Late Eighteen

02| Chapter two

"You see what I'm talking about? Children of nowadays have no manners, I'm telling you." She said, addressing my Dad whose attention was still on the newspaper. She eyed him dangerously and I nearly laughed. She turned to face me again. "Those good for nothing boys in your school, they're already getting into your head, uh? To the extent that you disrespect me, your mother?"

I just kept quiet, looking at her. It's already bad enough that my morning has been frustrating, I don't need another lecture from my mum. One thing that I've learnt from living with African parents is that you don't talk when they talk, you'll only make matters worse.

Just in time, Zion and Zoe burst into the kitchen.

"Morning mum, morning Dad." Zion grunted, before dragging his bag behind him to the sitting room.

Zoe was even worse, she didn't even greet at all. She just passed by us, grabbing a bottle of water before sitting on a kitchen stool.

"What's going on here?" Zoe asked, sipping on her bottled water. I resisted the urge to laugh at Mom's furious face. I could literally see the steam coming out of her ears.

"You know what, never mind. The three of you are taking the bus to school for the rest of this week and back." Zoe too chocked on her water, while I chocked on... Air. "Turn in your phones when you're back from school today too. All of you."

"But mum-"

"No buts. Get out of my kitchen now and find your way to school, disrespectful brats."

"Mum, we're sorry. We didn't mean it like that, please mum." Zoe and I knelt down before her.

"Dad, can we please leave now?" Zion grumbled as he walked into the kitchen. He raised his brows as he saw us kneeling on the floor. "What's up with you two?"

"Get out of here now before I lose my temper." She reached for the spoon of soup and we all scampered out.

"Why were the both of you kneeling down? You both got into trouble again, right?" He laughed. "God knows I'm the only innocent person in this house."

I glared at him.

"We have to take the bus to school for a week, punishment for what I know nothing about," Zoe explained, her bag on her shoulder. "No phones too."

That shut him up really quickly.

"What?"

♦♦♦♦♦

By the time we got to school, it was already past eight, which simply means we skipped assembly, so we had to pick dirts from the field as punishment.

"I'm going to class." Zion grumbled, running to catch up with his friends.

"I'll go drown myself in an hot tub full of acid.' Zoe too walked off in the direction of her class. Over dramatic peasants.

I watched them go into Sss2 B before I made my way to my own class. The classroom was painted in light yellow, the paint already peeling off, a big poster with 'Sss3 A' on the top.

"Ruth, how're you? How was your weekend?" Carolina, one of my classmates greeted immediately I stepped foot into the class.

"Fine." I responded, placing my head on my desk. I wasn't on the mood to speak with anyone, that's for sure.

"This one you're sweating, did you run a marathon?"

I didn't reply. I was hoping she would go, but she didn't take the hint.