WILD WEST OF THE HEART

E L E V E N

“I want to use this opportunity to welcome you back to school. And i hope you had all the fun over the short holidays—“ His voice echoed through the room as he held the mic closer to his lips. Adjusting his glasses, he stepped forward.

Collins.

Fucking rapist, Collins McPhersons.

All nerdy and stern looking, commanding respect with each word. His eyes were hazel, like the autumn leaves and you could mistake him for someone that spent his whole life abroad.

There were rumors when he first came about how he taught at CampBells, one of the most prestigious secondary schools in Nigeria, and much less than Hillway High. But he’d resigned.

It didn’t make sense how someone would settle for less, unless there was a story. A story no one knew about. And if you stare deep into those hazel eyes, you’d see that story. The mystery, the part of him that he kept a secret. The rapey, criminal Collins.

The one before us was all a facade, but then again, he wasn’t the only one guilty of this.

“As you all may know the exams for the first semester are drawing closer and these will be the last you would take of the school. This is known as your mock examinations and all of it would stand as your final continuous assessment. We all know from next year, you’ll have much more like the Joint Admissions Matriculation Board and the WAEC to face”

“I could only wish you goodluck in those but the hardwork you put, starts now” Obi gazed at him, narrowing his eyes as if strangling him with them.

He could if he had the chance, and if there wasn’t anything like prison. I mean, Collins himself had done way worse. And killing him, is what is known as purging.

He loved the final year assemblies, somehow he got more comfortable speaking to us alone than with the rest of the school and honestly sometimes it felt like it was only a grade twelve school.

You barely saw the juniors walking around like those days. Except when it was lunch, and even if you did, no one even cared.

“Hey” Someone brushed Obi’s shoulders before he finally took his eyes off that man, it was Fiyin, who struggled with the bag across her shoulders.

Obi’s lips fell apart, not sure what to say in that instant that she looked up the stage.

There he was, the man who’d abused her.

There were those flashes before her eyes again as she saw him. It was the first time since it happened and she forced a lump down her throat.

“Fiyin—“

“I’m fine” She interrupted Obi. It was yet another lie, because how dare he. How dare he stand there and act as if nothing happened. How dare he dress in a suit and use his saintly voice on them.

How dare he speak of virtues and morals.

“Are you sure?” Obi asked again. And she shook her head, as if letting all those thoughts dissolve. She held unto the strap of her baf and turned to her side. She saw Anna from a distance, and they both shared a lukewarm stare at each other.

She never came up to Obi first thing in the morning, until today. And she could tell what Anna’s words will be by lunch. How she was hanging out with the loser. And maybe, why.

She faced down, and Obi noticed. So he backed away, muttering under his lips. “I get it” But Fiyin grasped his palm, finally touching him in years.

But then she let go suddenly. “It’s not that” She did the thing where she nervously shook her head.

“I’m actually okay. I just need to get through the day” She added. “And i need you and Ola to do just that” She continued. “Besides, where’s he?”