Every School Has a Bully

FEBRUARY

1.TENI

It is thirty minutes to eight AM, the radio is on a low volume, my annoying sister is singing along with the auto tuned voice of Tiwa Savage. Mum is focused on the road,driving cautiously. She is a cautious driver. She doesn't really know how to drive well yet ,but she has no choice now since Dad is gone. The morning is somewhat chilly. I draw a heart on the window with the sweat from my hands. Simi sways to the side almost touching me," watch it", I say and then I adjust my blue and white plaid pleated skirt,I also straighten the light blue sleeve of my shirt underneath my dark blue blazers and then button my blazers up. I hate sitting in the car besides Simi. But I can't sit beside mum. She is still upset that I burnt breakfast,so she asked me not to sit beside her so she can focus on driving.

I stare at my black flat cover shoe with white and sky blue fabric flowers in the middle. I had practically knelt and cried before mum bought the shoe last month ,she thought that I did not need a new shoe since the blue one I used last session still looked new. But a Queen Bee of the school must look like a Queen Bee. It's one month and a week into the second term of Sss3 ,Priscilla is gone and I am the new queen just like I planned. Last term was tough,but I succeeded in marking my territory. Although girls like Pauline think I will always be Priscilla's hand bag. She told me that herself but I won't let a petty nerd like her get to me. She wishes she was Queen Bee too. And I wasn't Priscilla's handbag,I just gave that evil witch support sometimes. She is really evil ,I remember when she poured hydrogen peroxide on Daniella's hand.

"I like your bracelet,'' Simi says, staring at my right slim brown wrist. I eye her and she backs off.

Soon we arrive at the Peace group of companies staff school, the annoying school I go to. PGCSS is a free affordable standard school for the children of the staff of Peace Group of Companies ,but only the less paid staff enroll their children or the parents who just choose to,like my mum but well after Dad left and she got demoted ,she has no choice than to keep me and Simi here. The school has a total of 120 students,and everybody knows each other.

"Come and take money " Mum says and hands me a two hundred naira note. Mum gives me money for lunch although good food is served at the cafeteria and for emergencies, in case I have to take the BRT home with Simi. Simi runs over to the next compound, the primary section, while mum drives away to work which is like five buildings away. I walk up the stairs into school. Just then Dammy pops out from nowhere.

"Hey!!!" She screams and hugs me. Dammy has been my friend since I came to PGCSS, when I was in Junior secondary school class one,OK she is not really my friend. She is like a sidekick. I am Batman and she is Robin. She helps me a lot ,she is like a hench girl. Every Queen Bee needs one. But I like her in a way she is nice and gullible and will do anything I say. That doesn't mean she doesn't have a place in my heart ,she does and I care a lot about her but she isn't that cool to be a friend to me. All the other eight girls in my class aren't either. I am hoping someone like Priscilla but less bossy comes along but we rarely get newcomers at PGCSS.

"How was your weekend?" she asks.

"It was fine, I had fun going to the mall with mum and Simi", I lied.

Things have been kind of tight ever since Dad left ,but I have to look cool. I am Queen Bee. Modupe and Tosin pass by , the two ugliest girls in my class. Dammy and I are the prettiest... Well I am the prettiest actually. I go to my locker and drop my bag in it after taking my Mathematics note and text book. PGCSS is modelled after an American high school building. The CEO of Peace is an American but we use the Nigerian curriculum for academics.

We both take a bend and walk into our wide square class with its lemon painted walls ,I take my seat and draw my plastic table towards me ,Dammy takes her seat too. I stare around the class. Last Friday was Valentine's day ,so everyone is still buzzing about the rose giving ,gifts ,Teddy bears and all and the public display of affection. Samson gave me a rose and a red lingerie ,how gutsy of him? I like it though ,it is in a box under my bed along with a dozen other roses and gifts like hair clips ,little pink teddies and candies,where mum won't find it. I might just have a use for it one day.

"Don't you miss Priscilla?" Dammy asks , her hands under her chin , looking wistfully.

The truth is I don't really miss Priscilla. If she were around ,she would take the whole spotlight, she always takes the most gifts home. She would still receive more this morning even from junior boys . I and Dammy used to be hench girls to her,but I was more like a second in command to her and then miraculously her parents migrated to the UK so now I am Queen Bee.

"I miss her '', I say.

Dammy is already doodling in her notebook, she likes to doodle a lot . I stare at her worn out black shoes and my subconscious shakes her head. This is why Dammy can't be Queen Bee. Aside from that,she is less pretty and short and not as slim or shapely as me. She has a lot of pimples on her black forehead. She should be the ugliest girl but because she is my " hench girl " she is the second prettiest. Kunle and Greg walk in , behind them walks in ,Dave and Daniella. They have been a couple since we were all in Jss3. I am not in a relationship because the guy who is meant for me is Dave ,he is the most attractive and handsome guy in class but he sticks to Daniella, that fat ugly short round girl.

I wonder what he sees in her asides her long dark natural hair that she likes to pack into a bun which makes her face rounder,fatter and uglier. She needs some fashion advice but she won't get it from me and a diet coach too , she is almost as fat as my mum. I just hope Dave comes to his senses soon because a Queen Bee needs a king. I could go for Samson, he is more popular and fits the profile of a king bee than nerdy Dave although I don't like him ,he is too lousy and pushy and he is a flirt too. He flirted with me all through Sss2. I played hard to get for too long and then I found out he started dating Fisayo last term, an ugly girl with big breasts in my class. It was so painful. But he has been giving me the green lights recently and he is single again. Fisayo left PGCSS since her father found a new job.

So I have a back up plan if Dave doesn't budge.

"Hey" , I wave to Dave and smile. He nods back and takes his seat. I know what he thinks of me , he thinks I am some evil Queen or the witch in Rapunzel or Ursula. But I'm nothing like that. I am just a girl struggling to survive because if you don't prey you get preyed on.

Being Queen bee is easy ,it's just all about attitude, poise,confidence and dressing. That's how I became Priscilla's friend and Queen bee. I know it has just been some months but I am slowly getting there. Mr Donalds walks in , behind him is a girl looking shy and nervous in a PGCSS uniform .

"We have a new student," Mr Donalds announces. The class begins to murmur loudly. We rarely get new students,and it is the second term.

"Introduce yourself,he says to the girl"

"Hi ,my name is Melin-da Nze and I am seventeen nice to meet you guys"

Her voice is extremely tiny and low ,she is very nervous I can tell. She is light skinned and pretty and has long black braids packed into a ponytail. Mr Donalds points out her seat ,Priscilla's seat. The shy girl walks past me ,she is tall and slim. Maybe this would be my next in command or friend. She takes her seat and then brings out a neon pink ball pen and a turquoise blue note.

She looks to her side at me ,and waves .I give her a stink eye and she looks back into her book. As a Queen Bee, you have to mark your territory and show signs. That stink eye was the ," don't mess with me eye"