Little Lucy - S01 E12

Story 3 years ago

Little Lucy - S01 E12

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 12

” Hello, little Lucy,” Her lips moved in her bored, unimpressed voice.

My head swelled up.

It was Collette.

She stood by the window staring at me with those serious narrowed eyes and the same old bored deadpan expression on her face.

How on Earth she’d gotten into the room was a mystery to me. I thought she was a ghost. ” H–how did you…get in here?”

She still held my eyes. ” I came down the chimney, ho, ho, ho!”

Sarcasm? Did Collette just made a sarcastic remark?

I frowned. ” Not funny.”

She raised the room key in the air. ” I have a spare key. It wasn’t so hard getting in without waking you girls while you were both asleep last night.”

We girls? Then I remembered I was on the bed with Efua. Her hand was still squeezing my boobs and I suddenly felt cold.

Collette was watching us without saying anything.

Without wasting a second, I pulled Efua’s hands away from my boobs and sat upright. ” It’s not really what you think, senior–”

She walked away from the window, taking her baggages towards her wardrobe where she began arranging her uniforms.

D--n it! She’s ignoring me again? What did I do wrong now?

Collette took her towel, placed it over her shoulder, collected a hanger of her school uniform and moved slowly towards the bathroom where she locked herself in.

Five minutes later, I heard the shower running. The noise from the bathroom must’ve woken Efua up for she stretched and raised her head, rubbing her sleepy eyes. ” What’s all that noise?”

I stared at her, not knowing what to say to her. She raised an eyebrow. ” And why are you staring at me like that?”

My eyes turned to the bathroom and she followed my eyes. She was quick to realize someone aside the two of us were in the room.

Instinctively, she darted her eyes to the wardrobe and saw Collette’s opened wardrobe.

She need not a prophet to tell her that Collette was back. One look at her face and I was certain she got the message. I never wanted to use my mouth to break the news to her. I was glad she was smart enough to read the clues around us.

Efua’s next line of action shocked me.

She instantly got up without saying anything to me. There was an ugly glint in her eyes that’ve never seen before. Marching to my wardrobe, she threw it opened and began packing up.

I watched her, unable to move from where I sat. She took her shoes, her uniforms, her provisions and her textbooks.

In six minutes, she was done packing and was dragging her stuffs out of the room.

I would’ve gone to assist her but her new composure was shocking and scary to me. She looked like an angry wet hen. I don’t want to get hit again.

The moment Efua was gone, the bathroom door opened and Collette stepped out. She was already dressed and ready for school today.

One look at her and I saw the girl who stole my first kiss my first night in this school.

She walked fully into the room and glanced at my bed. Seeing Efua wasn’t on my bed anymore, she lowered her eyelids and marched to her wardrobe where she hung her towel and her pyjamas.

From where I sat, I could smell her body perfume and her hair shampoo. Never thought I was going to say this but I missed those fancy pleasant smell of her.

I still can’t believe she was back.

” Aren’t you heading for general morning devotion?” She asked all of a sudden.

I was surprised she didn’t ask about Efua. Initially I thought I was going to get grilled for giving an explanation why I was in bed with Efua squeezing my boobs.

” I will,” I replied. ” It’s a little bit too early, senior Collette,” I smiled. ” It’s good to have you back.”

She closed her wardrobe shut and wandered over to my bed. My heart began hammering against my side as she approached me.

She stood over me and stared down at me.

We remained like that and for a long while, I became nervous because of the awkward silence between us. It was still dark so I couldn’t see much of her face.

Then her lips moved. ” I heard what you did.”

I swallowed, waiting for the worse. ” What I did? Senior I don’t understand. Look if it’s about senior Efua and I, it isn’t what you think—”

” Thank you.”

Her eyes were shining in the darkness and I could feel them burning me up as if my clothes were getting set on fire.

I stopped talking. ” Thank you?”

” Mom told me everything,” she said, without any expression on her blank face. ” She told me how you contacted he school emergency staff the moment you found me. I owe you my life, Lucy.”

I made a wiry smile. ” Well, it’s nothing really. You don’t have to thank me.”

” I also apologise for my rash behavior to you the night we last argued,” she said, closing her eyes and I could see her hands opening and closing into fists. ” I was being too pridefull. I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive my attitude.”

Hold the phone….was Collette apologising? The ice queen is really apologising to me?

” It’s nobody’s fault,” I said, scratching the back of my head, trying to change the topic. ” But you know, you shouldn’t go around school with an empty inhaler. That’s risky.”

” Who told you about the inhaler?” She asked and I could hear a sharp edge to her voice.

” Umm…mom did,” I said, a little uneasy about her sudden change in expression. ” Not that it matters anyway as everyone eventually got to know. I’m sorry about your condition. I never knew you were an asthmatic patient.”

She didn’t say anything.

” But all the same,” I slowly got to my feet. ” It really feels soo good to have you back. I gotta say this. I did miss you a lot though.”

She wanted to say something but then she stopped and stared at me again.

” It was tough sharing the room with a new roommate,” I continued, uneasy with the way she was staring at my face. ” Senior Efua made me suffer but at the end we ended up being good friends. It’s just bad enough she lost her parents day before yesterday. I really felt terrible for her.”

