He should never have returned.
We were all fine before he came back.
As I said, Zehan's agenda would beget nothing good. Were his actions justified though?
Maybe.
He wanted to get back at those who had ruined his life, those who had betrayed him. How did they betray him? We'd soon find out.
The point is, sometimes you come looking for something and you find a million other things or something else entirely.
We'd soon find out that there's no gain without pain and that sometimes, we need to get hurt for others to heal.
But the question was; how many of us were willing to get hurt so Zehan could heal?
No one was ready.
But we were all fucked over anyway.
◈ ━━━━━━━ ⸙ - ⸙ ━━━━━━━ ◈
"Zehan Essien cannot come back to this institution!"
"The boy is a potential murderer, we can't possibly let him come back here like nothing happened."
Mrs. Elias didn't know what else to say. It looked like all the teachers were hell-bent on getting rid of Zehan. Whether they were afraid of him or not, she didn't know but one thing was for sure, she couldn't tell them that Monica Essien had paid her off eight months earlier after the incident.
"With all due respect ma, I hope you're not considering letting him come back." The statement from one of the teachers brought the Principal out of her thoughts. She was almost regretting calling the emergency meeting that morning.
"It's very complicated." Mrs. Elias sighed. "The incident with the Essiens last year is uncanny and we didn't really resolve the issue properly talkless of coming to a conclusion. I didn't really think Zehan would come back."
"Who is Zehan? Who are the Essiens?" Esther couldn't help it anymore. She had to ask Kendrick who was seated next to her. "The whole thing is confusing me."
Kendrick sighed before turning to Ms. Isong with a sad expression while the other teachers and Principal bickered at the round table.
"Officially, Zehan and his brother were at the rooftop, playing, when Ismael fell off and died instantly," Kendrick explained.
"And unofficially?" Ms. Isong probed further and Kendrick took his time before replying.
"Unofficially, Zehan pushed his brother to his death."
Ms. Isong soon noticed that her mouth was hanging open and she closed it before turning to the Principal who seemed to be looking their way.
"Mr. Kanayo, what do you think?" Mrs. Elias asked Kendrick and suddenly, all attention was on him but that wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that he was too familiar with the story that made him uncomfortable.
"Well..." Kendrick trailed, looking from one face to the other, "it depends... We have to decide whether we're judging based on the official story which is what the police declared as what happened, or if we're going with the unofficial statement which is supposed to be just rumors."
"In other words, you're saying we should allow Zehan Essien to perambulate Newland Secondary School as though nothing happened?" Mr. Dimeji, the Literature teacher, glared at Kendrick from across the table.
"Like I said sir, it depends," Kendrick fired back, "unless you're ready to say that you dismissed him because he committed murder-murder that even the police isn't acknowledging-then you have no other reason to refuse that he comes back to school."
Mr. Dimeji sighed and shook his head, "Well, the boy had already been expelled after the incident so I don't see why we're still debating this."
Mrs. Elias sighed and spoke up, "that's the problem. Zehan Essien was never expelled."
• • •
"I swear that boy has the guts to walk into the school compound as if all was well," Charles Elias said loudly to the hearing of the rest of the class.
Everyone had been gossiping in hushed whispers about Zehan's grand return but they soon focused on Charles who was seated in front with Dele, Ahmed, and Enock.
"Well, that's probably because, all is well," Annika was first to reply to Charles's statement.
"And what does that mean?" Enock was the one to ask.
"It means that, to the police, the only crime that Zehan is guilty of is losing his twin brother in an accident," Annika explained further.
"Accident my ass. Everyone knows that he pushed his brother from the rooftop," Enock said.
"Well, unless you're ready to prove it, you better keep your mouth shut!" Tari fired from the back as all heads instantly turned her way.
"Is it because he's your cousin?" Charles grinned at Tari who didn't seem to be having any of it.
"Charles please look for somewhere else to flash those brown teeth of yours," Tari said and the class erupted in laughter.
"But seriously, there's no need in proving anything when we have to witnesses in this class," Sola said after the laughter died down.
Everyone turned to look at a fuming Dele who had his hands folded across his chest the whole time and Kasy who had been sitting at a corner, pretending to be reading a book.
"That's true, Dele and Kasy used to be besties with him and they saw everything that happened," Charles concluded.
Kasy sighed and raised her head while Dele turned to Charles who had been sitting next to him with a glare.
"And who the fuck told you that?" Dele asked Charles who seemed to be grinning for reasons best known to him.
"Have you forgotten his mom is the Principal?" Sola asked. "Charles knows the school like the back of his palm."
With that out of the air, everyone looked in Dele's direction, not expecting an answer but a confirmation of Charles's statement.
