Chapter 14 Best Girl

“We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you would threaten the man. Because I am female, I am expected to aspire to marriage. I am expected to make my life choices always keeping in mind that marriage is the most important “Marriage can be a source of joy and love and mutual support but why do we teach girls to aspire to marriage and we don’t teach boys the same? We raise girls to see each other as competitors not for jobs or accomplishments, which I think can be a good thing, but for the attention of men. We teach girls that they cannot be sexual beings in the way that boys are. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, We Should All Be Feminists.

........

Here in Nigeria, there's a popular saying, it goes like this. "There are two types of fights you don't want to poke your nose into, marital war and siblings war. They'll find a way to settle and you'll end up in the middle of it all"

Rotimi and I laughed some more and I didn't even know when I let it slip from my mouth that his phone was with me. He didn't believe me till i brought it out and his appetite for food quickly disappeared.

"So what are you going to tell Aisha. She needs something juicy in return for her money."

"Never planned on telling her nothing." He shrugged. "I only told her you were my step sis when I noticed that she was really interested in you. Let's just say I felt out of place there and her company kept me at ease."

"So you think she'll just let her money slide?" I asked.

"She doesn't have a choice, what will she do, report to the police for paying me to dig something out of my sister?"

Well, technically he was right, but he didn't no how conniving Aisha was. She wasn't going to take it out on him, she was going to make me pay for it.

We watched TV for a while before he announced that he had a meeting with one of his girls, I told him I wasn't interested and locked the door as he went out.

I was about to resume to the TV when o heard my phone ring. I ran to my room, picked it up and checked the caller ID, it was Lara. I accepted the call.

"Hey, I don't have much airtime. Come online. We're waiting for you" and she  ended the call.

She sounded urgent so I turned my data on and logged in on Facebook, not waiting for the news feed to load before tapping on messenger and clicking on our Yoruba Girls group chat.

(R) I'm here what's up?

(T) Thank God!

(L) Welcome.

(T) There's good news and bad news.

(L) Which one do you want to listen to first?

(R) The bad one. Please tell me Aisha didn't spill your secret?

(L) Thankfully, she didn't.

(R) So what's the bad news?

(T) It's Jax. He's dead.

What? That wasn't possible. I saw him at school today. What were they talking about?

(L) You see, Tomi. Told you she hadn't heard the news.

(R) You guys are kidding me right? He was at school today and he looked fine to me.

I mean, I didn't really take note of how he looked, it's not like I've been taking notes about how everyone looks every day. But I remember him laughing with a group of boys as they passed our class.

(T) It's all over the school blog. They found his body after school. With three missing fingers and his tongue cut out.

I left the group chat and shivered as I tapped on tapped on the school page. I didn't know him or even care of about his existence, but you don't feel okay when you hear that someone you know, someone you pulled his trouser down and felt his junk two days ago, someone you plan to put in his place is suddenly dead. Maybe I didn't like him and what he did to everyone in school, but he was someone's only child, someone's brother, someone's friend. He was a young man. I found myself shutting my mouth with my hand as I saw the horrible graphic image of the lifeless body of Jax. Who could have done such an horrible thing, in our school!

I went back to the group chat.

(R) Just saw it, it's horrible. I'm literally shaking right now and I don't know why.

(L) God! Thought I was the only one. OMG! Jax is dead! It weird processing it. He was so vibrant today.

(T) Guys, chill. If anyone should be upset here, it's me. I dated the guy for a month or so. And it's obvious that he was murdered.

(R) Who could have done such a thing?

(T) let's start from....hmmm let's say....a billion people. Jackson. Bless his soul, was a jerk! he played with the lives of girls. I'm not surprised he's dead. They had it coming.

If I didn't go home with Tomison today, I probably would have placed her on suspect list. But she was right.

(R) But on school property? Are we even safe in SOUNDHOPE anymore?

(L) My thoughts exactly.

(R) What do we do?

(L) ?

(L) we? We do nothing. I can't even say we'll miss him. I guess we'll just pray for his parents and hope God consoles them.

What was I the only one feeling like this death wasn't something that should be neglected. Or was I just over reacting and being nosy?

(R) What if Aisha has something to do with it?

(T) Come on, Remi. Aisha might be the Best Girl,but I don't think she's capable of going to that extent. Besides, what would make her kill Jax. He's very close to her.

(L) Remi might have a point though. Tomison. Maybe Aisha doesn't know about the murder, but she might know someone connected to it.

(T) And how's this our business?

(R) Tomi! Don't be heartless. Apart from the fact that we'll be solving a huge murder case, we'll also be doing what he originally set out to do.

(T) How?

