Everyone that ever attended a Nigerian secondary school, knows about the rivalry between the SS2 and the SS3 students.
This wasn't different during my time.

After SS2, we the incoming SS3 students where supposed to choose the school prefect position we wanted and then head over to sea school, where we'll be evaluated on whether we were fit for that position.

I was extremely indecisive about the prefect position I wanted, so I just went to sea school for the fun experience.
However, I remember having a conversation with my classmate, at the time. I told her one of the hardest positions one could go for was that of the Headboy, Headgirl or the SSS2 girls dormitory prefect.
She told me that was what she would go for-the SS2 dormitory prefect position- and she proceeded to fill it in her form.
And she got the position, but it came with its disadvantages. She left our SS3 girls dormitory and moved into the SS2 girls dorm, as their prefect.
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Everyone in our class knew Stephanie Johnson*, as a no-nonsense person. So when we started hearing rumours of what was happening to her over at the SS2 dormitory, we were baffled.

One time, we heard the SS2 students had taken her already-ironed school skirt, on a Monday morning, and poured toothpaste on it, folded it back in place and hung it where she had previously left it. That morning, when Stephanie came to class, she was wearing an ill-fitted skirt (obviously, not hers) and a defeated look.

Another time, whilst she was sleeping, these SS2 girls took her Technical Drawing assignment she had drawn that night, on an A4 paper, and dumped it into a bucket of dirty mopping water.

How did the news get to us, you may ask, especially since she never said a word about it? Well, one of the guys in my class was dating an SS2 girl, and she told him everything that happened. He, in turn, told his friends and they cackled.

It was like, every week, a different unfortunate event orchestrated by those demonic juniors, befell her.
I still look back and wonder why she never complained to their boarding house mistress. Maybe she did and her complaints were dismissed. I don't know.

Her tenure finally came to an end and she came back to the SS3 dormitory.
We were discussing, one day, and she told me everything that happened to her. I told her I already knew about it. And she was surprised. I told her she was my hero nonetheless. I didn’t have the courage to apply for that prefect position, but she did. And even though, it came with so many ills, she never gave up, instead she powered through till the end. Not all heroes wear capes and Stephanie Johnson was definitely one of them.


P.S I changed her name to protect her privacy.