(Please read the Author Rant at the ending)

_Munachi Odumba_

"-You don't remember anything? Nada? "Silvana asked, I shook my head as a reply and stretched on the bed.

Almost the same time, Jasmine walked into the room with a cup of water in her left hand and pills in her right before hopping on the bed.

"Girl your own is weird... Unlike me, I just have a headache. A banging headache. I still remember everything that happened, well up until I drank my drink again sha (well).." Jasmine swallowed her pills and downed the cup.

"Shut up jor (oh) ... Your own is worst, imagine Williams didn't notice your weird walking and you'd slumped into a stranger's arm. " Silvana's voice was annoying..

More annoying than Jasmine's own right now.

I groaned.

"Please shut up, pleeeeease. I open my eyes and you bombard me with questions. My skull feels like it's about to fall out of my neck. And the loud voices I keep hearing... " I trailed off and my body turned to jelly as I fell off her bed.

"Drink Panadol nau(then). Later not now. Tell me something! " Silvana exclaimed. And I groaned.

"You tell me something, what am I doing here? How did I get to your house Silvana? Why does my head hurt? I don't remember drinking anything alcoholi-"

"-Me don't know girl oh! Arthur brought you over to us while we were in the pool. Nonso immediately climbed out and walked to meet him. You were unconscious, he didn't tell me anything... Just asked for my address and the key. I went looking for my key in Williams car and that one too was gone"

"Gone? " I asked my head started spinning.

"Yes. With my bag, clothes everything... Key. I didn't understand anything. I ran back to hear Arthur mentioning you drank a spiked drink that made you.. Like extra horny or something... "

" Ecstasy?" Jasmine.

"I don't know girl. I was busy admiring the way Arthur was carrying you bridal style while you snuggled against his chest. I didn't hear more stuffs before I interrupted them. " I nodded for her to continue.

"Told them Williams was gone. They were now looking at me like I was saying something irrelevant. Till I mentioned my bag was gone. So was the key. And my clothes. " I spread my arms against her warm carpet on the floor.

"Arthur dialed Williams number who explained, Jasmine had also drank a spiked drink, she'd fainted and he decided to bring her over to my house. Arthur told him to wait a bit, he was on his way. "Silvana swallowed before continuing.

"And then Nonso argued on who I was to follow in their cars. I was wearing only bra and pant self. So it's not his fault-"

"-Have you fucked Nonsochukwu yet? " I blurted out, smiling cheekily at the ceiling.

My head was still spinning and I felt waves of warmth pass through me.

Why haven't these girls given me Panadol now?!

Silvana flushed up, I could just hear it in her voice.

"... We're not talking about me here oh. " I stood up quickly to gawk at her.

The room stared spinning but I didn't let it faze me as I stared at her.

Jasmine was sipping at her cup watching Silvana with wide eyes.

"Have you slept with Nonso yet? " I asked my question again.

"It's true oh. Tell us, let us know oh. We won't judge you. " Jasmine cooed.

"... We are not talking about me here. " Silvana repeated again, gritting her teeth in the process.

Why was she avoiding the question?

She only does that when she's hiding something she would rather not lie abo...

"You have! " I yelled and then dark dots started appearing in my sight.

The room became woozy and it felt like I was spinning. My legs automatically dropped to the floor as I lost control of my knees, my two friends were at my sides immediately.

"Jasmine get this girl my mum's aspirin. It's in her room, lowest drawer by the left. Please bae, before somebody's daughter dies here. "

I chuckled and took a deep breath, the dots started disappearing one after the other.

Jasmine complied and left the room.

"Yes. Yes I've slept with Nonso. "

"Why don't you want Jasmine to know? "

"I'm scared, she'll be disappointed in me. "

"I'm not, so she won't be. Trus-" I hiccupped unto her face and she laughed before pulling away.

"Your breath reeks girl! Like you drank a gallon of palmy (palm wine). I have extra toothbrush please use it. " She walked to her bed and plopped on it.

"You're useless. "I muttered to her.

Why couldn't I remember anything?

I mean, I remember seeing Arthur's drink.

I don't remember drinking it.