Dele looked in Kasy's direction just in time to see her shaking her head at him.
Dele looked back at Charles and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Then what was the fight about?" Amira who was seated next to Tari as usual, asked.
Everyone began whispering to each other on remembering the epic fight between Bamidele Akindele and Zehan Essien. The same fight that had cost Dele the position of Head Boy.
"Zehan is a spoilt brat." That was Dele's reply and many wondered what that had to do with anything.
"And a freaking murderer," Enock added but people didn't look his way that long since another voice had decided to join the conversation.
"Zehan didn't do anything," Adam Somoye had spoken up for the first time in a long while, "you're all just accusing him of something he never did."
"Who give this one mouth?" Ahmed immediately charged up. "Eve, you don dey chop liver abi? If they born you well, talk here again."
Knowing Adam Somoye, everyone thought that would be the end of it, he wouldn't talk and Ahmed would look the other way. But as Ahmed had said, maybe Adam had eaten liver.
"My name is not Eve!" Adam yelled back from his seat behind Kasy.
"Na me he dey shout for? Na me this fool they shout for?" Before Ahmed could even finish talking, he was already halfway through to Adam's seat.
Before anyone had bothered to intervene, Ahmed had already pulled Adam up by the collar and thrown him to the tiled floor.
At that point, almost everyone was already on their feet for different reasons. People like Timi Disemi and Charles Elias had risen to pull Ahmed away from the smaller boy before he began raining punches on him while people like Kasy and Amira stood to yell profanities at Ahmed since that was all they could do. Others like Tari Disemi and Sola Fadiya just wanted to get a better view.
It was only Dele and Annika who had remained unshaken in their respective seats.
CJ Ikem had stood up to leave the classroom since they'd turned it into a brawl but just before he walked out the door, Ahmed's wristwatch had fallen off his wrist and danced its way towards the door.
CJ knew that the watch must've fallen off Ahmed's hands while they were trying to pull him off Adam and no one had noticed it but he'd be damned if he returned it to the owner.
Looking back one more time to make sure no one was watching him, he picked the watch up and shoved it into his pocket before marching out of the class.
Unknowing to CJ Ikem, Annika Malan had seen everything.
• • •
Mrs. Elias sat, looking at the boy sitting across from her suspiciously as though she knew his reason for coming back was questionable.
"I'll need to call your parents," the Principal said after the long silence, "I wonder why they are not here with you."
Zehan simply shrugged. He wasn't going to tell her that his parents had no idea that he'd gone back to Newland Secondary, in fact, he was even going to let her call them and break the news to them. But he knew that they didn't have much say in the matter since he'd made up his mind.
He watched Mrs. Elias pick up the telephone on her desk and dial a number he was sure was his mother's number. It was only reasonable that Mrs. Elias would still have his mother's number.
"Yes, Mrs. Essien, do you know who's speaking?" Principal Elias said to Zehan's mother who was on the other end of the line.
"Okay, good. That's good." Mrs. Elias smiled as though Monica Essien could see her fake smile.
"It's just that Zehan showed up at school today-"
Mrs. Elias immediately looked up at Zehan and he smiled warmly.
Monica Essien must've expressed her shock over the phone in its fullness.
"Because I was a little surprised-" Mrs. Elias didn't get to finish her sentence before taking the telephone away from her ear and handing it to Zehan. "She wants to talk to you."
"You good for nothing idiot!"
That was Monica's response to her son's greeting.
"What is wrong with you, eh?" Monica asked. "You know what, I don't even have the energy for long talk, Zehan. So, before I count to ten, make sure you're already back home. I'm going to call Jamal now and if he says you're not at home, that house won't contain the both of us, Zehan."
"Have you spoken to dad?" Zehan ignored everything his mom had said and asked instead.
Mrs. Elias had retired to folding her arms across her chest and staring at Zehan like he was wasting her time.
"What sort of stupid question is that? What does your father-"
"Well, it's because he gave me permission to start school again." Zehan lied.
Technically, he wasn't lying since Raheem had wanted him to start school again but somewhere else.
"He did what?" Monica exclaimed, "you both must be high on something. Hold on lemme call him."
Monica cut the call immediately and Zehan smiled to himself before looking up at the Principal and saying, "She wants me to call my dad and confirm." Another lie.
After the woman had let him, Zehan quickly dialed his father's number, and surprisingly, he picked up immediately.
"Good morning, sir, it's Zehan speaking,"
"Zehan? What number is this?" Raheem asked on the other end of the phone.
"I'm calling from school," Zehan replied.
"School... What school?"
"My school."
