Chapter 47: Chapter 47

~Jade~

I stared at him as he unbuckled his belt, walking closer to me. I crawled back, apprehension rising in my throat.

This wasn't happening.

I kept crawling back, willing myself to scream, to make a noise, to fight back but I just laid there paralyzed, almost breathless. I grabbed my throat, feeling the beginning of a panic attack.

Oh God! Not now.

I crawled back and he laughed, dragging me by me legs.

'Are you not going to scream? Shout? I told you, I love my girls fiesty.'

I barely heard what he said, my lungs were constricting and darkness was closing in on me. Oh God! No.

No oooo

I screamed internally, willing myself to scream outward, loudly.

I recoiled when his hands reached underneath my top and trailed the outline of my bra, my breast.

He smiled. He smiled.

His hands moved downward to touch the elm of my shorts. He stopped, then dragged his hands along the full length of my exposed  legs.

Then he looked at me, straight in the face.

'You have a very delicate body, I can't wait to see what's underneath.'

I closed my eyes as he yanked at my shorts forcefully.

No, this wasn't happening to me.

This was what happens to girls in books and movies, definitely not me.

I wasn't getting raped. This was a nightmare.

Someone wake me up.

Darkness was bliss and I welcomed it.

**********

~Uthman~

Jade was nowhere to be found.

We were standing beside each other when the winners were announced and in the midst of all the excitement, she was gone. I walked around, looking for her when I saw Hana and Daniel.

'Have you guys seen Jade?'

'No oo but she must have gone to the locker room to pick our bags.'

'okay. Let me go and get her.'

I replied Hana and started walking to the locker room. The school was almost deserted.

'Hey Man, where are you running to?'

I turned to see Akin. He was talking to Ayisha but the later almost immediately started walking away. Akin walked to where I was.

'Where are you running to?'

'To meet Jade in the locker room.'

He raised an eyebrow.

'The locker room is popular for lots of things. Making out is the number one. Don't worry, I'll just pick the bag I dropped there and you guys can do whatever it is you planned on doing there.'

I shook my head. Akin is an idiot, a certified one.

We both started walking towards the locker. From a distance, I could see Michelle standing outside the locker room. She was talking to someone. The person made to enter the locker room and she grabbed his hands. The later yanked her hands away and made to open the door. It was locked because he moved away from the door and jambed his whole body unto the door.

He was trying to break the door.

'Isn't that Caleb? Why on earth is he trying to break the door? And what's Michelle doing there?'

Akin asked and I broke into a run.

Maybe Jade was trapped inside.

Why was Michelle trying to stop Caleb from opening the door for her?

My thoughts broke into a thousand one as I finally got to the door just when Caleb finally broke it down.

Nothing prepared me for what I saw.

I followed Caleb's eyes to see Jade laying on the floor, her eyes were closed, her shorts were pulled down, a guy was leaning over her.

I saw red.

I heard Akin curse underneath his breath as he moved to where they were. I closed my eyes, willing the sight in front of me to disappear. I opened them again. This was no dream or mirage

Jade was still laying on the floor, the guy stood up from her as in slow motion. Akin took off his top to cover Jade and he turned back to punch the guy. It happened so fast he did not see it coming.

He fell down and spat out blood.

'WTF? I've not even done anything to her.'

I don't know what propelled me but the next thing I knew, I was punching the boy. I punched him till my knuckles started to hurt, till almost all his face was covered with blood. I don't know how long I punched him until I felt someone grabbed my hands.

'You're going to kill him'

I turned back to look at Caleb. I shrugged his hands off and stood up. Jade was still laying down, eyes closed. She was making small jerky sounds from her mouth. She was so small, so fragile and staring down at her like that broke my heart.

I don't know when I turned back and kicked the boy again. The force made him fly unto the wall.

'This isn't football.'

I ignored Caleb as I stood down beside Jade. Akin was pacing the entire length of the room, hands in his hair, muttering the f word over and over again. Someone screamed at the entrance and I did not need to know it was Hana. She ran over to where we were.

'Jade, please look at me. Look at me.'

She was crying now.

I propelled Jade up, her eyes were still closed and she had trouble breathing.

'She is having a panic attack.'

Akin said and stood down beside me.

