It was midnight, and the stars sparkled brilliantly, the air warm but also a little chilly. I rubbed my arms as I glanced around. Where was I? I looked down, what the hell was I wearing? I was clad in a floral baby pink dress, giving me a Belle vibe. The sound of waves caressed my ear, as the yacht moved softly on the water.
A light attracted me and I moved towards it. Chandeliers hung loosely from the ceiling and the tables were full with food. I drooled a little, staring at the feast in front of me. Don't let this be a dream, please. Fancy wines were placed in a fancy way on the table, tempting me to move closer. I glanced around, why was the hall empty, and why was I dressed like a modern Cinderella? I stopped short, noticing my reflection. Normally, I'd jerk my head away, hating to see a reminder of how ugly I looked, but now, I hesitated.
I looked almost...pretty. My hair was curled and styled beautifully, and my makeup gave me a good feeling. I smiled, showing my pearly white teeth, and my dimples which rarely showed and for the first time, I liked what I see. "Jola", a voice called out. I gasped when I jerked my head. I opened my mouth to explain but no words came out. That was mostly because of the person that was standing before me.
"Jola", Gabriel called out again, motioning me close. I gulped, taking one step gingerly as I glanced at him. Was there something I was missing? Gabriel was sporting a tuxedo and I'm sorting out adjectives to describe the beauty I'm seeing. I stared at his eyes, the reflexion of the stars in them, making it a shade of honey brown. He smelled heavenly, I could smell his lavender shampoo and the fact that his stubble was gone did not go unnoticed by me.
His smiled, and just then, I melted completely and I smiled like a bubbling idiot. He drew out a chair and motioned for me to seat, I wasted no time obeying him. He took his seat beside me, and stared at me. I smiled gingerly. "Where are we?", I asked, wanting to diffuse the tension. His eyes remained on me "Does it matter?", he asked. I shook my head. "All that matters is that we are here together", he finished. Okay, what the hell is going on?
I cleared my throat, his stare was making me uncomfortable. I heard his chair scrape back, and I looked up. He was on his feet, looking like a man on a mission. He gave me his hand and I took it, he held me up and stared down at me. "Gabriel", I muttered, like the blushing mess I was. "Sshh", he said, pulling me closer. "I've been wanting to tell you something, Jola", he whispered.
I gulped. "What is it?", I asked. He pulled me impossibly closer, a little bit closer, and our lips would touch. I was embarrassed, cause that was the first time I'd been this close to a boy. "I like you", he said. I blinked. "Huh?", I asked, still not sure I heard correctly. He smiled "I like you, Jola", he said, moving to kiss me. Just like in the movies, I closed my eyes, puckered my lips, and I prepared for my first kiss. I felt pain when someone pull my puckered lips, hard.
"Ow", I yelled. Mum's angry stare and raised eyebrows cleared the rest of the dream, and I stood up alert. "Mum", I muttered, looking at anywhere but her. "Who were you kissing in your dream that made you pucker your lips like a frog?", she asked. "Nobody Mum", I lied. "Do you know what the time is, Jolayemi?", Mum asked, livid. I gasped, as I checked my now silent alarm clock. 7:45am. I didn't need no soothsayer to tell me how late I was.
"I'm going downstairs, if I do so much as to call your name before I see you there", she threatened. I nodded, as I made a beeline for the bathroom. I was done in seven minutes, I smiled as I put on my wristwatch. Barry Allen who? I took my phone, and my backpack and ran downstairs. Everyone was done eating, and I scowled when I realized that I would not be able to eat due to how late I was.
"You should have slept there", Mum eyed me, as she picked up her bag. I rolled my eyes as soon as her back was turned to me, but her stiffened back told me she 'saw' me. I gulped when she turned back "Did you say something?", she asked. I shook my head vigorously "No, ma", I said. She nodded "I thought so", she said. Seriously, how does this woman do it? Nothing goes unnoticed by her.
Dad beamed as he winked at me. I rolled my eyes at him, and offered him a little smile. He'd seen me roll my eyes at Mum but didn't rat on me. I clambered in his car and sighed as I watched them hug before Mum entered her car. "How you doing, Princess?", Dad said, turning the ignition. I sighed again. "Bad night?", he asked, maneuvering his car out of the compound. "Bad morning", I muttered. I didn't know what to feel about the dream I had about Gabriel. Why he hell was I dreaming about a guy I'd barely met less than 42 hours ago, one I haven't even spoken to?