"Which one is your school?" Raheem asked. When his son didn't respond, the realization hit Raheem in the head. "Don't tell me you went back to Newland."
"I did."
"Andikan, what's your problem now?" That familiar Ibibio accent was music to Zehan's ears. "Your mother is calling."
"Yes, just let her know you gave me permission to come back," Zehan rushed his sentence.
"But I didn't!" Raheem yelled but soon calmed down. He sighed and after a while asked, "Is going back to that place what you really want? There are other schools."
Zehan was quiet. For the first time, he took the question to heart.
Was this what he really wanted?
"Yes, it's what I want."
"Alright, I'll just tell your mom that I already cleared your fees there and the school has refused to refund." Raheem sighed. Zehan could tell that he was stressing out the old man but he also knew Raheem was only trying to give him what he wanted since he couldn't be there for him.
"Okay, thank you," Zehan said, "Mrs. Elias wants to speak with you."
He handed the phone back to the Principal, and after what looked like a brief set of instructions directed to the principal, they hung up.
Mrs. Elias sighed before looking intently at Zehan. "You know I can easily refuse to let you come back here, right?"
Although Zehan knew that was unlikely, he simply nodded.
"So give me a reason why I should do so." Mrs. Elias raised her eyebrows at him.
Zehan grinned; a grin creeped the Principal out.
"Do you know your son uses drugs? Even in school." It was Zehan's turn to raise his eyebrows.
"Excuse me?"
"If you think I'm lying, you can go ahead and search his bag now," Zehan said, "In fact, search the entire SS 2 students. You'd be shocked at what you'd find."
"What are you trying to say?" Mrs. Elias was about to start producing smoke from her nostrils.
"It means that my father works in the Ministry of Education and if by chance they were to come for an unexpected assessment of the school-"
"You have some guts, do you know that?" Mrs. Elias had lost it. "You know what? Just get out of my office, now!"
With that, Zehan Essien stood to his feet, picked up his almost-empty backpack from the floor, and left the office.
"That brat!" Mrs. Elias mumbled to herself. "He thinks he can waltz in here and make me lose my job of ten years? It's not possible. Whether they like it or not, I must find a reason to expel Zehan Essien."
• • •
It was as though Zehan's return to school had disrupted its activities that morning. Teachers had remained in the staffroom, gossiping about everything and refusing to go to class, and with the Principal literally taring her hair out in her office, no one was there to make sure the students remained in class, learning.
They had successfully managed to calm Ahmed down before he beat Adam into a pulp but the former would occasionally glare at Adam as he sat quietly, nursing the bruise on his elbow which was lucky, the only souvenir he'd gotten from Ahmed.
Enock had retired to the incomplete building behind the main school building where he smoked cannabis.
He was a little shocked when Sola appeared out of nowhere and took a seat beside him on the wooden bench in the backyard.
"What are you smoking again?" Sola asked after Enock had ignored her.
"Leave me the fuck alone," Enock replied before bringing his cigar stick up to his lips and taking another drag.
"This is not a time for your curse words-"
"Or what? You'll punch me again?" Enock turned to Sola before blowing smoke on her face through his mouth and nostrils.
"Is that why you're acting like this? Because I punched you?" The expression on Sola's face was coated with unbelief.
Enock didn't say anything. He only leaned back against the wall and continued with his smoke.
The was a minute of silence before Enock asked, "Are you sleeping with someone else?"
Sola hesitated and that made Enock turn to look at her. Although he wanted the truth, he was silently begging the heavens that she would say no.
"Sola?" Enock inaudibly called out to the girl who was staring at the floor.
Enock could feel his heart rapidly beating against his chest. He had long forgotten about the cigar stick in between his fingers.
Sola exhaled and finally looked up at her boyfriend. "No, Enock, I'm not sleeping with anyone else," Sola said slowly as though the words were biting her tongue. "But it pains me that you would think something like that-"
"It's not like that," Enock was quick to cut in, "it's just that, lately, you've..." He trailed off and exhaled.
"Do you remember the long vacation after JS 3?" Enock asked, Sola only looked at him without responding. How could she forget though? That was when she'd lost her virginity.
"You were the one who convinced me to try it." If Sola didn't know Enock well, she would've thought that he was about to cry.
"So what are you getting at?" Sola snapped. "Are you blaming me for disvirgining you or what? Remember I didn't force you to do anything."
"That's not what I'm saying," Enock said. "You were the one who brought it up at first and now, you're acting like I have leprosy or something,"
"Enock, that was years ago, things change... Maybe sex is not what I want right now," Sola replied.
"Maybe sex with me is not what you want."
"Enock, I told you I'm not sleeping with anyone," Sola snapped again.
