“Hey, why are you staring at him like that, as if he is not your boyfriend?” that was Sheila, a girl I had never spoken to. In fact, nobody ever speaks to her in class. She was a half-caste. Her father was a European expatriate and her mother a Nigerian from the Delta region. Her parents were divorced. And because of the way she carried herself, and kept to herself everyone felt that she was a snob.

Surprised that she was talking to me, I remained quiet.

She sat down beside me, “You all think I’m a snob right?” she asked, looking at the football pitch. She knew the answer and yet she was still asking. She behaved like one, dressed like one and does every other thing like one, and so nobody in our class wanted any dealing with a snob so we all kept our distance.

“Sure, you behave like one,” I said .

She smiled, “If I were really one, I wouldn’t be talking to you, would I?” And without waiting for my answer, she asked, “Can we be friends?”

It was another shocker. I looked at her, “Are you serious?”

“I don’t look like I am joking, do I?” she said without waiting for an answer again, she continued, “You look like something is bothering you, can you share it?”

I looked at her. Was my worry that visible? I looked away, “Its personal. I don’t want to talk about it.”

She didn’t stop asking, “A problem shared is half-solved. Come on, what is the problem? I’m willing to listen.” She looked at Dave on the field, “Is it him? Or family problems?”

“Is it possible to have sex just once and not get pregnant?” I blurted and immediately wanted to slap my mouth. What if she went around telling other people. We weren’t even friends.

Read more on:

https://www.thezenpens.com/2019/06/11/love-and-lies-part-3/