Sophia's picture in the media.
Dedicated to _Victoria_yemi, your comments always boost my morale. Thank you 🤗🤗😍😍♥️
~Kunmi~
Aminah said the second term was always the most fun with all the activities lined up for the term; the inter-house sports, the excursions, the literacy week,, and then, the elections of new prefects. In my new school, prefects weren't elected, they were selected and when I was in JSS3, there was this senior who was very proud and stuck up, she'd thought she was going to be selected as the head girl. In the long, a more gentle and quiet girl was selected and that proud senior had cried her eyes out, because of the ordinary post. Tara and I had laughed at that scenario.
Thinking about Tara.....
"Ooops, too bad we ain't in the same house."
Aminah said, jolting me out of my reverie. We just got to the stadium for the sports practice and just right before coming, the new students were distributed into their new houses. I ended up in Blue house while Aminah was in Red house.
"I was looking forward to being in the same house with you. Too bad, too bad!"
She muttered, shaking her head in displeasure.
"Alright then. See you after sports practice."
She stated and without waiting for me to reply, jogged off to where Red house was obviously from their flag and the color of their sports practice wear. It was only she left that I was confronted with the fact that I hat I knew no one in Blue house. I turned around, looking for the blue house flag.
The first person I saw when I got to where the blue house was, was Sophia sitting on the blue pavement, her legs swinging forth and back, shades on, and drinking stylishly from her water bottle. She looked like someone shooting a commercial.
"Kunmi, we're in the same house."
I don't know if that was a question or a statement but at the moment, I was just grateful for a known face so I walked over to where she sat.
"Sophia, are you shooting a commercial? What's with the shades?"
Someone voiced out my thoughts behind me and I turned to see Adam walking towards us.
Walking towards us in sportswear that looked so much like blue houses.
Which meant he was in the blue house.
"What do you mean by a commercial? This is my nature."
What? Adam started laughing almost at the same time I burst into laughter. I just couldn't help it. Natural ko. My laughter trailed off just at the same time Sophia removed her shades and she looked at the both of us on either side of her, brows raised and the corners of her lips twitched up.
"You don't have sense sha."
Sophia scowled in reply to Adam's words and was about to say something when the man I assumed to be the coach of my house clapped his hands together loudly and he hollered for everyone to gather around.
"I hope we're all energized and we still are determined to bring home the trophy this year again."
The instant chorus of yes was defeating.
"Good! I like that energy. We are going to give it our best this year again. House captain!" He bellowed again and my ears churned. Looks like I have to get used to all these noises.
"Yes Sir."
A familiar voice answered almost immediately and I watched as Senior Junior walked up to him. Wow, looks like they were lots of familiar faces in my new house after all.
"Arrange your Juniors. Let's start practice with the junior relay race. And Sophia, hope you're ready this year? No slacking around! You are our only hope for senior girls' race."
I turned to look like Sophia whose expression was torn between a smile and a serious look, her arms were crossed over her chest.
"Yes, Coach."
"Good!"
"I just have to beat you in this relay race Adam and I'd have no problem being the fastest girl in school."
Adams shrugged. "Well, that's not happening. Just give up."
"I've practiced harder, you'd be surprised."
"For your mind."
"Just wait for it."
By now, almost everyone was in their posts and the Juniors boys and girls were at the beginning of the track, ready to start their race.
"I'm not even your contender, you should focus more on Aminah and Pheobe."
"It won't be a problem shedding off the seconds between Pheobe and me if I should shed yours."
Adam said nothing in reply to that. He only looked at her for the briefest seconds before he turned to look at the field again. The coach blew the whistle and the junior students took off, with the speed of lighting and before I could even open my eyes, they were at the finish line.
Wow. Some people can run sha.
Funny how people seem to have a passion for running, I think it's exhausting.
"You think running is exhausting?"
Adam asked and I turned to look at him. Sophia had disappeared from our side. I did not even realize I'd said that out loud.
"Yeah. I think it's exhausting. It takes a lot of energy."
"Probably but apart from the health benefit of running, I like running, it's exhilarating; the feeling of merging and floating with the wind."
I turned to look at him on hearing his words, his face was almost turned towards the sun, he looked like he was enchanted, probably imagining himself running and the gush of the wind in his ear or something. I wouldn't know that because there were a lot of things I did not know about him. He was happy, goofy, smile a lot, friends with everyone, a star student, and even so much more but the more I spend more time with him, the more and more detached he and the things I thought I knew about him becomes.
