Hell on Earth

School for me throughout the week was like hell on Earth.

Luckily for me, when my mum heard of the rumours from Sharon as I believed it would happen, she did nothing to me except call me heartbreaking names that I would prefer a beating over.

School didn't help matters.

How fast things travel! The video of me and Miles dancing together reached bigger platforms like instagram, X, and tiktok. The fact that they were using me to trend was a painful thing.

Miles got great comments on his looks but I received hates just because I was still in secondary school and got a young man who was doing his business to dance with me.

All these stories were crafted just to taint my image and I was still at a loss on why people just wanted to bully me.

I could not go anywhere in school without receiving stares and whispers. Even the juniors gave me looks that would only be given to someone well known for being wayward and indecent.

Was dancing with a friend now a crime? Just because he is a boy?

Trust Nigerian parents on this one, I wonder how many lectures they must have given their children as regards my non-existent wayward lifestyle.

Kiki was there to comfort me through all these and she was ready to fight whoever dared to step on my toes while she was around. This week she had fought with more than ten students for my sake.

Miles?

I did see him as usual but I avoided him like some kind of disease. It wasn't that I suddenly held some kind of grudge against him.

I was just scared of proving the rumours right that we had something going on. Whenever I saw him, I would simply smile and scurry past him which would leave him surprised. I believed he must have seen the videos but just pretended not to care.

He didn't care but I did. I was the victim here just because I was the "girl".

But still, school was the worse!

The bathroom doors were decorated with my name overnight. Let me not even start saying the bizzare things that were written on the walls as well.

Although they were cleaned off the next day and the beauty of the female bathroom was restored, I still couldn't get those writings off my mind.

I walked back to class feeling extremely bad.

Tell me why this wasn't enough reason to kill myself.

Tobi?

He tried to comfort me even though he felt bad that I had been dancing so happily with Miles. He did all he could to make me smile but none of it seemed to be paying off. I appreciated his efforts but nothing was going to change.

I sat in my seat and rested my head on the table. It was no use talking with anyone.

In spite of all this, there were still a decent amount of my classmates that pacified me. Surprisingly, Emeka and Temi were some of those people.

Kiki once again sensed my moodiness. She was hurt as much as I was.

"Tilda darling, my sweetie pie, sugar bae," She bent her head under the table to see my face. "What's up?"

I blinked and tears dropped on her face.

"Stop this thing now," She pouted, completely unperturbed by the rain of tears that stained her face.

"Why does the world hate me? What did I do wrong? Tell me, If my dad was still here would this nonsense have happened?" I continued crying.

"Is that why you're crying?" She hissed. "You're minding these people too much. Live your life abeg."

"You don't understand," I sobbed and bit my lips to stop more tears from coming.

"It's ok," She caressed my back and the next I heard, were footsteps.

She was walking away. I peeped from my folded arms on the desk as I watched her walk in front of the class.

"See ehn, let me say this and get this straight," She began. "In fact, who english help?"

She continued.

"Una wey dey do all this kind wayo wayo for this class ehn, if I catch una ehn make God help you that time," She tugged at her ear.

That was when she caught sight of a smallish girl who at at the front seat in the second row glare at her.

Surprisingly, she walked up to the girl's seat.

"Look me well," She pointed at her own face. "Nothing dey shake me. The only thing I wan tell una be say, all this nonsense wey una dey try e gas to stop. Even all the Ashawo wey full this class go dey call my babe Ashawo. Una nor dey shame? Like, how do you guys even think? If I want to start calling names, one book will not be enough to write the names of the harlots in this school. Dancing with a friend is a sin now? Haba! Na so una dey do for here?"

"Abeg madam go and tell all these ones to your friend. I'm trying to read here," One girl said. Her name was Sarah, the most disliked girl in the whole of SS2.

"You dey craze!" Kiki lashed out and if it was not for two boys that jumped up to hold her, a slap would have definitely not escaped Sarah's face.

Just as the whole scenario played out, a girl from JSS2 walked into our class.

"Good afternoon seniors," She greeted then looked in my direction.

"Senior Matilda, somebody is looking for you."

The whole class turned to look at me.

"Me?"

"Yes. The person said I should call you. The person is in the school garden."

Since the girl must have been told not to disclose the identity not whoever must have told her to call me, I immediately left the class. At least, it was the easiest way to escape from the drama.

I love you, Kiki.

The young girl left for her class while I made my way to the school garden, wondering who was could have come to visit me.

It would never be my mum nor would it be anyone from our house. Perhaps Joyce, Kiki's grandma?

As I reached the garden, I saw a tall figure caressing the beautiful flowers that gave life to the garden.

"What do you want? Why are you here?"

No matter how much I tried, there was no way to hide the surprise written all over me.

His blue eyes locked with mine as he walked closer.

"To restore your dignity," He simply answered.