PRICELESS ONE
Priceless One - Episode 17
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“ Shalewa……”
There was no response.
“ Shalewa!!!!....” The teacher shouted.
Shalewa jolted back into reality.
“ Ma.” She answered.
The teacher fixated her eyes on her and wore a Stern expression.
“ Answer the question.” The Agric science teacher instructed her.
“ Sorry ma …. I have forgotten the question.” Shalewa replied timidly.
The Agric teacher glared at her
“ What is the incubation period for a chicken?”
Shalewa scratched her head and avoided her teacher's gaze.
Her mind had been far gone during the period of the agric lesson.
“ Uhm!!.... Four months!.”
The class roared in laughter.
The teacher fumed in anger.
“ So are you trying to tell me that I’ve been wasting my time with my explanations?”
Shalewa swallowed.
“ No ma.”
“ Shalewa what has come over you?....You have grown so unserious these days and have changed so drastically, that you no longer take your academics seriously anymore!!” The teacher queried her.
Shalewa bent her head and apologized.
She had been so absent minded since the dynamite squad began to bμlly her.
The teacher continued with the class lessons with illustrations and diagrams which aroused the class interest more.
It was remaining just a few weeks to their examination, and every one of the students were expected to study hard and pay closer attention to their studies.
The bμlly continued on and on as the days went by for Shalewa.
And now it was at it’s peak, already becoming more unbearable, together with the stigmatization against her which was influenced by the dynamite squad, she was nicknamed the ‘church rat' by her classmates and mocked openly by whoever cared.
Shalewa found herself becoming withdrawn from her environment. She was all moody most of the times, even at home. But her parent's only assumed it was due to the fact that they insisted she used the public transport. By reason of this, she was ignored by her parents.
She spoke to no one in school and kept more to herself at home, that this became her daily routine as she silently stomached the bμlly.
Breaktime came and she slowly moved to the empty class which was the regular venue for the dynamite squad in bμllying their v!ctims.
She stood as usual with her head bowed, as she waited for Sandra and her squad.
They eventually came in one after the other and the routine began as usual.
Sandra sat on a chair like a queen and beckoned on Shalewa.
“ Hey you come here!!.....”
Shalewa moved closer queitly. She had long lost her sense of respect and obeyed every word of what she was instructed to do in other not to elongate her punishment for that day.”
“Bend over!!” Sandra instructed.
Shalewa bent over quietly in front of Sandra and Sandra balanced her food on Shalewa’s back.
“ Make sure it doesn’t shake….. because if it does and my food pours, it will be worse for you.” Sandra threatened and began to eat her food while the others laughed.
After she had eaten to her fill, she threw some grains of the food on the floor and asked Shalewa to eat it.
“ Hey!!..... Church rat!!!!..... Bend down and eat!!” Sandra commanded.
Shalewa didn’t hesitate, she had actually been commanded to do worst things than picking up grains with her mouth and eating it from the floor before, so eating from the grains from the floor was just one of the easiest pun!shment they gave to her.
The others just cheered on and laughed.
After the bell rang for break over, they commanded her to stand up and go to her class.
“ Hey church rat!!!.....” Sandra halted her halfway through the door.
Shalewa turned slowly to look at her.
“ See us during closing time for the final round of your pun!shment today.” Sandra said.
Shalewa nodded her head like a defeated soldier and left.
Even if she reported to the school authorities, they would never take her seriously and no one will speak out in her defense among her classmates for fear of being stigmatized by the dynamite squad. So she had to stomach it.
Her parents on the other hand, seemed not to care about her anymore, and never failed to blame her for the multiple queries they received from the church management board, regarding the news they had received about their zonal pastor’s daughter misconducts.
The rest of the class lessons for that day, was meaningless to Shalewa as thoughts of the unimaginable things the dynamite squad would do to her at closing time, came flooding her mind.
The hours dragged on and it was soon closing time.
The students in the class packed their bags and vacated the school premises one after the other.
“ Sandra what are you still waiting for?.... Let’s leave.” Chima hurried Sandra, with Habib standing just a few feet away from them.
“ I’m not going home yet…. We have an unfinished business with Shalewa.” Sandra replied him with a smile lurking on her face.
Shalewa swallowed hard and bent her head.
Chima wore a grimace as him and Habib, looked from Sandra to Shalewa.
“ Sandra!!.... Don’t you think it’s time you let this girl go?....you have bμllied this girl enough and I don’t like it when you overdo things!!!” Chima complained.
“ Chima I won’t let her go!!!..... She broke the code of the dynamite squad and she must pay for it!!” Sandra replied.
“ But you have punished her enough and made your point clear enough!!!!.....Why not let her go and stop overdoing things!!”
Chima said bluntly.
Chioma and the other girls folded their hands and turned the other way, with a defiant look on their faces.
“...Sandra don’t be stubborn..... Let this girl go!!” Habib chipped in.
“ Fine…..if you don’t want to wait for me while we do this together….. you both can go….. but please!!.... Stay out of my business with Shalewa….. because no one breaks my rules and goes scot free.” Sandra retorted.
“ Then suit yourself…..we are out of here.” Chima replied abruptly and left with Habib.
Sandra turned to Shalewa angr!ly.
“ Have you seen that you have caused a disagreement between Chima and I?..... And for this, I’m going to double your pun!shment!!” Sandra threatened her.
