That morning classes were postponed and Saint Patrick's College had a general assembly. It was to discuss the risks of drug use and to mourn the death of Ogechi Nwafor. No matter what umbrella they crouched it under, it was still a general assembly and Adaeze hated general assemblies if her track record was anything to go by. There was just something about them, almost like they seemed to drag on longer than they should.
This assembly was held inside at the school's gym—which was mainly a basketball court with bleachers and a podium two teachers had dragged in for the ceremony. It held most of Saint Patrick's student body, but it was at capacity.
Adaeze sat next to Segun on the third row. She was restless. She heard they were going to start drug testing them. Not that she had anything to worry about, she had never even had alcohol let alone a hard drug and she had never even looked at her parent's pill drawer with ill intentions.
There were officials that stood against the wall watching the assemblies' progression. Segun told Adaeze that they were from NDLEA and they were going to give a lecture of their own once Principal Tayo was done. Adaeze was not looking forward to that.
Principal Tayo walked up to the wooden podium. He drummed his fingers on it and glanced around the room almost as if he were collecting his thoughts before he started.
Someone coughed.
"Ladies and gentlemen, today, I stand before you with a heavy heart and a sense of responsibility that goes beyond our roles as educators." He said. He had a thick Yoruba accent. Adaeze was still yet to formally meet him even though her parents had. When she got her admission, Chinedu had been the one to talk to Principal Tayo. "As the principal of this school, I must address an incident that has shaken our community to its core. A young member of our school family recently overdosed on opioids, and it is our duty to respond not only with care and compassion but also with a commitment to educate and protect our students from the dangers of drug abuse." He wrung out his fingers. He was reading from a sheet of paper. Adaeze liked to imagine that he spent a good portion of the morning before the assembly perfecting his speech.
"First and foremost, our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the young student who lost her life. The consequences of drug abuse are real and devastating, and this incident serves as a stark reminder that none of us are immune to its reach."
Adaeze shifted in her seat. She couldn't wrap her mind around what the family must have been going through. From what she heard, Ogechi was the only child of her parents. A loss like that could put the parents in a state of deep depression.
"Drug abuse, particularly opioids, has become a growing problem, not just nationally but also within our own communities. We must acknowledge that this issue knows no boundaries, and it can affect anyone, regardless of age, background, or socioeconomic status."
He paused, flipped the page in his speech and continued. "The risks and dangers associated with drug abuse are profound. Opioids, in particular, are highly addictive and can lead to severe health problems, overdose, and even death. The tragedy we face today underscores the urgency of addressing this issue head-on."
Adaeze glanced left then right, both her friends were paying rapt attention to what Principal Tayo was saying. "I will conclude by saying thank you, and let us all work together to keep our school and our community safe and drug-free." He resolved.
The room erupted in chants and applauds.
Next to take the floor was one of the three NDLEA officials. He was a man that looked days over fifty with a bored expression on his face. He walked up to the podium. He cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today as a representative of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) with a crucial message." He stared them down.
"The recent overdose incident in your school has brought to light the harsh reality of drug abuse. It's a stark reminder that no community is immune to this problem. Our mission at the NDLEA is to combat drug abuse and its consequences. Today, I want to emphasize the importance of staying informed about the risks of drug abuse. Education is a powerful tool in prevention."
Adaeze adjusted her clothes as if they were chafe.
"We urge you to be vigilant, educate yourselves and your peers, and seek help if needed. The NDLEA is here to support you in this fight against drug abuse. Together, we can create a safer and drug-free environment for our students. Thank you for your attention, and let us work together to protect our future."
Another round of applauds.
The rest of the assembly was comprised of a moment of silence for the deceased Ogechi Nwafor and Mrs. Anita taking the stage to inform them about the drug tests that would hold during lunch after which they were released to start their classes for the day.
It was second period by the time they made it back to their classrooms. Adaeze didn't even have time to stop by her locker for anything. She most especially wanted to retrieve the leather-bound book, it had been a while since she read it. In fact, she hadn't read it since Femi almost caught her with it.