Collette suddenly held my face and drew it towards her. I gasped when she gazed at my face, studying my eyes, my neck and my lips with strict Concentration.

My heart was pounding out of my chest and I could feel blood pumping faster up my veins to my head as I stared at those lips of hers, inhaling the sweet smell of her perfume and shampoo.

For a while, she studied my eyes, her hands holding my face a breath close to hers. I thought she was going to kiss me or do something naughty with me.

I wait, fighting to resist her but failing because I missed her terribly. I missed everything about her.

Suddenly she frowned and pushed me away gently. ” Who kissed you while I was gone.”

I began breathing in fast because just staring at her for those few minutes had ceased nearly all my breath. ” Kiss?”

She was frowning but in a calm manner. ” That’s what I said.”

” I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. ” No one else besides you has….”

I paused instantly, remembering Efua and that kiss the other night. Oh sh*t! I should have known.

Collette stared at me for a while, then turned her back and began leaving the room. ” We’ll have this discussion later in the night.”

And she left.

I stood there staring after her, my heart pounding. ” How the hell did she know Efua kissed me?” I paused, thinking deeply. ” What’s with that mean look on her face? Was she… jealous?”

??????

After general morning devotion, we all had breakfast and went for Friday assembly.

Efua and Collette were absent during breakfast which was strange cause I was expecting to see both of them doing their duties as head of the student’s council. They didn’t even come for morning devotion.

It was during assembly that everyone got to see both the president and the vice president after such a while.

The students cheered for joy at the surprise grand entrance of Collette. They all shouted with one happy voice.

” Welcome back, president!”

Collette waved at them, forcing a slight smile. She stood alongside Mrs Cooker while Efua and Temi stood the other side.

Mrs Cooker was happy just like everyone else. Without wasting much time, she made her announcement, first welcoming Collette Back after she’s been gone for Soo long.

Collette just stood with her chin up, her hands neatly placed before her front, her eyes as expressionless as ever.

Afterwards we all welcomed her once more. I noticed Vee was smiling from the staff stand but Collette never looked her way throughout the assembly.

Then came another announcement. ” A student of ours, lost her parents earlier this week. I’m sure news have been flying around you girls concerning who this unfortunate person might be. Well with heavy hearts, I’d like to announce that our Council vice president, Efua was the bereaved.”

There came loud muttering of noise amongst the students.

” Quiet! quiet!” Mrs Cooker ordered. ” It’s a sad shame she’s still at school so I have no other options to let her fly back home to witness the burial rites of her parents. It’s a deep loss to both we the staff and the school at Large. In the meantime, we’ll be sending delegates from the school to go represent both us and Efua at her hometown in Ghana. I wouldn’t want her missing out on her studies. There’s still a lot to be done. So after now, give her your sincere condolences and try to make her cheerful.”

That was an understandable announcement. I guess everyone knew what role they were going to play in Efua’s life from now on.

Efua just stood quietly by the corner, staring at her feet. I could see she was fighting back tears.

I noticed Collette was staring at Efua from the corner of her eyes. Then she looked away.

” What’s up with Collette and Efua?” I asked Sharon as we sat in class waiting for the next teacher.

Sharon was flipping through some notes on her laps. ” You mean the president and vice president?”

” Yeah,” I was staring out the window, staring at nothing in particular. ” They hardly ever talk to each other. Collette never mentions her name. It’s as if she’s avoiding to even say ” Efua” and I also learnt from Efua that they were rivals.”

” They are still rivals,” Sharon laughed. ” Even up to this moment.”

This was one juicy gossip I’ve been dying to hear all these while. ” Tell me what happened.”

Sharon glanced at me from the corner of her eyes. ” That story is oldschool. It’s been five years ago. Don’t you think we should talk of something else more worth while?”

” I want to know what happened. Why do they hate each other soo much?”

Sharon closed the note she was reading and took a deep breath. ” Lucy I don’t feel like talking about those two cat and dog. You were roommate with both of them. Why don’t you ask them yourself?”

I frowned. ” Because they won’t tell me sh*t. Collette hardly ever talks to me and she’s too serious about everything. Efua is still upset about her parents death. It’d be stupid of me to bring up the past when they’re both going through a lot already.”

Sharon smiled a suspicious smile. ” Hmm… Lucy, Lucy, Lucy, my dearest friend. Why do you care Soo much for these two girls?”

I glared at her. ” What’s that supposed to mean?”

” Just what I said,” she flicked her finger on my forehead. ” You care too much.”

” Will you tell me what I want to know?”