'Jade, breathe. Try to breathe. Focus on my voice. Hmm hmm?'

She did nothing, her eyes still closed. There was no movement from her at all. I glanced at Akin at the same time he glanced at me.

'We have to get her to the sick bay.'

I picked her up and ran to the sick bay, Akin and Hana hot on my trails. Luckily for us, the nurse was just locking the door when we got there. She quickly opened the door and I laid Jade on the bed.

'What happened?'

She asked, touching Jade's hands, probably to feel a pulse.

'She had a panic attack. She was almost....'

I trailed off. I couldn't even say the word. What on earth had happened? Who the hell was that guy?

'Someone almost raped her so she had a panic attack.'

Akin replied her, his voice unusually calm. Hana was gripping Jade's hands and crying.

'You guys should stay outside.'

I nodded and looked at her before walking out. Her eyes were closed in a serene way.

Someone almost......

I blocked the thought instantly thinking about what would have happened if we were a minute late. If I was a minute late. If Caleb wasn't here. If Michelle...

Why was Michelle trying to stop Caleb from entering the locker room?

********

~Jade~

Everything happened hazily. I have a vague memory of being carried from the locker room to the sick bay, a vague memory of Uthman calling my name, a vague memory of Hana crying, a vague memory of Akin muttering curse words, a vague memory of being carried home in my brother's car, Saheed giving me injections, mom clampsing my hands, Hana sitting beside me all day, Fatima coming to my room.

I drifted in and out of consciousness.

'The drugs makes her weak and dizzy. It'll soon wear off though.'

I heard Saheed tell mom one evening. The other time, it was dad caressing my face and hair.

'Why do you mean by my sister almost got raped?'

I heard someone's voice, no, it was Zee's voice. I opened my eyes. The room was empty. Was I dreaming?

'Keep it down. She's a bit traumatized. You should.....'

I did not hear the rest of Saheed's voice as someone opened the door to my room. It was Zee.

'Oh my God!'

She put her hand to her mouth as she walked closer to the bed. I don't know how I looked but seeing her expression made me took a wide guess.

I look pathetic, broken, raw, soiled.

And Uthman had seen me like this.

'God!'

She said again, putting her hands to my hair and face, carresing it and whispering sweet nonsenses.

I attempted to smile but it was a struggle.

To keep my eyes opened was a struggle so I closed them.

The darkness was bliss.

********

When I woke up again, the curtains were drawn and I instinctively wanted to close them.

'You're up?'

I turned to Zainab. She was sitting by my study desk, phone in hand. She smiled when our eyes met.

'Draw the curtains please.'

She said nothing as she crossed the room to the other side to draw the curtains.

Dull. Perfect.

'You should eat something.'

'I'm not hungry. I ate just this morning.'

Zee did not say anything. She just kept staring at me, worry evident in her eyes.

'You did not eat this morning.'

'And would you know? You weren't here.'

She moved closer and sat at the edge of my bed.

'I knew because you've been laying down on this bed for more than four days now.'

I stared at her, not buying her joke but she wasn't smiling.

I've been laying on my bed for more than four days?

That means it happened like five days ago. Our sports was on Wednesday, the mid term break was on Thursday and Friday. So that means it was either Monday or Tuesday. I closed my eyes and exhaled. I opened them again.

'I'd love to be alone.'

Zee's hands reached out.

'baby...'

'Please.'

I interrupted her. She did nothing for a while before she nodded slowly.

'I'll be right outside your door.'

I watched her walk out of the room.

I closed my eyes, willing the memories to disappear.

'Are you not going to scream? Shout? I told you, I love my girls fiesty.'

Memories of how he ran his hands over my exposed legs, over my breasts. His breathes on my ears.

'No. No. No ooo.'

Zee entered almost immediately, Saheed hot on her tails.

He grabbed me.

'Calm down, Jade. Calm DOWN!'

I breathed in and out, following the movement of Saheed's hands. Zee was crying silently by my side. I barely noticed Saheed pick an injection. I barely felt the pain as it pickled my skin.

I would pick that physical pain over the excruciatingly painful emotional one in my heart.

*********

~Uthman~

It's been seven days.

Seven solid days.

It's been seven days since I walked in to Jade almost getting raped.

