Bitter Pleasure

Agi was a girl whose lifestyle was nothing to write home about, yet everyone wanted to imitate and flock around her. She led a clique called "Only Girls," and not being part of it made those sidelined feel inferior. Joining the clique was like buying a ticket to an exotic destination—it was difficult to join and even harder to leave due to the numerous rules and the binding commitment.

I was popular in school. While others begged to join, I was given a free ticket. At first, it felt like it was joining a secret society, which I disliked. But later, I found out the clique was simply a group of girls living beyond their years. Strong alcoholic drinks and wild outings was an iceberg. One of the disqualifications was being a border. I was baffled that the girls managed to party late into the night and still show up at school the next day without raising suspicion.

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Curious to uncover their secret, I had to choose between my role as a school prefect and joining the clique. I told my friend Alice about my plan. She tried to discourage me, saying, "Girl, you hold a very big position in this school. Do you want to leave behind a story that anyone who remembers you will flash back to your time as a prefect? You should be exposing these girls, not joining them."

"I'm not joining them to be like then, I'm just going to make an impact, Alice. Don't you know they would hate me if I exposed them? Besides, they don't bring any contraband items to school. These are just girls like us, don't paint them black," I argued, trying to justify my decision.

Alice was skeptical, but she wished me luck as we left for home.

When the "Only Girls" heard I was joining, there was jubilation. They educated on everything I needed to know and the rule required me renting a place. I was scared about my brothers getting suspecious and what to tell my them. I called Agi, the leader, about my fears. She laughed and said, "I thought you were brilliant. Figure out something, babe. If I have to tell you, then you have to pay for the knowledge."

Unwilling to pay for advice, I convinced my brothers to let me live closer to the school, pretending and filling them why my staying off would help me do well in my examinations. They agreed, and I used the money they gave me for the hostel to move in with one of the girls who had her own apartment. Thus, I joined the clique.

At first, I intended to change the girls' ways, but soon I found myself enjoying the lifestyle. We partied and returned late, yet managed to keep up appearances at school. The fear of our parents finding out made us suspend activities during holidays. Some teachers tried to warn me, but I didn't listen. They had no evidence against me since we kept our activities outside school but the feeling I was making a big mistake by being seen with such clique forced them to intervene.

One night, we planned to visit a new club. I had a bad feeling but ignored it. Better, my roommate and friend encouraged me, saying, "You will love it once you try it."

At the club, we attracted influential young men. The party was in full swing when armed robbers burst in, demanding everyone to get down. They robbed us of everything. We had to wait until 5 AM and then walk back home. That night made me realize I needed to turn over a leaf, but I didn’t know how to tell the girls.

Life went on, but my school performance suffered. During the West African Examinations (WAEC), we were warned against cheating and if caught comes with expulsion. Despite our partying, we managed to sit the exams. However, I failed a core subject, shockingly to me, my brothers encouraged me to hope for the best in NECO, a substitute examination recognized and acceptable in all tertiary institution in my country.

Realizing the gravity of my decisions and actions. I decided to turn over a new leaf. I didn't wait for advice; I knew what I had to do. When the NECO results came out, I had all C's. What should have been disappointing felt like a victory. During our graduation party, the girls were planning on how to continue with the lifestyle but I was bold enough to open up that I would be leaving the clique to face the next chapter of my life. There was an open floor for anyone who wanted to take a decision like mine but none.

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