Chioma pushed Shalewa forward.
“ Follow us!!” Chioma instructed.
Shalewa’s eyes were already filled with tears as she followed the girls quietly to a corner of the school field, not sure of what they would do to her, since they were alone already, in a secluded place where even the CCTV cameras did not cover.
“ Drop your bag!!” They instructed.
She obeyed.
They each watched as Sandra took out a whīp from her bag.
Shalewa on sensing what they were about to do to her, took to her heels and ran.
But they were faster than her and caught her midway. Shalewa began to scréam and beg them to leave her alone.
Chioma brought an handkerchief from her bag and tied it round Shalewa’s mouth to prevent her screams from being heard.
“ You are going to see hell today Shalewa….. You know, I suspect seriously, that you are the one that was behind the fire outbreak in my house that night.” Chioma said.
The others concurred, but Shalewa kept wriggling herself from their grip.
“ Let’s get a rope to tie her.” Jennifer suggested.
“ Yes!!.... That will be a fantastic idea.” Sandra supported the motion.
They got a rope and tied her to a tree.
“ We will each take turns to whíp her, we will use this cåñé seriously on her. starting from me.” Sandra said and the others agreed.
By this time, more tears was streaming down Shalewa’s eyes as she made muffled screams and pleaded with them with her eyes not to hurt her but they continued making jest of her.
Sandra came closer to her and looked her straight in the eye.
“ No one will save you now.” She whispered mockingly and took out her whip and was about to whip her.
“ Stop right there….. everyone of you!!!!”
The voice was loud enough for them to hear and it had a commanding tone that halted them in fear.
They turned slowly to see who it was that spoke.
Who they saw made them gasp in surprise.
It was Harriet walking towards them with a mean facial expression.
They waited for her to come closer to be sure she was actually the one. Harriet moved close but stopped several meters away from them to avoid being too close.
“ Drop that whip right now and release her!!!” Harriet commanded Sandra with her phone pointed towards them.
“...Just to clear your doubts….. I have all your activities recorded on this phone of how you have bùllied this girl….. and if you do not drop that whïp and untie her now……I’m going to show the whole of Hamsford College the atr0cities you have committed.” Harriet threatened them.
Sandra exchanged puzzled glances with her friends and laughed out loud.
“ So you think you can threaten the dynamite squad with that stupid recording?.... We are going to first of all, seize that phone of yours, then we will bëåt you up just like we are about to béåt her now…… this will serve as a lesson to you not to meddle in our business!!” They threatened Harriet.
Harriet laughed. “Let’s watch you try” She said confidently.
She knew in her heart that she was already outnumbered by a ratio of one against five, but she had devised a plan already in her heart of how she would have them defeated. And thanks to her grandfather who had trained her well in combat as a means of self defense, when she was living with them, so should her first plan fail, she would engage them in a combat and f!ght.
They were about charging towards her, when she spoke.
“ If you come one step closer!!!!..... I’m just a button away from sending this video to the proprietor, the Principal, and our parents forum on Instagram……. I have tagged them all already to this video and if you dare to try me, come closer.” Harriet threatened harder with her phone still pointed at them.
Chioma was the first to withdraw and stepped back out of fear.
Sandra saw Chioma and scoffed.
“ Come on Chioma!! don’t tell me you are feeling thréåtened by this tramp….. she is just bluffing.” Sandra said.
“ Please Sandra I don’t want anymore troubles for myself….. you know this will be a serious issue if she sends this video to the school authorities…..my father will k!ll me….. please I’m out of here.” Chioma said.
“ Why are you chickening out when we can join forces and béåt this tramp, and then we trash her phone.” Sandra replied.
Harriet laughed again confidently.
“ If you think I am bluffing…… just dare to come closer.” She threatened further.
The other girls became åfra!d.
“ If we let her go….. please promise us that you won’t release the video.” Osasuyi added fearfully.
“ I will not release this video if you let her go….but if you refuse, I will release this video and beat you up…..I have experience in physical combat and if you want me to test run it on you….. please be my guest.” Harriet replied them.
They nodded fearfully.
“ Ok we will release her….. please remember that you have promised us.” They said.
Harriet nodded her head.
Chioma and Osasuyi helped in untying Shalewa from the tree, while Sandra stood and looked on, contemplating in her heart if she should withdraw like the rest.
If Harriet was right and the school authorities and parents gets a hold of the video, she and her squad might be expelled from Hamsford College or even arrested, because the video itself is a strong evidence against them. But she really h@ted to be threatened.
“ Now turn your backs and let me watch you leave!!.” Harriet instructed.
They picked up their bags on the floor and turned to leave.
“ Wait!!” She halted them.
“ Now listen attentively……. If I as much as hear that you bμlly Shalewa or anyone again, I will make sure I deal with all of you!!..... Is that clear?”
“ Yes…. “ they chorused in fear.
“ Now turn your backs and leave!!”
They turned their backs and left shamefully with Sandra being the last of them to leave.
Harriet rushed immediately towards Shalewa.
“ Are you alright?” She asked concernedly.
Shalewa nodded her head in tears.
“ Thank you so much.” She managed to say.
“ It’s ok….. let’s get out of here.” Harriet said, holding Shalewa by the hand. They both left the school premises.
(Do not take credit or Plagiarize AMAH'S HEART stories)
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