The Unwanted- /re-writing/

Chapter fifteen_(15)

••You don't belong here!
You freaky scrub!••

   
"...remember, it's a time for you all to enjoy yourselves and have fun, but don't overdo it. No alcohol, as usual and everybody must be back in their respective dorms by 3:00am in the morning. Dismissed!" Principal Martins finished his announcement and finally released us to go to class. Whispers arose immediately everyone dispersed and started making their way towards their classes, and Faith ran up to me immediately, her wide braced smile showing how excited she was like everyone else.

"What colour are you wearing? We should totally match!" she squealed, not even bothering to say good morning. Ada joined us on the way, her smile an evidence of her excitement too.

Why are they all so excited about this.

"I'm not matching, Faith. Because I'm not going," I rolled my eyes as we turned a corner into the locker hallways.

"But why? It'll be so much fun! Wait, you've never attended a dinner party?" She stopped in her tracks and asked, a disbelieving look on her dark face.

"Nope." I simply replied and continued walking towards my locker to get my maths textbook and a few other notes I'd forgotten to get last night.

"What!" I heard Faith and Ada scream at the same time and I just rolled my eyes as I took out the books and slammed my locker shut.

"Why should I go, when all they do there is wear long dresses and waltz all night with sparkling water filling their throats?" I couldn't help the scorn in my voice. I was pretty stubborn and I knew it too, and I remembered how Mary had only just given up on persuading me to come to the dinner party last year.

Every term, after every midterm tests, the school usually held dinner parties for the students, just to enjoy and have fun according to principal Martins, but the students just take that as an opportunity to show off how much money their parents had and for the girls to end up in the boys dormitory the next day. They even snuck alcohol in and even though all the teachers, including the principal knew, they just chose to turn a blind eye and act like everything was under control.

So tell me, what's so fun about that?

"Mayowa you're crazy o!" Ada laughed at me in her thick Igbo accent and I just shrugged. "But seriously though, this is your final year in secondary school and this is the last dinner party we'll be having before prom. Just come this once, for the experience." She continued and Faith nodded in agreement, giving me a pointed look and I just sighed.

These girls didn't know me o. I could continue giving reasons on why I wouldn't go, but I knew I couldn't be late for Mr. Okoro's class again, so I just said something to get them off my back.

"I'll think about it,"

"You better o. And you must come!" Faith said and we all laughed and said bye to Ada as she went to her class and then Faith and I made our way to the maths block.

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I was beginning to regret deciding to go for lunch. Everyone, every single person was blabbering about the upcoming dinner party that Friday and I was just tired of all the noise. Even Faith and Ada couldn't stop squealing and giggling as they talked about hairstyles and all that shit and then I decided I'd had enough.

I abandoned my half-eaten jollof-rice and finished my orange juice, then decided to head back to the dorm and get in some reading before the break was over.

"Where are you going? You didn't even finish your food." Faith called as I pushed my chair back and stood up.

"I have a headache. I want to rest a bit before break's over," I lied and left before she could realize that I was lying. But then, I really should learn that haste isn't my thing and I should stop being in a freaking haste all the damn time, because as I turned to leave my table, I collided with someone and the next thing I heard was a loud shrill and the clattering sound of a tray hitting the floor roughly.

My sorry stuck in my throat as the chaos cleared out in front of me and I looked down to see Stephanie on the floor, jollof rice and juice all over her hair and uniform. Her chicken lay a few meters from her and the whole situation would have been funny...yes would have been, if I wasn't the one who caused it.

My mind racing with thoughts of how to bury myself, I bent down and began wiping the mess off her with my bare hands as I continuously apologized, not even stopping to notice that the whole cafeteria's attention was now on us.

"Why oh why Lord does this have to happen to me everytime!" Stephanie yelled in her high-pitched voice and I'd started shaking, fear and guilt constricting my rationality. I didn't even know what to do. I just knew I was dead. "Why do I have to cross paths with this creature from hell on a Monday! God why did you even create something so disastrous? Why lord why!" she continued screaming and tears had started welling up in my eyes as she smacked my hands off herself and stood up.

"Idiotic mummy's girl. Everything involved with you is either cursed or unlucky. I wonder how your family even copes with you, mtcheeew. I'm sure it's that useless bad luck following you up and down that killed your dad." A voice I recognized to be Clara's voice butted in. The hate radiating from her voice hit me like a nuclear bomb and I just stayed crouched on the floor, my hands dirty from trying to wipe Stephanie's clothes, and tears competing with themselves on which drop would touch the tiled floor first. "Go and call you mummy for me now! Go and tell her to come and beat me for you! Stupid dunderhead!" Clara continued and Stephanie just continued hissing, her glare burning pit holes into the back of my head.

"I don't even know what to do to you, because I can't risk touching you and catching your bad luck." Stephanie said with so much scorn, I couldn't stop the tears anymore. "Let's just go jare, you guys. I'll go and change in the dorm. Useless thing!" She spat and hit my head with the heel of her shoe and then walked away with her minions.

Everyone held the silence for a second more, and then they all started talking again all at once. The topic of their discussions now was definitely not about the dinner party.

I stayed in my position, tears blocking both my throat and my vision. I didn't even care anymore, I was just tired. Then I felt someone's hands wrap around my mid-region and then I was pulled up and carried bridal style out of the cafeteria.

Wilson.