Saint Patrick's College

Chapter Seven

She didn't know where she was walking to but she let her legs carry her. She still had classes for the rest of the afternoon, so she couldn't go far, but in that moment, she wanted to be away from Ayomide, away from Segun and away from Veritas Hall and the legend of the girl who died in the downstairs girl's bathroom.

She walked down the stone steps and onto the sidewalk lined by benches spaced along the pathway. She filled her lungs with the afternoon air and the smell of fresh-mown grass. She maneuvered masterfully past kids chatting about her. She was all anyone could talk about. A girl's life was over and all anyone could do was talk about it like a reality show bombshell.

Adaeze picked up her pace, a futile attempt to outrun the voices, the speculations, the gossip. She didn't notice when she broke out into a jog and then a run, but she noticed when her lungs burned, she noticed when her blazer flapped against her back.

She forced her legs further, pushing her limits. She didn't care if people were staring. At least they would talk about something other than her. She ran past the administrative office, her heart thumping in her chest. She didn't stop. She kept going even when she breezed past the security offices, the cold air a direct contrast to the warm kiss of the sun against her skin.

"Hey, wait up!" A voice called from behind her. She didn't slow down, but she did hear footsteps growing closer and closer. She didn't want to talk to anyone. Couldn't people get it? If she could, she would be out of Saint Patrick's College, she would be back in Nnamdi Azikiwe Secondary School, she would still be good friends with Temi and she wouldn't be trapped in this fever dream.

She stopped in her tracks in front of the infirmary, muscles tensed. Every bone in her body told her to keep going, to run until the only thing she could hear was her blood pumping in her ears.

"Hey, are you okay?" It was the boy with the faded hair, the boy who despite the school's strict rules refused to wear his blazer. He was fast, faster than she expected. "You should run track." He said barely panting.

She caught her breath, eyes darting left then right. Just as she suspected, everyone was watching her "I used to." She said, a hand on her hip, the other on her chest. Her breathing evened out.

"Wanna tell me what you're running from?" Here... She thought. Then she thought she was running from her, but how does one out run a dead girl?

"I'm Femi, you must be Adaeze." He flashed her a million-dollar smile. The kind of smile she suspected he used to charm all the girls in his class.

"Guilty." She forced a smile. "Look, this really isn't a good time." In fact, it was the worst time. Not only was she trying to settle into this new world, she was getting used to the fact that someone her age just died of unknown causes. She wasn't in the right headspace to make new friends.

"I can imagine, you look like you've seen a ghost." He buried his hands in his pockets.

She opened her mouth and shut it again. She wanted to ask why he was talking to her? Wasn't he one of the popular kids? Wasn't there an unspoken rule of segregation? Perhaps she was overthinking it.

"You have a nice smile." He said taking a tentative step closer.

Was he flirting? Obviously, she'd been flirted with before, the first time it happened was in JSS3 when one of the boys in her class walked up to her desk during break. Adekunle Olumide, Adaeze couldn't forget him. Partly because his flirting was funny; he spent the time complementing things that didn't even make sense like the length of her arms. But in the moment, she found it cute and endearing. "Thank you." She tried for a genuine smile and fell short. She didn't know whether she should complement his smile too, but she was sure he must get that a lot from the girls in their class.