SCHOOL DAYS

CHAPTER ONE BACK TO SCHOOL

The day most students dreaded finally came, the day I have patiently waited for. A small banner saying 'WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL' stared right into my face as I entered my classroom. I was greeted with dust, which coated every inch of the class, AaRrGgggg.....!!!!! This was the part I hated the most, having to do a thorough cleanup of the whole classroom. This was also one of the reasons why most students decided to come late on school opening day, while others came the next day, and the rest decided to add one more week to their holiday, resuming the next week. I quickly grabbed a dust rag and joined the others in cleaning.

The school bell rang for the assembly, but the ground was scanty. It was short and fast, our principal didn't really have much to say to us. Back to the almost empty class, I brought out a novel to read to keep me occupied while waiting patiently for Amaka Anthony to arrive. Finally she stepped into the classroom, looking smart in our uniform of checked blue and white shirt with a pleated skirt, looking more beautiful than the last time I saw her last year. She ran towards me screaming my name "Genevieve!" and engulfed me in a big hug. She's so dramatic.

I felt my heart jump out of my chest, I even pictured myself picking it up from the ground.

"CHRIST! Do you want to gimme a heart attack at this very young age", I screeched, struggling, trying to free myself, as she was squeezing the hell out of me. "HABA! You don't want me to breathe again?

"Ki lo de, I was just greeting you nah", She said defensively, letting me go when she realized I couldn't breathe. “How are you na? Going to your village did you good, I can see it all over you. You really enjoyed the Christmas holiday oh, oya come and sit down and gist me jare", I laughed.

As she began to talk, I heard a voice singing, “When the gbedu dey enter body”, and I knew it could only be Aishat that could have entered the classroom singing a song by Burna Boy. She is such a party freak, I'm 100% sure she spent more than half of her holiday going to parties. I watched as she sashayed towards us still singing, then stopped to say, "Hello ladies, wassup? I know you both missed me terribly", as she sat down beside us.

"I thought you would have changed this your singing-as-you-enter-into-the-classroom nonsense", Amaka said.

"Just because it's a new year doesn't mean I have to change my attitude", Aishat mumbled.

"Ehen? But you posted a picture online and your caption was 'New Year, New Me', or have you forgotten?" Amaka laughed.

"Abeg you guys shouldn't start this your cat and dog show this early morning oh, now both of you should gist me about your holiday!" I pleaded.

We talked for so long and at intervals I looked around the class, saw the same group of girls who always disturb the class with their horrible voices singing, saw the gossips and the bad boys gang. Some people never change. Not a single teacher stepped into the class, till after our break, when my class teacher entered announcing abruptly, "Tear a sheet of paper, take away your bags, it's time for the resumption test." The first subject she wrote on the board was Mathematics. O.M.G! I and MATHS don't get along, I strongly detest that subject. Literature, Government, and Civic Education followed and the day dragged along like that.

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Finally it was time to go. I walked home with Aishat and Amaka; we walk home because that way we can spend our T-fare on something else or save it. The tragedy involved is that they canln't stop arguing about anything and everything. This time they were arguing on who is the most talented musician, Amaka said it was Wizkid while Aishat disagreed saying it's Davido, and they went on arguing like their lives depended on it, as if they would be rewarded by the musicians themselves. Thankfully, they soon separated to their various homes. Aishat lives on the street after mine, while Amaka lives five streets away. As I entered my home, I was welcomed by my Mom with her usual," My pikin you don come?". One day, if she keeps asking me like that, I will tell her ‘No, I'm still on the road’. But I don’t think I am ready for what would follow that kind of answer.

"Yes, mummy good afternoon", I answered instead.

"How was school? Did the teachers teach you anything today?"

"No, we only did the resumption test."

"How was the test Genevieve?"

"It was just there", I replied, escaping to my room before she could interrogate me more.

As I entered my room, I dropped my bag on the chair and immediately reached for my phone on my shelf to check for messages on WhatsApp, Instagram, media accounts.

"Genevieve drop that phone now and go take a shower", Mom said, standing in the doorway. I didn't even hear the sound of her slippers dragging across the floor.

"Mom I just want to check some messages, then I'll ----"

"If you don't drop it, I will seize it throughout today", my Mom snapped.

I knew she meant it with that tone, so I obediently dropped it and grumbled all the way to the bathroom.

"Children nowadays are so addicted to phones, tell me if we didn't survive without it during my time". She's always saying this, as if phones didn't exist when she was born, maybe she was born when letters were used to communicate. Mtchewww....

"Ah mummy, you'll be talking as if you people didn't have phones during your time, you weren't born in the stone-age period", I grumbled.

She immediately removed her slippers and threw it at me, but I dodged it and quickly ran into the bathroom.

"Nonsense!" she said as she walked away.

An hour later, she called me to come eat lunch,

"I'm coming oh", I replied.

"Come and eat your food before it gets cold, that phone will not disappear, your brother is back, and I know you didn't realize that because you are so engrossed with that phone, I wonder what's so special about it."

I immediately ran down the stairs excitedly screaming ‘James!’. He was already seated at the dining table, so I walked up to him for a hug. "Ba wo ni? ", he asked in Yoruba, which means (how are you) "Odinma", I replied in Igbo, which means (I am fine). It was our usual style of greeting. I know it's funny and weird, but I love it. I pulled out a chair and sat close to him.

"So tell me how many boys have started toasting you oh?" he teased.