The Ruckus coming from the ladies bathroom made Rose’s knees knock together in fear, it was the second day of school and she already knew the rules YOU DONT GO TO THE DAY LADIES BATHROOM. There was no other bathroom in the area at this time, break; she had no choice but this didn’t make it any easier.
The courtyard was full of screaming kids St Katherine’s was the poshest school in Ikoyi all parents of affluence wanted their kids to go there and each child was as interested to get it.
With kids of all ethnic varieties, Rose was glad her one week food strike had earned her the right to skip boarding house as she had honestly toyed with the idea of suicide at the thought.
Her father was a manager with First Trust a bank known for holding the accounts of all the affluent in politics. Her father’s advise was simple ‘ if you’re going to make any friends at school make sure they are the kids worth knowing. Daddy needs to bring in business and I’m counting on you to the means to how.’ She wasn’t surprised at her dad’s request it had been the same thing in elementary school why would it be any different here?, her near silent mother merely laid a rosary around her neck and hugged her before she returned to her prayer room upstairs.
She muttered the Hail Mary under her breath as she stepped into the thin corridor that widened to where the stalls were, with off white sinks opposite. Sitting around were six seniors smoking and laughing at each other’s jokes. ‘See what the cat dragged in o,’ one of them said as she caught a look of Rose. Rose was wearing a white shirt with a black pinafore over it; the armpit of the shirt immediately infused with perspiration at the comment ‘Sorry senior Mary could I pee please?’ Three of the other girls laughed while others continued puffing away at their cigarettes, Senior Mary was notoriously known, her crew were the most feared set of girls in the entire school their many varied ideas of making the junior girls squirm term after term were legends that had been heard even before resumption, your best bet was to pray you never ever came across their path.
The fear had caused her bladder to give signs of leaking, if she wasn’t given relief soon; the seniors were planning what to do with her next she could see it on their faces, they could do anything for a laugh. Senior Marys dad was the managing director of Total petrol money was not a problem in her world and this ensured that her life was pretty simple. The door swung open and through the crowd of smoke Rose saw a girl from her year that she had taken an immediate dislike to, Nikky was a cocky girl who had become popular in the one day they had been in school, so far Rose had been unable to make one friend with the exception of one of her dads colleagues daughters who is in her class Hannah but they both knew their friendship was built on the premise of their parents and was expected to disintegrate once real friends of choice were made.
Nikky walked in with confidence which obviously didn’t work in her favour ‘who are you rat?’ this is the name for all new year one students as seniors couldn’t be bothered to learn juniors names ‘Nikky Badru’ ‘well rat’ Mary continued ‘we were about to start a game I’m so glad you could join us’ she said with a wicked half smile. ‘Both of you come and stand right in front of me’. Rose knew with certainty that something not cool was coming. With no warning Mary slapped Rose with a resounding blow it was as if in slow motion; poor Rose saw the arm approaching in shock she did nothing to move out of the way and the blow twisted her neck around at an almost one hundred and eighty degree angle. There was silence for a few seconds before the seniors began howling with laughter.
Rose had felt her bladder clamp shut with force as the blow had struck her cheek, her skin was too dark to show the outline of the blow but the cheek began swelling almost immediately. The shock had still not worn off ,the tears gathered in her eyes, ‘if I see one tear drop you get another’ Mary said forcing her chubby face so close to Rose’s face that there were flecks of spittle all over her lips and eyelids as signs of her proximity.
Nikky had at this point dropped all signs of coolness and had her mouth hanging open and eyes bulging out of her head, while the seniors continued howling with laughter.
‘Now rat one, you saw that slap eh? Rose nodded ‘I need you to show me exactly how I did that to your friend over there okay?’ Rose turned to look at Nikky much as she had chosen to dislike the girl it didn’t mean she wanted to express it so violently; ‘you have ten seconds before I show you another example’. With that threat Rose saw herself in almost slow motion turn around and swing her arm from her side where it dangled with all the force she didn’t think she possessed; aimed at her opponents cheek and she slapped the living day lights out of Nikky Badru.
The seniors actually fell of their seats on the sink with laughter tears fell down their cheeks as they held their sides. Nikky was sitting on the floor looking dazed while Rose’s was looking fearfully at Senior Mary to see if the slap had met her expectation. Senior Mary was having a hard time keeping the laughter off her face ‘get up jo’ she said to Nikky come here the poor girl shook her head to clear the dazed look off her face and took a few steps closer to her and then ‘senior Mary said now it’s your turn’
‘Ha,’ Rose exclaimed ‘but!’ With a smile of pleasure on her face Nikky blew the centre of her palm for Good luck, pulled back her elbow as though she wanted to punch her in the face and landed a rounded slap in the centre of Rose Ihenacho’s face.
Then, she burst into laughter, senior Mary laughed as though it was a comedy show she was watching, all the seniors were laughing hard until one of them asked them to get out. The two girls walked out with slightly dazed expressions from the dimly lit bathroom corridor to the sunlit court yard. The sounds of other happy kids laughing and walking around in groups was a stark contrast to the girls coming out of the bathroom that hadn’t brought them the relief they had sought when going inside. Both girls gave each other dirty hate filled looks as they walked in different directions both sure the other would never leak their encounter.
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