He looked at me suddenly and I looked away immediately, feeling like I'd been caught staring or gawking, that is if I knew what the latter felt like.
"You always look away."
He stated and my brows twitched, my face having a mind of their own and turning to look at him on their own accord. He was still looking at me, his eyes much more intense than ever as if I was the only person he could see.
I looked away, again.
"See? You just looked away again."
Ptttttf
"I can't count the number of times you've done that. It's okay to stare. I'm okay with it, especially if it's you."
When? Someone calm my racing heart because he did not just say that.
"Adam, it's time for our race."
We both turned towards the direction of the voice to see Sophia at the beginning of the track, warming up. She made a sign of slaughtering someone and Adam chuckled.
"Wish me luck."
He told me, flashing his signature smile before jogging off to the beginning of the track and I found myself mouthing good luck.
I stood there, arms wrapped around myself like armor and I watched as they took off, not with the speed of lightning but probably something greater. I did not see the both of them till they were at the finish line with Adam winning of course.
I could see Sophia doubled over, hands on her knees, definitely worn out from the exhaustion of running while Adam stood in front of her, smiling and saying things I could not hear.
Sophia stood up, said something to him and she made to hit his chest which he ducked before bursting into laughter, the head was thrown back, hands on his lower stomach
He was the definition of carefree and outgoing and happiness and liveliness.
He was the perfect definition of a happy child.
I don't know why I was feeling like there was more to all the smiles.
**********
~Adam~
It was the yoruba period and Oluko was teaching us something about the trades in Yoruba land.
"So what do you guys think when you hear Oloola?"
I rolled my eyes. Yoruba it's its weits rid naming system sha. What's Oloola again? I was sure nobody would know the answer to the question until someone raised their hand. Like seriously? Someone knew the meaning of that weird-sounding name?
"Yes. Tell us, Adunni."
"They make incisions, like tribal marks for example."
"Yeah. Correct! It used to be one of the most sought after and most popular professions back in the days of our fathers but now, sadly, nobody wants to make incisions for their kids again. A thing of beauty has now become a thing of....." He trailed off as if searching for the perfect word. "Shame." He continued, snapping his fingers together just as loud murmurs filled the classroom.
He folded his arms around his chest and he watched us for a while.
"Keep it, quiet guys. Instead of murmuring to yourself, just voice out your opinions, I'm interested in knowing them. Oya, let me hear them."
The once quiet class fell into a pitch of silence that was so defeating and I smiled to myself. Looks like they were all bluff.
"I don't think it's a thing of beauty." Aminah started, her voice cutting through the huge silence. "I mean, why would having lines, hideous lines at that on our faces be counted as a thing of beauty. It's a barbaric tradition. Glad that it's stopping. People that are still doing that deserve to be stoned."
She concluded with a stern voice and I shook my head. It isn't that deep.
"Exactly. Tribal marks are hideous, very hideous, like what the....." That was Sophia and she trailed off then, I knew she was going to say fuck or hell. Definitely fuck.
"Anyway, Aminah made a very valid point. It's a barbaric tradition that deserves to be stopped. We're supposed to have a law that'd bar people from indulging in this act. I just can't imagine having tribal marks on my face. God."
I watched as she traced her fingers on her face as if in a trance and she shuddered.
"God, I'd be so ugly. Mehn."
She was the first person to burst into laughter at her own words before the whole class joined in and I shook my head. See what I said about Sophia not having sense.
"I don't think that the idea is that ludicrous. I mean, it was a means of beauty back in those days."
That was Adunni and I just had to conclude that just like her name, she was a real Yoruba girl because to me too, nothing can justify tribal marks to me.
"And how sure are we that that was the real reason. History also has it that tribal marks started when the slave trade started, that it was used as some sort of identification or so. If oduduwa did not have tribal marks, how then can we say tribal marks are peculiar to the Yoruba race?"
Another classmate replied to her and soon, it was a tug of war with words being exchanged from all angles.
On top tribal marks?
I leaned back into my seat and I subconsciously started sketching something in my notepad.
"Guys, it's okay. That's not even the topic for today but I'd like to chip in an assignment. Write an essay of not less than a thousand words on how tribal marks started in Yorubaland. Your first CA."
The noise subdued immediately.
"Now, another profession is ILU LILU, it used to be prestigious too but now, it's almost a thing of the past."
"Of course, we don't need ILU or whatnot when we have DJ NEPTUNE."
