Chapter 7 Bitter sweet

Days of the week were moving fast and the two girls were getting along well with Mr Archey.

Shasmi was surprised to find that Mr Archey was chosen as their new parent teacher.

Tiana kept asking her to call her her mom since she believed that Mr Archey liked her.

Mr Archey was friendly to the two girls and the lessons were getting on well especially the tuitions.

Shasmi found herself understanding chemistry better with him.

It was now on a Saturday afternoon and it was a free day.

After having lunch the students would be free to do anything they wanted.

Some would watch television while some would sleep, read and wash clothes.

The two bestfriends had washed their clothes on Friday night so that afternoon before having lunch, they arranged their clothes in their boxes and headed back to class to get their plates.

"Lets buy some chapatis from the canteen before we serve Boboro" said Shasmi

Boboro was a nickname for Githeri which a food made of maize and beans mixed together to cook.

They were so bored by the menu such that they were walking sluggishly towards the kitchen.

"Why do you look so down today?" Asked a voice and the girls got startled but they saw Mr Osanzi.

"Today's meal is boring" said Tiana.

"You dont like Githeri?" Asked Mr Osanzi

"Its the worst food in this school, who wouldn't hate it" said Shasmi

"So are you planning on escaping it?" Asked Mr Osanzi

"We can't do that. We need energy" said Tiana

"Besides, other people out there wish to have it so we can't waste it" added Shasmi

"How about you exchange your food with us" said Mr Archey who just came to them.

"Really?" Asked Tiana excitedly.

"Yeah" said Mr Archey

"I can't do that, I dont want to get in trouble but my deskie can do that. She loves trouble especially if it means food and Mr Archey" said Shasmi and got out of there.

"Why is she always like that?" Asked Mr Archey

"Dont mind her, i'll exchange my food with you. Let me go and serve" said Tiana and rushed towards the kitchen.

"Dont be curious about her. You might fall in love with her instead of the person she is pushing you to" said Mr Osanzi smiling.

He was a smiling machine, wasn't easy to find frowning.

"What do you mean by that?" Asked Mr Archey

"You are too innocent Archey. Tiana likes you and Shasmi is trying to push her towards you. Dont you see that?" Asked Mr Osanzi

"You know i don't want to get involved with students. Especially not them" said Mr Archey

"Okay i won't say anything further but thats the truth" said Mr Osanzi and the teachers left when Tiana came back with her food along with Shasmi.

Later that evening, the students were still free until the next day.

They had to do their hair, clean their boxes and entertain themselves.

Tiana was practising the drum set as usual while Shasmina was walking around the corridors when she met a girl crying.

She was a form one girl, crying all by herself with a razor blade ready to cut in her nerves.

As she reached to her, Mr Archey also came to her.

"What are you doing?" Asked Shasmi but the girl pushed her off.

"Just go away and leave me alone. I want to die" said the girl

"Okay but atleast tell us why you are killing yourself so that we can get a reason to tell the others after you die. So why do you want to die?" Asked Shasmi and Mr Archey was surprised at what she said.

"You are not ugly like me, how would you know my pain even if i told you" said the girl.

She was an albino, the only albino in school.

Most of her classmates criticized her of her colour and told her that she was ugly.

No one was ready to be her friend nor did they share anything with her.

She was so broken deep down so she just wanted to die and not be mocked anymore.

"Oh so you want to die because you think you are ugly? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror?" Asked Shasmi standing next to Mr Archey.

"They told me that if i looked in a mirror, it would break" said the girl

"So they told you and you believed it? Who told you to listen to people? Listen to your heart girl" said Shasmi

"But my heart stopped beating already. I cant feel it anymore" she said

"Well can i sing for you?" Asked Shasmi

"How is that going to help you?" Asked the girl

"They saw music heals. It works for me all the time. Lets see if it works for you. Come sit here with me. If it does not work, i'll let you kill yourself but if it works, then you will listen to me. Is that okay?" Asked Shasmi and the girl nodded as she moved and sat next to Shasmi on the corridor.

All that time, Mr Archey kept quiet just looking at Shasmina's magic.

"There are people out there with no hands, no legs, blind, dumb, deaf and crippled but they live in confidence. So why cant a beautiful girl like you live in confidence? You have everything you need so why disown yourself?" Asked Shasmi

"My colour is different from yours and when the sun hits hard, it itches alot and i turn red. It looks as if i have wounds all over. They say that i look like a skinned chicken" said the girl and cried some more but Shasmi hugged her.

Mr Archey pitied her alot.

"You gotta get up, you gotta get up and make a move, coz the world will never see you till you do. No they don't really care what you are going through, so you gotta show em baby. You gotta show em the real you, you gotta give them what you got. No dont let them see what you are not coz you are strong, you are wise, you are worth beyond a thousand reasons why. And you cant be perfect baby, coz nobody is perfect darling. But no no no there is nobody in this world, like you" sang Shasmi and Mr Archey liked the words in it and mostly her voice.

She was just a different species from the ones he knew.

"Just believe in yourself and stand up on your own. Dont let people tell you who you are or what you are or what you should do. Its none of their business. Do and feel what you think is right. Just believe in yourself, you are beautifully and wonderfully made. Never look down on yourself, you are strong and wise on that. Scars to your beautiful baby. Now, if you think i helped you, i want you to walk with your head held high as from now. But if i didn't help you, then you are free to kill yourself. I wont stop you" said Shasmi after she was done singing and she got up to leave but the girl held her and hugged her.

"Thank you sister" she said and cried up on her shoulders as Mr Archey watched in a smile.

Shasmi had just saved a life.

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Go listen to the song my favourite readers.

Like you by Tatiana Manaios