Chapter 3 Teni

3.TENI

It is lunch already and I am relieved, the chemistry class in the lab was unbearably boring. I sashay into the cafeteria and take my seat. I always like to sashay in the lunch area ,because all eyes are always on me,on anybody anyway in the lunch area but most especially on me. Dammy takes her seat too. It used to be Priscilla's seat too. I look down at the chair where she scribbled, Priscilla is Queen. Poor Priscilla, too bad you couldn't be Queen in Sss3 too. I imagine her going to a school full of white kids, unable to fit in or find a friend,having to start from square zero.I smile unconsciously.

" Why are you smiling?" Dammy asks.

"None of your biz, can you get me lunch?"

"Sure" she stands up and walks to the queue. Dammy gets my lunch every day. I take out my pen from my pocket and scribble on the pink table , Teni is Queen. Our table is the only pink table among the hundred launch deep blue tables. It's like a mistake was made or something and the management decided not to bother to return it. It was Priscilla's idea to claim the unique seat and I give her the credit and respect for having such an idea.

Dammy comes back with our regular, fried rice ,salad and chicken and Fayrouz™ Dammy buys it everyday for me and her. I don't have the money, but she doesn't know and doesn't care ,she is really nice.

We begin to eat in silence. Dave and Daniella walk back to their seats with very red spaghetti and tilapia fish tails in their trays.

"I admire them a lot,''Dammy says.

"Why are you so dumb, have you forgotten I have a crush on Dave!"

"Sorry"

"Whatever" I say as I notice the new girl walking in ,she looks a lot settled now. Daniella waves to her and she joins them at their table.

"The new girl is pretty," Dammy says ,watching her too.

"But not prettier than I am "

"Is anybody in this school ever prettier than you are,you are the new Queen"

I smile and swallow a spoonful of jollof rice.Dammy is just the right hench girl.

"How was school today?" Mum finally breaks the silence. She rarely talks while driving and she doesn't like us talking either.

"Not bad", I reply. It was not too bad,although I got humiliated by the new stupid chemistry teacher. He asked the class a question and insisted that I answer it ,even when Jessica and Pauline kept raising their hands . I couldn't get it and well the class murmured some jeers. I am the Queen bee,how could they do that? But it still doesn't matter, success doesn't come from academics solely. I have no use for it .I will just try to make enough Cs and a few Bs .I am going to be a fashion model. I totally have the physique for it. Although I am still curious about where I got it from. My mum is a fat pig and my sister is a piglet, my dad is of average weight although he has a pot belly. Mum doesn't know why Dad left. She thinks it's because love fades and all. That's what she told us the morning Dad left and after she had cried her brains out . Dad's new wife is totally out of an Ebony magazine,only that she is slightly busty. But she is pretty, and nice in a way. She used to buy me a lot of things when she came around when mum was out or on an office trip. I used to think she was just friends with Dad. I should have told mum before she found out. It must have been painful to find such a thing out and more frustrating to live with him for three more years. His sisters kept begging and saying "that's how men are, you just have to forgive him", like men were ultimate creatures. I wonder where mum would be if she was the one in dad's shoes. Nobody would say, "that's how women are", Life is not fair. I look to my right , Simi is reading a children's novelette. The annoying types with absurd titles. I sigh and try to sleep. An hour later we get home and I lazily walk out while Simi skips in and Mum tries to close all the car windows .This new house is not meant for me ,it looks totally shabby and old. One of the reasons I hate Dad leaving us. I wish I could go back to our cul-de-sac house, but I would rather stay with my annoying mother and sister than live in the same home as his new wife and her baby son. But it could be a good idea ,since dad got custody of us I could live there and choke the baby to death. I chuckle to myself. As I walk on the concrete floor covered with a green carpet of layers of spirogyra. As I step in I turn on the light of our cubicle living room. I hear Simi singing out loud in our room. One more annoying thing about this new house ,we share the same room.I walk into the room and find Simi's uniform all over the floor. That disgusting pig. I take up the blue and white plaid pinafore and sky blue shirt, open up the bathroom and throw it at her.

"That was cruel", Simi yells in a yelping like manner. "Cruella", she calls me.

"Call me whatever you like, " I shout back.

I turn on the TV. Mum has already put the channel in the living room on the news channel. Another annoying thing ,our cables are connected. I let out a frustrated sigh. And walk up to the mirror. First I take off my blazers ,my white T-shirt ,then my plaid skirt. Left on me is my yellow B cup bra and yellow pantie with white polka dots. I pose in front of the mirror imagining that I am a swimsuit model. I bend my back to the sides ,lift my hands up like I had seen on TV. I totally look sexy,I thank my lucky stars I am not like Daniella. I would commit suicide if I did. I take off my pink towel from my wardrobe's door. Take off my bra and pantie and then tie my towel around my chest.

"Get out of that toilet ,now!" I yell to Simi who is still singing in the shower. She runs out all wet ,drooping and naked ,round shiny stomach ,fat thighs and tiny breasts. She looks so disgusting. .

"eww ,will you get a towel". I say to her, she runs to the mirror and begins to wiggle in front of it. I roll my eyes ,and walk into the shower. After the shower and drying my body well. I slip into a blue singlet with flowery patterns and a pink jean bump short that I love to wear. The TV is still on the news channel. I switch off the TV. Mum does this intentionally I know. I take out my books from my purple school bag. Mr Donald, that cruel man ,gave us some equations to solve . I take out my notes and text book and begin to solve them. Simi is writing in her notebook with her long pink glittery pencil. She is in nothing but a white singlet and green undies. After five equations, I get bored and close the book up. I switch the TV back on. Now she is watching a food channel.

" Teni! " she calls out. " Simi, food is ready "

Simi abruptly closes her book and runs out. I follow her ,mum is setting our black plastic dining table with three white chairs. I am never inviting anyone over to this house.

After Simi prayed, we all ate the white rice and stew in silence. While I thought about Dave, his gait ,his smile. He has never smiled at me but I have seen him several times smiling at that pachyderm ,Daniella. I think about the way he holds his pen when writing. It's totally attractive. Thinking about Dave is a habit for me ,more like an addiction. What does he ever see in Daniella? Just what?

" Teni, you are washing the plates" Mum says as she stands up.

I don't want to . "Okay mum", I say. It's totally annoying that mum makes me wash the plates while my gluttony sister does nothing. After swallowing the last spoon of my rice ,I pack up the plates and dump them in the sink. Simi has changed the channel to a cartoon channel. I hate my life,everything about my life is annoying. I feel the urge to scream at the top of my voice. But I don't, it would be totally obscene to do so.

After I am done with the dishes. I go into my room and finish up the equations which are actually easy. I turn on the TV ,Simi is watching a dumb cartoon about shoes that talk. I let out a sigh of frustration and switched off the TV again. I take out my makeup bag , unzip it and take out my blue polish and the nail polish cleaning liquid ,cleaning out the deep blue nail polish from yesterday. I hum one of Justin Beiber's tunes ,Cold water. My nail needs to look well polished and new for tomorrow as a Queen bee right? Five minutes later all ten fingernails are bright blue and glistening. Perfection.