” Ofcourse, ofcourse,” she relaxed, giving me that look. ” Well it all began long ago before I even began schooling here. You see, Efua and Collette were really close friends. They did a lot together but at that time, they weren’t that academically stable. I even heard Collette once took an “F” result home. But these two were inseparable like conjoined twins. They stuck to each other despite their poor performance in their result scores, helping with the other person in whatever way they can. But then as they grew older, advancing each class, they began having issues. On the first term in JSS.3, Collette came out with 9.6 points in the school’s examination board cutoff mark. You see, in QA, we are crazy about our grades but most importantly, we are more crazy about our cutoff marks. Anyone scoring below average an point of 5.6, is leaving the college. Our cutoff mark point is at 10.0 but no one has ever reached ten. Anyways Collette got 9.6 which was the highest grade score in the history of the school. How she did it, no one knew until now. She rose from being the dumbest student to become the school star. Eventually, we all began to notice a few changes in her attitude as well. She became more quiet and reserved, she keeps to coolval stories herself and all she ever did was read books and play chess. On the other hand, Efua was doing badly academically. She met Collette to tell her her secret but Collette refused helping her out. Some people said she was being too selfish by refusing to help her beat friend who has stuck with her all these years but Collette explained she had a reason why she doesn’t want to share her secret even with her best friend. Not everyone saw it that way. Collette began avoiding Efua and that was the very beginning of how their rivalry started.”

Sharon paused to bite her nails off her fingers. ” Actually to everyone’s surprise, after their third term examination, Efua came up the school’s grade chart with a whopping score of 9.2 points. Everyone was shocked. Someone said Efua must’ve discovered Collette’s secret and was now using it against her. Collette didn’t feel bothered. She just kept doing her thing, ignoring everyone and maintaining her grades. As far as I’ve known Efua, she hasn’t been able to beat Collette’s record and this was more frustrating to Efua than ever. Then their rivalry became worse when Collette was voted for president while Efua ended up with vice president. Efua was furious because she had contested for president but the vote went in favour of Collette, not her. So you see, it’s really a long story. I can’t say Collette hated Efua, she’s just ignoring her. Efua’s the one bothering herself, making noises and putting up blames here and there. But if you ask me, I’d say Collette was at fault.”

I was lost in my thoughts. ” Why would you say that?”

Sharon scoffed. ” Think about it. If Collette hadn’t be such a snob and ended up helping Efua in the first place, they’d still be close friends won’t, they?”

I glanced up at her. ” I don’t know, Sharon. From what you’ve told me, I’d say Collette was only trying to avoid getting Efua involved in the secret to her success.”

” She was just being selfish,” Sharon argued. ” Collette is always that way.”

I disagreed with that line but I wasn’t in the mood to begin arguing with Sharon over that.

I was thinking.

Thinking about Collette and her secret to her brilliance.

One word then hit me. It was hard to get over and I knew it was crazy but it was the only word that came to my mind.

THE LILIES.

??????

” You said you wanted to talk to me,” I said, sitting on my bed.

Collette was undressing before the wall mirror. We’ve just had lunch and was back at the hostel to prepare for evening lessons.

” Tonight,” she said curtly, folding her skirt neatly. ” Not now.”

” No, I want to talk to you now,” I insisted.

” About what?”

” I have lots of questions and I need answers.”

Collette stared at her reflection in the mirror and then turned to look at me.

I felt chilly Sensation running up my spine as I stared at her figure. She was wearing a white brassier as well as a white pant. Her skin glowed with life that I couldn’t imagine anything but the feeling of touching her.

Pulling out a chair, she sat before me and checked the time on her wrist watch. ” Alright, it’s 4:14.pm. You’ve got ten minutes. Ask your questions.”

This was it, I began talking fast. ” What’s your relationship with miss Vee?”

” Relationship does sound like a strong word, Lucy,” Collette answered, apparently bored. ” She’s my guardian and I’m I ward.”

” But you love her don’t you?”

She paused and I thought I saw her expression changed then she became deadpan again. ” We’re both women. We cultivate feelings for each other but it is what it is. We do move on with our lives. Next question.”

” Why are you and Efua enemies?”

Collette leaned back on her chair, folding her arms as she regarded me with her remote cold eyes. ” I don’t see us as enemies, Lucy. I think you’d better ask her that question yourself. Next question.”

I was becoming uneasy and I felt my hands going clammy. ” Why did you want to kill yourself?”

She crossed her legs and I thought I saw the outline of her v*gina against her pant.

” Because I feel guilty, heartbroken, pained and not fit to live,” she said, Cocking her head to one side. ” My life is a f*cked up tragedy, Lucy. The only difference is I’m not dead yet. I feel I’m still alive because I have a purpose I haven’t yet fulfilled. And yet, death seemed the only thing that can make me forget all my faults and mistakes.”

This was my first time hearing this from her. I was happy she was finally opening up to me. ” So Why did you choose to live.”

” Because,” she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. ” I finally found a reason to live again.”

” What’s the reason?”

She stared at me for a long time. ” You.”

Something warm grew inside me. I don’t know what it was but it kept growing warmer and warmer.

” Senior?” I called, staring down at my feet, my face a shade pink.

” Next question,” she said sharply, checking her wrist watch. ” Time is almost up.”

I took a deep breath and glanced up sharply at her. ” I want to joined the LILIES. Tell me how.”

Her face Suddenly went white and I saw her eyes going bigger. ” What did you just say?”

I was looking straight into her eyes. ” I want to join THE LILIES. Tell what to do.”

She stared at me for a while then her eyes went darker and cold.