But then I also remember the vivid taste in my mouth.

Those were the only clear memories I had.

The others seemed so far fetched they could be a fiction of my imagination.

Why would I be on my knees in front of Arthur's crotch.

Why would he yell at me?

That certified that those last memories were just weird fantasy imaginations.

Arthur would never yell at me.

"Drink oh!? Earth to Muna. " Jasmine clicked her finger at my face.

"Thanks." I took the aspirins from her hand.

"I'm not a virgin!" Silvana yelled.

We both turned to look at her.

"Yeah, we know! " Jasmine yelled back.

"How? " I swallowed my water after asking.

"Come on! Silvana's been my best friend for over three years. I think I would know when the blubber mouth, suddenly keeps things to her self that she's hiding something. I even know the day she lost it. " Jasmine said with a smirk and that shocked me.

I stood up and walked to the bed. Snatching the pillow from under Silvana's huge ass.

"Winsh(Witch) How? What day? " Silvana quizzed.

"Let me be oh! I like the winsh in me like that. I won't judge you for having sex in school for that matter!

During night prep. SS1, 3rd term... Two days after first visiting day. " I laughed at how quickly Silvana's jaw dropped.

So, Jasmine was right. Word for word. She was accurate.

"How did.. di.. you yo...u? Kn.ow th..at? Why didn't you judge me? Or stare at me funnily? Or?? Didn't tell me? " Silvana stammered and I started laughing again.

Even though I was closer to Silvana than to Jasmine as she was to Williams than to me.

I loved her!

"For what? And spoil enjoying this scene? Tarrh(No way!)" Jasmine twerked to imaginary music.

A pillow was thrown at her butt.

"You're stupid oh! And I've been carrying guilty conscience since! "

"So it's only her than can give you guilty conscience? Issoh Kay! " I said using Jenifa's accent.

She hissed and walked towards Jasmine who was now whining in front of Silvana's full length mirror.

"Munachi, how do you do that thing with your waist now?" Jasmine ignored Silvana's question and asked me hers.

"Get out. Tell Silvana what she needs to know, let she complete this gist for me. " I took the opportunity of the empty bed to spread my legs and hands wider.

"You too... Get out. Silvana, see eh. I found out since and I decided to keep it to my self.. No be everything person go dey talk oh(It's not everything someone's meant to say) " Her pidgin had me laughing.

What a tiny voice. The quickest thing that could make me laugh is hearing Jasmine speak pidgin language.

"What's doing that one? " Silvana asked, I didn't know if she pointed at me because I was lying on my stomach, face sniffing at her pillows.

"Who I go ask(Who would I ask?) Okay, so a junior in Eight grade heard noises. Thank God, the girl thought it was ghosts or like.. All those madam koi koi them, I was coming from the maths lab, I saw her running away. " Jasmine paused and I flipped over to lie on my butt.

"She almost fell me down imagine! I was about to punish her. She was apologizing like eh and then told me why she was running. I thought she was foolish and asked her to show me the.. 'ghost' she was shaking as she was walking.

That's why I don't use to believe all these ghost supernatural stories them. I can't come and be fooling my life oh! We got there. " Jasmine winked at Silvana who fell to the floor.. In shame?

"Is okay oh! Ehen(Okay!) So I ended up in Nonso's car, Arthur was to follow Nonso's car. You were in his ca-"

"-Heysssheyssheysss (Hey, hey, hey) ! I'm talking oh!" Jasmine started yelling and ran to the bed to plop down beside me.

"You, heysssheyssheysss too.
We got to my house, downstairs light was on. Nonso waited for Arthur while I got in to see this mumu(Idiot)on the couch-"

"-Me? A mumu! We got to the area, she refused to walk any farther and then I heard this loud shou-"

"-This fool was snoring like mad"

"Liar! I don't snore!" Jasmine yelled and I groaned.

She talking with her voice was torture enough.

In fact their voices were annoying, they kept interrupting each other and I just wanted to hear one story at a time. One by one, not together and at once.

"I know. I got you to shut up, so it worked. Then five minutes later or so, Arthur had arrived. He stood outside discussing with Nonso and Williams, Jasmine was now upstairs on my bed oh. Like the beautiful queen she was. " Silvana blew a kiss and I stood up.