What was so special about him? Why does he make me feel this strange way? Ever since the waving incident, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it. What does this fluttering in my stomach mean? All these feelings were foreign to me and I didn't like it one bit. I may not know how I feel about the dream, but I sure as hell know how I feel about Mum interrupting my first kiss. Pissed. That's the feeling.
I rubbed my tender lips, feeling the pain where Mum had pulled it hard. I scowled, angry, she couldn't wait ten seconds before interrupting the kiss? I mean, sure, it was a dream but it felt so real. I hated this feeling, uncertainty. If there was one thing constant in my life, it was certainty. Disgust when people see me? Certain. Bullying? Certain. People hate me cause of my weight? Certain. I was ugly? 100 percent.
But why wetr these new feelings bringing a whole lot of uncertainty? I sighed as I rubbed my temple. "You alright, princess?", Dad asked. I nodded. "You know she loves you right?", Dad asked, referring to earlier. I nodded. "Its just, its been so hard for her. She acts tough, and independent but she's fragile and vulnerable and you know Mum won't easily admit any sign of 'weakness', that's why she acts tough with you guys", Dad said.
I sighed. Mum wasn't always this tough, I knew that. I also knew what happened affected her more than any of us. "I know Dad", I said. Dad held my hand. "So take it easy on her, okay?", he asked. I smiled. "How was your first day?", he asked. They'd both come in late yesterday and I'd slept when they finally arrived. I smiled. "It was okay. I made a friend", I said. This time, it wasn't a lie. I'd made a friend, my first friend and I was ecstatic.
"See, I told you it'd be a new dawn for you, didn't I?", he asked. I beamed at him "You did, indeed", I replied. He pulled over and sighed "We are here", he said. "Thanks, Dad", I said, opening the door. "Hold up", he said, handing me 200 bucks. "Here, for lunch, since you didn't have breakfast", he winked. I hugged him "Thanks, Dad", I said. I laughed "Just don't tell Mum, else she'd cook us for dinner", he said. I laughed "Your secret's safe with me.", I said.
"Hey, its the fat pig", someone hollered. My smile dimmed as I looked back, and hoped Dad was well out of earshot. I smiled when I realized he didn't hear that. "Hey porky", someone bellowed. I resumed my position, head down as I found my way to my locker. I typed in the combination and plunked my head in. Sighing, I tried to keep the tears in, no way was I going to cry.
"Jola", someone said. I turned and was surprised when I saw Starr. Well, two Starrs. I rubbed my eyes, maybe it was hunger that was making me see things. The two Starrs laughed at me as they were waiting for me to figure it out. It clicked. Starr had told me she had a twin, and they looked alike you wouldn't be able to notice the difference, well, until they smiled.
I pointed at Starr's dimpled face "Starr", then to Skyy's "Skyy", I said. They nodded, still smiling. "God, you too look so alike, its uncanny", I said, still surprised. Skyy shrugged. "I'm Skyy, its nice to finally meet you", she said. I extended a hand to shake her but she slapped it and hugged me instead. That made me feel so warm inside. "Sorry, I'm a hugger", she said, smiling. I beamed, "Its okay, I love it", I said.
Starr cleared her throat, obviously feeling left out. I smiled and hugged her. I turned to Skyy, "Starr said you weren't gonna come till next week", I said, confused as I took the books I needed from my locker and closed it. Skyy squealed "I heard Gabriel Brown talked to you yesterday", she jumped in excitement, which attracted stares from people walking down the hallway. I stared at Skyy "He didn't talk to me, he just smiled at me", I said, smiling as I remembered the dream.
"He also waved", Starr squealed. I glanced at the both of them, and I smiled. They were being goofy and I was here for it. I waved it off "I'm sure its not a big deal", I said. Skyy sputtered "Its a huge deal", she emphasized. "Gabriel is the hottest boy in school, no offense to my boyfriend, whom I love by the way", she paused to stress the point, then continued starey eyed "But, like I said, Gabriel's the hottest boy and I can't remember the last time he interacted or even smiled with anyone other than his sister. The boys dare not approach him because he intimidates them and the most the girls could do was sigh and fantasize about him all day from a distance".
"No one talks to him except his sister, no one dares cross him either. Anytime you see him not with his sister, he's either angry or indifferent. Those are the only expression known to him. Eventually when the girls realized they didn't have a chance with him, they moved on in their advances, but not in their fantasies by the way. The girls still drool over him, and the guys respect him not to talk to him. Even I had to move on when I realized I didn't have a chance", Skyy explained. I nodded, seeming to understand why they reacted that way yesterday.
