The first and hopefully last time I got a black eye was when I was in junior secondary school, the wonderful thing was that I wasn't even involved in the fight. One may wonder, how is that possible?
Well, it all began on a fateful school day, it was the last day of exams. This also meant it was also the last day of the term for the students, so everyone was really excited and couldn't wait for the time slated for the exam to come. The assembly ground was really lively that morning as we the students sang our hearts out in excitement while thinking of all the spare time we would have to rest and play during the holidays.
“Good day students” Our Vice principal called out, addressing us for the last time that term. We were informed about the day we were to come and collect our results and instructed to continue being the good children we were in our various homes and of course to make out time to study.
“Yes Sir!” We all shouted at the end of his speech, happy that we wouldn't be seeing his face for a while. The students did not really like the man. After this, the assembly was over and everyone moved to their classrooms, and my friends and I discussed as we moved along the corridors.
“I hope you'll come to visit me during the holidays?” my best friend in JSS2 Onyinye asked.
“Of course, and you'll also visit me. At least I won't miss your delicious cakes” I replied.
“Let's finish this exams first and see the result before making holiday plans?” Eunice said.
“Why won't we pass the exams? We always do” Chisom replied her while the rest of us looked at her like she had committed a crime.
“Anyway it's English Language it's not that hard” I replied “Let's just revise before the invigilator walks in with our question papers”.
We all settled down and read until it was time. And true to what I said, it was effortless. In an hour, we were done with the exams and moved to the last floor of the building to spend the remaining time left before closing hour, playing and talking. And that was when we heard the shouting.
“Take it back! Why would you even talk about my family like that?” a boy shouted.
“But it's the truth, you and your brother are unintelligent, and your cousin looks abnormal” another boy replied.
“What's going on” My friends and I whispered between ourselves.
“Let’s go and find out” Onyinye replied.
So we walked to the window and looked down to see a few students gathered below the window watching the exchange of words between the two boys. On closer inspection we found out it was our classmate, Tade, whom we all treated specially that was being insulted, and we ran down to save the day.
We were angry that the other boy was insulting not only him but his family too because of their looks and difficulty in school work. My classmates and I knew that Tade was a sweet soul, and we always tried to help him and not mock him.
“Are you okay!” Chisom shouted at the boy, throwing insults at Tade.
“Why would you talk to him like that?” Eunice huffed and puffed.
“Tade go and sit down, we'll handle this” Onyinye said.
“Who are these ones?” the boy replied.
“Everybody calm down let's settle this matter peacefully” I shouted.
Until this day, I can't tell what made them go crazy, but they started fighting. It was one boy against 3 angry girls, so the fight was funny. My friends knocked, punched, pinched, and scratched the boy, and he tried to defend himself while I ran up and down trying to separate them before a teacher caught us.
“You people should stop figh… Ahhhh” I screamed, I never got to finish the sentence because another foolish boy had decided the best way to save his friend from three angry girls was to throw a bottle in their direction.
Of course, the bottle landed on my eye and I saw stars. I extracted myself from them and went to sit on a pavement with my hand on my eye. The vicinity became quiet all of a sudden as my friends rushed to check on me, including the boy they were fighting with. The spectators watched open mouthed then started disappearing one by one.
“Where is that your friend?” Onyinye screamed at the boy.
“What do you want to do again” I said hoarsely, I couldn't even cry at that point even though the eye had started swelling and was aching me badly.
“We're going to fight him, get up, let's beat him. Look at what he did to your eye” she replied.
“You and who?” I asked her.
“All of us of course” she replied.
“No problem please Chisom and Eunice escort me to the school clinic then if you want to back up undertaker here you can come back” I replied getting up.
Chisom and Eunice said they were done fighting, and Tade started crying and blaming himself.
“So you guys are running away?” Onyinye asked.
In my mind I had decided that I would rather take flight than fight with a swollen eye, besides, I never wanted to fight in the first place. Before we could move to the clinic, a teacher rushed to grab me. Apparently, the boy who threw the bottle had gone to the staff office to report himself and tell the story of what transpired.
“All of you, follow me!” the teacher shouted.
At the clinic, the nurse treated both me and the boy who my friends had fought and scolded us before the school authority called our parents. Tade’s mother saved my friends from punishment because it was the last day of school, and also because they were trying to defend her son.
My father took me to the hospital for a more thorough checkup, and after we got home, I promised him I'll never fight or go anywhere close to where there is a fight going on. My cousin laughed and told me that would be best for me because next time I might not be so lucky to keep my eye.
So I spent the entire holiday nursing a black eye and being treated like a princess by my parents and my friends.