She said YES to Love

It was early Monday morning around 6am on the day of resumption, after their first term holiday. The birds and the crickets were humming sonorously, giving Sophia who was a 17 year old teenager every single moment to enjoy her sleep while voices were echoing in the kitchen with the sounds of the kitchen utensils. She turned swiftly over and over again on her bed, which seemed obviously that she was having a sweet dream in her sleep. She kept on hearing steps are approaching which hinted her that her mother, Linda who is a professor in surgery is already awake.

She groaned, covering her ears with the pillow beside her as she heard her mother calling her from the kitchen. When Sophia's mother saw that Sophia wasn't answering, she undressed the Apron on her body and picked up a napkin from the cabinet to clean her hands, and then she came out from the kitchen and made advances towards Sophia's room.

"Sophia!!!" she knocked and called out three times, but when she saw that Sophia was not responding yet, she opened the door and entered her room.

Sophia was still in bed and as she noticed her mother inside the room, she used her blanket to cover her head, pretending to continue with her sleep. Her mother who stood still, scanning all her movement with her eyes burst into a deep laughter.

"Lazy girl, will you not stand up from there?" she questioned rhetorically.

"Not now, Mom..." she cried out.

"Come off it, my friend... You always wake up early during the holiday and now that school resumes today, you are still in bed by this time" she queried. Sophia who has been disturbed from her sleep by her mother retorted back, murmuring "Mom, it is still early for this...And now you've distracted me from the sweet dream I was having". "Hey Girl, What are you murmuring about?" she asked, coming towards her direction.

Sophia rose up, stretched up herself while yawning and looked at the wall clock in her room. She turned to her mother and uttered sluggishly while covering her mouth "There is still more time left, Mom". All what was going through on Sophia's mind while in bed was about her schoolmates who bully her in school.

"Mom, can't I stay at home today... And even we are not going to anything at school today because it's our first day of resuming for second term" she complained to her mother. Seeing the expression on her daughter's face, her mother sat beside her and held her hands. "This is unusual of you, Sophia. Tell me what's wrong?".

When Sophia noticed the expression on her mother's face, she hesitated for a while before she uttered "Nothing, Mom... I'll go and have my bath now". Sophia stood up from her bed and murmured, stamping her feet on the floor to go inside her bathroom.

Just then her mother rose up to the kitchen to continue what she was doing earlier before going to meet her daughter inside the room. Few minutes later, Sophia came running down the stairs to meet her mother in the kitchen. She screamed "Mom, I am here".

Her mother turned to face her and hugged her "Yeah! That's my Girl. I wonder where that attitude comes from earlier!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Mom..." she apologized while hugging her Mom tightly. "Okay dear. Go and sit over the dining table... I'm coming to set the table for you" she patted her lightly on the back and Sophia went to sit in the dining room while waiting for her Mother to bring the dishes.

In few seconds, her mother entered the dining room with a tray, containing sliced bread and tea. "Here dear... Eat up fast so you wouldn't be late for school" she told her while helping her to set the table. "Okay, Mom. I'll eat all without leaving anything for you in the plate" she chuckled "That sounds better". Her mother teased her back and they both laughed it off while her mother excused herself to clean up the kitchen and pack her lunch.

Within some minutes, Sophia is done eating and she packed her plates over to the kitchen and neat her dress. "Am I good to go like this, Mom?" she asked her Mother, turning around for her to check out.

"Yeah... Good to go, Good to go" her mother replied her with excitement, then continued "You are always looking beautiful baby girl that I wonder sometimes that the right person who is yet to come would be very lucky to have you to himself". Her mother teased her and Sophia jumped unto her to bade her goodbye.

"Awn... I'm flattered. Thanks Mom" she blushed.

"You are getting late for school already...so you can be on your way now as for you not to miss the bus" she warned her while patting her back playfully.

"Okay, Mom... Bye, Bye" she said, waving at her Mom. "Oh! You are forgetting your lunchbox already" Her mother told her, pointing at where her lunchbox is. "Oh my! Thanks Mom" Sophia went to pick up her lunchbox while bidding her mother Goodbye.

"Okay, bye Sophia" Her mother replied her, blowing her kisses. Just as Sophia came outside of their house, she put on her glasses and ran to catch up the school bus at the bus-stop and waited for some minutes before the bus showed up.

