah.
“I had something more to add.”
“What was it?” Shelah asked with a sweet smile.
Shelah knew Laide had nothing to say to the new students, that wasn’t already covered in the orientation. Her usual self would have let the senior student off the hook, but she enjoyed seeing her look flustered.
“Uh…” Laide looked at Shelah blankly. “Why are you questioning me, newbie?”
“Oh come on, lighten up, Laide. The girl just wants to know if she’s missed something important.” Chike turned to Shelah with a sweet smile. “Right, Shelah?”
Shelah only nodded.
Laide was silent for a little while; looking at the duo with a very conspicuous suspicious glint in her eyes.
“Return to your dormitory. Go and wash up and prepare for dinner.” Laide broke her silence.
“I don’t like eating moi-moi at night.”
With a quelling look, Laide gave Shelah a final dismissal. “That is not my problem. Go to your room. Now!”
Shelah nodded, before giving Chike a little wave; one that was noticed by the eagle eyes affixed on Laide’s face.
“Oh, and you?” Laide stopped a departing Shelah.
Shelah paused before turning around slowly. “It’s Shelah.”
“What?” Laide looked confused.
“My name is Shelah.” She repeated. “Not you.”
Chike started coughing, as he tried to muffle the chortle that had escaped from him. If looks could kill, Shelah knew she would have been dead, given the murderous glare that Laide sent her way.
“You must eat that dinner.” Laide’s low voice began. “If I don’t see you at the cafeteria, there would be hell to pay for it. Do I make myself clear?”
Shelah grounded her teeth, desperately trying to rein in the angry and choicely retorts that were on the tip of her tongue. “Crystal.”
With another flick of a wrist, Laide finally dismissed her. “You may now make yourself scarce.”
Shelah’s eyes stung with tears of humiliation, but she turned around and stomped off towards the dormitory while muttering colourful words under her breath.
Someone was tapping her, but Shelah wished whoever it was would simply leave her alone. She wanted to enjoy her sleep, but it seemed like a big thing to ask for. The tapping escalated to full jolts, and when she couldn’t take it anymore, she snapped her eyes open, ready to launch an assault on whoever it was that had interrupted her sleep.
When she saw Toyin, her new friend, looking at her with worried eyes, she raised herself to a sitting position.
“What is it?” Shelah tried to ask gently, but it ended up coming off as harsh.
Toyin winced visibly but gave an understanding smile. “Senior Laide is on the prowl. You know how she gets when she catches a junior student sleeping during night prep.”
Shelah groaned audibly, placing her palms over her face. “Ugh. It would even be worse when she discovers her fish is me.”
“Exactly!” Toyin added with a touch of sympathy.
Her friend had never understood her rivalry with Laide, and Shelah hadn’t bothered to shed light on the topic. All Toyin knew and saw was that Laide hated Shelah’s guts, and never ceased to make her miserable, whenever she got the chance.
Water ran from the taps within the dorms, but Laide would rather drink water from the tap beside the Iris dorm building. To satisfy this strange craving, she would send a junior student to give Shelah her white keg. It had to be filled before she returned from night prep.
It was Shelah’s job to iron her uniforms. It was Shelah’s job to sweep her bed space and dispose of her daily bucket of urine. She claimed she was always too tired to leave her bed every night and walk to the bathroom on their floor. So, to make her life easier, she peed into an old custard container, kept it under her bed, and expected Shelah to dispose of and clean it every morning after devotion.
Shelah knew the whole torture would stop if she reported the case to their dorm mistress, but she did not want to be a tattler. She knew what happened to tattle-tales, and becoming a social pariah was not that appealing to her, so she endured the humiliating work.
It had been six weeks of cat and mouse game with Laide, and Shelah was almost getting used to the daily dose of drama.
“I hate her so much,” Shelah muttered.
“You hate who?” Chike asked as he slid into the space beside Shelah.
The school library was the usual location for the daily night prep. Each desk had four chairs around it; two on each side.
“Nobody.” Shelah gave a quick response. “What are you doing here?”
Chike clutched his heart dramatically. “I’m gutted. No Good evening Chiks, or how are you doing Chiks?”
Toyin rolled her eyes behind the book that was now raised to her eye level, but Shelah caught the gesture. Chike got on her nerves, and Shelah knew why. Each time Chike spent some time with them, they got in trouble with Laide. It did not take a genius to realise that the senior had a crush on Chike; alongside the majority of the female population in the SS3 class.
“Good evening Senior Chike.”
Chike snorted. “How many times have I told you not to call me that? Just Chiks would do, please.”
Shelah sighed but chose not to give him a response. She was familiar with the dynamics of that conversation, and she knew where it was going to lead. She didn’t know or understand what Chike wanted with her. She had done nothing to encourage him. It was quite the opposite actually, but he never stopped coming back.
Shelah was flattered with the attention, and she had to admit that his boyish good looks did not hurt to look at. Unfortunately, liking him back was not a luxury she could afford. Not when Laide was still on her case.
“How was your mathematics assignment?” Chike asked, when he realised she wasn’t going to say a word.
“It was fine. I didn’t fail any.”
An impressed smile graced Chike’s features. “That’s wonderful. You passed so well, without accepting my help and tutorial.”
Shelah gave him a genuine smile when she saw his wistful smile. “I told you I understood that topic very well.”
“That you do.” Chike nodded as if he was in a conversation with himself. “Is there something you can’t do, Shelah?”
The comment took Shelah aback, but she nodded her head nonetheless. “Of course, there are loads of things I can’t do.”
“Name one.” Chike countered. “You’re smart with books, you’re in the music club, you’re in the dance club, you’re a prominent member of the debate team, and you are a verified reporter in the Newspaper club.”
“You mentioned most of the activities going on in the school, except one.”
“What’s that?” Chike asked while Toyin continued to read a single page since Chike had joined them.
“Sports.”
“You play scrabble and chess.”
“Those are indoor games,” Shelah answered. “Not field or tracks.”
“Well, tomorrow is Wednesday. Join us on the field during sports.” He smiled at her.
She returned the smile that was coaxed out of her. “I think I’ll pass on that.”
“Oh come on. Live a little.” Chike protested.
A giggle bubbled out of her when she saw the petulance on his face. Coupled with his dimples, that look was a force to reckon with. She was about to tell him why she had to decline, even though his offer sounded tempting when Laide made an appearance.
She slid into the seat beside Toyin, looking breathless and excited. “Hey Chiks. What’s up with you? What are you doing at this table?”
Shelah rolled her eyes before burying her nose into the books she had initially slept on.
“How predictable.” She murmured.
