CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE TWO COUSINS PROBLEM
Benita's smirk widened, and she folded her arms in satisfaction as if the whole world belonged to her.
"Well, it is not me but the senior," she said, tilting her chin upward. "And you also know the disadvantage of disobeying a senior."
Her voice dripped with arrogance, and the way her lips curled made me want to roll my eyes a thousand times.
"Yeah, we do," Vanessa cut in boldly. "But you can't do this."
I glanced at her, surprised. Her voice carried no fear even though the tall, wide-shouldered senior standing behind Benita looked terrifying. To me, the senior girl's face almost resembled Benita's—same nose, same unfriendly eyes—just uglier and older. Lol, so that's the cousin.
Benita hissed loudly. "So, you guys even took in this crazy girl as your friend too?" She sneered at Vanessa with pure disgust.
"Yes," Morayo said sharply, glaring at Benita. "And what's wrong with that?"
Benita folded her arms. "I can't tell you until she does that thing to you—then I'll be the one smiling."
Her words lingered in the air like a bad smell. My eyes shifted to Vanessa, who kept her face expressionless, refusing to show any emotion. That unsettled me a little. What was Benita talking about? What "thing" did she mean? My questions would have to wait because we had a bigger problem in front of us—the so-called "senior" standing like a bulldozer.
"Senior Bisola," Benita called with satisfaction, "you can send them on that errand you wanted to give them."
Them?! My mind screamed. Did she just drag all of us into this nonsense? Wow. Well, if it came to it, I was ready to defend us.
The tall senior—Senior Bisola—took a slow, heavy step forward. Her eyes were dark and cold as they scanned us from head to toe.
"So, you four are the ones who did the wrong?" she asked in a thick, commanding voice.
"No," Victoria said firmly, her eyes never leaving Bisola's face. "You shouldn't listen to your cousin. She's lying. She always lies."
The senior gasped as though Victoria had committed a mortal sin. "My cousin? A liar? Point of correction, my cousin doesn't lie! Don't ever say that nonsense again." Her eyes glinted with anger as she straightened her shoulders. "And because the teacher punished her for no reason, I will have to punish you too."
I could feel my stomach drop. Punishment from a senior usually meant stress, embarrassment, or humiliation. But Victoria's bravery lit a spark in me, and I decided to back her up.
"Senior, you have to listen," I said quickly. "We are not the liars here. It's all Benita twisting things."
Bisola waved her hand dismissively. "Why would I listen? You're juniors. You have to follow me now." She jerked her thumb in the direction of the senior hostel.
My head raced for a way out. If we followed her, trouble awaited. I took a bold breath and blurted, "I will tell my brother to—"
Her eyes snapped back at me. "Your brother? Who is he?"
Of course. She didn't know. I almost smirked. People rarely connected me with him just by looking at me.
"Francis," I said, straightening up. "The head boy of your school."
"Francis?" she repeated, eyes widening slightly. She turned to look at Benita, who also looked completely thrown off.
"Yes," I repeated with confidence. "Francis, the head boy of your school, is my brother."
Benita's face twisted in disbelief. Then she leaned closer to her cousin, whispering, but her thick voice carried easily to us: "Isn't he the guy that turned down your request? His sister can help you."
I nearly burst out laughing at how stupidly loud she was. Did she forget we could hear her?
Senior Bisola sighed, then turned back to me. "Okay, I won't send you on an errand—if you can help me tell your brother something."
Her words irritated me. She said "errand" like she was sending a servant, not making a request.
"Nah," I said firmly, shaking my head. "That's not even our problem. We are not part of this nonsense. But since you insist, fine. What do you want me to tell him?"
Her lips twisted into what she probably thought was a smile. "Tell your brother that he should think about what I said to him the other day."
I clenched my teeth. "That will be later. I can't go to him now."
"That's fine," she replied, her crooked smile widening. "But when you tell him, make sure you tell him in a pleading way."
Spoiling her face even more with that awkward grin, she stood there waiting. I suddenly understood why Francis turned her down. Her boldness wasn't attractive; it was desperate.
"I'll try my best," I said flatly, shrugging.
"Thank you," she muttered, before turning away. With one last glare from Benita, the two cousins finally walked off.
The moment they were gone, Morayo exploded into laughter. "So because of your brother, they dropped everything?"
I smiled and shrugged. "I guess so. But honestly, I don't even know what they see in him."
"Maybe because of his behaviour," Morayo said teasingly. "And of course… his handsomeness." She grinned mischievously.
I rolled my eyes but laughed anyway. "Maybe because of that."
The tension finally eased, and we began walking back toward our hostel. But Victoria wasn't done with her curiosity.
"Vanessa," she said suddenly, her eyes locking onto her. "What did Benita mean by that? About you?"
Vanessa blinked innocently. "I don't know what she meant."
"Do you know her by any chance?" Victoria pressed, her voice softer now but still curious.
Vanessa hesitated just a second, then nodded. "Yes. We had met before."
"Where? In this school or outside the school?"
"Outside," Vanessa answered, her voice low but clear.
"Where exactly?" Victoria leaned closer, clearly prying too much.
"In a lesson," Vanessa admitted. "We both waited a year before entering this school… for some reason."
Her answer hung in the air. We all exchanged glances, confusion written across our faces.
"How old are you then?" I asked suddenly, hoping to clear my doubts.
"I'm thirteen years old," Vanessa replied plainly.
That stunned us. We froze mid-step, staring at her. Thirteen? Something didn't add up.
Morayo quickly changed the subject. "Where's your room?" she asked as we walked past the first door in the hostel.
"This one," Vanessa said, stopping at the second room. "I'll come meet you guys later." She disappeared inside before we could ask further questions.
Left alone, the three of us walked to our room, still turning her words over in our minds.
"What do you think about Vanessa?" I asked Victoria once we were seated on our beds.
Victoria sighed. "Honestly, I'm confused—about her age, about why she stayed at home for a year, everything."
"Do you think maybe she failed her last exam?" I suggested, dropping my bag onto my bed.
"That was my first thought," Victoria admitted, pulling off her house wear. "But because of what Benita said, I think there's something else. Something she's hiding."
"Same here," I said quietly, slipping off my wristwatch. "But maybe… just maybe… she's a poor girl."
The room went silent, and the thought weighed heavy in my chest. Vanessa might be carrying a story none of us understood yet.