After It Happened

Chapter 26: 25

She gives me a look as if to say "Not my brother"

"I know. Half... Sorry I mean stepbrother. Those two confuse me everytime." I laugh lightly when I see

my friend's accusing face.

"Hmm I don't know for him oo. I left with my dad. He was still upstairs at the time. Why are you asking

sef?"

"I just noticed he's not here. If not he should have raised his hand."

A wannabe teacher's pet finally decides to raise her hand and bear the cross of being the assistant

English teacher for the day.

Faceless is actually a good book and I've read it once the previous year because it seemed interesting

at the time and I'm reading it again as an assigned book. Miss Peters doesn't have to know that yet. I

fall asleep on my desk as the girl summarizes the chapters she read.

I'm at a party. Tola's party. I'm kissing someone. Tola obviously. But Tola is running upstairs. Then I'm

dancing with someone and everyone is cheering. I feel free and woozy. The person I'm dancing with

has his (it's a boy) hands on my waist and is reaching lower until I'm pulled forward and away from his

hands. Every other thing is a rush. Falling. In a car. Someone's breath fanning on my face. Someone's

mouth on mine. I'm tossing a ball to myself (a slightly younger version of myself). I'm hiding with

Kelechi. I'm laughing so hard. Someone is patting my head.

There's always more... Always more.

My head is pounding. I can hear the "dum dum dum". Someone is knocking.

"Denise! What's wrong?.... Please."

I wake up to find two people hovering over me.

"What... what..." I stammer as I try to gain my bearings.

"Is the class over?"

I look to Camille who looks like she has been crying. Then to Kelechi who has a worried look.

"Why am I at the school clinic?" I ask finally realizing where I am. I'm still more confused than ever

though.

"Kelechi you..."

I am cut off by a voice I attribute to the school nurse coming from outside the clinic.

"She is not... No that thing is not a seizure... I've done my best today oo. Better call her aunty."

She is most likely referring to me since I couldn't find any one else on a clinic bed.

I look at Camille "What happened?"

"I...You...I thought you would..." she can't finish her statement as she bursts into tears. Kelechi leads

her to a seat on the other side of the room then came back to stay beside me.

I look pointedly at him causing him to let out a defeated sigh.

"Uhm towards the end of the class. You...uhm...you started crying. It was really loud. Loud enough that

everyone stopped to stare at you. Camille who was beside you was trying to wake you up, but you

wouldn't. Your cries kept on getting louder and it seemed like you were having a severe headache. You

should have seen yourself- tears gushing out of your tightly shut eyes and your hands on your head as

you bawled. No matter what we did you refused to wake up. We carried you here when you started

shaking."

I stare at Kelechi comepetely speechless then I laugh and laugh even though the laugh sounds

strained.

"Stop with your stupid jokes abeg. What really happened? Did I hit my head or something?" I feel my

head and shake my limbs to be sure I didn't break anything.

One look at Camille crying in a corner an Kelechi's face told me noone is kidding.

"It's a lie. It's not possible. When did I become a mad person?" I turn to Kelechi who looks away.

I sit down with my legs folded to my chest staring into space. What am I thinking about? Too many

thoughts run through my head that I am not actually thinking about anything. Just staring at the blue

clinic wall feeling like I'm in the middle of a forest. Lost.