Chapter one

KIISHA

"Which year did Kolbe prepare organic compounds from its constituent elements?" the MC asked.

Gosh! What type of stupid question is that?

I looked around frantically and my eyes landed on my competitor, Jared. He smirked at me and I eyed him.

We've been caught in a tie and they decided to ask one last question. Whoever says the correct answer first would be crowned the winner.

Jared and I were always competitors since SS1 and I'd only won twice out of four rounds. This current one is our fifth competition.

He was representing ROL Academy while I represented RGC.

"Five seconds left," the MC announced and I looked around frantically. Jared still had that smirk on his face.

I felt like slapping him.

I mentally hit my head trying to remember the answer, but my brain failed me.

"Two seconds left. If neither of you answers, we'll play another round till the winner is determined," he warned and I decided to try my luck.

"1821."

"You're wrong."

"1845," Jared boasted.

"Correct!" the MC shouted and the whole audience roared, this is one of the most embarrassing moments in my life. I hate losing.

The DJ slot in 'Stand Up For The Champion' by Right Said Fred as the whole hall turned upside down.

My eyes met with his and he gave me a cool smile which I ignored with a hiss.

  After the celebration, RGC earned second place and went home with a medal and two-hundred-fifty thousand Naira, which was half the price the winner went home with. Can you imagine? But, it wasn't as if I needed the money.

TWO WEEKS LATER

As we heard the persistent knocks on our door, Kiishi stood up to answer. After a hostel Prefect introduced herself, Kiishi opened it.

Immediately, my curiosity got the best of me, so I stood up. On getting to the door, I was astonished at what greeted me.

Kiishi and I both exchanged glances before gaping at the pretty girl beside the Prefect, the three of us stared at one another in silence before the Prefect broke the ice.

"She'll be staying in your room from now on," she declared and soon walked away.

Kiishi formed a small smile as she moved away from the door to let the new girl in. I decided to help with her luggage and in no time, we engaged in a discussion.

"Do you like our room?" Kiishi asked as we watched her scan it.

The room was large with three beds for the three different occupants. Each side had a table and chair along with half-length mirrors, table lamps, and shoe-racks. We had a wardrobe big enough to hold all of our dresses, and a plasma TV that rested on the wall beside beautiful paintings.

In short, our room is very beautiful. In fact, the whole boarding house is rather nice. But, why wouldn’t it be? We pay almost a million per term considering the fact that it's the best school in Oyo and of course in the top ten in Nigeria.

"Yeah," she responded as she dropped her luggage at the empty side of the room. I dropped the ones I had grabbed too before going to my side of the room.

"Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Aanuoluwakiishi Oluwole, my mom owns the TAL departmental store and my dad is a real estate agent, he owns ANSEL properties."

That's the way all students at Royal Garden College introduce themselves.

The new girl looked surprised as she sat on her chair. "Really?" she questioned.

Kiishi nodded with a very big smile, I couldn’t really understand why she was ecstatic about the new girl.

"Well, I'm Aanuoluwakiisha Adeeso, my mom's a poet and my dad owns a construction company--LEVEL company," I introduced. 

She looked amazed once again.

"You mean your dad owns LEVEL?" 

I smiled briefly. "Yeah."

"I see, wait a minute," she said, taking a look at Kiishi and I, she scrutinized us for a while before speaking again.

"Are you guys twins?" She shook her head, "No, you guys don't have the same last name. So what's your relationship? "

Kiishi and I glanced at one another before bursting into a fitful of laughter.

"People always ask us that question. We aren't twins, we don't even have any family relations," Kiishi explained with a cool smile dancing on her lips.

"We're only besties," I added.

The girl shook her head and pouted, signaling that she didn’t believe it was true. But yeah, it is.

Kiishi and I do look alike and people do mistake us for twins, as even our names resemble each other. But we aren't from the same womb.

We've both tried asking our parents who denied that they gave birth to twins, saying, instead, we are good friends with no explanation behind our resemblance.

