34

Every day almost seemed like a disaster to me, the week was running quickly and I’ve still not been able to pay my excursion fee.
Well, today was the deadline let me put it that way.
I walked into the class and sat at my usual spot beside the windows as I twirled my pen in between my fingers.
Well, I didn’t feel like going anywhere and I think it would be better to just be alone since we were on a free period.
Most of the students were not in class including Lucas and Ben. Lucas has decided to give me some break these last few days as he didn’t approach me or tease me as he does.
He even missed some days and I wasn’t bothered to ask, why should I even ask in the first place?
He’s my bully…
I wondered if he even came to school today because I didn’t see him during the first and second periods.
I hadn’t seen Beatrice either, I told her not to bother picking me up for school, she will find ways of bringing up the topic of the excursion and if I’ve made plans on paying it, which I don’t have.
Some girls sat at the table chatting about what they would do during the excursion, the bikinis they will wear to get attracted to the boys they want and their crazy girl’s talk.
I rolled my eyes listening to their dumb conversation as I stared out of the window.
“Well! Well! Where’s the popular nerdy?” I heard Jenny’s high-pitched voice as she walked into the class with her two stupid puppies as their boots clicked on the floor as they walked.
Oh God! What does she want?
Don’t she get simple instructions at all, Lucas has warned her severally to stay away from me but she would never listen.
I glanced towards her direction and found out that she looked a bit happy today with a smug look appearing on her face, not the usual glares she always cast my way.
“I’ve never felt so happy in my life,” She started attracting the attention of other students in my class as they all stared at her.
“I’m so so happy!” She squealed and I wondered how that was my concern.
“Tell them, Jenny!” Susan smirked staring at me.
“Nerdy won’t be able to follow us to the excursion,” Jenny announced and I stared at her blankly.
‘What’s she doing?’ My mind asked and I probably don’t have an answer for that.
“Why?” Cecelia asked staring at me while the other students just focused their attention on Jenny.
Whatever Jenny was about to say was not a good thing and it was probably to crush my moods.
“Because her poor wretched self and parents can’t simply afford $2500 for the excursion,” She spurted out proudly as my heart shattered hearing the words coming out from her mouth.
How dare she talk that way to my parents?
I choked from where I was sitting as I gripped the pen tightly.
“And I’ll be able to have some space with my boyfriend,” She smirked.
“She’s too poor, how did she even manage to afford this school?” Susan asked pouting.
“She’s on scholarship ever since she started school,” Bella answered giving me a disgusted look.
“She should be so ashamed of parents,” Jenny snickered as she cast me a contemn look.
“Nerdy, you should work in the club as a stripper, so you could get money, hun,” She advice giving a sorry look before it was replaced with a smirk.
I muffled my cries and my watery eyes, is it my fault I wanted to be poor, is it my fault dad died and made things difficult for us?
She has no fucking right to talk that way about my parents or me.
“That’s not funny!” We all heard someone say and I looked towards the door, staring at Leticia who gave Jenny a glaring look.
“Hold it there, I wasn’t talking to you brat!” Jenny shunned her in a bitchy tone as she eyed her.
“Oh yes, simply because you’re a spoilt bitch who has everything on a platter of gold doesn’t give you the right to talk shabbily to anyone, you might have what she doesn’t have today, but tomorrow she might have something greater than you, so stop saying things that don’t make sense and stop making a fuss, you’re no god,” Leticia said and hissed leaving me speechless as she walked out of the class.
Jenny was shocked, same as Bella and Susan as they stood there speechless.
Everyone just stared at Jenny and their crew and continued with what they were doing.
“Thanks for disgracing me every moment of your life,” I said hurtful as I packed my bags and walked out of the class.
The tears broke freely on my face and I heard whispers from those who passed by me.
I finally got to my locker and started sobbing loudly as I squatted drawing my legs closer to my chest as I wrapped my hands around myself.
My heart ached badly as I tried to muffle my cries from getting louder…
If only dad was alive, all this happening to us won’t ever happen.
“Camilla!” I heard someone touch my shoulder lightly and I raised my head to see. Beatrice staring worriedly at me.
I stood up immediately, the only thing I needed was a hug.
I hugged her tightly as my life depended on it as I continued crying.
