The long-awaited day had finally arrived for Hadizah. Monday dawned, and she and her mother were ready by 6:30 a.m. This time, her mother had her own brand new car, a Mercedes, and they drove it to school. The school seemed busier and more crowded than ever. Students were arriving in luxurious cars, some with bodyguards. The boys' uniforms were elevated, with wine checkered trousers and elegant black shirts, paired with tasteful blazers. The girls wore knee-length wine checkered skirts, paired with black blouses, oversized blazers, and stylish berets. Some adorned themselves with accessories, showcasing their wealth.
Hadizah and her mother headed to the bursar's office after visiting the principal's office for the second time. The bursar, a woman, greeted them. "You must be the new student," she said. "Yes," Hadizah answered, filling out the necessary forms. The bursar then called someone on the phone.
"Could you please come to my office?" she requested.
After a few minutes, a young woman in her late twenties, Miss Melissa, arrived. "Miss Melissa, please take her to her class. She's the new student," the bursar instructed.
"Follow me," Miss Melissa said, leading Hadizah to her class.
"I'm Miss Melissa, your new class teacher. And your name?" she asked.
"My name is Hadizah Damilare," Hadizah replied confidently.
"Such a nice name, even though it sounds unusual. I don't know the meaning of your name. Your class is this way," Miss Melissa said, guiding her.
Entering the classroom, Hadizah noticed around 30 chairs, each with a laptop and headphones. The students were not organized.
"Class, settle down," Miss Melissa announced.
They all settled down.
"This is your new classmate. Introduce yourself, please," Miss Melissa gestured to Hadizah.
"My name is Hadizah Damilare," she said confidently.
"Now class, I would like all of you to give her a warm welcome and show her that she is one of us," Miss Melissa said.
"Yes, ma'am," the students chorused.
"You can pick a seat over there," Miss Melissa directed Hadizah.
She chose a table beside a classmate who seemed disinterested until she noticed Hadizah.
"You're the girl I met at the mall the other day, right? Hadizah?" the girl, Ava, said.
"Yes, and you're Ava," Hadizah confirmed.
"Yes, I am. So glad to see you," Ava said.
"Same here, Ava," Hadizah replied.
"Who would have thought you would be coming to my school?" Ava remarked.
"You know you can't cheat destiny," Hadizah quipped.
"In fact, it's also my first day here," Ava revealed.
"Maybe we were just destined to go to the same school. You are weird, you know that, right?" Ava teased.
"Why would you say that?" Hadizah asked.
"Because you've been smoothing your headscarf since you sat beside me," Ava observed.
"Just because I'm nervous around new people, but I'm an optimist," Hadizah chuckled.
"Okay, fine. So let me be your first new friend. Friends?" Ava offered.
"Friends," Hadizah agreed, shaking Ava's hand.
It was the first period of the day, and they were having math. A very handsome teacher entered the class with a briefcase.
"Good morning, class," he greeted.
"Good morning, sir," the class chorused.
"My name is Mr. Jones," he introduced himself.
Some students seemed disinterested, but when the teacher started writing on the board, they paid attention.
After about 15 minutes, a certain student walked into the class majestically, acting like his lateness was not a big deal.
"Typical Michael," someone murmured under their breath.
Ava and Hadizah decided to explore the school and began with the hallway.
"Hey, new girls," someone called out. Ava and Hadizah stood, looking confused. The person persisted, "Hey, I'm talking to both of you."
"Really? And what if we refuse to answer?" Ava challenged.
"Then be ready to face the consequences," the girl threatened. Just as things were about to escalate, the head boy of the school intervened.
"Sandra, Violet, you're not supposed to treat new students like this. Do you think they will ever like you? Just leave them be," he instructed, asking Ava and Hadizah to follow him.
Even though Ava insisted nothing would happen, they followed him. "My little sister is already getting into trouble on the first day of school," he sighed. "Well, I'm sorry, Head Boy Avery, for disrupting your school," Ava apologized.
"Isn't this supposed to be the girl that bumped into me the other day? So nice to meet you," Avery realized. "I knew you looked familiar," Hadizah acknowledged.
"Wait, you guys know each other?" Ava asked surprised. "Yes, we kinda know each other," Avery confirmed.
"Your name is Avery. It's good to know," Hadizah said.
"What were you busy doing with Voilet and Sandra?" Avery inquired.
"Playing football," Ava replied sarcastically.
"I'm serious, be careful. This is not just any school; this is where the rich people of London go. So be very careful; anything could happen to you," Avery cautioned.
"Okay, fine, dad," Ava said, rolling her eyes.
"Before you get yourself into trouble, let me introduce you to everyone. Those girls over there are my classmates. You only saw Sandra and Voilet. The third one is Dahlia, the meanest of them. Be grateful she wasn't there. Those girls are crazy rich, with their fathers owning one of the biggest companies in London. Please stay away from them," Avery warned.
"Fine," Ava said reluctantly. "Thanks for the advice," Hadizah said genuinely.
"I need to go get my list of subjects from Miss Melissa. Do you mind following me?" Hadizah asked Ava.
"No problem, I was about to head there also," Ava agreed.
When they got to Miss Melissa's office, they were given forms to fill out. The forms listed subjects and sports.
"I can't believe there is shooting as a sport in this school," Hadizah said surprisingly.
"It's Kings and Queens High School; expect the unexpected," Ava commented.
"What contact sport are you choosing?" Hadizah asked.
"Taekwondo. I already learned karate in my former school," Ava said.
"Okay, I'll be going with boxing, and I'm definitely choosing shooting," Hadizah decided.
"Me too," Ava agreed.
"Few minutes later, I'm done filling out the form," Hadizah said.
"Me too. Let's head for lunch," Ava suggested.
"Okay," Hadizah agreed.
When they got to the lunch hall, Hadizah remarked, "Are you sure all of this is free?"
"Meh, we are paying for it. Our money is worth more than this," Ava said.
"Let's sit over there. It's perfect, beside the fountain," Hadizah suggested.
"I like it.
. Let's go," Ava agreed.
"What will you have?" Hadizah asked.
"Seafood lunch," Ava replied.
"I prefer meat," Hadizah said.
"Okay, I'll go with soda," Ava decided.
"I'm going for fruit juice," Hadizah said.
"Let's sit with her. She seems cool," Ava suggested.
They went over to seat with the girl. "Hi, I'm Ava, and she's Hadizah," Ava introduced.
"Hi, it's nice to meet you. I'm Ashley, but you can call me Ash," the girl replied.
"Cool, I love your name," Hadizah complimented.
"I love your eyepatch also," Ashley said.
"Thanks, first person to comment on my eyepatch positively. I think I'm going to like you," Hadizah said.
Hadizah looked to the other side, where a couple was kissing. "Ooh," she exclaimed.
"Are you shocked by that?" Ashley asked.
"Yes, where I come from, it's forbidden before marriage, let alone in public. Who are they?" Hadizah inquired.
"Oh, that's the slimy witch and her boyfriend, Primrose and her boyfriend, Ethan. They are basically a sensation. Most of the students want to be like them," Ashley explained.
"Because?" Ava prompted.
"Ethan is the hottest boy in our class, and his girlfriend is the hottest girl in school. So what more could they want? I'm definitely not interested in love now," Ashley said.
"Okay. So why don't you like her?" Hadizah asked.
"Let's just say it's a long story, okay?" Ashley replied.
"Okay," Hadizah said.
"Let's head back to class. Lunch is over," Ava reminded them.
"I'm done," Ashley said.
"Me too," Hadizah confirmed.
WRITER'S NOTE :
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QOTD :
What is the opposite of FANTAstic