The Good, The Bad & The Ugly
Chapter 28: INSULTS
The next day came with a strange kind of silence in the school. A new student joined the SS3 class that morning. His name was John. Under normal circumstances, his arrival would have stirred excitement, whispers, introductions, maybe even quiet competition among the girls. But nothing about this week was normal.
No one from our class made any effort to welcome him. We weren’t even on speaking terms with the SS3 students anymore.
What an unfortunate time to resume.
The tension between both classes had grown into something ugly, something impossible to ignore. It followed us into the corridors, into the classrooms, even into the staff room where we were supposed to act like students, not enemies.
I was in the staff room to submit my Biology note when I heard Veronica’s sharp, deliberate, and loud voice, enough to make sure I heard every word.
“They are so cheap,” she said, folding her arms as she spoke to Wonuola, her eyes fixed on me with open disgust. “Letting our classmates touch them anyhow, all in the name of relationships.”
I froze for a second but forced myself to keep walking, pretending I hadn’t heard her.
But Wonuola wasn’t done.
“Like… even this one dating George,” she added, her tone dripping with mockery. “She’s obsessed with someone who doesn’t even love her. I pity them.”
That did it.
My hands tightened around my notebook, my chest rising and falling faster than usual. For a moment, I wanted to turn around to say something, anything to shut them up but I didn’t and the only reason I held back was because of the Biology teacher sitting just a few steps away, completely absorbed in marking our notes like nothing else existed. If I reacted, it would turn into something bigger and right now, I didn’t need another problem.
So I submitted my note quietly and walked out of the staff room without saying a word but inside me, anger burned.
“I don’t know how much longer I can take this,” I said the moment I returned to class, dropping my bag on the desk beside Hameedat, Chioma, and Desire. “Anytime those SS3 girls see us, it’s insults, like we’re the reason their boys won’t date them.”
Hameedat’s reaction was immediate.
“If it’s fight they want, we will give it to them,” she snapped, standing up so abruptly her chair scraped loudly against the floor. Before I could stop her, she stormed out of the class.
I was about to follow her when Desire’s voice stopped me.
“Now that Saheed wants to date you, are you going to agree?” she asked casually.
I froze. My head snapped toward Chioma.
“What?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.
She and Saheed?
I—I was sure that since Hameedat had left Gideon, she would go back to Saheed. That was how it had always been. That was what everyone expected but now, he was asking Chioma out?
Everything suddenly started making sense. The way the SS3 girls looked at us like we had taken something that belonged to them.
“I will date him,” Chioma said without hesitation, her voice firm. “If those SS3 girls, especially Simi, want to die, I don’t care.”
Her confidence shocked me or maybe it unsettled me because the SS3 girls won’t stop insulting us.
“I don’t think Simi even likes Saheed like that anymore,” Desire added thoughtfully. “From what I heard, they were just friends with benefits before but now, it’s Gideon she actually has feelings for.”
That only made things worse.
“But Gideon wants Hameedat, not Simi,” I said, trying to make sense of everything.
Desire shrugged, already losing interest. “I don’t know what Gideon wants,” she replied. “But during prefect meetings, he and Simi are always together, acting like they’re in a relationship. That’s why I didn’t want Hameedat to date him in the first place… but it’s not my business.”
Just like that, she turned away, pulling her chair closer to Anthonia’s as they both opened their books, already shifting their focus to something that actually made sense.
I stared at them for a moment.
Maybe I should do the same. Exams were fast approaching, and my SS1 results were still haunting me. This was supposed to be the time to fix things, to do better but my mind refused to cooperate.
Hameedat hadn’t returned and something about that made me uneasy. With a sigh, I left the class to look for her.
I checked everywhere but she was nowhere to be found then I headed to the conference room. As I reached the door, it was already slightly opened and through the gap, I saw her.
I stood there for a moment, unable to move, unable to even react properly. Hameedat and Gideon were kissing. Well, it seemed like their break up is over.
So much for “I don’t want any boyfriend again.”
At this point, I wasn’t even surprised anymore. I let out a quiet breath and left, there was no point interrupting them.
But if Hameedat was back with Gideon, then Simi wouldn’t stay quiet.
And this was only the beginning of another war.
Please share your thoughts 💭
Do you think this new love triangle will end in heartbreak… or something much worse?
Thank you for reading this chapter 🥰