Behind The Walls ✔️

Chapter 1

I had never given much thought to life; I mean I didnt have a reason to. I am just 14 years old but right now, looking around me I realized maybe I should have as I take in what was happening around me. Today is a random Monday morning, the only thing different was that it is the first day of resumption at Focus high school hence, it was bubbling with excited students catching up with friends.

Some girls were underneath the tree talking about the latest trends, the new teachers and youth corpers while some student were cleaning classrooms and sweeping the environment that had piled up dirt due to the long vacation and other activities were also taking place, even though it was just 9.00'o'clock in the morning.

Focus high school is one of the best schools in the whole of unity community, a particular area in Lagos. Though it is not for the elite neither is it for the poor, it is a middle-class school and somewhere in that school I sat alone in my neat, ironed blue and white uniform with blue socks paired with a white sneaker as I wondered if there is any chance that I will find my best friend amidst all the activities going on.

I sat quietly on the pavement of a classroom block, bored out of my mind. A girl greeted me in passing and I replied her absentmindedly, as I wondered where and how I had met her after she was long gone. I was still trying and failing to place her face when I heard someone call me.

Itan! Itan!!, I heard my best friend call my name even before I saw her, breaking through my train of thought. Looking around to detect where she was, I noticed Faith walking towards me with a big smile on her face, and on getting to me, she pulled me into a breathtaking hug.

Faith has a bubbly personality; she was one of those people that could control a crowd and still easily be the life of a party. "How are you? How was your holiday? Did your sister ended up attending the program?" she asked, not stopping to take a breath.

"Hey, calm down and yes, she attended the program." I replied smiling

"So how was your trip to the village?" I asked her.

"It was so nice; I didn't want to come back. Can you imagine they still take their evening bath in the river and some still fetch water from the river for their everyday domestic activities." I smiled as Faith gushed on about her holidays.

Faith is my best friend, we had met during our first year in junior secondary school and we had hit it off together, becoming very close. Although we are two people with different and opposite personality, we were still very close like five and six.

Most of the time, it is easier for people to judge Faith as a lucky go-getter on meeting her because she is always smiling and also a very free person. To top off her lucky go-getter attitude, she was also brilliant and beautiful with long hair just like mine and a nice womanly figure she was just developing.

"So, do you think we are going to be placed in the same class?" Faith asked me as we took our seat on the pavement I had been sitting on.

"Probably, if we get lucky." I replied her, shrugging playfully.

"Sure, but I think we should worry about that later because the principal is summoning an assembly." Faith replied, a bit distracted as some students rushed past us trying to get to the assembly grounds.

"Lets go." I said to her, both rising to our feet as we walked in the direction that was swarming with students.

We got to the assembly ground which consisted of the seniors from year one to final year three.

In Focus high school, the junior school area is separated from the senior school area therefore we operated differently and even take our assembly differently. Being new to the senior year, the SSS1 students unsure of what to do or where to stand formed random lines and I joined a line with Faith right behind me.