The Things We Do

NINE

"Yes,  that's exactly what he said." The Vice Principal confirmed. "He said he saw you taking it and was going to report you before everything happened,"

Zehan could not help but wonder if Mr. Johnson was daft or if he was simply stupid. Even a toddler would know that Dele had told a lie and a ridiculous one at that.

"What game was Dele trying to play?" Zehan asked himself. Zehan knew that whatever he said next would determine his fate because, for all he knew, Dele might have been aware that he had tried to frame him for drug possession and this was all some elaborate scheme to trace it all back to him.

"Sir, I promised my mom that I wouldn't get into any trouble," Zehan said with such an angelic voice that no one knew he had, "I didn't take anything from Dele, he's lying."

Mr. Johnson kept mute for a few seconds, studying Zehan. "You kids think this is a joke, right?" Mr.  Johnson leaned back into his seat. "A student was found with drugs in school and you all think this is some kind of joke. Don't worry, I will find out everything and I'll have no mercy if I find out that there's more to what you're telling me."

Zehan didn't say anything. He only stared back at the Vice Principal and kept wondering if the man had lost his sanity.

"You can go," said the Vice Principal before Zehan immediately stood up and walked out of the office. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding ever since.

Zehan began thinking of the many ways things could've gone much more wrong. He was going to make sure that his plans from that moment onwards were full proof.

• • •

No one really knew who CJ Ikem was. Many people knew he was always tattered, late, and nonchalant. They also knew he was poor and he lived in the lower ring of Newland Estate; the paupers' area.

Perhaps, what they didn't know was that CJ didn't have a father. They knew his mom was a Canadian and that's why some people resulted calling him Canada. Only a few people knew his mother was a drunk and a prostitute. No one knew that the boy who moved around in a wheelchair was CJ's younger brother and no one knew that CJ had two six-year-old siblings, twins.

Most of all, no one knew that the class thief, the latecomer, the dirty-looking mixed boy had to cater for his siblings. He didn't bother with himself because his siblings were more important.

And as he sat there, in front of a perplexed-looking Ms. Isong, all he could think of was the fact that their house rent was long overdue and his mother hadn't been heard from for nearly two weeks.

CJ didn't know why he'd told Ms. Isong everything. What did the woman see in him anyway?

At that moment as Ms. Isong looked sincerely sorry for CJ, he felt so angry. He was angry at himself for opening up and telling her all that. He didn't want anyone to know his story.  He didn't want their pity or their attention. He wanted to be left to his miserable life. He wasn't the only one with problems.

"CJ, don't you have any idea where your mom could be? I would like to speak with her," Ms. Isong said from across the desk.

CJ hadn't raised his head since he walked into the staff room. He just kept fiddling with his fingers. He wasn't worried about breaking down in front of the teacher because even if he'd wanted to cry, he couldn't. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cried.

CJ shook his head in response to Ms. Isong's question. It wasn't like his mother would've done anything to make the situation better, rather, she would've simply worsened things by bringing different men in and out of the house anyway so it was probably better she remained wherever she was.