As she waited for the bus to arrive, she scanned the other students with her four eyes and saw them being excited over their first day of resumption at school. She looked at them giggling at each other through the glasses she puts on. She was still in her thought when the horning of the bus jolted her away, making a halt at her front.

Upon entering the bus, she sighed as she remembered another trauma that is waiting for her in school. She passed beside the other students who have sat down and while looking for a seat to sit on, she got a hold of her friend, Emily. She ran to meet her and they both hugged each other while Emily gave her a gist of her holiday, after they found a seat inside the bus.

Meeting Emily again after their long mid- term break made Arianna felt back alive, even though it was only for some time as the memories of her being bullied in their first term in school struck her and the incident became so fresh in her head like it was yesterday.

The bus arrived to the school premises at around 8:30am, making a horn to the Gatekeeper to open the gate so it could drive in. The Gatekeeper, who has been resting and enjoying the cool breeze of the morning on his chair, ran as fast as he could to open the gate. When he opened the gate, he waved up to greet the kids while closing the gate behind after the bus.

The driver looked for an empty space to park and then the student alighted, going to their various classes. Emily, who was very happy to be back in school to meet her friends after a long vacation at home, quickly left Sophia in a hurry. Sophia came down, walking sluggishly out of the bus like the last man standing. She lifted her eyes up to the school building, looking through her glasses when the driver beckoned to her.

"Hey Kid, Are you not going to your classroom?" he asked with a worried look on his face. She came back alive from her thought and turned to face him. She saw the man standing behind her with a towel he was using to clean his sweaty face. She didn't remember what he asked her but the word she heard lastly was "...classroom" so she used every of her brain, trying to think hard if she could grasp a hold of what he said when she was carried away.

As a genius student she is, she decided to play along words when she saw she didn't hear what he said. She nodded and replied with "Nothing". "Then why are you here and not in your classroom?" the driver asked.

"Nothing actually... I was just too much excited over our resumption so that's why I stayed behind to look around the school" she lied, with a pretty smile on her face.

"Oh! That's nice of you... But you can go to your class now because one of your teachers would have been teaching your other classmates inside the class by now" he said.

"Absolutely... Thank you, sir" she smiled and walked sluggishly through the Playground to her classroom while the driver watched her from behind. She kept on walking until she knew she was out of the driver's watch when she quickly ran behind the fence and breathed out heavily.

She brought out a paper from her bag, using it to cover her mouth to lower her anxiety as she breathed into it. Then, she sat down to comport herself when she confirmed that she was okay. Emily who has been inside the classroom since, stood up to look around for her friend when she saw she wasn't coming inside. She looked round the corridors and then to the Bus when the driver told her she left just now. She was worried and her mind clicked on what happened during the last term before their vacation. She ran as fast as she could to the playground, thinking she might see her there. On getting to the playground, she couldn't find her when she saw someone coming from the backdoor. She looked closely to see who the person was and it was Sophia. She ran to meet her while panting heavily as soon as she reached her spot.

"Where have you been?" she stuttered, collapsing on the floor due to the stress she had gone while trying to look for her. Sophia was amazed, seeing her friend panting so heavily. She touched her and tried to look into her eyes to ask what happened. She calm her down, looking around to see if someone was chasing her and when she saw no one was after her, she asked "What's wrong, Emily?".

Emily comported herself and began to talk out of breath "Imagine! I was supposed to ask you that when I didn't see you inside the classroom since we alighted from the bus but you asked me that question instead, because of the stress you took me through when I was looking for you around the school" she rolled her eyes up.

"Looking around for me inside the school?" Sophia asked again and burst into laughter to make sure she didn't mishear what Emily said when she continued "And why would you look around for me when I am not lost or kidnapped?" she tried to hid her emotion.

Just then, Emily heaved a sigh of relief and told Sophia to meet her inside the class if she like, leaving Sophia speechless for a while before she ran to meet up with Emily.

"Wait up, Emily" she screamed, and then continued "I was joking with you". Emily turned to laugh at her, and then she later ran while they turned it into hide and seeks.

Not long when Sophia came inside the classroom with Emily that she noticed those who bullied her wasn't around. She jumped up for joy; greeting everyone she saw in the class that the students were even amazed themselves.

"Don't you think she looks weird?" one of the students smirked, while telling her friend. "I guess so" her friend replied undoubtedly, when she turned to face her "But wait... She's always moody since the last term break".

