A Perfectly Normal Monday
There are three things I strongly believe in.
First, money cannot buy happiness.
Second, never trust someone who says, "I have a little secret."
And third, Mondays should be illegal.
Unfortunately, the universe has never been particularly interested in my opinions.
It was 6:17 a.m. on a Monday morning, and I was lying face down on my bed, questioning every decision that had led me to this particular moment in life.
My alarm had been ringing for approximately seven minutes.
Seven.
I knew because I had counted.
I also knew that if I didn't get up within the next three minutes, my mother would send someone upstairs to wake me.
And when my mother sent someone to wake me, it usually meant my entire morning was about to become a public announcement.
"Nhyira!"
There it was.
My mother's voice travelled through the house and straight into my bedroom.
I closed my eyes.
Perhaps if I remained sufficiently still, she would assume I had moved to another country overnight.
"Nhyira Thompson!"
Okay. Apparently, immigration wasn't an option.
"I'm awake!" I shouted.
A lie.
A very ambitious lie.
"Then get downstairs!"
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling.
Why couldn't school start at noon?
Who had decided that teenagers should be functional before sunrise?
And more importantly, why was nobody protesting?
I finally dragged myself out of bed and shuffled towards my bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, I stood in front of my wardrobe, wearing one sock, holding another and wondering why getting dressed required so much emotional commitment.
My phone vibrated.
MAYA 💋
"Girl. Are you awake?"
I typed back.
"No. I'm replying to you from the afterlife."
Three dots appeared almost immediately.
"Good. Tell them to bring you back. We have school."
I rolled my eyes.
Maya Mensah.
My best friend.
A girl who had somehow managed to make questionable decisions into a full-time personality.
I loved her, obviously.
But sometimes I wondered whether our friendship was a social experiment conducted by people who wanted to see how much nonsense two teenagers could tolerate.
My phone vibrated again.
"Also, I have news."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What kind of news?"
"The interesting kind."
"That tells me absolutely nothing."
"You'll find out."
I sighed.
There was that sentence again.
I had a feeling Monday was about to become significantly worse.
---
By 6:55 a.m., I was finally downstairs.
Our house was already busy.
The dining room looked like something from an interior design magazine, the kitchen smelled of freshly prepared breakfast, and the house staff were moving around with the efficiency of people who had absolutely no intention of entertaining my morning laziness.
My mother sat at the dining table, reading something on her tablet.
She looked up when I entered.
"Good morning, Nhyira."
"Good morning, Mummy."
"You're late."
I glanced at the clock.
"By whose standards?"
She lowered her tablet.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing."
I pulled out a chair and sat down.
My mother gave me the look.
Every mother has one.
It's a look that somehow communicates disappointment, disappointment in advance, and the possibility of a lecture.
I reached for a slice of toast.
"Where's Serena?" I asked.
"She's upstairs."
"Still sleeping?"
"Unlike some people, your sister has been awake for hours."
I chewed slowly.
Of course.
Serena Thompson.
The family achievement.
At twenty-one, she was beautiful, fashionable, intelligent and seemingly incapable of making a wrong decision.
She was the kind of person who could walk into a room wearing a simple outfit and somehow make everyone else question their wardrobe choices.
Meanwhile, I once wore two different shoes to school for an entire morning.
It wasn't intentional.
I simply hadn't been paying attention.
"Speaking of your sister," Mum continued, "she'll be taking you to school this morning."
I stopped chewing.
"Why?"
"Because she's going in the same direction."
"Since when does Serena attend my school?"
My mother stared at me.
I stared back.
Then she sighed.
"Must everything be an argument?"
I considered that question.
"Probably not."
---
Serena appeared about five minutes later.
She was dressed in a cream-coloured blouse, tailored trousers and heels that looked expensive enough to have their own bank account.
Her hair was perfectly styled.
Her makeup was flawless.
She carried a handbag that probably cost more than my entire school wardrobe.
I looked at her.
Then at myself.
Then back at her.
"Do you ever wake up looking normal?" I asked.
She pulled out a chair.
"Do you ever wake up looking presentable?"
I gasped.
"Mummy!"
"Don't involve me," Mum said without looking up from her tablet.
Betrayal.
Absolute betrayal.
Serena picked up a piece of toast.
"Are you ready?"
"Obviously."
She glanced at my feet.
"You're wearing different socks."
I looked down.
One was white.
The other was black.
I slowly placed my toast on the table.
"Fashion."
Serena stared at me for three seconds.
Then she laughed.
"Come on, disaster."
---
The drive to Westbridge International Academy was relatively peaceful.
Serena had her music playing softly while I scrolled through my phone.
Relatively peaceful.
Until she spoke.
"So, how's school?"
I looked up.
"School?"
"Yes, Nhyira. The place where you spend most of your day pretending to be educated."
"Very funny."
"I'm serious."
I shrugged.
"It's fine."
"Friends?"
"Yes."
"Grades?"
"Existing."
She glanced at me.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one available."
She shook her head, smiling slightly.
"You're impossible."
"And yet, you continue to love me."
"Unfortunately."
I grinned.
For all her attitude, Serena was one of my favourite people.
