CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: BENITA'S TROUBLE WITH US
The dining hall was still buzzing with voices when Vanessa suddenly grabbed Victoria's wrist. The grip wasn't hard, but the way she held onto her gave off a strange kind of urgency, like she had something big to say.
"What?" Morayo blurted out, her eyes narrowing as she watched the scene. Her tone was suspicious, and honestly, I couldn't blame her.
Vanessa turned her head slowly, looking at each of us one after the other with those wide eyes of hers. Then she finally spoke, her voice soft but firm.
"I am very grateful for what you did," she said, her eyes resting on Victoria.
Grateful? That was why she held onto Victoria's wrist like her life depended on it? I thought to myself, rolling my eyes inwardly.
"Okay, but I already said you're welcome," Victoria replied in that calm tone of hers. But I could see the slight discomfort in her eyes as she glanced down at Vanessa's hand still holding her wrist.
"I know," Vanessa said, sounding almost childlike, yet oddly direct.
Victoria cleared her throat. "You can remove your hand from my wrist now."
"No," Vanessa said boldly. "I don't want to release it yet. I want to make a request."
The three of us exchanged looks. Victoria raised her eyebrows, and Morayo almost smirked. I tilted my head, wondering what in the world this girl wanted from us.
"Go on," Victoria said at last, her tone calm but curious.
"Okay," Vanessa said, taking in a breath. "Do you guys mind if I join your clique?"
Clique? My eyes widened. Since when did we become a clique? We were just three friends who liked being around each other. But in her eyes, I guess we already looked like one.
Victoria's lips parted slightly in surprise, and Morayo made a face. I could tell they were just as taken aback as I was.
"We're just friends," Victoria explained, her voice steady. "We are not a clique."
"Then…" Vanessa hesitated, then smiled nervously. "Can we be friends?"
This time Morayo shrugged. "Yeah, we don't mind at all."
Vanessa's entire face lit up. "Thank you for the good answer you gave me." She smiled so wide her dimples popped out. The dimples were cute, though the dark spots on her fair cheeks were obvious.
"You can release my wrist now," Victoria said firmly.
"Oh, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable," Vanessa said quickly, releasing her hand and stepping back. She then bent to pick up her bag from under the bench.
Just when we were about to finally leave the noisy dining hall, Vanessa called out again.
"Wait, please!"
I turned, already irritated. "What do you want again?" My tone came out sharper than I intended, but I was tired of standing there.
"I want to be walking with you guys too," she said, moving closer to us until she stood right beside Morayo.
"Okay, let's go then," Morayo replied casually, leading the way.
As we stepped out of the dining hall into the cool evening breeze, I decided to ask, "Which hostel are you in?"
"The same hostel as you guys," Vanessa replied without hesitation.
I stopped mid-step. That surprised me. Had she been watching us all along? "Have you been stalking us?" I asked suspiciously, squinting at her.
She quickly shook her head. "No, I haven't… It's just that I saw you earlier this morning when we went to take our bath. But I'm not in the same class with you guys."
"Okay," I said, though my eyes still narrowed. "Which class are you in then?"
"I'm a J.S.S. 1A student," she said proudly, glancing at me.
"Oh, good for you," I muttered, focusing my eyes ahead as we passed the mango tree.
Victoria, always the curious one, added, "You know, you mentioned wanting to be our friends. So what made you decide that?"
Vanessa smiled shyly. "I just felt you guys are so kind and nice. And to top it all, you don't look like people who discriminate against others for what they are."
Victoria nodded, her face softening. "Thanks for the compliment. But here's an advice—don't judge people just by looking at them. Sometimes what you see on the outside is different from what they carry inside. But yes, you're right—we don't discriminate."
Vanessa nodded eagerly. "Okay, thanks for the advice."
We continued walking, passing the solar building, when suddenly a loud voice rang out behind us.
"Hey, wait there!"
We ignored it. We thought the person wasn't calling us.
But then it came again, louder and sharper: "I said wait there! Victoria and whoever is with you!"
This time, we stopped. Slowly, we turned to see who was calling us.
"What do you want, Benita?" Morayo asked immediately, her tone full of irritation the moment she recognized the voice.
And there she was—Benita. She stood there with that smug look on her face, her hands planted on her hips as she walked toward us.
"Yeah, it's the girl you falsely accused," Benita said coldly.
"It seems the punishment wasn't enough," Victoria shot back, her eyes narrowing. "And point of correction—there wasn't anything like 'falsely accused' on the noise maker list I wrote down."
Benita scoffed. "It's called that because you didn't mention your crush's name."
Victoria's eyes darkened. "Who told you he's my crush? Didn't you hear what Ms. Mustapha said about that? Or were you deaf?"
My jaw nearly dropped. Victoria hardly ever snapped at anyone. This was the first time I'd seen her throw words like that, and I realized just how much she disliked Benita.
Benita smirked. "Isn't it obvious that he's your crush?"
"She already said he isn't, so let it be," I cut in sharply, annoyed that she kept pressing the matter.
Benita turned her sharp tongue at me. "And what is it with you? Did I talk to you, shortie?"
The word hit me like a sting. But I wasn't about to let her get away with it. I straightened my shoulders. "At least I'm short and not fat. Not like you—that's large and fat."
Gasps escaped from Morayo and Vanessa. Benita's face flushed red.
"Hey, watch your mouth!" Benita yelled, pointing a finger in my direction.
"How will I, when you don't even respect yourself?" I snapped back, my anger boiling.
"Whatever," Benita hissed, rolling her eyes. Then she turned her attention back to Victoria. "As I said earlier, remember what I told you about seniors making you work. I wasn't joking. My cousin is here to send you to work."
And then she pointed behind her.
Standing there was a huge senior girl, towering over us in her senior school uniform, her arms folded like a guard ready to enforce orders. Her face was expressionless, but her presence alone was intimidating enough to silence us for a second.
"You can't make me do unnecessary work," Victoria said firmly, her voice clear despite the tension.
Benita smirked. "Well, it's not me. It's the senior. And you know the disadvantage of disobeying a senior."
The air around us suddenly grew heavier, as though the quiet before a storm had settled over the path. My heart pounded, and I could feel Morayo bristling beside me. Vanessa clutched her bag tightly, her eyes darting nervously between the senior and us.