"So, is that it?" Adaeze asked walking to the empty seats at the back of the class. "Case closed?" She set her bag down on the table.
"Seems like it." Segun said taking the seat right next to her. "I think this is the part where they expect us to go back to our normal lives as if nothing ever happened."
"They're not even going to cover the weeks if not months of counseling we're going to need after something like this." Ayomide complained as she took the only other empty seat by Adaeze's left. Adaeze wanted to get up and leave. But, for reasons unknown to her, she remained seated.
"I don't know about you, but I'm fine. I never even knew the girl." Segun shrugged.
"Yes, you did, you remember you wanted to borrow her physics note that one time?"
Adaeze drowned out their banter. She didn't know if she was okay. She didn't know if she would need therapy for the rest of her life. She doubted it. She never even met Ogechi, all she knew about the girl was that her body was found in the downstairs girl's bathroom of Veritas Hall, lifeless. Adaeze didn't even have nightmares about it. She was fine. Life had to go on. Despite the heavy atmosphere that had settled over Saint Patrick's College, despite the grief and the uncertainty, they had to move on and she needed to focus on other things, things that mattered like finding out what Ogechi's last days were like and why she chose to in her journal, paint her friends in the worst possible light.
. . .
She almost didn't notice when the bell rang for lunch. She was lost in thought, head turned toward the window, eyes fixed on the campus walkway. There were kids that would walk by here and there and Adaeze spent a good portion of her class period creating scenarios in her head to suit them. She only did this because she didn't want to let her mind wander. It always went back to the same place. The dead girl of Saint Patrick's College. She had too many questions scampering around her mind that she knew if she entertained them her mind would wobble on the verge of hysterics.
She gathered her things into her messenger bag. There wasn't much, her notes from class and her textbook.
What she did let her mind think of was the leather-bound book with its secrets that beckoned her. She kept thinking about the black writing crawling across the page. She kept wondering who would be the next unlucky kid in her class that had his secret scribbled down for her eyes only.
She never thought transferring schools would mean dealing with the aftershock of a gruesome death. Sure, she didn't know the girl, but she knew of her and that was enough to keep Adaeze up at night.
Segun walked up to her table. He had an easy smile on his face and walked like he owned the room. "Heading to lunch or are you planning to disappear for a couple of hours?" He rose an eyebrow. She didn't know how to tell him she would rather rush off to the girl's bathroom to read the contents of the leather-bound book.
"Is Ayomide going to be there?" She swung her bag over her shoulder.
"Don't tell me you guys are still fighting?" He led the way out of the class, weaving masterfully through the cluster of kids in the hallway.
"She accused me of murder." There was a kid in the middle of the hall digging through his backpack that Adaeze nearly bumped into. She sidestepped him. "I don't know if that's forgivable in your book, but where I come from that's not easily forgotten." She strained to catch up with his large strides.
"I get it, she was wrong, but try to understand where she was coming from." He slowed his pace when he got to the stairs.
"Are you justifying her?" Adaeze frowned. There was no reason why Ayomide should have pushed the blame onto Adaeze. If she were a good roommate, she would have been concerned about how Adaeze was holding up with the whole thing, but no, she was quick to point the accusing finger.
"No, I'm trying to get you to see things through her lens." He took a right at the bottom of the stairs. "She's scared, we all are. Someone is really dead—"
"Because of an overdose." She clarified.
"Do you really believe that?" He stopped outside the door to the cafeteria. There was a winding line that weaved all the way out the doors. That's when Adaeze remembered the drug tests. A mandatory inspection of their systems to make sure none of them were under the influence and if they were, disciplinary actions would be taken.
"What do you mean?" She settled behind him in line. She hoped the test wouldn't involve needles. She couldn't handle needles.
"Isn't it weird that Mrs. Anita said it would take one to two weeks for the autopsy but we got an answer in a couple of days?"
