"You didn't tell me you were going home?" Paris stared expectantly at me.

I just couldn't get it. Everyone was asking me the same question when I'm pretty sure not a quarter of them truly missed my presence.

"Was I meant to do that?" I fixed my gaze on him, watching the switch in his facial expression. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it back.

"Yeah. You just left all of a sudden. I asked for you but no one could give me a detailed explanation. Even Helen had no idea of your sudden disappearance. Honestly, I was dazed when it was Fiona that told me of your going home." He finally voiced out.

I nearly bursted out with rounds of hysterical laughter. But I didn't want my mental health to be questioned. "You...you were dazed?" Like I couldn't figure out what was up.

"Yeah. We saw each other earlier that day and hours later you were nowhere in Stardom Academy. It was disturbing and you never mentioned to me that you would be leaving that day. I was even annoyed." He had a frown etched on his forehead that I really wanted to perforate.

"Please tell me you aren't stupid?" I morphed my face into a deep frown and placed my right hand on my hip. He had to be joking. The dude had to be. Vividly, I could remember when he told me that I deserved all the hate. And now, he was opening his mouth like a fish to tell me rubbish. I was just waiting for him to utter what was in his mouth and then see if I wouldn't just slap him into oblivion.

He stared at me for like three seconds and chuckled foolishly. What was amusing? Did I look like a clown? "Take it easy. You just have to calm down."

I cocked him a brow. "Was I heating up before?" My heart was already swelling up with anger and I seriously wanted to see him coated all over with deadly bruises.

"Not at all but..." I interrupted him by shoving him aside ferociously. He was startled and should be thankful that he had stamina. If not, he would have truly been coated with deadly bruises all over his body by the time he reached the interlocked ground.

His eyes widened like saucers. "What was that for?"

I glared at the expectant idiot. "Eh? What was what for? Look at me well...I will not tolerate you stopping me and wasting my precious time. After all, I deserve all the hate." I mimicked him, before rolling my eyes harder than I have ever done all through my life.

He blinked thrice before I held my lilac box by the handle and dragged it all the way to Emerald hostel, with my little bag held on my left hand. Nothing looked changed. Not as if, I expected a change, though. I left for less than a week not months or even years.

Emerald hostel girls were busy frolicking around the open field. Some were in their groups laughing to their silly jokes and gossips. While others actually played around, like little children.

"Oh my God! She's fucking back!!" I felt two heavy objects elope me and tried pretty well to squeeze the little fraction of life I had left, out of me. I closed my eyes to ease the pain and then tapped repeatedly on the object to get off me.

"Are you crazy?" I yelled out once the assault ceased and my eyes flew open. I was almost having a double vision while staring at the humongous creature before me. "Helen aren't you mad? Do you want to murder me?"

She looked concerned and apologetic. "Sorry dear, I never knew I was hurting you. I was only euphoric and then I expressed my state of euphoria by hugging you. I..."

"I forbid you to use that word hugging again. Who were you hugging? Definitely not me cause you literally choked me." I rolled my eyes. "Besides, I thought you were even some fixated bones. Your hands are pretty harmful."

"Its enough, already. I'm careless and all that. Sorry!" A sigh escaped her lips as she proceeded to help me with my small bag. "Welcome back, by the way."

I nodded and forced a smile. "I'll help you unpack the necessary things you will want to use on a regular." Helen added and my smile finally broadened.

"Are you sure about this?" We were now in front of my room door and I had to ask her this to be sure that she really wanted to do this. I knew the type of creatures I had as roommates.

"Of course," She laughed a bit and then I pushed open the door of my room. An uncomfortable silence greeted us as we walked carefully into the room.

I in particular ignored the weird stares they were giving me and marched to my bed with Helen behind me. Lo and behold was another creature lying down on my bed and senselessly typing away on her obviously smuggled phone.

My brain was really processing this whole drama. First, I entered the room with my roommates looking at me like I was Grinch that stole the Christmas. And now, a total stranger was carelessly lying face down on my bed.

I turned back and exchanged glances with Helen who was as well confused. I drew in a breathe and then tapped one, two, three times on the girl who was so carried away with her phone to notice my presence. "Are you not going to stand up from my bed or should I offer you kola nuts before you do the needful." I tapped at her harshly and then snapped out of control.

Since my mom drove me back to school, I've been feeling like a lion. And trust me, that feeling was needed.

The girl who was on her cream coloured day wear slowly put down her phone and then turned to me. "Was that just me that you were talking to?"

