On Monday, I walked into school with my head hung low and my mind in different places. The sound of the bell brought me back to reality. Luckily for me, there was no assembly today. If there was, I would have been given a detention for coming late. Or worse, I could have been told to wash the toilets.
I walked sluggishly to class. I haven't been to regular school in like forever and I can't say that I miss it. The only reason I look forward to coming here is so that I can see Justin again.
I took a seat and looked around. That is when I noticed how normal everything was.
Ben and the other group of popular boys sat in their usual position, making fun of people and throwing stuff around.
Marietta was whispering things to her friends. It's obvious she was spreading gossip or rumours.
Maya, Laura and Nnena were practicing new TikTok dances in front of a phone camera.
"Argh!" Maya exclaimed in frustration "Laura, it's shake, shake, pop then lock. After that, you raise your hands before you hit the quan" she demonstrated the dance moves in anger.
"Sorry" Laura whimpered.
"Are you trying to sabotage me? The only reason you're in this video is because my followers want to see me do the dance in my school uniform and it's not something I can do alone so get your stupid head in the game and focus!"
"Okay"
"Mess me up one more time and I swear to God, I will tag you in your most horrible throwback photo. I'll also tell all of my followers that you got an STI. Got it?"
Laura nodded.
"Also, Nnena, you're doing too much. Tone your dance moves a bit. You shouldn't be dancing better than me. I'm the star here"
She turned around and flipped her hair.
"From the top" she snapped her fingers.
She re positioned the phone and they did the dance again.
Other people in the class were busy having conversations with each other.
Do they not know what happened?
Why is everyone acting as if everything is normal?
Do they not watch the news?
Don't they know innocent people died at that protest?
I closed my eyes because the room seemed to be spinning around me. A heavy feeling of guilt sat in my chest. Immediately, flashbacks from that night came to me in a rush. The events played over and over again in my mind.
People protested peacefully but got shot in the end.
The dead bodies dropped to the floor lifelessly'.
Blood stained the Nigerian flag.
Innocent people being shot.
"Hey guys!" Alexandra spoke as she came in "Did anyone see the updates?"
Her voice made me open my eyes.
Maya screamed.
"If anyone interrupts my routine one more time-"
"What are you going to do?" Alex put her hand on her hip and stared right at Maya "Tell your followers to send me death threats? Report my Instagram page? Oh, I know what's worse, you'll do a story time about me on YouTube"
Everyone laughed.
I smiled. This is one of the main reasons I liked Alexandra. She was the only one who could stand up to Maya and she also stood up for me in the past.
She's a feisty girl who won't take trash from anyone.
"Donald!" Maya called out "Come tame your bitch"
Donald is Alex's boyfriend. He was sitting at the back of the class with his legs on the table and a vape in his hand. He had sunglasses on too. He was probably high.
He blew out smoke from his mouth.
"Go get her babe" he brought down his glasses and winked at Alex.
She blew him a kiss in return.
"As much as I would love to pull out your fake eyelashes Maya, there are bigger things at hand" Alex brought out her phone and showed us her screen "The government is denying the Lekki protest massacre. They're saying it never happened"
"What?" I shrieked.
"It gets worse" she continued "They're after DJ Switch because she has the live video of everything that happened"
"Who gives a fuck about the protest?" Maya said "Maybe the shootings weren't real"
"Of course, they were" I said out loud "I was there!"
Everyone turned to look at me. I cleared my throat and quickly thought of a lie.
"I mean, in spirit" I said "My uncle went and he confirmed that the shootings happened"
"Why are we all so surprised anyway?" Marietta asked "We all know the government don't give a shit about us"
"At the same time, they don't want us to speak up for ourselves" Laura said "So they'll use every opportunity they have to silence us"
"Wow" Alex clapped "I've known you for four years and this is the most sensible thing you've said. Watch out Maya. It seems like your minion has opinions of her own"
"How can they kill innocent people?" I spoke "Genocide? On your citizens?"
"Omo I no too sabi too much about politics but Nigeria don fail us as a country" someone said.