"It won't work! You can't make me shut up, I heard this loud shout and before I could blink this junior was gone. She'd just left me alone. Imagine! If it was actually ghost, she's left me to die like that. " I started laughing, feeling my headache reduce.

"Jasmine you just hate me. I now know how Patricia felt when Belema was talking that year and I was laughing. Chai(Oh!) Karma why?! "Silvana yelled and picked up the pillow from the floor.

"She's a bitch. " I muttered, shocking myself with my graphic choice of word, yeah the drugs was still in my system.

I stood in front of the mirror and I felt my hair with my two hands, I had no braids on, no extensions, no nothing.

Just relaxed black hair that was in a bun yesterday night and now fell over my shoulders.

The part that weren't horribly attached to my skull that is.

"Well, fear didn't catch me. I thought it was just two stupid people having sex as usual. I was about to walk away with the mental note to punish that junior who'd just wasted my time and almost fell me down.

Then... " Jasmine paused, walking till she was beside me.

I watched Silvana squeeze a pillow over her head as she laid on her stomach away from the mirror.

"I heard someone call out Nonso's name. " Jasmine rotated her hips slowly and I mimicked her.

"It was loud... And didn't sound like Silvana, I thought it was another Nonso but then I wondered if our own Nonso was in there with another girl. Unlike Belema I didn't move close to gossip about you, I was just looking out for you. " I increased the way my hips moved.

Jasmine followed.

"Well, he wasn't cheating. And well you know the rest. " She stopped talking and Silvana removed the pillow.

And I started laughing at her.

"Silvana, you've spoilt. You had sex without telling me, aunty Munachi? " I playfully scolded, teaching Jasmine my dance step.

"Engaged in premarital affairs! Eh! " Jasmine yelled.

I looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"What now? She was fearing being judged. I'm judging her now. What she did wasn't right and I know.

But yeah, we can't insult her, she's our friend. We also can't turn back the hands of time. It's in the past. I just hope she used protection and always uses protection.

Your future should always be considered first. " Jasmine said nonchalantly as she perfected my dance move.

"We didn't then. But we've always used one since that day. " Silvana confessed and I turned to look at her.

"What the fuck Silvie?!" I yelled, not sure why I'd reacted like that.

Or even why I used a curse word.

The room started spinning again and the black dots appeared, twice as much as before.

"You could've gotten pregnant... " Could've gotten an unwanted child. I didn't say the last part.

But now, I knew why Silvana's words had affected me.

I didn't want my friend making the same mistake that my mother had made.

A mistake that formed me.

"I didn't. He wanted to use a condom, but I didn't want that. Surprisingly he carried condoms around. Okay, it's not his fault."

"Why? You could've gotten pregnant or STD's... No offense but Nonso has his own history. And then fuck it! You could've gotten pregnant! " I was yelling now and using cuss words.

I haven't been this angry since the last time that Kenelum had kissed me.

Why do people kiss me without my permission?

Is there a fucking 'Kiss me' on my head that only men see?

I tried taking deep breaths but it wasn't working.

"But I didn't! I calculated everything, I was on my safe day-"

"-To fuck with that bull shit. Safe days aren't always so safe! Would you had aborted? Would you had hated your daughter for ruining your life?! " I screamed, the windows shook.

"Munachi, please calm down. " Jasmine said beside me, holding my shoulders down. Holding me down.

"Your mother doesn't hate you. " Jasmine whispered...

"Yes she does. My blood mother hates my existence. " I whimpered letting her hold turn into a hug.

"No she doesn't. " Silvana was besides me now, hugging my side.

I stared up at the tall girls hugging me and felt my rage calm down. I was the shortest among them both and Jasmine was the tallest.

Silvana wasn't pregnant. Silvana didn't abort.
Everything was fine.

I didn't cry, I never cried.

"His... you know, was really big that's why I was shouting." Silvana murmured all of a sudden and as if on cue Jasmine and I both immediately stepped back.

"Not as big as Rooney's, I doubt. " I giggled.

Jasmine started screaming.

