Chapter 1 : The Girl who talked back

"Get on your knees and clean my shoe."

Jamiel Williams stopped walking.

The voice came from the corridor ahead of her, followed by a burst of laughter.

She turned her head and saw three boys standing near a classroom. Two of them looked amused, while the third stood in front of a student who had his head lowered.

"Did you hear me?" the tallest boy asked, lifting his foot slightly. "Or do you want me to repeat myself?"

The student swallowed. "Tim, please. I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Tim asked, looking down at him. "You stepped on my shoe. Do you know how much it costs?"

"I didn't see you coming. It was an accident."

"Then you should have watched where you were going."

One of Tim's friends laughed.

"Come on, bro. Make him clean it with his shirt. That would be more interesting."

Jamiel's eyebrows pulled together.

Seriously? On a Monday morning?

She had barely spent thirty minutes at Brivile High School, and she was already witnessing something that made her regret leaving Abuja.

Well, not exactly regret.

Her mother had received a better job opportunity in Lagos, and after weeks of discussion, they had packed their belongings and moved. Jamiel understood why they had to leave. She knew her mother was trying to give them a better life.

Still, starting over at eighteen wasn't something she had looked forward to.

New city. New school. New classmates.

And apparently, a new set of people who thought bullying was entertainment.

She adjusted the strap of her backpack and glanced at the student again.

He looked as if he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him.

Nobody was helping him.

The other students passing through the corridor slowed down to watch. A few whispered to one another, but none of them dared to intervene.

Jamiel exhaled through her nose.

Oh, come on.

She started walking toward them.

"What's taking you so long?" Tim demanded.

The boy glanced at the shoe and then at Tim's face. "Please, just let me go. I'll clean it later."

Tim's smile disappeared.

"Did I say later?"

He pushed his foot closer to the boy.

"Clean it. Now."

"Hey!"

Jamiel's voice cut through the corridor.

The three boys turned.

Tim looked at her from head to toe, his expression changing from irritation to mild amusement. He had messy black hair, a perfectly fitted school uniform, and the kind of face that probably made girls forget what they wanted to say.

Unfortunately for him, Jamiel wasn't interested.

"Are you talking to me?" he asked.

She stopped beside the frightened student.

"Unless there's another idiot standing here ordering someone to clean his shoe, yes."

A few students nearby gasped.

One of Tim's friends let out a low whistle.

"Whoa."

Tim stared at her.

For a moment, nobody said anything.

Then he laughed.

Not because he found her funny, but because he seemed genuinely surprised that someone had spoken to him that way.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Someone who knows how to treat people."

His friend on the left burst out laughing.

"Bro, I think she's new."

"Really?" Tim replied without taking his eyes off Jamiel. "I couldn't tell."

Jamiel folded her arms.

"If you know I'm new, then you should understand why I'm confused. Is this what you people do here? Force students to kneel and clean your shoes?"

"First of all," Tim said, stepping closer, "you should learn to mind your business."

"Second of all?"

His jaw tightened.

"Don't test me."

Jamiel gave him a small, unimpressed smile.

"Or what? You'll ask me to clean your shoe too?"

Someone behind them laughed before quickly covering their mouth.

Tim's expression hardened.

His friends exchanged glances. They were used to people laughing at Tim's jokes, not at him.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Why? Are you planning to put it on your shoe so I can clean it later?"

This time, the laughter spread through the corridor.

Tim's face darkened.

"Watch your mouth, girl."

"Then stop giving me reasons to use it."

The student beside her looked at Jamiel as though she had just done something impossible.

She turned to him.

"What's your name?"

"Daniel," he answered quietly.

"Okay, Daniel. You can go."

Tim immediately stepped in front of him.

"Who said he's going anywhere?"

Jamiel's patience snapped.

"Oh, for goodness' sake! He said he was sorry. What else do you want from him? An apology letter? A birthday cake? Should he buy you a new foot?"

Someone snorted.

Tim pointed at her.

"You think you're funny?"

"No. I think you're embarrassing yourself, and the worst part is that you don't even realise it."

His smile vanished completely.

For the first time since Jamiel had approached him, he looked genuinely angry.

He moved closer until she had to lift her chin slightly to maintain eye contact.

"Listen carefully. I don't know what school you came from, but at Brivile High School, you don't walk up to me and talk anyhow."

Jamiel held his gaze.

"Then maybe Brivile High School needs someone to teach you basic manners."

His friends went silent.

Daniel stared at her with wide eyes.

Even the students watching from the classroom doors seemed to have forgotten why they had stopped.

Tim looked at Jamiel for several seconds before letting out a short, humourless laugh.

"You're new, so I'll give you a chance to correct yourself."

"Keep it."

"What?"

"My chance. I don't need it."

She turned to Daniel.

"Come on. You should get to class."

Daniel hesitated, glancing at Tim.

"Go," Jamiel told him.

This time, he obeyed.

He hurried down the corridor, disappearing around the corner.

Tim watched him leave before turning back to Jamiel.