“Shh!! Baby, it’s okay, it’s okay,” she cooed lightly stroking my hair.
I cried for some minutes more before I finally stopped.
I broke the hug lightly as I stared into her grey eyes as she smiled lightly.
I hiccuped and remove my glasses, cleaning my tears with the back of my hands.
“Here!” Beatrice offered me her pink handkerchief.
“Thank you,” I muttered collecting her kerchief and dried up my tears.
“So, do you want to tell me what happened?” She asked staring at me a bit.
“It’s Jenny,” I said wistfully.
“What did she do again?” Beatrice asked, anger lacing her voice.
“She said some awful things… That I was too poor to pay for the excursion fee and I should be ashamed of having parents that couldn’t provide for my needs,” I chuckled sadly cleaning the drop of tears that fell on my cheek with the kerchief.
“That bitch!” Beatrice seethed while I looked away.
“Hey, look at me Camilla, don’t you ever listen to what she said, you should never be ashamed of your parents, Your dad was a great man, if he was alive he would have done something about it, so don’t you ever let what she said gets into your brain,” Beatrice dissuaded, gripping my shoulder slightly with her two hands as she made stared into her grey eyes.
A small smile crept on my face and I hugged her tightly again.
“Thank you, for being there for me always,” I murmured into her neck closing my eyes as she patted and rubbed my back caressing.
“I have good news for you,” She said and I freed her staring at her.
“What is it?” I asked gazing at her intimately.
“Wait a sec!” She said and removed her bag from her back as she unzipped it and gave me an envelope.
I blinked dumbly at her staring at the envelope in her hands she offered to me.
“Take it!” She persuaded with a smile on her face.
Slowly, I collected the envelope from her and opened it as I gasped.
“OMG! Where did you get this amount of money?” I wheezed out.
“Did you think, I would just sit and watch my best friend not attend the excursion?” She smiled showing me her set of white teeth.
“This is too much, Beatrice!” I said bewildered staring at the amount of money in my hands as tears gathered in my eyes again.
“C’mon, we both know you’ve been struggling to get the best student award, ever since you resumed in this school,” She smiled grabbing my wrist as she drew me along.
“You still haven’t answered my question, where did you get the money?” I asked.
“My savings, dummy,” She smirked as we walked to the bursar’s office.
“I will pay back the money, once I’ve gotten it,” I promised her making her halt in her tracks as she turned around in a jiffy facing me.
“Camilla! Don’t even think of it, no paying back,” she said staring at me.
“B-But–”
“No but Camilla, it’s nothing serious, I’m not collecting it back from you, so be a good girl, we’ll enter that office and we pay your bills,” she chortled making me smile.
I’m so grateful to God, for having a friend like her.
We got into the bursar’s office and met the treasurer, Mrs. Brook, going through some files on her desk. She’s a middle-aged woman with strands of white hair invading her black hair as she adjusted her glasses.
“Good afternoon, ma’am,” We greeted while I made a slight cough.
“How may I help you?” She asked without sparing us a glance.
“We’re here to make payments for the excursion,” Beatrice answered, sticking her tongue out to busy woman while I rolled my eyes at her.
“Your name,” She asked moving her swivel chair to the computer on her desk.
“Evans Camilla,” Beatrice answered.
“Evans, Evans…” She muttered as she typed on the keyboard as her eyes glued to the screen.
“Oh Evans Camilla, you’ve paid the fee already,” Mrs. Brook said finally staring at the two of us.
“Excuse me, ma’am, that must be a mistake, I hav–”
“Someone did that already, he paid last week Friday,” She cut me off from what I was about to say.
“He!” I and Beatrice said at the same time.
“Please, who is this?” I asked curiously.
“I’m sorry, I was told not to disclose anything about his name, so is there anything you two want to do, if no, you may leave as you can see, I’m busy,” she said and focused on the files she was going through earlier.
I and Beatrice stared dumbly at each other as we walked out of the office.
“Wow!” Beatrice chuckled.
“Who could have paid for the fee, without letting me know?” I asked deeply in thought.
“Mrs. Brook mentioned he,” Beatrice said also staring at me.
I gazed at her gasping, as a possible answer hit through my head.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” I asked and Beatrice nodded slowly.