HER BODY, HIS PRICE

ter how hard I tried, I couldn't get him out of my head. His voice, his touch, the way he look

ed to look effortlessly beautiful, like I wasn't trying too hard but still managed to catch his attention. I hated how much space he had taken up in my mind, but it was th

t and peeked into the lecture hall. The lecturer was already inside. I tried to slip in unnoticed, sca

ws that framed her round face. Her skin was a rich caramel tone, and her light brow

ive?" I asked, trying not

e said we should summarize pages te

" I replied

y the way," s

ice to meet you

You seem like a one-man squad. If you don't mind, I could

l her I wasn't looking to make friends right now, but she had ask

I don't

hter and the kind of chatter that only girls in a tight-knit group shared. A few girls were sitting on desks,

!" Chika c

s scan my face, my shoes, my hair. My heart thudded in my chest. I hated

nessa, meet the gang," Chika s

was breathtakingly beautiful, with fine features and pink lips. Her braids were perfec

Nina said with

d, smiling back.

nued. "This

eyes gave her a soft look. She was short and slim, but her presence was bold. We exchanged greet

t me. Oge was dark-skinned, average height, with relaxed hair that looked a

ly, this i

e wore a purple scarf and purple-framed glasses, and her black lips had a unique

you all," I said, try

h warm greetings, some

They added me to their group chat, shared memes, gossip, and even helped me catch up on cl

time in a long while, I felt like I belonged somewhere. It started gradually. A quick lunch after lectures

school gate. The place was small but cozy, with plastic chairs and wooden tables under a big mango tree. The air

e her, engrossed in a heated debate about relationships with Princess, who had swapped her usual purple scarf for a red

hika called out excitedly, pat

or. Nina shared tales of her modeling gigs and the weird things photographers asked her to do. Sandra, although not as openly warm, contributed with sarcastic comments that made us all laugh. Og

mouths stained red from peppered suya and our fin

ncess had her camera. They took turns photographing each of us as we posed like models, laughing at our awkwardness and hyping each other up. Sandra rolled her eyes at first b

slowly! Yes, like th

tle," Princess added f

pun around, and gave them my best poses. By the end of the session, we were

something out of a magazine. Her room smelled like vanilla and lavender. She had string lights hanging by the wall, s

, Chika came with soft drinks, Sandra brought chin-chin, a

sight was real. Oge told us about a guy who had been disturbing her for weeks, and we all advised her to block him. Nina showed us pictures fro

, "Vanessa, how come you ne

ed. "I guess I just never felt like I belo

y shoulder. "Well, now y

miled and nodded, gr

of volleyball. I hadn't played in years, but the girls were patient with me. We split into

at once, and Princess kept score. Chika and Sandra argued about rules, and I mostly tried not to fall over the ball.

n the grass, watching th

ry week," Chika sa

" Oge replied,

t," I adde

roup chat and smiled. It was filled with pictures from th

of Fred or loneliness. It was filled with laught