The weather was bright and brilliant, small greeny pastures and huge trees adorning every sidewalk. The buildings stood tall and mighty, their colours as vibrant as they were—crystal blue, mixed with just an hint of white. Students trooped in and out, some with friends either in groups or individually, some with a tired looking expression etched in their face, while some faced were plain expressionless.
"Ruth!"
My head automatically jerked towards the direction the voice came from. I saw Emma coming towards me, my friends—Micheal and Naomi—walking behind her, each with a scowl on their faces. They hate her guts, they see it rather useless to hang out with her.
"You're late!" Emma screeched beside me, I pretended as if something had fallen into my eyes just to roll my eyes.
"Sorry, my mum took most of our time," Michael raised his brow at me and I shot him a silent look. "Plus traffic too, it was really hectic."
She twisted her lips in disgust.
"What traffic? Have you forgotten that you're in America?" I mentally face palmed myself. That was the best excuse I could give? "I don't get it. You're rich enough to get a chaffeur, why can't you?"
"Stop acting racist Emma, not everyone's like you." Zoe butted in, coming to stand beside me, Zion sharp on her tail.
"Keep quiet, I wasn't talking to you," Emma snapped. "You know what? You're right. No one can be as influential and wealthy as I am. Not even your sister." She sneered the last sentence and I frowned.
"Wealthy as you are? Should I remind you that you live off your father's riches?"
"Oh shut it, you blacks are just as shallow as I thought you were," Her face became clouded in anger and I shrinker back in caution. "Ruth, handle them." She shot them a look of disgust before walking off.
"I dislike her. Point of correction, I hate her guts!" Naomi said in anger.
"Keep quiet please. Why couldn't you say anything when she was here? She's gone now, and suddenly the stitch in your mouth got loose, right?"
"Zoe!" I screeched. Naomi was older than her, so seeing her speaking to her in such manner surprised me.
Surprisingly, Naomi didn't say anything, she was staring into the woods silently. She knew Zoe was right.
"What? I was only stating fact. Such fake friends that you have." She hissed before walking off.
"Remind me why you hangout with her again?" Michael questioned but I waved him off. It had always been for the popularity, just for the popularity. But I couldn't tell them that, it would be beyond embarrassing.
"Forget it. We have a class in ten, let's get going."
And just like that, all of us started walking off to class. I lingered with Mike behind.
"So..." I began ask I walked alongside with him. "How do you feel that I leave for Nigeria tomorrow?"
I hadn't meant to disrupt his mood, but somehow I did and he stopped walking.
"How do you mean?"
"I mean—" I stopped walking too, turning to face him so I could see his expression. "I'm leaving for Nigeria tomorrow, how do you feel about it?"
"How do I feel?" He scoffed as his forehead twisted with anger. "You're asking me how I feel?"
I nodded my head, unsure and a little bit terrified. Terrified that I would no longer see him again, or experience all the fun things we do.
"Well, try having being abandoned by your immediate best friend and tell me how it feels."
I stood, my mouth agape as I saw him walk off in the opposite direction.
"Michael!"
He didn't turn around, he simply walked away.
"What's up with him?" Zion asked coming to stand beside me. It was already time for class, yet we were still standing outside.
"He's mad at me." I mumbled, looking at the spot Micheal was previously standing on.
"Because you're leaving?"
"No, because he might never get to see me again."
The following day, myself and my family boarded a flight from America to Nigeria and I was forced to forget all about my past. All except Mike. There was simply no way our memories could just fade away, it wasn't possible. Surprisingly though, a call came through from him two months after I left America. To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement, I was beyond elevated.
That excitement faded immediately I cut the call. I found out that everything just couldn't be the same again. He had become my past and vice versa. Now, we were simply Michael and Ruth, no more friendship, no more memories, just plain us.
A bump on the road pulled me out of my thoughts and I remembered I was in a bus. I looked around, we had already passed my junction. Jesus, was I that oblivious of my environment? Where's Zion and Zoe anyway? We were supposed to be on the bus together.
I tapped the conductor.
"Sorry sir but I was supposed to drop at the last bustop."
The rugged man looked at me in anger.
"Were you sleeping when we passed that place? Stupid children of nowadays."
"I'm really sorry, can I get off here?" I asked. He scrunched his forehead in irritation.
"Do you want to stop in Abuja before?"
I looked down, playing with the strap of my bag.
"Driver, next bus stop abeg."
The bus screeched to a stop and I cringed. I came down hurriedly, thanking the conductor. He gave me a glare. I heard him mutter ode under his breathe.
I started walking back to my original destination. Just the thought of walking all the way from my real bustop to our house in lekki is something, now I have another task to complete. Those stupid children too, Zion and Zoe that left me in the bus knowing fully well that I was lost in the train of my thoughts, they'll have me to contend with.
I started the long trek back. I curse this day, it has been nothing but stressful. To top it off, I'll have to submit my phone to my mum again.
