Diffidence

~I~

It was the first day of school as an SS3 student. She was excited, overjoyed and at the same time, scared at what the future held for her and her friends. The final class of secondary school was hectic, as her seniors had told her. You would be expected to be a lot more focused as this was the class where you wrote your terminal exams. She packed her bags and raced to the door. She got into the car and watched as her father ignited the car engine. This car was her father's favorite: a Mercedes Benz, one of the older models. She wasn't sure what model it was but it was pretty old. He had told her he bought it before she was born. They drove to the school in silence.

The huge letters at the roof of the school came into view: SHERWOOD INTERNATIONAL COLLEGE. He parked the Benz at the school's parking lot and held her hand after the both of them got out. He was smiling, she was smiling. She wasn't little anymore as many teenagers her age didn't like having their parents go to school with them. But she didn't mind. She didn't get to spend much time with her mother who had passed away two years, so she was going to make the most beautiful memories with her father.

Chikaima Adike: 16 years old, born to Mr and Mrs Smith Adike, light brown complexion (the colour of creamed coffee), born on the 11th of January 2002, and lived most of her life in Lagos. She was tall, much taller than her mates but not taller than what was expected of her age. She had a wide but pointed nose, a trait she got from her father, and wide eyes that held deep brown globes. Her face was perfectly oblong and her lips were full and pink. She had a great body, slim and curvy. She apparently got that trait from her late mother. 

"Kaima, I want you to behave yourself", her father said to her while standing at the door of the new class she was assigned to. "Remember to protect our name and legacy. Don't get carried away. This is your final class in secondary school. Make me proud. I'll be back to pick you up when school closes". He bent down a little and held her face in both his hands as he kissed her forehead. With that, he descended the flight of stairs.

"So your father still drops you off at school", Ezinne said, with a disgusted look on her face, staring at Kaima with disdain. Kaima was startled as she didn't know anyone was in the corridor with both of them. The two girls were still standing at the door. "Yes he does. Is there a problem?", Kaima said, hating that she had to spend another year with such a bitter person as Ezinne. "No, there isn't. I just think its stupid that your father still drops you off at school at this stage. Don't you think you should tell him to stop? After all, he's very rich and I'm sure he has a lot of work to do other than drop you off at school". Kaima stared at her in disbelief. Ezinne was telling her that it was stupid to let her father drive her to school. What a way to start her first day. Kaima was never good with words, so she just ignored the clearly bitter suggestion and got into the class. She was still very early, as well as Ezinne. School began by 7:30am everyday and Kaima and Ezinne were  already there by 7:05am. The story of Ezinne's bitterness goes way back to when both of them were still in jss3. Ezinne was on scholarship to the school, as it was one of the best in the country. She hated it when rich students around her flaunted their money in her face. Everyone knew that Ezinne wasn't a friendly person but Kaima, being the soulful and friendly person that she was, tried to reach out to her. Ezinne just wasn't having it and disliked Kaima the most for trying to talk to her.

"Kaima!!". Both Kaima and Ezinne both looked up startled as Sophia ran over to Kaima, sliding between the desks. "Kaima, I missed you!", Sophia said while Kaima gave a wide smile. "I missed you too. Why didn't you visit me over the long holiday?", Kaima asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. "Oh, I'm sorry bestie. I travelled to Barcelona with my siblings for the long vacation. It was so much fun!", Sophia said, touching her long braids and playing with them. Just then, Ezinne looked up at Sophia with a look that screamed scorn and quickly looked away from them. Ezinne sat at the very first seat of the class, closest to the teacher. "What's up with that one?", Sophia said, not in the least trying to keep her voice low. It was clear she wanted Ezinne to hear her. Kaima gave an amused look and mouthed the words, I don't know.

Many others entered the class as time went. They all greeted each other with hugs and handshakes. Ezinne stayed at the corner, staring. It was almost as if she was plotting something really sinister in her head. The teacher, Mr Ken, came in with a small black leather bag hung over his shoulder and some files in his left hand. He was very tall, about 6 ft 2 and was very dark in complexion. He had a very wide nose and a large head. Generally, everything about him was large and exaggerated. He dropped the bag on the table close to that of Ezinne. "Good morning everyone", he said with a smile. Even his smile was so wide that it scared Kaima. Some of her classmates started snickering at how ugly their teacher was. He seemed to notice and sighed deeply, then went ahead to take his seat. Sophia sat directly in front of Kaima. Sophia had already put all her books into her locker which was close to the Smartboard.

The PA system went on and a serenading voice spoke through it. "Attention, all students of Sherwood International College are to gather at the open hall in the next 5 minutes for the resuming assembly. All further announcements would be made during the assembly. Thank you!". The PA system went off and all the students scurried off to the open hall, two blocks away from theirs.

         

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For the benefit of those reading from other places, I've given a note to help understand some of the concepts in the story
secondary School - the equivalent of high school
Ss3 - the final class in secondary school