(R) If Aisha knows something about it, we'll expose her and She'll get arrested or in big trouble and she'll never have the time to blackmail people.

(T) So what makes you think she won't discover our plan and kill us instead. That's if she knows something like you guys say.

(L) I'm not saying she knows something, I'm just saying he might have poured his heart out to her or told her something that must have lead to this.

(T) Or have y'all even stopped to think that it's probably one of the boys he's offended in school. Look, I don't even see any reason why we should get ourselves involved. It looks like big trouble.

(R) You know what? You're right. So what's the good news?

(L) I hacked into Aisha's Facebook successfully.

Normally, that would have sounded good, but my feelings were too mixed up to be excited right now. I felt something sneaky about Jax's death and I was going to try my best to get to the bottom of it. I was about to reply when a private message came in from Lara. I left the group chat and tapped on her thread.

(L) Something's not right. I don't feel good about Jax's sudden death. And the fact that his body was found in our school makes me more suspicious.

(R) My God! Me too. What do you think we should do.

(L) I don't think we should get ourselves too involved in the case. Let's just look out for links and signs. I'm going to stalk Aisha's messages till I get something out of it. Something tells me she knows something.

(R) Me too. I also think you should follow Emem and Tobi up too. Something might come up.

(L) You're right.

I was about to reply her when Tomison sent a message in the group chat so I left Lara's thread and clicked on the group chat.

(T) I know the both of you are planning something. You both are sneaky.

(T) I seriously think we shouldn't involve ourselves into this, but if you two have things in mind. Please don't leave me out.

(T) Please. I'll be glad to help. Besides, Jax helped me a lot financially.

(L)  You're indeed heartless. Lara added a smiley emoji.

(T) I just don't like Jax. So what do you both have in mind?

We told her.

(T) I'll see what I can get from Aisha, Emem and Tobi.

(R) Be careful, though. Don't let them have suspicions.

(T) I'm tell you, I know them well. They're not that retarded. This thing is deeper than we can comprehend. We should leave it to the..........

(T) Okay, I'll just shut up and act like I don't think it's a terrible idea.

(L) Come to think of it, do you think Emem will still carry on with her birthday party?

(T) ah aha ah aha ah hah. You actually think Emem will stop her party because of Jax? Ah aha hah.

(R) I also don't want her to stop the party. That party is an avenue to investigate.

(L) So about the dress, I think shopping online might not be the best advice after all. We might get the wrong outfits or they might send us the wrong sizes.

Lara talking about online stores made my mind swing to Obinna for a brief period of time.

(T) So what are we going to do?

(L) Let's go shopping on Wednesday after school.

(T) Why don't we go tomorrow. There's no school tomorrow.

(L) oh yeah, in respect for Jax.

Why was I so bothered about Jax's death after all. It made me feel sad like I'd lost a Friend. And I didn't feel completely goof about going shopping on a day that was supposed to be used to pay our last respect to him. But I wasn't about to tell Lara and Tomison. They'll wonder why I was so concerned after all.

(R) okay, so I'll see you tomorrow.

(L) we'll meet at the eatery and go shopping from there.

(T) Time?

(L) What time is perfect for the both of you?

(R) 2 is good for me.

(T) 2 thirty.

(R) Also fine by me.

(L) okay then, see you both by 2 thirty. I've got to go now. Mum saw the news on the school group and wants to have a serious conversation with me.

(T) My mom has been calling constantly to check if I'm alright. It's weird.

(R) I totally dig why they should be worried. You would be going the same thing if you were in their shoes.

(T) True.

(L) Still think its weird though. Ttyl. G2g.

(R) G2g too.

(T) So the both of you want to leave me here. Abi. There's God o.

(L) it's not like that o.

(T) Anyhow. I'm off to. I need to sleep.

(R) We'll chat this night, okay?

The time was still 6 so we could still chat up late in the night.

I logged off Facebook and sat on my bed for a minute, a part if me was thanking God for protecting me. I mean, it could have been anyone. Another part of me was feeling bad for the family of Jax and I also prayed for them too.

I decided to post it on my blog and I ended the post by asking everyone to thank God for their lives and also to say little words of prayer for the Ekene's. I barely got direct messages from my readers, and when I did, I tried my best to reply them so when j saw a green notification that indicated that I had a direct message from a reader, I tapped on it and stood in shock as I read the message.

HELLO I'M .....JUST CALL ME ANONYMOUS. I KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BASTARD AND I'M PROUD TO SAY A KILLED HIM HE DESERVED IT. ANY BOY LIKE HIM DESERVES DEATH. DON'T FEEL SORRY FOR HIM. GOODNIGHT.  The username read, anonymous..