Chapter 1
THE MASK
Chapter 1: The Funny Friend
The morning heat was already pressing against the windows before I left my room. The kind of heat that reminds you that Lagos does not ease anyone into the day.
I stood in front of my mirror for a moment, adjusting my uniform. My eyes looked tired, but I didn’t argue with what I saw. There was no time for honesty.
I smiled.
Not because I felt like it. But because it was easier than explaining why I didn’t.
“Another day,” I whispered, picking up my bag.
---
Scene 1: The School Gate
The moment I stepped into the school compound, everything changed.
“Deera!” someone called out.
Then another voice. And another.
I had barely walked ten steps before my friends surrounded me like I was the beginning of their morning.
“There she is!” one of them said, visibly relieved. “We were waiting for you.”
I raised a brow. “Waiting for me? I hope I am not part of your timetable.”
That got a reaction immediately.
“Please just talk,” another friend said. “I am not in a good mood.”
I looked at her properly for a second. “You are not in a good mood… before school? That is impressive. You are already academically consistent.”
She blinked, then laughed.
“That is not funny!”
“It is,” I replied calmly. “It is just also your reality.”
They all laughed harder.
And just like that, their expressions softened. The tension on their faces disappeared the way it always did when I said something.
It was almost predictable.
---
Scene 2: Classroom
Inside class, the noise reduced, but not completely. My friends still leaned toward me every few minutes.
“Deera, I’m stressed,” one whispered.
I turned. “Why?”
She sighed. “My parents are just on my case. Nothing I do is enough.”
I didn’t laugh this time.
Instead, I nodded slowly. “Come here.”
She leaned closer.
“Listen,” I said quietly, “sometimes your parents just panic because they care too much. It’s annoying, but it’s love in disguise. You’re not failing. You’re just tired.”
She looked at me for a moment.
Then she smiled a little. “You always know what to say.”
I smiled back.
“Of course.”
But inside me, something tightened.
Because nobody ever asked me the same thing.
---
Scene 3: Break Time
Break time was never really a break for me.
It was work.
Everyone gathered around my desk like I was some kind of therapist who also happens to be funny.
“Deera, I failed my test,” someone said.
“Deera, my boyfriend is acting weird.”
“Deera, I don’t even know what I’m doing with my life.”
One after the other.
And I listened.
Always.
I didn’t just make jokes—I made them feel better.
Sometimes I teased them.
Sometimes I gave advice.
Sometimes I just sat there and let them talk until they were okay again.
“Calm down,” I told one of them. “You didn’t fail life. You only failed one test. Life still has plenty exams left.”
They laughed through their stress.
And I smiled.
Because that’s what I was good at.
Making things lighter.
Even when I wasn’t light myself.
---
Scene 4: The Quiet Moment
Later, I went to buy water alone.
The noise behind me faded as I walked further away from the crowd. No one was calling my name. No one needed advice. No one needed laughter.
Just silence.
I opened the bottle slowly and stared at it for a moment before drinking.
For the first time that day, I was not performing anything.
And that was when the thought came again.
If I stopped being the one who makes everything lighter…
Would I still matter the same way?
I drank the water quickly, as if I could push the thought away with it.
Then I turned back toward the voices, toward the laughter, toward where I was needed.
And the mask returned.
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End of Chapter 1