"I didn't say you were."
"But that's what you're insinuating!" Sola yelled out of frustration and Enock didn't say anything else.
He simply pulled out another stick of cannabis after discarding the old one. He lit it up and took a long drag from it.
"All I'm saying is... Maybe we can just... Forget about it." Sola was looking down at the floor again. "We were doing fine without all this talk about...sex."
"No, you were doing fine; not me," Enock mumbled.
"Where's that coming from?" Sola narrowed her eyes at Enock as though she was trying to make sure she was still talking to the Enock Sakala she knew.
"Sola, whatever, okay?" Enock discarded his cigar stick and turned to Sola, "you've always known best and maybe you're right. You're more important to me than...anything else." Enock shrugged before standing to his feet.
Sola looked up at him and smiled before taking the hand he'd outstretched for her. She was a little relieved that he understood but then again, Enock Sakala was always an understanding person.
But would he be understanding enough when he found out her secret?
• • •
Amira looked up from her Matrix equation and turned to her friend who seemed to be on another planet and not in the Math the teacher was explaining in front of the class.
"Tari, are you okay?" Amira asked Tari who was leaning into her seat with arms folded across her chest.
"I've been feeling kind of tired all morning," Tari mumbled with a sigh.
"You didn't sleep at night? Or is there something else?" Amira asked. The Tari Disemi she knew was always energetic; it was unusual seeing her like that.
"It's not it, I just feel tired," Tari replied.
"Have you eaten anything?"
"No. I don't even have the appetite."
Before Tari could even finish her sentence, Amira had turned to retrieve a doughnut she'd left in her bag.
"No, no, no... The scent will make me vomit." Tari pushed away the snack before it was even five inches away from her as she scrunched up her nose in disgust.
Amira never knew doughnuts had irritating scents.
"You don't know what's wrong with you yet." Amira shook her head as she put the wrapped doughnut back into her bag and turned to focus on what the teacher was saying.
The maths teacher had paused as soon as Zehan Essien walked into the classroom. Everyone's attention was now directed towards Zehan who was dressed in his uniform.
Whispers filled the air as he made his way towards the back seat.
Zehan avoided making eye contact with Dele and Kasy as he walked past their seat. He looked up at Adam Somoye who was seated behind Kasy as he mentally contemplated seating with him but thought against it and moved faster towards the back.
Zehan sat next to CJ at the back and they didn't bother looking at each other not to talk more of exchanging words. They both liked it that way.
"I thought you guys still spoke to each other?" Kasy turned around to ask Adam. She had been referring to Zehan and him.
Adam glared at Kasy for a second before replying, "And since when did you start talking to me?"
Guilt immediately washed over Kasy and she quietly turned around just in time to see the Math teacher yelling and flapping his hands around like a fish out of water as he tried to maintain decorum in the classroom.
"You didn't know he was back?" Annika asked Timi who was seated next to her in place of Sola who had opted to seat with her boyfriend.
Timi turned to Annika and adjusted his medicated glasses. "I never even knew where he went to."
"But he's your cousin," Annika deadpanned.
"So? We're not even that close." Timi shrugged. "Besides, you guys should be much more worried about why he came back."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Annika asked with eagerness. She didn't know why she was so interested in the topic.
"Zehan doesn't do anything without motif," Timi said, "if he decided to come back to the school where everyone is accusing him of killing his brother, then I'd be damned if he doesn't have something planned."
After that statement, Annika turned around to catch a glimpse of Zehan seated next to CJ on the last row. She could've sworn Zehan Essien was simply busy boring holes into the back of Dele's figure.
"Guy, you see my watch?" It was then that Ahmed had noticed his Rolex watch was missing from his wrist-forty five minutes after the fight.
"You wear watch today?" Dele asked in return as he continued taking down notes. He wasn't bothered about Ahmed's missing watch, he had other things running around in his head.
Ahmed hissed, finding the question stupid as he began looking around the class in Hope of finding the watch lying somewhere.
"Who take my watch?" That was the question that echoed throughout the class, and although most people were startled by the bass voice, a majority still managed to laugh and snicker at Ahmed's ridiculousness.
"Eheee... Una don do my watch movement abi?" Ahmed continued to say and the class continued laughing.
Dele shook his head slowly at his friend's behavior.
CJ smirked to himself as he was seat at the back. When he raised his head though, he wondered why Annika Malan would be staring at him of all people all the way from the front seat.
"Yusuf!" The maths teacher yelled Ahmed's surname with frustration, "you'll soon leave my class if you don't behave yourself,"
Ahmed ignored the teacher and continued to yell, "person wey carry that watch no go sheet until him return am!"