"But you", Skyy screamed, making me jump. I'd thought she was done, but she clearly wasn't. I smiled, when I saw her jump in excitement. Again. "You, he smiled at you, more so, waved at you", she squealed, shaking me. Right now, what was amusing and shocking was how she was able to shake me at all, giving my weight. I blinked, as she stared me dead in the eye. "How'd you do it?", she eyed me, looking me up and down. "I mean, sure you're pretty, but tell me your secret", she continued.
I blinked, utterly speechless. Two things rendered me immobile. Just like her, I sure as well was confused even more than them, why he did that. Trust me, I'd pondered about it a lot. But what shocked me the most was her referring to me as pretty. I didn't know if she was mocking me or not, but as I stared at her, all I could see was sincerity, curiosity and a little bit of shock. No hidden malice or contempt in those hazel eyes.
The bell rang, bringing me out of my reverie. I shook my head to clear the thoughts. "Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are", I replied. Skyy blinked. Starr sighed. "What's wrong?", I asked. Skyy rolled her eyes at her sister. "She also wants to know your secret, so that she can get Gabriel to notice her too. See, she's been in love with him since middle school", Skyy said, rolling her eyes again which made Starr stare at her. "Ah", I replied.
The warning bell rang just as we entered the class. Now, if there was one thing I'd learn from my former school, it was how to notice and avoid the 'innocent' traps laid out for me. When I say traps, I meant bags and legs. After falling prey many times, I'd wise up. Just like the other times, legs were sprawled out, with bags staying where their legs couldn't reach. I needed no soothsayer to tell me the traps were for me because I couldn't help but notice how tidy the class was yesterday. It couldn't be a coincidence.
Feeling like the wise Solomon, I carefully averted the crisis, and I couldn't help but feel happy when I sat down.
Like magnet, I trailed my eyes to where I'd seen Gabriel yesterday but he wasn't there. Swallowing my disappointment, I glanced to see if his sister was here, she wasn't. I sighed. "Let's look sharp now, I don't have time to waste", a man said. Sighs and grumbles were heard. "Keep that up and you'll have tons of assignment to do", the man threatened. A pin dropped, I heard it. "That's Mr Sam, he teaches Maths", Starr whispered.
I nodded. Just then, Gabriel entered, scowling. I'd told myself I was exaggerating how handsome he was but seeing him here, the image I'd had of him gave him no justice. Is it possible to be hotter when scowling? I gulped as I stared at him. Mr Sam ignored him as he started his lesson. Just like me, every girl's attention was on him, and when he turned to them, scowling, every one averted their faces, including me. I heard Starr sigh, I mirrored her.
"Algebra. Its when two-", I blocked out Mr Sam's voice as I thought of the dream. Maybe that's all there is to it, a dream, something impossible. But maybe it also wasn't. I mean, in the dream, I'd been almost pretty, and just in the hallway, Skyy's just call me pretty too and he smiled at me, something that he didn't. So maybe I had a chance?
I stole a glance at him. He sensed my stare, and looked up. I smiled, expecting his smile but he frowned at me, scowled was more accurate before turning away. My smile dropped, so did my heart beat. My high self esteem I'd managed to build five seconds ago plummeted like an aeroplane, sank like a capsized ship, wrecked like a car after an accident, destroyed like a weak building. Whatever disaster you can imagine, is what I'm going through right now.
The bell rang for lunch, so did my stomach reminding me how hungry I was. "Jola, your stomach had been grumbling for a while now", Starr said. I sighed, hungry as hell. "I didn't have breakfast", I explained. She nodded. "Well, let's go eat", Skyy said. I couldn't have agreed more. The cafe was just like any other school, a place segregated by how cool you are. There was the geeks' table, the stoner's table, and of course, there was the popular table, where the jocks and cheerleaders sat. I rolled my eyes as I saw Jason sporting Blair on his lap.
Blair was a cheerleader and a slut. I know I'd just resume yesterday but any thick person could find that out themselves. If her skirt was an inch shorter, it'd be a belt. From where she sat sucking Jason's face, if I'd look closer, I could see her pink lacy underwear. I scrunch my face in disgust. "And just like that, I'm no longer hungry", Skyy said, looking absolute disgusted, Starr mirroring her face.
