CHAPTER FIVE.

Anita, the class gossip is on her way to make a call in the toilet during class when she overhears voices filtering out from the male toilet.

Always alert for more stories to spread in school either true or not, she puts her ears to the door upon hearing Bianca's name being mentioned, making out Damien and Lekan's voices.

Quickly pulling out her phone from her pocket to make a recording of the conversation just in case something juicy is mentioned, she sticks to the door like glue at the same time looking around to make sure no one is coming.

She closes one eye and peeps in the toilet through the partly open door momentarily deciding that making a video would be best. Carefully positioning her phone in her right hand, confident that she won't be seen as they have their backs turned to her, she begins to record.

"Stop giving yourself a hard time man, Bianca is never going to fall for your schemes. Admit defeat and pay up on the bet."

Lekan says to a frustrated Damien.

"Don't say that, I still have about a week left to make it happen."

"What do you hope to achieve in a week that you have been unsuccessful in achieving in these past weeks? Your pride is going to be the end of you yet."

"You know me, Lekan, I can make a lot happen within a week."

Raising his hand to count with his fingers, 

"For instance, I can get Bianca in my bed within a week, I can fuck her to pieces with or without condom, I can make her run after me all within the time I have left. I have got another strategy I plan to employ. I am going to drug her. All I need to do now is figure out how to get her to the perfect venue." 

He takes out a cigarette and lighter from his pocket and lights it as he crosses his legs, resting on the wall, his back still to the door.

Protesting in a whisper,

"You have got to put that out, anyone can come around here and see you smoking. The smell is a dead giveaway."

He covers his mouth with his hand in shock at what Damien just said,

"Drug her? Is it that deep? Just how far do you intend to go for a stupid bet we all made jokingly?"

Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly and flipping the ash of his cigarette in the sink,

"What's the worst that could happen? That bitch of a principal is probably going to suspend me, and I would simply take the time off shitty school work. Look, I don't care. To the issue at hand, the bet or my pride is not the only thing at stake anymore. That girl is such a rigid bitch, I need to know if she's a virgin, coupled with the fact that she humiliated me in class, revenge is my major motivation now. And to answer your question, I would go as far as I need to to get my dick in her pussy. She deserves everything she gets and more."

"I'm sure it goes without saying that you have to provide us with proof that you slept with her. I still don't believe you can pull it off. How are you going to get her to the venue? She wouldn't even give you the time of the day. She has probably even forgotten about your existence. Come off it man, grow a conscience. I would be more than happy to let you off the hook about paying the bet, I can't speak for the other guys though. This has gone on for far too long, it's time to stop. If you drug her to sleep with her, that's rape and I'm not sure I want to have that on my conscience."

"Let me worry about that, I know how to get through to her now. You all would be hailing me for a job well done once I provide the proof to shut you all up. A video should suffice, shouldn't it?"

He asks raising an eyebrow in question.

"Rape or no rape, that would teach her some manners about mouthing off to me next time. "

"Yeah, A video should be enough, but are you sure you want to go through with it?"

"I'm positive and don't try to convince me otherwise. You saw how she embarrassed me in front of the entire class."

Shrugging his shoulders,

'Whatever man, it's your bet to win. All is fair in love and war. Now put that cigarette off and let's get to class, you can do that shit after school."

Damien grudgingly throws the half-smoked cigarette in the closet and flushes it.

"There, you satisfied? By the way, I'm not going to class, I'm done with school for the day."

"And where are you going?"

Lekan asks already dreading his answer.

"I am going to scale the fence and make off for a cool bar to chill right after I change my clothes. You coming or not?"

Seeing that they are making plans to leave, Anita noiselessly slithers away like a snake, a priceless smile plastered to her face. She makes her way to the class watching the recorded video along the way with satisfaction spread all over her face.

Damien washes his hands in the sink observing Lekan silently.

"I asked if you are coming or not."

Pushing aside the voice of common sense in his head, Lekan nods in acquiescence.

"Yeah, I am. Are we going with the boys?"

Taking out a napkin from his pocket to dry his hands,

"It's just us. I need to share my plan concerning Bianca with you. I don't want the others there."

"Okay then, let's go."

They both leave the toilet, making their way over to the back of the school to scale the fence, their usual shortcut out of the school premises, stopping first to drop their backpacks in their lockers.

Armed with the video, Anita seeks Bianca out in class and calls her aside.

"What's up, Anita? You called me."

"Yes, I did."

Smiling at the thought of what she is about to do, she starts a carefully rehearsed speech to rile Bianca up and spurn her to the desired action and reaction.

"Look, I know you and I aren't friends but I can't forgive myself if I don't make you aware of this, "

Gauging Bianca's expression, she continues.

"It's about Damien."

Slapping her forehead in frustration at the mention of his name, she drags Anita towards the nearest seat, taking her seat beside her.

"What is it? Will I ever be free of that devil spawn? I wish I never have to hear his name or see him around anymore."

Happy that the conversation was starting to shape up the way she envisaged, Anita resumes her speech.

"The first time I heard him talk about you, I didn't take it seriously cause I never expected that he would be so desperate."

Launching into the story of the first conversation she overhead between Damien and Lekan and the most recent one, she rounds it up by showing Bianca the video.