Just as I was about to speak up again, a familiar figure entered the classroom.
Justin.
Unconsciously, I found myself adjusting my hair and my skirt. It felt as if my heart already skipped a beat just by seeing him again.
"Hey Justin" Maya squealed "Wanna join my TikTok video?"
"Uh...no thanks"
"Hey Justin" I said.
We made eye contact. His eyes widened and his face immediately lit up with a smile.
"Ada!"
I laughed. He pronounced my name wrong again.
I stood up and opened up my arms widely. He ran to me then engulfed me in a big hug.
"I've missed you" he said as he inhaled my scent.
I sighed. Suddenly, I felt at peace again.
"I missed you too"
Alex cleared her throat.
"You two are literally the cutest" she said.
"No, they're not" Maya snapped.
"Shut up before I pluck out your fake eyelashes"
"They are not fake!"
"What's going on?" Justin asked me.
"You might wanna take a seat for this one"
We sat next to each other. He took my hand in his, raised it to his lips and kissed it softly.
"How long has it been since we saw each other?" he asked "Two years?"
I chuckled.
"It sure feels like it"
"Adaeze! Justin!" Alex called "Focus!"
"Yes ma'am" Justin said with a head salute.
"What can Nigerians do about this?" she asked.
"I like it when I hear these kinds of conversations from students" Miss Ann said as she came in.
Immediately, everyone rushed to their seats. I attempted to remove my hand from Justin's but his grip on it tightened.
"Don't you dare" he whispered.
I smiled.
"Let's talk about the protests" she said.
It was as if everyone was waiting for an opportunity to say something. The class became filled with advice, complaints and observations such as;
"Your hairstyle does not define you"
"You have no right to check my phone"
"Just because I dress well and live comfortably does not mean I am into fraud. Neither does it give you the right to abuse or falsely accuse me of crime"
"We need young leaders who will be able to relate to us and our problems. We've been recycling the same leaders for far too long"
"There are other pressing issues at hand. There is no need to worry about the car I drive or the phone I use. This country needs to get its priorities right"
Even Justin who hasn't lived in the country long enough had something to say. I was in awe of everything I was hearing.
"How about you Adaeze?" the teacher asked "What do you have to say?"
I took a deep breath in order to calm myself down as all the memories of that night invaded my mind. The image of the blood-stained Nigerian flag will forever remain in me.
"It's sad that innocent people had to die in order for us to prove a point" I started "They didn't do anything wrong. All they wanted was a better country."
Everyone nodded in approval.
"We live in a nation where we will be killed if we decide to speak up but we still have to. I would rather die a rebel than to die a coward. Nigerians have been quiet for far too long yet the only time we tried to speak up, we were silenced. Isn't freedom of speech a human right?"
"It is" everyone chorused.
"Why do they deny us of our rights then? The leaders don't care about us. Instead, they recycle themselves so they'll all be able to eat from the economy's purse. Nigeria is one of the richest countries in Africa yet hundreds of thousands of people can't afford a mean per day and people wonder why there is a high crime rate. The fraudsters that are being targeted must have chosen that path in order to survive"
I sighed.
"It's sad to see innocent people lose their lives because they defended themselves. They had dreams. They had loved ones. They had families"
I had to stop mid-sentence because I started sobbing. Justin tightened his grip further. I wiped my tears. The flashbacks were vivid in my head. I remembered it all because I saw it all. I was there.
"Nicely said" she spoke.
"Yes" everyone agreed.
"What kind of dreams can a Nigerian even have?" Alex said "In a country where dreams are crushed and are not allowed to flourish. They can be shattered in the blink of an eye. How do the poor even survive? We don't feel it because our parents have money but it's tough out there guys"
She broke out in a sob. Donald cuddled her and patted her back.
"Even our parents aren't finding it easy" she finished.
"What is the Nigerian dream?" Donald asked.
Miss Ann sighed.
"Since we live in a country full of fear and hysteria" Miss Ann answered "the Nigerian dream is simply to leave Nigeria"