From afar, I could see Zion and Zoe running to meet me. I rolled my eyes, my anger angling up to lane one. I walked a little slower to give them more distance to cover.
Finally, they reached me, heaping and heaving like a panting dog. I stood still, watching them without uttering a word.
"Ruth!" Zoe shrieked. I raised a brow, waiting for her to continue. "I'm sorry, I thought you were behind us."
I stepped closer to her. She shrinked back in fear. "Oh really?"
"Yeah, Zion tapped you on the shoulder before we stepped off the bus, we thought you followed us."
"Yeah, we're sorry." Zion added and I sighed. I couldn't stay mad at them for too long, we're joined hip and bone.
"It's okay, let's just go home."
The trek back home took approximately thirty good minutes from Lagos mainland. We were sweating cats and dogs when we got home, and our school uniforms were drenched in sweat. I'm telling you, the heat in Nigeria heat is worst than that in Sahara desert.
Oh Jesus, help me.
♦♦♦♦♦
"Mum!" Zoe screamed immediately we got home. I glared at her, why is she calling mum when she knows she'll cease our phones? Stupid girl with no ounce of common Sense.
"Mum's not home? That's strange, it's already past six," Zion commented, and I nodded my head in agreement. Normally, she's always home before five in the evening. "Maybe traffic is bad, it's always bad in the evening when everyone's going home from work."
I nodded my head again. They both looked at me like I had two heads.
"This one you're nodding your head like a lizard, I hope everything's alright," I shrugged, dropping my bag on the three sitter before climbing up the stairs.
"Where're you going? You haven't eaten yet." Zoe questioned, I continued climbing the stairs.
"I'm tired, I want to sleep."
"Without eating? That isn't going to work with me, come down now and eat something," I groaned. Sometimes, I like to pretend she's older than me because of the way she acts. She's a younger version of my mum herself. "I thought I saw mum preparing something before we left for school."
"Look, enough of this drama, bring my food upstairs when you're done." Zion grumbled, dragging his backpack behind him up the stairs.
"Who do you think you're talking to? Let me remind you now in case you forgot, I'm older than you with ten minutes so I suggest you know your place," Zoe screamed and I covered my ears from the echoing sound. Her voice was do high pitched that she sounded like a dying goat. "Rude animal."
"I'm obviously wiser than you though, senior with no sense." Zion retorted back before slamming his door close. I tried to control my laugh from forcing itself out but I couldn't, especially seeing the furious look on Zoe's face. She looked liked she was about to burst
"I'm warning you now, you better don't sleep at night because I'm definitely coming to take my revenge."
I rolled my eyes at that.
"Like the way you poured vegetable oil on the stairs to get revenge from me but ended up falling instead?"
She glared at me. "Keep quiet and stop disturbing me, let's go ransack mum's kitchen for something to eat."
We made our way into the kitchen, opening every pot in every corner. I heard Zoe cringe in disgust.
"Ew, mum cooked that her local village soup with snails."
"The one she cooks with seven different vegetables we do not know?" I asked, feeling my body shiver with contempt.
"Including scent leaves? Yeah." She slammed the pot close.
"We can't eat that, even the smell is outrageous."
I agreed with her.
"You know what? Let's just cook fried rice with roasted chicken. The ingredients should be in the cupboard somewhere around here."
Mum always makes sure foodstuff is well stocked in the freezer, that's one thing she never misses out on.
"Found it!" Zoe dangled the rubber full with fried rice ingredients in front of me. "But mum might get angry, I don't want trouble."
I shrugged. "She'll get over it... I hope."
"Wash and slice everything, let's make this snappy before she gets home."
An hour into cooking, mum and dad still weren't back from work. Although, it worried me a little, it also gave me more time to finish our cooking. Mum would never forgive us if she catches us doing this, but I hope she'll let it pass by.
"Hmm, I can perceive something delicious." Zion commented, coming down the stairs with only boxers on.
"Gee, put on a short, there are girls around." Zoe rolled her eyes, smacking him upside down at the back of his head.
"No time for that, let me grab a dish. And get your filthy hands off my head."
"Quick, we don't want mum meeting us in here," We quickly served our selves before rushing to the sitting room to eat. We hid the pot in a secret chamber in the kitchen so mum wouldn't know.
Immediately we tried to put a spoon in our mouth, the main door opened and mum strolled in conveniently, dad behind her. The spoon hung in the air as we sat down, dumfounded. We didn't hear them drive in because we were occupied in the kitchen.
Mum eyes pierced through us and I quickly put the spoon back on the plate. There's no doubt that we will not escape this, confessing gently would surely pay us better than to lie.
"What's going on here?" Mum screamed.
Just what did I do to deserve this on Monday? Deprived sleep, rumpled uniforms, no phone, taking the bus to school, trekking back from school, and now, no food.
Just kill me.