She could be irritating, unnecessarily dramatic and occasionally bossy, but she had always been there for me.
Even when she pretended otherwise.
As we approached the school gates, I noticed something unusual.
Students were gathered around the noticeboard near the entrance.
Some were whispering.
Others were laughing.
A few were holding their phones up, apparently taking pictures of something.
I frowned.
"What's happening?"
Serena slowed the car.
"Probably school gossip."
"How do you know?"
"Because teenagers have an extraordinary ability to turn absolutely nothing into a national emergency."
I couldn't argue with that.
She pulled up near the entrance.
"Have a good day."
"Love you!"
"Love you too. And please, try not to get into trouble."
I opened the door.
"No promises!"
"Nhyira!"
I laughed and hurried towards the school entrance.
I had barely taken ten steps when my phone vibrated.
A message from Maya.
WHERE ARE YOU???
I typed while walking.
At school. Why?
Her reply came immediately.
Come to the classroom.
Why?
Just come.
I sighed.
Another mystery.
Wonderful.
I reached the classroom, pushed the door open and immediately noticed that something was different.
Maya was sitting on top of her desk.
Beside her stood a boy I didn't recognise.
He was tall, dressed neatly in the school uniform and had an expression that suggested he had never been amused by anything in his entire life.
His arms were folded across his chest.
Maya spotted me.
"Oh, finally!"
I dropped my bag beside my desk.
"What's going on?"
She pointed towards the boy.
"That's Adrian."
I looked at him.
He looked at me.
I looked at Maya again.
"Okay?"
"He's joining our class."
"Congratulations to him."
Maya gave me a look.
I ignored it and reached for my notebook.
Unfortunately, that was when Adrian spoke.
"You're sitting in my seat."
I paused.
Slowly, I turned towards him.
"Excuse me?"
He nodded towards the chair I was standing beside.
"That's my seat."
I looked at the chair.
Then at him.
Then back at the chair.
"Interesting. Does it have your name written underneath?"
His expression didn't change.
"No."
"Then how was I supposed to know?"
He stared at me.
I stared back.
Maya suddenly became very interested in something happening on her phone.
Adrian picked up a book from the desk.
"I was sitting there yesterday."
I blinked.
"Yesterday was Sunday."
For the first time, his expression changed.
He looked like he was reconsidering his decision to speak to me.
Maya made a strange choking sound.
I folded my arms.
"Anyway, congratulations on your new seat."
I moved my bag and sat down.
Adrian shook his head and walked towards the back of the classroom.
Maya waited until he was out of earshot before turning to me.
"What is wrong with you?"
I frowned.
"Nothing. Why?"
"You just argued with someone you met thirty seconds ago."
"He started it."
"He literally asked for his seat."
"Exactly. Very aggressive behaviour."
Maya covered her face.
I smiled and opened my notebook.
It was going to be a perfectly normal Monday.
I could feel it.
---
8:05 a.m.
Our homeroom teacher walked into the classroom carrying a stack of papers.
"Good morning, everyone."
"Good morning, ma'am."
She placed the papers on her desk.
"I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend."
A few students responded enthusiastically.
I remained silent.
My weekend had been perfectly ordinary, and I had no intention of discussing it.
"Before we begin," she continued, "I'd like to introduce our new student properly."
I looked up.
Oh, no.
Not again.
"Adrian, would you mind coming forward?"
He stood up.
Of course he did.
He walked towards the front of the classroom with the confidence of someone who had never accidentally walked into a glass door.
"Everyone, this is Adrian Cole. He has recently joined us, so I expect you to make him feel welcome."
A few students nodded.
Our teacher smiled.
"Adrian, you can tell us a little about yourself."
He looked around the classroom.
"My name is Adrian Cole. I'm sixteen. I recently moved to Ghana, and I hope we get along."
That was it.
No hobbies.
No favourite subject.
No interesting fact.
Nothing.
I leaned towards Maya.
"Very inspirational."
She elbowed me.
Our teacher smiled politely.
"Thank you, Adrian. You can take your seat."
He returned to his desk.
Then she picked up another sheet of paper.
"Now, for today's lesson, we'll be discussing the upcoming inter-house academic competition. I've decided to select two students from this class to represent us."
I sat up slightly.
Interesting.
Perhaps this Monday wasn't going to be completely terrible.
"We'll be working in pairs, and I've already made the selections."
I glanced at Maya.
She grinned.
Then our teacher began reading the names.
One pair.
Another pair.
And another.
I waited.
"Nhyira Thompson and Adrian Cole."
Silence.
I blinked.
Maya turned towards me.
Her mouth slowly opened.
I looked at the teacher.
Then at Adrian.
He looked equally unimpressed.
I raised my hand.
"Ma'am?"
"Yes, Nhyira?"
"Is there a possibility that the names were accidentally mixed up?"
A few students laughed.
Our teacher smiled.
"No, dear. I've selected you deliberately."
I nodded slowly.
"Okay."
I lowered my hand.
Then I leaned towards Maya.
"Please tell my family I loved them."
She burst out laughing.
Across the room, Adrian shook his head.
And just like that, my perfectly normal Monday was officially ruined.
I hadn't even reached lunchtime.
