The next days of my life feel uneventful. I'm unhappy most times and I'm rarely in the mood for unnecessary human interactions. I barely see my mother, completely convinced that she's done putting on an act for me.
School takes up most of my time, and I drive my energy into studying. There's no other option. On another hot Wednesday, two weeks after my resumption, I'm seating at the lunchroom with Mary and her friends. We had become a little bit of friends too. A little bit because the friendship didn't feel like Tay and IK's type of friendship, but I had tougher things I was dealing with, so I didn't mind much.
"There's a party this evening." Uju announced randomly and I looked up from my phone.
"Who's hosting?" Mary asked.
"Sonia." Uju replied and Hassanah gave her a look. "It's a welcome party, for new students."
"It doesn't sound innocent," Hassanah said with a shrug.
"Come on now, don't be a buzz kill," Mary said and pouted.
They talked back and forth begging her to come and when she finally agreed, they turned to me.
"Will you come?" Uju asked. "It's going to be fun!"
I scoffed. "What's going to be fun? Alcohol, dim lights and horny teenagers?" I asked in a deadpan.
Uju sighed and rolled her eyes– I don't want to believe she rolled her eyes at me though.
"It's a one in a lifetime experience nauu! You only live once," Mary pressed on.
"No thanks, I'll pass." I responded. Hassanah and I shared a silent look of understanding before I shifted my focus back to the food Infront of me.
My neck suddenly began to hurt.
They spent the rest of the lunch, trying to make me to come for a party, but there was no way I was going; my mind was made up.
•
And for some reason, there I was, standing in front of 'Sonia's' house. I thought my mind was made up, but there I stood, unwillingly.
"Cheer up nau," Uju said with a nudge. "We're here to party."
I scoffed and folded my arms.
Uju's skimpy outfit surprised me. She was dressed in a cropped top, skin net pop socks and a short bum short. It looked like she was trying to get laid, or pregnant, or both.
"I'm not happy to be here," I stated the obvious.
"You're lucky your mum let you come willingly, I had to sneak out of the house, omo," Uju said again.
Mumsi would never let me come for this party. But my mother was a whole different case. She, infact encouraged us to have fun and not to come home later than 2am.
"Let's go into the party!" Mary said in excitement and we had to go in.
Mary's outfit was more decent; she just wore a simple body con maxi dress, and slippers. Her braids were packed up, and she had no make up on. I was simply bored, and I wore jeans and a big shirt with crocks with my hair let down.
The party consisted of teenagers and other creeps that looked like they were in the university.
The music was loud and I struggled to get through the crowd with Mary and Uju. Hassanah refused to come and who can blame her?
As soon as we found a place to sit on a couch, Uju stood up to us and screamed over the music,
"I want to go and have some fun!"
"Don't do anything stupid," Mary warned sternly, like Uju was fond of doing 'stupid,' things.
Uju brushed her off with her hand, and a carefree smile on her face, then she strutted into the crowd of drunk teenagers.
How odd.
Those teenagers danced in their own world. It seemed like they were under such a spell that they knew nothing about. A carefree spell, where nothing mattered. I couldn't doubt that some were high, many were drunk and a special amount was a combination of the two. Mini skirts and revealing dresses walked around without shame and I shook my head. There was dry humping evident in the party, and some people were in suggestive positions in the name of dancing. The sight was appalling. I caught a glimpse of Tiwa laughing with a guy who held an unlit cigarette to his lips and had a smirk on his face.
I rolled my eyes.
Mary offered me a drink which I declined. I knew better that to drink anything at a party.
"Stop being uptight, it's just a bunch of our classmates," the weirdo who joined Mary on the couch, said to me.
"You know, you saying this right now, gives the impression that indeed, you have interior motives." I stated firmly.
He rolled his eyes and whispered something to Mary who gave him a look.
"I need to use the toilet," I told Mary. She nodded and gave me directions.
In my attempt to find the toilet, I bumped into a room that was filled with horny teenagers, very horny ones who definitely had no fear of God in them. In order not to gag, I closed the door sharply. I held my breath in anticipation and finally, I found the toilet. I took a deep breath when I got there and rinsed my face a couple of times. Crowds made me anxious but I didn't want to disregard my mum's suggestion, – big mustake, by the way.
Another girl rushed into the toilet, and began throwing up in the sink. Her hair was really long, so I helped her to hold them together as she threw up repeatedly.
"Are you good?" I asked in genuine concern when she seemed calm.
"Yeah, I just–" she took in a gasp of hair. "I just found my boyfriend cheating on me,"
"Oh," I said in surprise. "I'm sorry."
"And this has already been such a bad week for me. My brother is back in rehab and my parents are getting back together,"– that doesn't sound like a bad thing, but I let her rant it out. "And apparently my best friend is a bitch–"
She suddenly stopped when she realised she was talking to a real human being.
"I am so sorry for my ranting. I got vulnerable." She apologized and I nodded. In order to make herself feel less awkward, she asked me,
"What's your name?"
"Chidalu."
"I'm Giselle. But everyone calls me Gigi." She said with a smile.
"Nice to meet you," I replied with an equal smile if my own.
Gigi caught me off guard when she hugged me and I stood there awkwardly, not knowing how to return the unexpected affection. When she pulled away, she said, "Thank you for helping me hold my hair,"
I almost laughed in adoration. "It's nothing Gigi."
Gigi took my number and promised to text me before she walked out of the toilet.
I pondered over our brief interaction and agreed that Gigi was a sweetheart with rich people problems. Soon after, I rinsed my face again and decided to go home.
As soon as I got back into the living room where the main party was, everyone was looking in my direction.
"Ah, yes! There she comes! The new student!"
Said a girl with an extremely loud voice. The girl who I identified as Sonia, had a sinister smile on her face. I stood in place, not sure what to do in that awkward moment.
"Word has it that she's a charity case, and an orphaned, forgotten child," Sonia blabbed on.
"Is it the lashes that has slowed down your mental capacity?" I blurted out.
The people in the party gasped at stared at me in shock.
"Are you talking to me?" She asked, clearly in shock.
"Why are you acting surprised? Even if you want to start a rumour, get your facts straight."
"Do you even think you belong here?" Sonia barked. "Do you think a girl that grew up in the skins will ever fit in with our circle?"
I laughed out loud at her obnoxious question.
"Madam, I came here to get quality education, incase you forgot, not to stare at a slow minded person bark nonsense."
The crowd kept cheering on. Perhaps they liked the drama or my bravery.
"Why are you acting like you didn't grow up in the slums though? Why are you pretending to be rich?" This was the voice of my supposed sister.
"I grew up in the slums. Bite me." I simply replied.
When Tiwa gave no response, I rolled my eyes.
"Oh that's right, all bark, no bite," I said with a laugh.
"It seems I was compelled to come to this party to be embarrassed and questioned, and I'll leave now so you all can have fun, but let me tell you one thing. I am not orphaned neither will I deny the fact that the place I grew up with isn't the most aesthetic place in the world but I grew up with the best foster parents ever. Go and throw yourselves a pity party because I don't want your disgusting pity. My childhood didn't consist of neglect like most of you did, and if money is really the key to happiness, then get some more because most of you look horrible." I said to them.
Silently, everyone watched me and I was about to leave the door before I turned around to Sonia's direction.
"Oh and quit the lashes babe, or change your lashtech. You don't look so great."