Bianca watches the twenty-five-minute video in silence, stamping her feet between intervals. She wordlessly hands over the phone back to Anita, bowing her head to think. Turning to face Anita, "can you do me a favour please?"

Replying eagerly,

"Yes, anything."

"First of, thank you very much for this, I'm so grateful. Can you please forward the video to me?"

Smiling coyly,

"Of course, I can. Do you want me to send it right now?"

"Yes, please. Excuse me for a minute while I get my phone."

She leaves and soon returns with her phone in hand."

Anita sends the video to her phone, happy that she has set the wheels for trouble at school in motion and even happier that Damien wouldn't know about her involvement. In a bid to ensure the latter, she clears her throat. "I don't want you to do anything brash, I just told you because I want you to be very careful, Damien is not someone to be toyed with. You need to do me a favour too."

Replying absent-mindedly,

"What is that?""Whatever you decide to do, I don't want anyone to know the video came from me, I'm going to be labelled a snitch and I would have a hard time coping in the little time we have left in this school. I maybe shouldn't have shown you the video, but we women have to look out for each other."

"I understand, no one is going to trace this to you, thank you once again. I would never forget this."

They both stand up and Bianca pulls her in for a hug before parting ways.

Bianca marches angrily out of the class looking for Hannah who took off after their last lesson and bumping into her on the way back from the library.

"Hey, what's going on with you? Why are you wearing that look? You almost pushed me off the road."

Fuming, Bianca lets out an angry breath.

"It's that bastard, Damien. Can you believe he has been planning to drug me all in a bid to sleep with me?"

"What?"

Hannah asks in shock.

"I mean I know he's an asshole, but I'm not sure I believe he's capable of that. How do you know? Who told you that?"

Pulling out her phone from her pocket,

"Never mind how I know, see for yourself since you don't believe me."

She plays the video for Hannah who watches with disbelief written all over her face.

At the end of the video, Hannah whistles sharply,

"What do you plan to do? What are we going to do? And to think I warned you that he shouldn't be taken lightly. What next?"

"I am going straight to the principal's office to show her the video. He has to pay."

Nodding her head in support, Hannah turns around,

"Let's go and see her together. Imagine the nerve he has to say all those things."

Bianca reaches out to pull her back,

"It's not your fight, let me go alone. I don't want to get you involved in all this."

Blinking her eyes in surprise,

"What do you mean it's not my fight? It damn well is our fight. I am willing to testify to his harassment of you."

"I appreciate you so much, Hannah but this is something I want to do alone. Trust me, I can handle it." She raises her phone,

"This video provides all the testimony and proof I need. Sit this one out babe."

Shrugging her shoulders in reluctance acceptance,

"If you insist. Whatever you say, darling. I would sit in class and wait for you to come back."

Pulling her in for a brief hug, they part ways.

Bianca arrives at the principal's office and is led in by the secretary to see her.

The principal, Mrs Smith is a beautiful comely and friendly woman in her sixties, with the look of a well-kept grandmother. Beaming brightly at Bianca, she offers her a seat and takes hers opposite her.

"I was told you wanted to see me, Bianca. Hope all is well with your studies. Is there any area you are having issues with? You know, I and the rest of the staff are always here to help you."

Forcing herself to return a brief smile, Bianca shifts forward in her seat and begins to tell her tale, rounding it up by playing the video for the principal.

Mrs Smith watches it in open-mouthed shock, covering her mouth with her hand when she got to the part where Damien called her a bitch.

"This is unbecoming of a student of our prestigious school. I can't believe none of us ever caught on to the disgraceful and shameful acts going on right under our noses."

Clamping down on her anger, she finishes watching the video and redirects her attention to Bianca. Picking up her iPad, she sends the video to it and returns Bianca's phone to her not even bothering to ask how she came about the video.

"I'm so sorry for what you have experienced, I take absolute responsibility for all that has happened and I can't stress how sorry I am. Believe me, this is going to get urgent attention and you would hear the latest development. Please go back to your class and be rest assured everything is under control as of this moment."

Bianca rises from her seat and bows her head respectfully,

"Thank you so much, ma."

"You are welcome. Please tell my secretary to see me immediately on your way out."

Bianca takes her leave and delivers the principal's message to the secretary, Miss Lois who goes in immediately to see her.

Knocking on the door to the principal's office, Miss Lois enters.

"You called for me ma."

Standing up to pace the room in agitation,

"Yes, I did. I want you to call a staff meeting immediately. Tell everyone to suspend whatever it is they are doing and converge in the conference room as soon as possible, no questions asked."

Nodding her head, Miss Lois exits the room.

Mrs Smith continues pacing the room and starts to soliloquize.

"Just what is all this mess? A student of mine being so brash, rude, uncouth, evil and wicked? Those little mischievous twats are even placing bets on sleeping with their classmate? They must all be rounded up and made to face the music. Am I slacking in my duties? Drastic action must be taken to curb this. I can't believe he called me such name,"

Tapping her chest in disbelief, "

A whole me, a bitch?"

She shudders at the recollection of her being referred to as a bitch. The little brat is not even old enough to be my son."

She continues like that for a few minutes before Miss Lois comes in to inform her that the staff have converged in the conference room. Thanking her secretary, she picks up a pen, a notebook and her iPad before exiting the office still in deep thought.