And now, the new girl here also has our looks.

 "That's really hard to believe," she confessed.

"Sure it is, but don't you think you also look like both of us, we could be mistaken for triplets," Kiishi said, looking from me to the girl. She nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that’s strange," she said.

"I think so too. The instance I set my eyes on you, I knew something was weird," I stated and we all nodded, thinking of what could possibly be happening.

"Anyway, you haven't introduced yourself. You might be related to Kiisha or me in one way," Kiishi pointed out.

The girl laughed lightly before shaking her head, "No, we aren't related, I'm Aanuoluwakiiti Afolabi. My mom's a nurse and my dad is the governor."

Kiishi and I shared a look in astonishment as we were both short of words.

 "You mean ..." Kiishi stuttered.

"Yep, I knew you guys would be surprised, but I'm used to it, main reason I pick my friends like I pick out onions in my food but I like you guys. Plus, our names are almost the same, we’re like triplets."

"You didn't behave like one," I pointed out after I found my voice. 

Kiiti chuckled before asking, "Why do you say that?"

"Most students here whose parents are into politics are peacocks. They think everyone will see them through rose-colored glasses."

Kiishi added, "They don't relate with other students, only with themselves, and they even have a group!"

Kiiti had wanted to say something but the jingling of the bell hindered her. The bell was for dinner, Kiishi and I jumped to our feet and Kiiti gave us a questioning look.

"It's time for dinner. We have to go quickly," Kiishi told her and she stood up.

We all walked out of the room and headed to the dining hall, all eyes were on us--mostly Kiiti, though, since she was a new student.

"The hall is nice," Kiiti commented as she bumped into someone.

"Are you blind?" Kemisola, another student, barked as if she was the one that had been bumped into.

Kiiti had actually bumped into Rihanna, who was the gang leader of their group. The group Kiishi and I had been criticizing earlier.

Their group consisted of three girls and four boys. Let me now give you the details of the bitchy group.

Rihanna is the daughter of the deputy governor. While I would think she and Kiiti would know each other, from the looks of it, I doubt it. Kemisola, her handbag, is the daughter of a senator, while Dumininu, the good one amongst them, (I wonder why she hung out with them) her dad is a commissioner.

And for the stupid guys, Uche's dad is a Minister, Demolu's father is the chairman of the local government, while Ambrose and Azeem's mom are members of the House of Assembly.

"Sorry," Kiiti apologized succinctly and walked away while Kiishi and I followed her.

In an instant, Rihanna pulled Kiiti back by the collar of her white cotton polyester frock top that perfectly matched her black, stretched, high-waisted jeggings.

"Let go of my shirt," Kiiti ordered gently and Rihanna obeyed. It was obvious she wanted to do worse, but maybe Kiiti's voice scared her or she knew she was the governor's daughter.

"I think I apologized," Kiiti said calmly with a fake smile.

 "Well, that isn't how you apologize," Rihanna insisted.

"Sorry, oooo," Kiishi and I said in a mocking tone which in turn earned us fierce glares from Rihanna and Kemisola.

Ignoring her, I pulled Kiiti away and we walked to the dining tables, acutely aware of the fierce eyes blazing coals of fire behind us.

After collecting our dinner of rice and beans, smoked fish, eggs, and apple juice to top it off, we sauntered to our seats. Kiiti decided she would be sitting with us.

"That girl is really something," Kiiti started.

"They're the gangs we told you about earlier," I explained and she nodded.

 "No wonder," she mumbled as we continued our meal.

"Don't you think that girl looks like Kiishi and Kiisha," I heard Kemisola say. Their seat was beside ours and we could hear their discussion.

"Yeah. There's something off about her," Rihanna added while looking at Kiiti, giving her an annoyingly fake smile.

"What do you mean?" Kemisola asked.

"Find out about her parents," Rihanna ordered.

Kiiti almost choked on her juice but Kiishi offered her water while I glared daggers at them.