At that point, some people were already rolling on the floor and that only made the maths teacher much more frustrated.
"Yusuf, leave my class!"
• • •
CJ was slowly making his way to the staffroom after Kasy had informed him that Ms. Isong had sent for them. He knew it was concerning the supposed suicide note. He still found the whole thing ridiculous but as far as he could come to school at whatever time he felt like it and Ms. Isong would look the other way, he was okay with doing her bidding or at least, pretending to.
"Chijioke Collins Ikem!" A few voices oozing so much command yelled his name in the corridor and when he turned around, he saw as the junior students scurried away to make room for Annika Malan to walk majestically.
CJ had to look around to see if there was any other Chijioke Ikem in the school but he was shocked when Annika stopped right in front of him.
He was confused. First, Annika had been staring at him in class and now, she was talking to him? Since when?
The last he could recall Annika simply calling his name, not to more of talking to him was in JSS One when she had been compiling a list of the students in class since she was class captain.
Besides, how come she knew his full name? And also pronounced his Igbo name effortlessly unlike many other people.
CJ unconsciously held his breath as Annika stood rigid in front of him and stared down at him as if momentarily assessing him. He felt naked with the way she looked at him.
"Are you mad or are you just stupid?" The question shocked CJ to the marrow but he didn't show it.
"Don't ever call my full name again. It's CJ and that's it." It was Annika's turn to be shocked by CJ's words.
Annika couldn't deny the fact that the light-skinned boy had guts.
"I'll call you what I deem fit," Annika replied with a casual shrug.
"What do you want? I have important things to do."
Annika had never felt so disregarded before. Was she not important?
"Important things like stealing another watch?" Annika asked with a smirk but it soon vanished when she realized she didn't see the look of shock she'd been expecting to see on CJ's face.
CJ shrugged, "What are you blabbing about?"
Annika opened her mouth but shut it. Did CJ hate her or something? She'd never felt so insulted.
"Okay, look..." She was starting to fidget and she didn't like it, "you took Ahmed's watch and you're going to return it,"
"Because..."
"Because it's not yours!" Annika snapped. "I knew you were a thief, but I thought you knew who and who not to steal from."
"I steal from whoever I feel like." CJ shrugged.
Annika covered her mouth as she chuckled. "Oh my God, you're actually admitting that you're a thief," she said, "anyway, I don't care about what you steal and who is steal it from as long as it's not from any of my friends."
"And Ahmed is your friend?"
"He is. So give me the watch now." Annika outstretched her right hand.
"I can't," CJ said looked down at her palm.
"Why?"
"Because I already sold it."
"Are you kidding me?" Annika's mouth dropped open. "Who did you sell it to?"
"None... Of... Your... Business," CJ replied before turning around and walking away.
Annika Malan stood there, speechless. She couldn't believe the quiet, snobbish CJ Ikem had spoken to her in that manner. He would regret it.
• • •
"The writing looks familiar but... I just can't pinpoint where I've seen it before..." Kasy said to Ms. Isong.
"Okay, so what now?" Ms. Isong asked.
"I don't know..." Kasy trailed.
Ms. Isong turned to CJ. "CJ?"
Was she expecting him to come up with an idea? She must've been delusional or something. But strangely enough, an idea did pop up in CJ's head.
"Have you tried crossing out the students who wrote the essay and trying to find out who's left out?" CJ asked and Ms. Isong sighed.
"Yes, I've done that and the only people who didn't write the essay are Enock Sakala and Olusola Fadiya who weren't in class at the time," Ms. Isong replied.
"Wait, remember that the essay was an assignment and not everyone wrote it at home," Kasy pointed out.
"Which means..." Ms. Isong trailed, probing the teenager to get to the point.
"Which means, one of those people who wrote theirs at home might've written another one in class," CJ said, catching up with Kasy's theory.
"That's... actually true." Ms. Isong realized. "But how do we know who wrote two essays?"
CJ snatched the piece of paper from Kasy and looked at it again. It was then he realized something.
"How many essays were written with a black pen?" CJ asked before Ms. Isong began looking through all the essays on her desk one after the other.
"Only one," said Ms. Isong as she singled out a piece of paper from the pile on her desk.
"If it's only one, then it means that whoever wrote that essay using black ink also wrote the suicide note which is black ink all through," CJ explained.
"That's brilliant," Kasy unconsciously complemented.
"So, who does the essay belong to?" CJ asked, not acknowledging the compliment.
Ms. Isong simply sighed before handing the essay written in black ink to Kasy.
"Oh my God," Kasy mumbled. "This belongs to Amira Yusuf."