We were all thrilled to have been promoted to a new class in my second year of high school. It seemed like yesterday when we had graduated from primary school and were now Juniors in secondary school. The classroom was nearly full, so I guess we were eager to get started again after the lengthy August break. As usual, noise filled the classroom as students chatted and some made fun of others for becoming fatter as a result of overindulging during the holiday. Peace was restored when the first period teacher entered the room, but he wasn't alone; the most stunning girl I have ever seen was standing next to him, she had fair porcelain skin, a round face with a plump pink lip to complement it, long, shiny dark hair braided into cornrows, and I would have bet she was of mixed race at the time. "This is your new class mate, her name is Joy Ikechukwu" she just transferred from Ferscoat College", he introduced, we were perplexed as to why anyone would want to transfer from the most elite school in town. Ferscoat School was the top-ranked school in our neighborhood, attended by the children of the wealthy and powerful. Their tuition for a term could likely pay for my entire term at my current college, which is only a low-cost institution, and we barely had all the facilities required for a standard and quality education.
Everyone wanted Joy to be their friend—who wouldn't? She was very beautiful, but she kept to herself, never smiled, and was usually quite serious. Rumors began to circulate that she was a prideful student who, perhaps as a result of her pride, was rusticated from Ferscoat College.
One fateful day, after a challenging math class, when the bell rang and it was time for our lunch break, everyone left the class room. I was about to follow suit when I noticed our beautiful, high and mighty classmate, as she was always called, was still seated, which wasn't unusual of her, but something else caught my attention. Her face looked flushed, and she was sitting still but uncomfortable, so I walked back to where she was seated to find out what was wrong, even though I had I never expected a reply from her, Unexpectedly, she responded, "I suppose my period began while Mr. Sylvester was ready to round up the class, my skirt feels stained," oh! I exclaimed, although I was a late bloomer because I hadn't had any period yet, my mother had taught me about periods during one of our mother and daughter conversations, I confidently told her to stand up, that we could resolve the situation before the end of the break. She was initially reluctant to, but eventually did, and I was relieved to see it wasn't as much as I had imagined. I then went to my backpack, pulled out my sweater and a tissue roll, I wrapped my sweater around her waist knotting it firmly, then I wiped the tiny bits off the chair surface with some cut out tissue, we walked together to meet the school nurse who resided at the other wing if the school building, she helped clean her up and gave her some sanitary pad to use also a pill to relieve her cramps, afterwards she complemented me for being a good friend.
From that point on, we were practically inseparable. We shared meals, did our homework together, and frequently visited each other's homes, making my parents and her mother good friends in the process. Some of the classmates started to feel envious of our friendship. She later revealed to me that she lost her father in a car accident. Her father was wealthy and in good employment before the tragedy, but her mother was just a housewife. Since her mother couldn't afford to send her and her siblings to the prestige college, they were forced to transfer to a less expensive school, which is why she always kept to herself because she felt depressed. Her wicked uncles had come to forcibly claim her father's properties because she and her siblings were still very young, claiming it was their tradition. Things went bad for them.
She eventually relaxed, cheered up, and stopped being the high and mighty Joy. We continue to communicate even though she lives far away in the UK. She was and remains the best friend I have ever had because she also helped me in a more dire situation. She also continues to be the most stunning and compassionate person I have ever met.
Thank you for reading♥️♥️
