Two Birds

Twelve

They were twenty four students and seven groups so tell me why, why on earth I had to fall under the sane group as two members of the Prestige. Maybe I was hallucinating or something. I took off my glasses and cleaned it against my white buttoned up blouse then wore them back only to see the same thing as before.

Group A: A collective poem on suicide.

1. Isaac Lawson SS2A science
2. Zarah Abdullahi SS2A science
3. Chisom Nnaji SS2A science

". . .Group A members will have to come together to make a lengthy poem on suicide. B; will have to come up with an essay tackling suicide. C; has to make an artwork depicting suicide. D; has to interact with multiple students and make a research note from their interactions with their fellow students. E and F will have to join forces to act out a brief play on suicide and G; will have to come forward with an essay discussing ways on putting a stop to suicide. The school wants to use you students to bring a stop to the suicide cases so I expect you all to put your mind and soul into these projects and be ready at all time because at any moment, you will be called to present your work in front of a set audience. I will take my leave meanwhile you should remain here shortly and get acquainted with your group members and fix a regular date for your meetings."

And with that it ended and everyone began to get up, making small talks.

I remained as I was.

No offence to the school management but my group work looks like something a primary one student could do alone and I don't get why it had to be grouped or much rather why I had to be in the same group as the Prestige.

" Chisom!" I heard Isaac's voice call out my name. He was in front, his hands buried deep into the pocket of his black trousers. " Chisom!" He came closer and stood by my seat. My heart began to beat. I did not want to reach out and make myself visible. " Who is Chisom?"

He doesn't know who I am?

Of course he doesn't. Despite the fact that we have been classmates for a whole year, a whole SS2 first teem and now second term. A guy I bumped into yesterday. I still remained anonymous to him.

" Isaac, let's go. " Zarah came forward, looking as sophisticated as ever in her perfectly ironed uniform. She tugged at his hand. For some reason, her brows were wrinkled and she did not appear happy, not like I had ever seen her smile. She always had a blunt look on her face. " Tobi and Phoebe have been placed in different group than us. "

" Yeah. Do you know who this Chisom girl is?"

" We'll meet her later. " Zarah convinced. To which he finally agrees.

I let out a sigh of relief as soon as they had left. I always knew I was not a very socially popular person but come on, there were my classmates and they ought to know who I am. It's not like we were seventy students congested in a class. We were a measly amount, nothing compared to a government school setting yet they could not be bothered about my identity.

I jotted down a few things before exiting the almost empty hall.

By break time, I had already made up my mind that I did not want to be a part of the group so after receiving some confident talk from Ruth and David instead of heading to lunch with them, I paid the VP Academics a visit.

The room was chill, a little suffocated from the several books she had in but still nice, a painting of her done by the current headboy who happened to be an art student, a dispenser, a couch and on her large wooden desk were books, a framed photo and oh. . . more books, folders and documents. She had to be a bibliophile because her office could be likened to that of a smaller version of our library. She was seated on her chair, skimming the pages of BEN CARSON'S  DREAM BIG. A book that never got old.

A personal favourite of mine.

" Miss Nnaji, remind me again why you want to exempt yourself out of the compulsory group work. " Mrs. Osunde said, turning her chair.

" Ma. I don't want to. . .exempt myself, I just want to be placed in another group. " I said, folding my legs together and letting my black pair of socks rub off on each other.

" What's wrong with your group? Or you don't like your group members?" She asked, dropping her book and taking off the reading glasses I didn't know she had.

" Not that I don't like them but, but you see we haven't actually interacted with them and I don't want to hold them back since they are used to each other. My presence might scatter their shared mindset. "

She stared long at me before responding, " Miss. Nnaji, I want you to remove that kind of mentality, You hear ba? "

I nodded. 

" It's normal and you have to see it as a good thing; this way you can make new friends, come together as one and create a beautiful piece. You don't know them so get to know them. They are your mates and you never know these people might give you something you never knew you needed. " she placed her finger tips on her head and dimmed her eyes. " I am looking at you and I can tell you are a very reserved kind of person, these people can really help you to come out of your shell. "

But.

I like my shell.