FLAMES

EPISODE FOUR 4 : CONNECTIONS

**HADEEZAH'S POV:**

I said my morning prayers, took a shower, put on my school uniform along with pop socks because it's a bit short. After having breakfast, I packed my bags and headed out for the day.

"Bye, mummy," I called out as I left.

"Bye Adunni," she replied, "See you later today."

Today's first subject is Biology, my first time meeting the teacher as well. I had my seat beside Ava.

"You're late," she said.

"Yeah, I know," I replied, bringing my books out for the class. I listened attentively to the teacher.

"I like the way they teach here; it's very different from Nigeria," I thought to myself. We were being taught genetics, which was a very intriguing topic. The bell rang, and the class ended.

We headed towards our lockers to get ready for the next class when two girls approached us.

"Are you Avery's girlfriend?" they Ava.

"Ava's brother passed by at that moment, kissing her cheek, which made her cringe.

"He is not my boyfriend; he is my brother," Ava clarified. "Nothing more, nothing less. He's not that good-looking for me to date." I chuckled at her response.

"What's so funny?" Ava asked.

"Nothing, it's just... why do you hate your brother so much?" I said.

"Trust me, you do not want to know," she replied, and we both walked away.

When I got home, I battled with physics and chemistry questions, my two worst subjects. I am hoping to get a tutor soon. My mum has been very busy with work and says she will get one as soon as possible.

Getting ready for school, I arrived at 7:30 AM so I could use the labs to study until the students started trooping in. To my surprise, I met Michael with headphones in his head. He looked like he was cooking up some lyrics or so.

"Well, he doesn't own the school; why should I excuse myself?" I thought as I entered the lab and dropped my books.

"What are you doing here?" he said, raising his voice.

"Calm down, I did not come in here with guns, and you do not own this place," I replied. He stood to leave, but I didn't like the idea.

"Hold up, I'll leave; you can stay," I said, and I left the lab. Something dropped from my bag, but I didn't turn back.

"He's like this word Ava uses... what's it called again? Right, a jerk."

It's lunchtime with Ava, and I feel down.

"What's up with the long face?" she asked, but I like keeping to myself.

"It's nothing you have to worry about," I said.

"Smile; frowning doesn't suit you," she advised. I let out a silent chuckle.

The three witches, as I like to refer to them, approached us. Though they used to be two before, now they're three, I think.

"You are at our table; leave," Dahlia said.

"Ava retorted. "I don't see your names written here," she added. "Who do you think you are talking back at?" Sandra said.

"You, of course. Do you see anybody else here?" Ava asked rhetorically. As Violet was about to add her own to the issue, I didn't want things to escalate.

"Ava, you remember your brother said not to get in trouble with them. Let's leave before there is a major problem," I whispered into her ear.

"But this isn't right," Ava said.

"Ava," I said, "OK, fine, we'll leave," she said. We carried our tray and left. We finished lunch, but we still had time till next period.

"Let's go to the rooftop," Ava suggested.

"Cool, I've never been there anyway," I said, and we both left.

When we got to the rooftop, we talked for a while and got to know each other better. She loves reading and writing books. I also love books, but believe me, she is obsessed with them.

"Hadizah, I've been dying to ask you gazillions of questions," she said.

"OK, you're welcome to ask all of them," I replied.

"Why do you wear an eyepatch? Why do you wear this thing headcover? Why does your name sound like something on a Chinese menu? Even your accent is different. You are different," she bombarded me with questions without giving me a chance to answer any of them.

"Hey, slow down," I said. "You talk faster than EMINEM," I added with a chuckle.

"I'm sorry. Can you answer them now?" she asked eagerly.

"OK, so question No 1: I use an eyepatch because I got injured when I was little. I don't really want to get into the details. The incident caused my right eye to be destroyed completely. Question No 2: This thing over my head is called a hijab. It is compulsory for me to use it as I have become of age. It is a crucial part of my religion. Question No 3: My name sounds different because it is a Muslim name. Though it is my first name that is Muslim, the surname is from the native Yoruba tribe in Nigeria, my country in Africa," I explained.

"Cool," she said. "So, to the fourth question: My accent is different because it has been Yorubalized since the British colonized us. My accent might even change in the future. I can't remember your last question," I said.

"Why are you different?" she asked.

"I'm different because of my nationality, religion, tribe, and the likes," I replied. She looked at her wristwatch.

"Oh, the next period started ten minutes ago," she said.

"You've got to be kidding me! Class started ten minutes ago, and you're this relaxed?" I exclaimed anxiously.

"Relax; it's not like it's the end of the world," she said casually. I dragged her hand, and we rushed down to class.

**MICHAEL'S POV:**

In class, but I can't even concentrate properly. Why is the pen she dropped speaking gibberish? But it's weirdly pleasing to my ears. The girl sure was fascinating. She left immediately, unlike some girls I know.

"Williams stand up," Mr. Lois said. I stood immediately without a second thought.

"What did I say last?" he asked.

"What did I say last was what you said last," I replied. The whole class erupted in laughter.

"Does this class seem like a joke to you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, sir," I said genuinely.

He wanted to speak, but then the girl and Ava barged into the class.

"Uh oh," they both chorused.

"You are both late," he said. They couldn't say a thing.

"You are both late," he said. They couldn't say a thing.

"It looks like the black miscreants are at it again," he said. Always trust Mr. Lois to be a racist. They both apologized and went to their seats.

I was out to pick my notes for the next lesson; I thought to return the pen, but something else came up.

WRITER'S POV:
I'm sorry to not have updated recently but I promise to give you back to back, it's because I was at my grandparents house and I didn't have the phone I use with me.
When commenting do you mind saying your gender and the country you are from. Salaam.