I turned and exchanged a glance with Helen. She was even riled up herself. "Who else was she talking to? Who else did she tap? Or are you paralysed that you can't feel any touch? I guess not, as I can see that you have finally moved this rubbish you call a body. But then, you can just get your ass out of her bed!"

The girl was looking furious. Her face was red like tomatoes just like mine. I was red all over from the burns emanating from within my soul. "Wait...do you even know how many modelling agencies that have sought after me and then I turned them down?! How dare you fat thing refer to this attractive hot body as rubbish?! You must be so misinformed and stupid to say so." The girl hurled on top of her voice that rose several octaves.

"Helen what are you even doing in this room? Is this your room or what?" Ruth cut in with an irritated voice.

"Please help me ask her!" The girl who had a skin lighter than mine with a few tones, added.

"God punish this your mouth! Just look at you...Miss Model my foot! I'm pretty sure those agencies are blind as bats to have sought after you. Or maybe your parents are paying them to make it look as if their dearest daughter is some hot cake." Ignoring a literally vibrating Ruth, Helen spat out at the girl that was now sitting down on my bed.

"You will regret this statement of yours, tramp!" The girl swallowed bitterly and got up from my bed before stomping out the room without even saying goodbye to her friends. I'm talking about Ruth and co. "Filthy creatures." Her last mutter was audibly heard.

Now my attention was back to Ruth, Melissa and Fiona who were staring accusingly at me.

"Helen leave this room! How can you be occupying some much space here? Breathe, I can't. Just because you are taking in all the oxygen." Melissa barked at Helen, as she stood up from her bed.

"I'm not leaving here until I'm done helping Faith with unpacking." Helen stated firmly and then took down my box, opened it and delved into business.

"Won't you tell your friend to leave? Remember that you are breaking this room's rule. And Faith, don't you ever complain of any nonsense, anytime I bring in a male friend into the room." Ruth told me.

"Helen is not a male friend. Besides that saucy girl that just left this room was no doubt, called over by you three!" I defended.

Fiona waved her hand. "Oh please, count me out."

"That is your own business. Just dare me. Let Helen remain in this room for the next three minutes and see if you will not have some surprise guest tonight." Ruth eyed Fiona and then replied me.

My heart was beating fast. Helen was busy unpacking for me. I knew how heartless this girls could be, especially the queen devil called Ruth. That girl was just the opposite of her name. She was ruthless.

"Helen..."I trailed off, feeling a bit sweaty. I saw a wry smile on Ruth's face. She loved my current predicament.

"What? I should leave? Fine!" I haven't even said anything but she threw my nightgown that was in her hand into the box and left the room.

I felt like I just stabbed someone on the heart. And maybe I really did.

I'm sure that Ruth must have felt really accomplished. I hated her nerves. "Now you know that what you did wasn't cool right? That was a new student from Standard High. Couldn't you even show her some love and respect? That girl is really above your level. She's a well known teen model in Nigeria and Kenya. She just began..."

There was no way Ruth would succeed in guilt tripping me. "Save me her history, I care less." I hissed and then continued. "You guys had no right to make me chase Helen out but I foolishly did that. Even when you.."

"If you don't respect yourself, we will report you to the matron and demand an instant change of your room." The voice of Fiona filled the room.

I blinked once, twice and thrice. I needed to be sure that she was the one that just spoke.

●●●●●●

Being mistaken was one thing I was victimized of upon my return to school. I thought nothing changed. You know, the school buildings weren't renovated or the hostels repainted. But many things inside those tall walls had changed.

First, Paris was acting like he cared and had good thoughts for me. He didn't seem to be the guy that made me look like trash at the chemistry lab. Or the guy that threatened to throw me down the night Ruth exposed my nocturnal enuresis to everyone, simply because I was giggling. But trust me when I say that I was not going to fall for his pranks. I knew guys like him and how they behave. He was simply a pretender that deserved a Grammy Award for his acting.

Second, I noticed that Fiona had gotten worse than ever before. Of course, I knew that she was bad and had no good thoughts for me. But at least, she was good at putting on a facade and making it seem as if she was this good roommate. But today, her reaction when I refused to be guilt tripped by Ruth, really shocked me to my bone marrows.

Next was that girl that was on my bed when I entered the room with Helen, upon my arrival. As rumoured, she was the only daughter of the previous senate president of Nigeria. She was a new transfer student who was taken out of her previous school simply because a teacher reported her of trying to seduce him. In the end, the teacher ended up being the sacked for blackmailing his student. And then the girl was pulled out from the school because her parents couldn't tolerate such defamation.

Her name was Victory Alade-Martins. And she was an art student of SS3A, who not only seemed to be a brainiac but an immovable challenging force in Stardom Academy.