High school is a pressure cooker. There’s the academic pressure, the social pressure that comes with figuring out friendships and fitting in, and, of course, the biological chaos of puberty. Put all of that together and you’re bound to get some questionable decisions and very funny stories.

We asked a few people to tell us about the wildest, weirdest and most embarrassing things they did in high school. From praying against Madam Koi Koi to jumping the school fence for video games, here are their confessions.

1. We prayed against Madam Koi Koi for an entire term

Almost every night, we prayed against Madam Koi Koi before going to bed. We had heard stories about heels clicking outside the hostel and a teacher who died with a missing red shoe. Apparently, every night she would return looking for her shoe, walking through the corridors of the hostel and checking every room.

The seniors had passed the story down for what felt like generations, so as juniors in boarding school, we were genuinely terrified. Every night before bed, we would pray against Madam Koi Koi until we got much older and realised it was all just a myth.

2. I paid someone to write a love letter to my crush

I had a crush on one of the smartest and prettiest girls in my high school. I knew I wasn’t as intellectual as she was, so I paid another smart kid about ₦25 to help me write a love letter to her.

She ended up rejecting me, which was really hurtful at the time.

3. I jumped the school fence to play video games

My friends and I used to climb the school fence to play video games. We would pretend we weren’t feeling well and ask for permission to go to the school clinic.

Instead of going to the clinic, we would climb over the school fence, head to a gaming centre on the next street and play for about three hours. Then we’d come back to school like nothing had happened.

4. I faked being sick because I didn’t want to stay in school

Back in high school, I once faked being sick so badly that my mum was called to take me to the hospital.

On the way there, I told her I was craving ice cream. She bought it for me, took me to the doctor, got my medication and then took me straight back to school.

She didn’t come back to pick me up until around 7 p.m. Unfortunately, my lesson teacher used the opportunity to teach me Chemistry for two hours.

I wanted to cry.

5. I told my classmates my dad lived in the US

Whenever we had Parent-Teacher Association meetings, only my mum would show up. My classmates started asking where my dad was and why he never came to school.

So I lied and told them he lived in the United States.

I had lost my father at a very young age, but I didn’t want my classmates to make fun of me. At the time, pretending he was just abroad felt easier than explaining the truth.