Chapter 6: Love Scars and New Competition

When Olamide come school with injury again, WhatsApp group chat wey don quiet since just burst.

You know say for Naija, once person get bandage for head or plaster for hand, everybody go rush ask, 'Wetin happen?' Before two hours, rumor go don fly reach three classes. WhatsApp people dey carry the news like say dem dey work for BBC Pidgin.

[Dem even post Olamide picture with bandage, write "Love don wound am" under am. 😂]

[Ah, everywhere don scatter!]

[Main guy no fit take am as e see main babe and Olamide dey laugh together.]

[After Olamide comot, main babe collect serious punishment from her brother.]

[But na wah, as the punishment start, the screen just black out. As premium member, wetin I no fit see?]

[......]

The kind drama dem dey imagine for chat group, if to say na TV, dem for need DStv decoder. Dem go even dey request for 'uncut version.'

For me, Olamide sef dey do pass himself.

Person wey wan show say e get heart go first use sense. E no mean say you go dey break head every week. Abeg, no be every wahala person dey enter for love.

If you wan dey simp, fine, but must you go find trouble for person house?

Abeg, make e calm down. E too dey do pass himself. Wetin even make boys dey always want fight because of girl?

Na God save am say dem no break him leg.

Small thing remain, e for dey waka with crutches. E no dey hear word.

As Halima enter class, her eyes red, her lips too bright and swell.

I see as Halima dey use hijab cover her face well. But even that one no hide the red eye. E pain me small. Nobody deserve that kind embarrassment.

As I remember those WhatsApp comments about [punishment], my eyebrow just raise.

E shock me say people dey find drama inside person pain. Na wa o.

So, healthy love na good thing, but na this kind twisted love dey sweet pass?

For this our school, if love story no get wahala, dem no go rate am. Dem want see heartbreak, fight, suspension—all join.

[I dey wait to see how everywhere go scatter when the main guy enter main babe class.]

[Love triangle wey get fire!]

E be like say dem dey count down for the real main guy arrival. Na so dem dey yarn am for WhatsApp, dey bet who go cry first.

The main guy enter on one sunny afternoon.

That afternoon, sun dey hot like say NEPA and sun dey drag who go win. Some boys dey use hand fan, teacher dey sweat for neck. Na so door open, one tall boy waka enter, shine shoe, wear correct white shirt.

"Hello everybody, my name na Nnamdi Okoro."

"I come Unity Secondary because of one person."

As e talk am, everybody just pause. Even teacher wey dey write on board turn back. E voice deep, e face serious, e glasses dey shine. Na so all eyes face am.

That open talk just make WhatsApp group chat dey shout.

I fit imagine my phone for bag dey vibrate like generator wey get low fuel. People go dey use emoji, dey shout 'ehn ehn.'

[We don hear, na for main babe you come!]

[Main wife package, side chick mind, runz babe attitude—no wonder you get wife.]

You see as girls dey rate am? Any small thing, dem don tag you 'wife material' or 'side chick'. School no dey ever dull.

Nnamdi eye waka round the class, finally land for me. Behind him gold-rim glasses, I no fit read him mind.

E eye sharp, but e get that gentle look wey dey make you think say e dey hide something. Na those type of boys, e get as e be.

"Sade, na you I come for."

Na so breeze blow for class. All the girls look me one kind. Some dey do mouth like 'oh,' some dey press phone.

WhatsApp group chat: [........]

I know say by now, my phone don full. Dem go dey drop all those 'shocked' stickers.

Me: "......"

I just open mouth, no word come out. E be like say I swallow bone. Even Halima look me, her face tight.

As class just dey do "ooh~", I look up, confuse, just jam Halima eyes wey dey pain.

You know that kind silent competition. Halima eyes red, but she still dey try smile. I just bone, no talk.

Olamide face just fall, e voice sharp: "Sade, when you know am?"

Olamide mouth wide open, like person wey see spirit. E voice even shake.

Me: "I no sabi am."

My voice steady. I no get time for extra drama. If I dey know Nnamdi, my spirit for talk.

Olamide no gree, WhatsApp group chat no gree too.

Everybody dey form detective. Dem don dey dig old competition picture, dey try connect dots.

[See as she dey form—dem meet for competition.]

[You dey use this trick to catch main guy eye? Sade, abeg (facepalm, bitter smile).]

Everybody dey reason am their own way. Na only me know say I no remember the guy from anywhere.

If na about the competition, I just remember small: the person wey carry second na Nnamdi?

I remember say one boy get silver medal that day, but e no even greet me. I no even look am twice. All my mind dey on winning.

Maybe. But I no even remember am. Me, I no dey keep second place for mind.

Winning be my only focus. Na so life don teach me.

After Nnamdi transfer, e just dey follow me everywhere. And anytime e near me, I go dey feel one kind eye dey burn me from back.

The way e dey waka with me for corridor, you go think say dem hire bodyguard. Sometimes, e go just stand for corner dey look. I dey always feel person dey monitor me.

E dey somehow.

I no fit explain, but e dey do me like say wahala dey grow for my back.

During PE class, as usual, I carry myself go one quiet corner dey cram vocabulary.

Sun dey bake field, sweat dey drip for everybody face, but my mind cold.

I no get time for play. As others dey shout for field, I just dey corner dey read. Na so I dey keep my head straight.

For nearby, I hear as people dey argue, plus one person dey sob small.

E be like say rain wan fall. That kind soft sob wey dey make person chest heavy. I just dey quiet, dey peep from my book.

"Brother."

"Anything you talk, I go hear."

"Abeg, just no like Sade, ehen?"

The voice crack, small like person wey dey beg for garri during fasting. Na then I know say story never finish for this our school drama.

WhatsApp group chat don recognize who dey talk before me.

Before I even reason who dey beg, group chat people don drop gist. Na so dem dey quick carry gist pass fire for harmattan. Everybody for school go soon hear the next chapter of our 'series.'