This story has shades of sexual harassment, and one moment that tips into assault. It's also, unfortunately, completely true.

When I was in SS1, my parents moved me to a new boarding school in Ogun State. The first week was calm. The weeks after that were a different story. Here's what actually happened.

1. Welcomed with a slap

I got slapped three times by the sports prefect (an SS3 student) for "staring at him." I was minding my own business when the slaps landed, no warning, no real explanation. Everyone around us was asking him why he slapped me,  he couldn't give a straight answer.

I found out later it was inherited beef. My younger sister had reported him to our dad at some point, and my dad came to the school to report him to the principal. He got warned to stay away from her. I think I was just the nearest available target to take it out on.

2. Labeled a snitch

This one was random. During the entrance exam, my cousin and I crossed paths with two girls also sitting the exam. One of them, I'll call her Bianca, was completely set(figure 8) and had every senior boy (and most of our set) interested in her the moment school resumed. Somehow she always knew what was happening in the boys' hostel, and because people saw us as friends, suspicion landed on me.

For about a week, I couldn't catch a break. Even friends I'd made turned on me. One slapped my chest repeatedly and threatened to beat me up for "leaking state secrets." The irony is I never told Bianca anything. If I had to guess, one of her many admirers was the actual source. It took about a week for the dust to settle.

3. The time I crossed a line

During labor duty one day, I was paired with a girl from my class to sweep a classroom. She had a big bumbum. I don't know what came over me, demons, maybe, but when she bent down, I slapped it.

It was the worst decision I made that term. She slapped me back, hard, and promised to report me to the matron. I spent the rest of the day sweating and pleading, and she wasn't having it. I sat through evening chapel convinced my name was about to be called out in front of the whole school. A junior student eventually came to tell me she'd forgiven me. I have never been more relieved in my life.