That was Ezekiel and he said the last part with a sing-song voice, his body twisting into a dance move. This boy can't have sense. It's impossible.
"DJ MONKEY, one more word from you and you're out of this class."
Oluko replied, matching Ezekiel's energy, and the whole class burst into laughter again.
Sophia mouthed something that sounded like an idiot and I turned to look at her. She was laughing hard just like Kunmi and I watched as she bit her lips, probably to stop herself from laughing way too hard but she failed miserably.
I smiled.
********
It was a Government period and our government teacher, like always around. She was hardly around sha and I'd always wondered why it was the teachers of an interesting subject that always missed their class, definitely not mathematics teachers or geography. It's annoying. Annoying.
The class was divided into twos and threes and they were talking animatedly. I looked around the class, looking for no one in particular when my eyes landed on Aminah and Toulouse. They were at the far end of the classroom and they were talking animatedly. Kunmi wasn't with her which was probably a first because Kunmi was always with her.
"Hey Aminah, do you know where Kunmi is?"
Hmm?
I did not exactly know when I stood up from my seat and when I walked to where they sat.
Talk about doing without thinking.
Aminah looked up at me, startled at first, then she looked around the class.
"Oh, she was in class just minutes ago. Why are you looking for her by the way?"
I shrugged before muttering something that sounded like just because and I walked out of the classroom.
I saw Alex on the balcony overlooking the love garden. His hands were in his pocket and he was staring fixedly at something in the garden.
Or rather someone.
I moved closer to stand beside him so I could see what had piqued stoic Alex's attention like that.
I followed his eyes to see Kunmi sitting on one of the benches, her attention on her phone. I retraced my gaze back to him only to see him looking at me, eyebrows raised.
Then he walked away.
What was that?
I looked back to Kunmi whose attention was still on her phone then back to Alex who was walking towards our classroom.
What just happened?
My right hand found its way to message my neck.
Alex was looking at Kunmi just now, wasn't he?
Abi was he staring at her?
Abi did I have it all mixed up?
I frowned just as I started to descend the stairs, my thoughts filled with why he was looking at her like that.
Which bothered me a little because the last time I checked, they don't talk. That guy never talks to anyone.
So why exactly was he looking at her like that?
I stopped, not liking the idea that was pooling on at the back of my mind at all.
"Adam?"
Kunmi's voice cut through my thoughts and I turned to look at her. I did not even know that I had gotten to the garden because of my jumbled thoughts.
She was sitting with her back to me so she'd turned sideways to look at me, her eyes uncertain, as if she couldn't trust what you were doing or why you were doing it.
"Hey. You weren't in class so I figured out you might be here or probably somewhere around."
"Hmm."
She nodded slowly before turning back to her phone and I found myself sitting beside her. She continued typing away on her phone and it took me a while to realize that she was playing Candy Crush.
What's with girls and candy crush?
She continued playing her game, completely ignoring me which bothered me yet again.
Maybe she left the class because she needed privacy.
Maybe I was intruding on her privacy.
My left hand found its way to the back of my neck, messaging it, a gesture I had started doing a lot lately. I was naturally a straight thinker but my thoughts were swerving in different directions today.
Blame it on Alex. What's that dude's problem by the way?
"Did you say something?"
She asked, almost startling me because I was so lost in my disarrayed thoughts.
"Do you want to see the rest of the Arts gallery? I did not get to show you everything the last time."
Well, looks like I was having an out-of-the-body movement and actions because I did not plan on saying that.
Just like I did not plan on coming here.
She did not say anything for a while, her lips twitching to a side as if considering the offer.
Or probably doubting it.
In all, she looked uncertain, as if she did not want to go in there.
Or maybe I was just intruding.
"Okay then."
I did a mental fist pump.
If there was something like that.
Dayum.
It was supposed to be a double update until Wattpad decided not to load this chapter for me. Their glitches ehn.
Anyway, Alex 🤔🤔🤔🤔.
And what are your takes on tribal marks? I don't think it started as a means of beauty or whatnot. Hideous marks as a means of beauty? Ko le werk but then, we're weird sha.
Or should I just bring my alter ego in the next chapter? 🤔🤔🤔 BTGOL fans would know what I'm talking about 🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️
And I was in a blue house in Secondary school and we always, without a struggle came last 😂😂😂😂
See you when I see you and I'm coming with the ship. Even if I have to drag, bundle or carry it. 😂😂😩😭💔
Love you guys ♥️♥️ and don't forget the star button, please.