"Weren't you the one that said if there's money anything is possible?" He was really inconsistent.
"That was before I thought about it." He leaned against the wall.
"So, what now, you think there's more to her death than a suicide?"
"I think it is odd that the school didn't wait for a confirmation from her family before believing the article posted on the school's website."
Okay, he had a point. She completely forgot that the cause of death was revealed through an illegally posted article.
"Did they ever get the article down?" She didn't check.
"Like an hour later. But by then, half of Saint Patrick's College already saw it."
Dang. She could see why the school had to go along with it.
"So, what do you want to do?" She crossed her arms over her chest. The line was barely moving. She didn't know how long this was going to take, but she was hoping at some point she would find time to slip away and read the next page of the leather-bound book.
"I know this is going to sound crazy, but I think we should go to her family directly. You know hear it from the horse's mouth or however the saying goes." He said, causing Adaeze to look at him like he'd sprouted a pair of unicorn horns.
She was not going to disturb a grieving family. They were already going through it with the loss of their daughter. Plus, she already promised God she wouldn't leave school again.
She shook her head.
"Come on, please?" He begged. "Don't you want to know what really happened to Ogechi Nwafor?"
She thought about it. The girl deserved her truth to be told not suppressed by an article on the school's website. Plus, Adaeze didn't think she was going to get any sleep till the Nwafor case was a thing of the past.
"Fine," She said. "But we're going to do this my way."
He nodded eagerly.
"Now answer the question, is Ayomide going to sit with us at lunch?"
He looked over Adaeze's shoulder and waved someone over. "Actually, she's right here." Adaeze's head snapped in that direction so fast she almost gave herself whiplash.
Dang it!
Adaeze stiffened. She didn't want to see or speak to the girl. She was willing to give her the cold shoulder for as long as the semester was going to be.
"You can't keep avoiding her." Segun said moving forward in the line to give space for Ayomide.
"Yes, I can and I will." She whisper-yelled just Ayomide walked up to them.
"Can we talk?" She asked Adaeze who had her arms crossed over her chest.
"I'm listening." She said partly because she didn't have a choice, the three of them were trapped in line to get tested. If she could, Adaeze would have sauntered out of the line and back to class, anything to put as much distance between her and her roommate. But she couldn't. Not unless she wanted to risk getting in trouble with the school authorities.
"Good, because we need you to settle something." She said completely skipping over the part where she was supposed to be apologizing. Unbelievable.
Adaeze eyed the girl cynically.
"Segun thinks things ended too easily. He doesn't believe Ogechi committed suicide."
"Then what does he believe?" Adaeze humored her.
He answered for Ayomide. "We all knew a version of her and from the version I knew, she would never take her own life."
Adaeze was beginning to second guess her agreement to go visit Ogechi's parents with him if at any point Ayomide was going to tag along. It seemed like something he would and could sneak up on her. Gosh, the girl couldn't even bring herself to apologize to Adaeze even though she was clearly in the wrong.
"Don't you want everything to be over so things can go back to normal?" Ayomide asked.
Who wouldn't want that? Although this had become the new normal for Adaeze, the dead girl, the mysterious book in her locker, they were all the norm for Adaeze at Saint Patrick's College. She didn't know what normal meant in a school like this.
"Of course, I do, but not like this." He said straightening, his hands out in an empty gesture. "We knew Ogechi, even if things were tough, would she really take her own life?"
"We didn't know her." Ayomide clarified.
"Whatever." Segun said with a shrug. He moved forward in the line.
"For all we know, she could have gone through a life changing event, something could have happened with her family."
Adaeze moved forward, her heart thundering in her chest the closer she got. There were going to be needles she could feel it in her bones, how else were they going to test their blood?
"This is why I said we have to go visit her family." Segun said.
"You guys were going to visit her family?" Ayomide asked, clearly hurt that she wasn't invited.
"You're coming don't worry about it." Segun said and it took everything in Adaeze not to reach out and smack him.