Saint Patrick's College

Chapter Five

Classes at Saint Patrick's College were different. For one Veritas Hall was crawling with uniformed police officers. At first Adaeze wanted to believe the school took its security to a whole new level, there were children of politicians enrolled after all. She later discovered after asking a million questions that there was a dead body on campus.

But again, she was getting ahead of herself.

After her parents left, she dug out her uniform from her suitcase, they gave it to her that morning before the tour commenced. She wasn't looking forward to putting it on. She already knew what she looked like in it and she did not like it one bit. She looked like everyone else. She blended in. Wasn't that what she wanted? To not stick out like a sore thumb? Then why didn't it feel good?

By the time she had the uniform on, Ayomide was back and quickly got dressed in her own uniform. "Ready?" The girl asked once she was done coating herself in a cloud of perfume.

Coughing, Adaeze nodded and followed the girl out the door.

They walked in silence down the hall, into the elevator and the only thing Adaeze could think about was her parents. She couldn't stop thinking about where they were on their trip home, they couldn't be home already, they just left. She wondered if they regret their decision to send her to Saint Patrick's College, she doubted it, her parents weren't one of those people that believed in regret.

The elevator doors slid apart and two girls piled in their chatter splintering Adaeze's thoughts, they were talking about Veritas Hall. That was the only thing Adaeze was able to catch before following Ayomide out the doors and past the reception. Adaeze wanted to ask a million questions about her new roommate, but she couldn't find the words. So, she followed wordlessly behind Ayomide who walked with a pep in her step. She walked like the world listened to her. She walked like everyone would stop and wait for her.

Their first class at Saint Patrick's College, was math—anyone that knew Adaeze knew she hated math. Not that she was particularly bad at it, she merely never applied herself and she never would. It was going to hold on the first floor, room E03, two doors down from the girl's bathroom. Adaeze only knew this because she listened during Mr. Olatunde's tour. What she couldn't explain as she walked through the busy hallway with Ayomide, was why there were police officers everywhere. There were more officers than students. "Is this what security is like around here?" She didn't want to have to ask, to have to sound more like the new girl, but she didn't have a choice.

"Not normally." Ayomide said. The girl didn't even seem all that bothered by it. "Maybe something happened." She shrugged.

"Maybe someone died." A voice said. It belonged to a boy walking down the stairs. He was a tall dark-skinned boy with pretty brown eyes. He had his bag swung over one shoulder.

"Segun, don't start with this your theory." Ayomide chided. "Crack of dawn you were already texting me about this." Were they allowed to have their phones? No, Adaeze would have known about it. Mr. Olatunde would have mentioned it which meant these two must have snuck theirs in. Yet another thing to make her feel like the new girl. She made a mental note to ask Ifanyi to bring her phone when he was visiting. "I'm sure it's not that serious, someone must have stolen something. Wasn't it like this when our excursion money went missing last year?"

The boy nodded. "Sha, I'm sticking with my theory. This school could use a little bit of drama." He walked with them to room E03. He pushed the door open. Since the teacher was yet to make an appearance, there were kids leaned against tables, the ones playing trick shots from their desks, and girls writing meaningless nothings on the whiteboard. Didn't they have a designated teacher that was always on seat?