The next morning, Shatta woke up early and prepared to take Kojo and Abena to their new school. The prestigious Ashford International High School was known for its state-of-the-art facilities, top-notch education, and, most notably, the wealth of its students. It was the kind of school where only the privileged elite sent their children, and the arrival of two transfer students in the middle of the trimester was already causing a stir.
Shatta, dressed in his usual sharp attire, guided Kojo and Abena to the sleek black SUV waiting outside the mansion. The siblings were still in awe of their new life, and although they were nervous about starting at a new school, they felt reassured by Shatta's presence.
When they arrived at the school, all eyes were on them. The students, dressed in their expensive uniforms and sporting the latest gadgets, were surprised to see unfamiliar faces. Kojo and Abena felt the weight of the stares as they walked through the halls. The whispers followed them everywhere.
"Who are they?" one student asked.
"Must be new transfers," another replied, eyeing their modest clothes with disdain.
Kojo and Abena were escorted to their respective classrooms by the school’s secretary. First, Abena was introduced to her SHS 1 class. The teacher, Mrs. Dawson, a stern woman with glasses perched on her nose, paused the lesson and addressed the class.
"Class, we have a new student joining us today," Mrs. Dawson announced. "Please welcome Abena Boakye."
Abena stepped forward, her heart pounding in her chest. "Hello, everyone. My name is Abena Boakye. I’m from a school in Kwasi Krom," she said, her voice trembling slightly.
For a moment, there was silence. Then, one of the boys in the back, unable to contain his laughter, burst out, "Did she just say Kwasi Krom? That’s a village!"
The entire class erupted in laughter. Abena felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment. She had always been proud of her roots, but here, in this room full of privileged kids, it was clear that her background made her an outsider.
Meanwhile, Kojo faced a similar situation in his SHS 2 class. After he introduced himself and mentioned that he came from Kwasi Krom, the students reacted the same way.
"Did you have to ride on donkeys to get to school?" one boy sneered, causing another round of laughter.
Kojo clenched his fists but remained silent. He knew better than to react to their taunts, but the sting of their words cut deep.
Later that day, during lunch, Abena took out her neatly packed home-cooked food and looked for a place to sit. She found an empty table at the far end of the dining hall and sat down, hoping to avoid more attention.
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As she started to eat, a hush fell over the hall, and Abena looked up to see Jacqy Akrobeto, the campus belle, sauntering towards her. Jacqy was known not just for her looks, but for the power her father’s wealth gave her over the other students. She was the queen bee, and everyone knew it.
Jacqy approached Abena’s table, her nose wrinkling as she caught a whiff of the food. "What’s that smell?" she asked loudly, making sure everyone could hear. She pulled out a bottle of perfume from her designer bag, sprayed it in the air around Abena, and smirked. "Smells like someone’s cooking in a pigsty."
The students around her erupted in laughter. Jacqy wasn’t done, though. She leaned in, looking Abena in the eye with a cruel smile, and spat on her food. "You should be grateful I’m helping you get rid of this disgusting meal."
Abena froze, her eyes welling up with tears. She had never been humiliated like this before. As Jacqy turned to leave, her laughter still ringing in the air, Kojo, who had been watching from across the room, leaped to his feet.
"Hey!" Kojo shouted, rushing toward Jacqy. "How dare you treat my sister like that?"
Before Kojo could reach her, one of Jacqy’s friends—her boyfriend, a tall, muscular boy named Kwame—stuck out his foot and tripped Kojo. He stumbled, crashing to the ground in front of the entire dining hall. The room filled with laughter once more as Kojo struggled to get back on his feet.
"Go back to your village, kid," Kwame sneered. "You don’t belong here."
Just then, Johnson Amewu, a boy who had befriended Kojo earlier in the day, stepped forward. "That’s enough, Kwame," Johnson said, his voice firm. He walked over to Kojo and helped him up, then turned to Abena. "Come sit with us," he said, gesturing to his sister Janet, who was sitting a few tables away.
Janet waved them over with a warm smile. Although the Amewu siblings came from a decent home, they were often looked down upon for being the ‘poorest’ among the elite—at least until Kojo and Abena arrived. But unlike the others, Johnson and Janet knew the sting of being judged for something beyond their control, and they weren’t about to let Kojo and Abena go through it alone.
As they sat down with the Amewus, Kojo whispered, "Thank you."
"Don’t mention it," Johnson replied. "We’ve got to stick together."
When school ended, Kojo and Abena waited at the entrance for Shatta to pick them up. The other students, seeing them standing there, began to tease them again.
"Look, they’re waiting for a taxi!" one girl jeered.
"I bet they don’t even have money for a taxi," another boy added, laughing.
Kojo and Abena tried to ignore them, but the taunts continued until the sound of a helicopter filled the air. The students fell silent, craning their necks to see where the noise was coming from. As the helicopter descended onto the school’s park, the rotors whipping up dust and leaves, Kojo and Abena exchanged a knowing look.
"Is that...?" one boy started to ask, his voice trailing off in disbelief.
Kojo and Abena walked calmly toward the helicopter, the same one that had brought them to their new home the previous day. As they climbed aboard, the once-jeering crowd stood with their mouths agape, unable to process what they were seeing.
Jacqy, who had been the loudest in mocking them earlier, was frozen in shock. "That... that’s theirs?" she stammered, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Johnson and Janet, standing nearby, exchanged a glance and smiled. They were as surprised as anyone, but also relieved to see that their new friends were far more than what they seemed.
As the helicopter lifted off, leaving the stunned students behind, Kojo and Abena couldn’t help but feel a sense of triumph. They had been laughed at, mocked, and humiliated, but now they knew that they had the last laugh.