I laughed as I turned to buy some food. "Hi dear, what would you like?", the lunch lady asked. She was in her early fiftees and unlike the lunch lady in my former school, she was very nice. I smiled, "I'd like a slice of pizza, an apple, mashed potatoes, a sandwich and a coke", I said. She nodded as she passed me my order. "Someone has a big appetite", Starr said. I smiled shyly. "I'd like a salad and water please", Starr ordered. "Is that all?", I asked, surprised. "I don't eat much", she said. No wonder she has an amazing shape. I looked down at my food, wondering if I should remove some. My stomach grumbled, obviously ordering me not to dare act on what I was thinking.
"I'd like two slices of pizza, two bananas, a sandwich and a coke", Sky ordered. I gaped at her. She shrugged "I have a big appetite", she said. I smiled. "So where are we seating?", I asked. "There", Skyy pointed. The table was at the middle of the cafe and I nodded. The average people's table, that was better than the toilet. Based on instinct, I looked down and I sighed when I saw the traps again. I mean, one would think they'd get tired of it.
I avoided the traps successfully, which made me happy. "Yo porky, all that food for you?", Innocent asked. Everyone laughed and I cursed myself. I should have removed some of them. I gulped, determined not to let them see they got to me. "Starr", Jason called. Starr ignored him. "Hey Starr", Jason screamed. Starr stopped, not liking the attention Jason's screaming brought.
"What?", she snapped. "Come join us", Jason said. "Jason", Blair said, clearing displeased with Jason flirting with Starr while on his lap. Jason pushed her away, and focused on Starr. Blair was livid, her face contorting to something just plain ugly. In a way, I pitied her. I mean, despite how she tries too hard just to get Jason to notice her, he still doesn't and will clearly choose Starr over her any day. Starr who wasn't even trying to get his attention. Blair looked like she wanted to cry and I felt sorry for her.
"What are you looking at freak?", Blair snapped. I take it back. Starr tsked. "How many times do I have to say this, Jason?", Starr asked. "Until you say yes", he replied cheekily. Starr balanced her food. "The answer has always been no, its still no, and guess what, it will always be no", she said, walking away. Starr dropped her tray with a little more force than she intended.
"Who does he think he is?", she asked still fuming. I took a bite of my pizza and shrugged. Skyy sighed and opened her coke. "A dick, that's who he is", she said, taking a big gulp. I smiled as I took a sip of my soda. "Hey babe", Mark said, kissing Skyy, which made her giggle. I looked away. "Ugh", Starr muttered. "I missed you", Mark said. "Babe, you didn't see me for a day", Skyy chuckled. "Still", he shrugged.
"I think I'm gonna puke", Starr said. I smiled and Skyy rolled her eyes at her. "I thought you weren't coming for another week", Mark asked. "I had to see the girl Gabriel acknowledged", Skyy said pointing at me. I rolled my eyes at her. Mark studied me "Hey, Jola", he said. "Hey", I smiled. I liked him. The cafe went silent and I looked up curious to see the reason.
There in all its 6ft glory, stood the cause. Gabriel was scowling, nothing new there, hot, still not a surprise, sporting a headphone and going to an empty table. Ignoring everyone, he took a gulp from his soda, his adam's apple popping up and down. In my life, I've never both been jealous of a drink and wanting to be a drink before. I gulped, mesmerized as I watched him drink the soda.
Mark rolled his eyes "You are drooling", he said as he wiped drool from Skyy's mouth. Skyy closed her jaw alongside me and Starr. I cleared my throat embarrassed I'd been caught staring at a boy. "You know you're the one meant for me", Skyy said, wrapping Mark around her and kissing him on the cheek. He rolled his eyes. "Of course I know, if not, we'd be having a different conversation right now", he said, feigning hurt.
Skyy laughed "That's why I love you so much", she said. Mark smiled. "I loved you too", he said. He kissed her and I looked away yet again. Something about them kissing unsettles me. Was it jealousy? I turned to Starr who was rolling her eyes at them. "Why's he sitting alone?", I asked. "That's where he normally sits with his sister and no one else. I haven't seen anyone other than him and Gabriella sit there", she said. "Why's that?", I asked. "Uh, have you met the guy? Everyone's intimidated by him. Besides, I guess you can do that when your father's the owner of the school", she said.
I nodded. Brown's academy was a renowned and elite school. To be here, you either had to be rich or have a scholarship. I was mulling over it when I heard someone screaming. The hot liquid rolled down my folds of fat as it entered my skirt. Skyy was saying something, but I did not understand what she was talking about. Starr's concerned face was the last thing i saw before I slipped into the darkness.
I was the one screaming.