"Mmm... Probably she was too excited over the school resumption" she shrugged her shoulder and just then, Sophia reached their place and raised her hands towards my so she shake them.

"Hi! Nice to be back in school" she said, reaching out for their hands to shake them. She shook hand with them one after the other, and began to continue to the back to do the same also.

Just as she was in middle of shaking hands with every single student in her class, one of their teachers came in after she witnessed everything by staying outside for a while before coming in.

"And what do you think you are doing, Sophia" she queried, dropping the materials she was going to use to teach them for practical's on the table.

Sophia turned around quickly as she heard that coming from behind. It was her Chemistry teacher. She kept mute, bending down to show a sign of respect.

"Will you tell me that you are performing a practical with them now by shaking hands with them?" she pointed out and walked towards the board to write down what she was teaching on that day.

When she finished writing on the board, she turned back to face the class and asked Sophia to find a place to sit. Sophia hurriedly went to her seat when the teacher pointed at a student to read out what is on the board to her.

The teacher noticed that it was the first time she was seeing the student in her class so she made advances to her and asked if she was a Newcomer.

One of Sophia's classmates thought the teacher was pointing at him so he replied with "This is Rohan, ma".

The teacher who was busy scanning the Newcomer's face answered Rohan "So?" and then the whole class burst into a long deep laughter, seeing the two parties reactions. The teacher hit the table with her cane continuously before they could stop, while holding her lips with her hand as a sign for them to keep quiet.

She then turned to Rohan and faced him, saying "And you, do you think I don't know you before?".

She hissed and said to Rohan to sit down when he replied with "I'm sorry, ma". The teacher faced the Newcomer back and asked her to stand up. She obeyed and stood up, facing the teacher. You are a Newcomer, right? The teacher asked her and the Newcomer replied with "Yes ma".

The teacher looked at the students and said "So do you all think I don't know everyone of you?" she asked rhetorically and faces the Newcomer back to ask what her name is.

"What's your name?" the teacher asked, scanning the student's face. "I am Leila, ma" she answered politely.

"Leila, that's a good name" she complimented her and she was about telling the class about the Newcomers in their midst when their Biology teacher came inside. She walked in, with her books in her hands and strode along to meet the other teacher.

"Good morning, Mrs. Lawrence" the young teacher greeted. "Good morning, Ms Helen" the older teacher answered her and continued "I really apologize for taking your time, I needed to talk to my students that's why" she said and Ms Helen nodded her head, saying "It is okay, ma... I'll wait then" she walked to the back of the classroom, looking at Mrs. Lawrence as she talked.

Mrs. Lawrence, after a while of introducing the New comers and discussing with the students quickly turned to Ms Helen, signaling to her give her just a few minutes more. She then told the class of how they will be contesting among each other before the end of the second term. All the students screamed as they heard her statement, asking what the contest is all about.

"Hey! No noise, guys" she shouted, using her high tone to cover the students noise and then she continued "Don't you know your teacher has been here since to teach you? And let me deliver this message quickly so your teacher can take over" she fuming with anger. She turned to face Leila and said "I am a very friendly person but these your classmates are something that's why" she said, while smiling and then called out Sophia.

Sophia rose up on her feet and the teacher said to the class that she would communicate to them through Sophia. "I'll communicate to you through Sophia. So I hope you are all cleared" she asked and the students nodded affirmatively.

Mrs. Lawrence asked her to sit back but suddenly remember she had to leave the classroom for the other teacher to have her class with them. She called out Sophia's name again and asks her to put the Newcomer through. She nodded affirmatively and answered politely with "Yes ma", before she sat down on her chair.

Mrs. Lawrence nodded "That's good then" and then faced Leila, saying "You can meet her up during the break and she will put you through what you need to know" she said and Leila bended her head to greet her as a sign of respect. She swiftly moved to where Ms Helen is and greeted her.

"I'm done with them now... Thank you so much, Ms Helen" she said, smilingly. Ms Helen who has been waiting since walked to face the students and told them what she was going to teach them that session, after answering to Mrs. Lawrence greetings. She watched her class and saw that it was late already for another teacher to come in now.

After giving the semester's outline to the students, she asked them they should also go through and make researches before their next class as she will be asking them questions when next they meet for class.

Within the few minutes left for her to leave the class and go to teach in the other classes, she asked the students some questions pertaining to the last class they have together before going on holiday while she called them one after the other while asked them question.