While I was busy doing nothing.

Seven days since the girl I like lost her breathe right in front of me.

Seven days since I last saw her.

Seven days since I breathed fine.

I don't even know how she was. If she was fine! If she was fine!! If she was fine!!!

'You will get hurt if you squeeze the can more than that'

Akin said and I  stared at my hand, at the can bottle in my handle. I dropped it and swallowed.

'You should stop worrying so hard.'

'Would you stop worrying if it was Hana? If you walked in to a guy trying to.....'

I trailed off. I can't even allow myself to think about it. If I was feeling this bad, then what about her? What about Jade? How would she be feeling? And I've not even seen her. Only Hana was allowed to see her and the most she had told me was that she was getting fine.

Getting fine but she wasn't picking my calls.

She has not being online since Wednesday.

And I wasn't supposed to worry?

Dan recoiled.

'You know I don't mean it that way. You worrying won't help anything. You should be strong for her.'

I nodded. I knew he meant good. I knew he was right but I just couldn't help but worry.

And the guy? He was handed over to the school's authority and then to the local police but he turned out to be the only son of Akinleye's local Government and now, they were going around and around in circles.

From the corners of my eyes, I saw Aminah and the rest of her gang walked into the class. Michelle was missing. She had missed school since mid term ended. Thinking about her, I remembered what Caleb told me when I asked him how he found Jade.

'I came to pick my bag from the locker room. I saw walked to the locker room, she peeped in through the window, I don't know what she was but I watched stood for a while before she started walking away. She stopped when she saw me. I walked closer, peeped into the window and saw the guy trying to rape her. I attempted to open the door and she stopped me. '

Michelle saw Jade almost getting raped and she was going to walk away.

Caleb attempted to save Jade and Michelle tried to stop him.

Michelle tried to stop him.

If she had her way, Jade could have gotten raped.

Michelle put Jade in vulnerable position where she could have gotten raped.

Michelle? Michelle? Michelle?

I couldn't believe she did that. She was wicked enough to watch Jade almost got raped while she did nothing.

What did Jade ever do wrong to her?

Even if she had wronged her in the past, what Michelle did was unforgivable and inexcusable.

Our class teacher entered the classroom and the whole class fell quiet. She cleared her throat.

'Good Afternoon class.'

'Good Afternoon Ma'

The whole class replied in unison.

'So we've had a rough week because of what happened to Jadeshola and another classmate is under the weather, that's Michelle. I spoke with the guardians of the two girls. Jadeshola's parents doesn't want any visitors but Michelle's parents are open to the idea.'

She paused for effect, allowing the words to sink in. Jade wasn't still accepting visitors. Does that mean something was wrong with her? Was there something Hana was keeping from us?

'So any volunteers to go and check up on Michelle?'

Hands shoot up and I closed my eyes.

Jadeshola, are you alright?

'Uthman?'

I opened my eyes at Miss Nwokeji's voice. She was staring at me.

'Are you not going to volunteer?'

'No Ma'

I replied in less than an heart beat. Normally, I was supposed to be the first person to volunteer but not for Michelle, not now, not ever again.

Go check on a girl that watched while my girlfriend nearly got raped and did nothing?

Bullshit.

She said nothing for a while, then she nodded and selected four people of the volunteers.

'What could be wrong with Michelle?'

One of my classmates asked after our class teacher left.

Jadeshola, are you alright?'

God! I don't think there is nothing more annoying than being powerless to do something.

Especially when the girl you like was involved.

*********

~Jade~

When I opened my eyes again, it was early morning and Zee was sleeping at the foot of my bed, her head on the bed. I stood up from the bed and walked to my table mirror.

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?

Definitely not the girl in the mirror.

I stared at the girl staring back. Eyes swollen and puffy. I've been unconscious for the most part of the past seven days and I still managed to look like I've not slept in weeks. I picked up a comb and ran through my hair which was almost hard as a rock. My gaze dropped to the top I was putting on, a tiny top that showed the outline of my breast.

The memory of him running his hands over my breast surfaced and I dropped the comb in my hand. It hit the ground and made a loud noise, Zee woke up with a start.

'Are you alright?'

She asked, standing up. Her eyes were swollen and it was obvious she had not been sleeping well.