"You've got a lot of confidence for someone who doesn't know who she's messing with."

"Do I need to know your family history before I can tell you that bullying people is wrong?"

His friend on the right shook his head.

"Tim, leave it. She's not worth it."

Tim shot him a warning look.

Then he faced Jamiel again.

"What's your name?"

She adjusted her backpack.

"Jamiel Williams."

"Jamiel Williams," he repeated slowly, as though committing it to memory.

"Yes. You heard me the first time."

"Trust me, I'll remember."

Something about the way he said it made her pause.

But she refused to let him see it.

"Good. Maybe next time you'll remember to behave yourself."

She walked past him.

Tim turned his head to follow her with his eyes.

"You're making a big mistake!" he called after her.

Jamiel didn't stop.

"Then I guess you'll have to live with it!"

A few students laughed.

She kept walking until she reached the staircase, where the noise from the corridor faded behind her.

Only then did she allow herself to release the breath she had been holding.

"That boy is unbelievable," she muttered.

She had promised herself that she would stay out of trouble at her new school. Her mother had said it at least ten times during their journey to Lagos.

Please, Jamiel. Focus on your final year. No unnecessary drama.

And what had Jamiel done on her very first morning?

Picked a fight with what appeared to be the most popular boy in school.

Wonderful.

She reached her classroom, checked the number on the door against the one written on her timetable, and stepped inside.

The teacher wasn't there yet.

Several students were chatting, while others were busy with their phones. A few heads turned when she entered.

Jamiel approached the nearest girl.

"Hi. Is this SS3 Arts?"

The girl nodded. "Yes."

"Great. I'm Jamiel. I just transferred here."

"I'm Chika."

They exchanged smiles.

Chika pointed toward an empty seat near the windows.

"You can sit there. The teacher hasn't arrived yet."

"Thank you."

Jamiel walked to the desk, placed her bag beside the chair, and sat down.

For the first time that morning, things seemed peaceful.

Then Chika leaned toward her.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Did you really talk back to Tim Okoye?"

Jamiel slowly turned her head.

"Is that his full name?"

Chika stared at her.

"Wait. You don't know who Tim is?"

"Should I?"

"Oh, my goodness."

Jamiel frowned. "What?"

Chika glanced around before lowering her voice.

"Tim Okoye is practically the most popular guy in this school. His family is ridiculously wealthy, he's friends with almost everyone who matters, and nobody likes getting on his bad side."

Jamiel leaned back in her chair.

"Well, I guess I just ruined my chances of becoming his best friend."

Chika didn't laugh.

"I'm serious, Jamiel. You shouldn't have embarrassed him in front of everyone."

"Did you see what he was doing to that boy?"

"Of course I did. Everyone saw it."

"And nobody did anything."

Chika looked down at her desk.

"That's how things work here."

Jamiel's expression softened slightly.

"Well, they shouldn't."

Before Chika could respond, the bell rang.

Students hurried to their seats as a teacher entered the classroom.

Jamiel took out her notebook and tried to concentrate on the lesson.

She told herself that the incident in the corridor was over.

Tim Okoye wasn't her problem.

She had final examinations to prepare for, a future to build, and a mother who had sacrificed too much for her to waste time fighting with arrogant boys.

She would avoid him from now on.

Simple.

Unfortunately, Tim Okoye had other plans.

---

During the lunch break, Tim sat at a table in the school cafeteria with his two friends, Derek and Michael.

He had barely touched his food.

Derek noticed.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Michael grinned. "You're still thinking about that girl, aren't you?"

Tim looked up sharply.

"What girl?"

"The new one who called you an idiot."

Derek burst out laughing.

"Man, I've never seen anyone talk to you like that and walk away without apologising."

Tim dropped his fork.

"Can you both shut up?"

Michael raised his hands.

"Okay, okay. I'm just saying she's got guts."

"She's got a mouth," Tim corrected. "There's a difference."

Derek leaned forward.

"So, what are you going to do?"

Tim picked up his drink and took a slow sip.

For a moment, he said nothing.

Then a small smile appeared on his face.

"Nothing."

Michael looked suspicious.

"Why are you smiling like that?"

Tim placed the cup on the table.

"Because I just remembered something."

"What?"

He leaned back in his chair.

"Today is her first day, right?"

Derek nodded.

"Then let's make sure she remembers it."

Michael's grin widened.

"Now you're talking."

Tim looked toward the cafeteria entrance, where students were filing in.

Somewhere among them was Jamiel Williams, probably convinced she had won their little confrontation.

She had embarrassed him in front of half the school.

She had laughed at him.

And worst of all, she had walked away without a second glance.

Tim wasn't used to being ignored.

He pulled out his phone and sent a quick message to someone.

Then he slipped it back into his pocket.

"Let's see how confident she feels tomorrow," he said.

His friends laughed.

Tim smiled with them, but his mind was already working.

Jamiel Williams had made one mistake.

She had challenged Tim Okoye without understanding the kind of boy he was.

And he was going to make sure she regretted it.