We both laughed, feeling the thick atmosphere dissolve.

"Oh my God. T.M.I! Too much information! I don't need to spoil like you dirty girls"Jasmine chanted as she walked round the room.

I laughed at her again.

Jasmine was the only pure one in our clique.

I'm not sure she's had her first kiss yet.

Mystery how she'd never dated since I met her.

"B.B.C! Do you know the meaning of that!" Silvana screamed and Jasmine shouted and fell on the floor.

"And it hurt! The second time was better, but that didn't change his size, come Jasmine let me describe it to you-"

"-Shut up!! Shut up oh! I don't need to have a visual description of Nonso's... oh I'm going to throw up!" Jasmine ran out and Silvana followed her chanting about the physical features of her boyfriend.

I began to walk towards the door but the black dots appeared again and blocked my vision.

The ground was also spinning again, maybe I shouldn't had yelled so loudly few minutes ago.

Or yelled at all.

Yeah that was a bad idea, in fact that wasn't even something I planned or thought about, it just happened.

A lot of things just happened that I didn't plan with me. I'd like to call myself a very predictable person but sometimes I randomly behaved in ways that were odd for what I was known for.

Like physically assaulting Kenelum, no one would have expected me to do something like that and even I didn't think I could do anything like that.

Until when moments triggered such insane adrenaline boost in me and then I could do every and anything.

The ground wasn't stable now and a pleasurable throbbing in between my legs began, I closed my eyes and tried to breathe in.

'I love you. Munachi, I never stopped and I don't think I'll ever stop. ' A familiar voice echoed up In my head.

Who had that low raspy voice?

It sounded so distant, like something someone would've yelled because they were in another building but yet it didn't sound like it was yelled.

I was beyond figuring that out as blurry images of me touching my self and kneeling in front of an erection flashed in my mind, almost like a long forgotten dream, but still it felt real.

Why was I removing a person's sweatpants?

Whose sweatpants was I removing?

What kind of dream was that?

Questions repeated in my head until I felt a cold whooshing air around my ear before hitting the ground.

(ㆁᴗㆁ✿)

I don't know if I need to address this but, I know they're 'too young for these things' and should focus in school and this that this that but... That's kind of the 'point', these teenagers attend a school that would rank #100 on the '100 Most strict private schools in Nigeria', they'd literally be the last..
It's your typical 'RICH MAN' school with next to nothing rules or discipline because who wants to discipline a senator's son or daughter?
Exactly.
Not saying no one does, but... Basically you get the point.

This book is also set in the prejapa Nigeria, before Buhari's second term so not everyone was really in a hurry to send their kids abroad, everyone just sent them away to really expensive private boarding school

My characters aren't even middle class, they're all upper class. some lower upper class and some higher upper class but they're all upper class.

I've gotten a lot of 'This book is not realistic for a Nigerian book' 'Is this an American school?' and oh my God🧍🏽‍♀️i am TIRED, I'm not even making any attempts to show any wealth in this book because afterall they're all in boarding school but 🧍🏽‍♀️Book two makes an attempt to show the dissonance between the Emerald Academy gang and the typical Nigerian but until then, I think I had to spell it out... and once again, there's really really nothing unrealistic here, this is a typical boarding school 🧍🏽‍♀️

It's also not an academic teen fiction so there's next to zero focus on their academic schedule but once agaain 🧍🏽‍♀️that's literally the point.

And secondly, teenagers do these things I write about, especially in high school. High school is the blueprint for mistakes and regrets, errors and lessons. That's where they're at, they're legally and reasonably making the 'memories', messing things up that they'd 'regret', being bullies, being bullied...

I really understand to an extent, not everyone attended such a school so 'wild' but I like to see the world as perfectly split into two.

Extremism and Normalty

It's like Euphoria vs Ned Declassified

(It's like those memes
'everyone in high school: 👅🤳👩‍🎤🧟‍♀️👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩💏🍻🌬'
/
'me in high school: 🙂🙏🏼📚🤗☺👣👩‍🏫☀'
Emerald Academy is the first)

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Ps

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AT LEAST NO ONE IS DOING DRUGS!