'I'm fine. I'll be in the shower.'

I did not wait to hear whatever she was going to say as I entered the bathroom and locked the door behind me. I leaned against the door and closed my eyes.

Seconds later, I took off my clothes and walked further into the bathroom. I turned the shower on.

'You have a very delicate body, I can't wait to see what's underneath.'

I scrubbed my body hard.

He yanked my shorts off.

I scrubbed even harder.

He smiled as he touched the lines of my panties.

I scrubbed way too harder.

He put his nose on my lower abdomen and he inhaled.

I scrubbed harder, way harder willing the sponge to wash away his touch, his smell, his smile, this memory.

He was about to free himself from his boxers when the door opened and someone came in, then Uthman.

What if he had had his way?

I sat on the floor on the bathroom, the shower still running and the water soaking me.

I felt stained.

What if he had had his way?

I asked myself again.

I bursted into tears.

********

'Are you coming down for lunch?'

Zee asked me. I was laying down on my bed, eyes closed, thinking about thousands of things. I've missed school for a whole week now. Another week starts tomorrow which means our mock exams were starting in three weeks and our jamb was starting in two weeks.

I've not seen Uthman in more than 10 days.

I wasn't even sure if I wanted to see him. What would I say to him? How would I act around him? He saw me. He saw me.

'I asked you a question.'

Zee's voice jolted me out of my reverie. I stared at her. She was leaning against my bedroom door.

'You should come down for lunch.'

I shook my head slowly.

'Come on Jade, you've been holed up here from almost 10 days. You have to live. Again'

I said nothing as I closed my eyes again. I don't want to see the pity in their eyes. I saw it everytime mom comes into my room, everytime Fatima brings water or beverages into my room. I don't want them staring at me like that. I don't want any body's pity.

'You should go.'

'Go where?'

Zee asked and I opened my eyes again.

'Go back to your house or wherever that place is.'

She walked closer to the bed.

'I'm not leaving you until I'm sure you're okay.'

'Well, I am OKAY!'

I snapped, sitting up on the bed.

'I did not have an accident, I wasn't assaulted. I had a near rape experience and that happens to 94% of the female population so I am okay. You people should stop treating me like an......'

I trailed off as she sat down on the bed.

'No, you're not okay Jade. You don't have to pretend to be.'

I shook my head, feeling tears in my eyes. Zee moved closer and hugged me.

I sobbed unto her shoulders.

********

'So, are you going to school tomorrow?'

Zee asked me in the evening of the next day.

School? That was the last thing on my mind. I was pretty sure everybody in school now knows I was nearly raped. I can't have them whisper behind my back and point fingers at me. I'd think about school later, not now.

'And please turn on your phone and let's open this goddamn window. The room is too dark and stuffy.'

I ignored Zee as I turned to pick my phone from my bedside table. It's been 11 days since I last used it. Eleven days. Hana has told me Uthman was worried sick about me, that he kept asking about me.

If I should turn my phone on, I was pretty sure that I'd meet his messages. I don't know if I was ready to reply him.

What would I even say to him?

I looked up to see Zee staring at me quizzically.

'Are you not going to turn it on? They were lots of missed calls before I turned it off. Like a thousand missed calls and 990 of them were from a particular guy. Uthman!'

I subconsciously smiled at how she said it.

The smiled disappeared almost immediately.

You're smiling? What right do you have to smile?

'Hana called me in the morning, said she would be coming by after school hours.'

I nodded slowly, dropped my phone back on the table and turned to the other side. Zee sighed and walked out of the room.

**********

Hana's voice woke me up. I opened my eyes just as she entered the room.

'Hey girlfriend.'

She said and pecked me on my two cheeks. I smiled weakly at her.

'How was school?'

How's Uthman?

'School was there jhare. Are you properly dressed?'

She asked, staring at me front head to toe.

'The boys are outside so....'

The boys? The boys? As in Uthman and the rest?

I sat up straighter.

'What do you..........'

The words died in my throat as Hana walked back to the door, opened it and gestured for whoever was outside to enter.

They entered.

Akin entered first, then Dan,

Then Uthman.

I couldn't look into his eyes as I looked down.

I don't think I was ready for whatever his eyes would hold.