Chapter 51: Chapter 51

~Uthman~

I swallowed at our close proximity. I shouldn't have hugged her.

So, you should have just stood there and watched her nearly have a panic attack?

I patted her back, smelling her shampoo, her long hair tickled my ears as I started to move back.

Jade grabbed my shirt, stopping me from moving away.

I stopped.

I looked down at where she grabbed my shirt before looking up at her again. Her eyes were still glassy. Glassy from crying.

Now, it looks like the sexy kinda glassy.

O beere? What are you thinking about?

'Jadeshola, we should......'

She pulled me closer and I swallowed, shaking my head. She darted her tongue across her lips.

Oh Shit!

'We should leave, the rest must be wondering where we are.'

She ignored my words and pulled me even closer, our lips inches apart.

We could just.....

The door opened.

WTF?

We were too shocked as the person entered.

I thought I locked the door.

Was it broken?

I looked at Jade and her eyes mirrored my expression.

The woman that entered opened her mouth and closed it again, taking us in.

Maybe she was used to seeing students making out or almost making out but definitely not Jade and I.

Jade's hand was still fisted around my shirt and she quickly dropped it and she jumped down from my table.

'Was I interrupting something? I could always come back.'

I exchanged a nervous glance with Jade who chuckled nervously.

'No, Mrs Nwokeji. We were just leaving.'

(In case you've forgotten, Mrs Nwokeji is their class teacher)

Jade said and grabbed my hands pulling me after her. We were almost by the door when Mrs Nwokeji said

'And where do you think you're going?'

We both stopped and turned back to her, albeit nervously.

*********

Almost an hour later, we walked out of the conference room and out of the administrative block. Mrs Nwokeji was just so surprised to see us together. She just teased us.

'So what were you guys doing so close to each other?'

She had asked immediately she had us sit down.

Jade looked down at her shoes while I just smiled.

'Were you guys arguing again?'

She asked again teasingly. I smiled and was about to answer her when Jade spoke up.

'We're just talking about some things.'

'Oh, is that true? You were just talking about somethings with this much distance between you'

She made a sign of a small distance with two fingers with a smile on her face. Jade looked down again.

'We're actually dating Ma'

I said and I earned a sharp glance from Jade. Mrs Nwokeji just smiled.

'I thought you guys were like sworn enemies for eternity.'

Then she launched into a sermon of 'I won't tell you not to date but do it with sense.' That explains why we were walking out of the conference room after almost an hour. That woman talk way too much.

Jade walked in front without waiting for me. I ran and caught up with her.

'That was a pretty intense conversation'

She rolled her eyes and crossed her hands over her chest.

'Wouldn't have happened if not for you.'

'Me?'

I pointed a finger to my chest.

'As in me? What did I do?'

She turned to look at me, eye brows raised.

'What did you not do?'

Wait, what?

'If I should recall what happened probably, you were the one who grabbed my shirt and wouldn't let go.'

She opened her mouth and closed it again. It was obvious that she was experasted.

'You were the one wouldn't who dragged me closer to you. She wouldn't have met us in that position if not for you.'

'You should have locked the door properly!'

She snapped and it was my turn to open and close my mouth.

What?

'She wouldn't have been able to enter in the first place if you had locked the door properly.'

Then she muttered something like 'What a bad luck' before walking away.

Before storming away.

I opened my mouth and closed it again.

Someone tell me what just happened here please.

********

We started our exams today. It was a 10am exam but we were all asked to come to school by 8am. The principal and some selected teachers gave us a lengthy speech, nah, a seminar on how to keep our ethics during the exams. No side talk, no whispers, no shiii and especially, no code talk. They said they can't avoid to allow anyone to ruin the name it took Lakeview 15 years to make. Eventually, they finished the seminar and allowed us to leave.

Jade and Hana were walking in front of us to the hall. She still hadn't said a word to me after she stormed off yesterday. I really still don't understand why she was that angry. She wasn't even that angry about PES.

Or maybe she was still angry about it?

She ignored all my calls yesterday. I felt she did it as some sort of retaliation for not picking her calls.

Girls ehn!

They're just too hard to understand.

***********

I've not seen my dad since he got me PES. Whenever I was home, he was always in the hospital. So when I walked inside our house and he was in the sitting room, watching a news channel, I was momentarily surprised. I paused a little when I saw him. He turned and saw me.

'Hey. Booda Uthman. How are you? How was in your exams?'

'It was fine Sir'

I replied, walking into the sitting room fully. I sat down on the chair across him. I've not even thanked him face to face

'Do you like the gift I got you?'

Ehn? I love it.

'I love it Sir. Thanks a lot Sir'

He nodded.

'I'm glad you love it.'

He said and a small silence dragged between us.

'But that doesn't mean you should play the game and forget to read for your exams oo or do you want me to help you keep it till after your exams?'

'No oo.'

I shouted and he burst into laughter.

'No sir'

Daniel will just die.

He kept laughing and his laughter sounded rich and melodious. I don't think I've ever heard his laughter like that. Especially since mom died.

His laughter trialed off and an awkward silence stretched between us. I glanced at the TV screen. It was a news about a refuge camp in Sweden, how kids were dying from malaria, common cold, hunger and lack of medical facilities.

So much sadness out there.

After a while, dad stood up and left for the hospital.

And once again, I was home alone. Except for the Gate man at the gate.

I went to my room and changed out of my school uniform. Jade was still giving me a cold shoulder. Two of my messages to her were left unread on WhatsApp. I opened whatsApp and sent another message to her.

'Hey Baby Girl'

The message showed two ticks and I knew she was online. I waited for a reply and when none was forthcoming, I decided to all her. I was about to press the back button when she replied.

'. Who is your baby girl?'

'You of course. Now and always.'

' In your dreams'

I laughed and typed another reply to her.

'But why are you so angry? I already apologized for the PES stuff'

' The problem here is that you don't even know what you've done wrong'

Eeh eeh. God save me. I chuckled to myself and uploaded her picture to the my whatsApp Status with my caption of LOML. She was the first person to view it and almost immediately she uploaded a picture of a lone girl on her status with the quote 'single girls are the happiest'on the picture. She wrote the caption on it.

I just burst into laughter.

***********

~Jade~

The house felt kinda empty after Fatima left. I thought I wasn't going to miss her until she left. I missed waking up to loud music from her room, that the next morning after she left, I strained my ears to hear music to no avail. I initially thought I woke up in the wrong house.

That's what they say. You don't realize how much you enjoy someone's company until they're gone.

And the way you're treating Uthman, you won't realize how much you like him now until he's gone.

I sat up straight from my bed. Where did that come from? Gone where? Won ti e bi da (They don't born him well). He likes me much more than that.

He likes you much more than that? And how did you know? How many times has he told you that?

Countless times. A lot of.......

My thoughts trailed off. Wait oo. We never explicitly said we liked each other. He never even told me he likes me. Why? What? What if? What if???

What if what? Just calm yourself down and don't give yourself unnecessary headache. Besides, you have Government exam in two days time and you're here doing what??

I ignored my subconscious and continued with my thought.

Does he not like me?

Was that why he said we should leave the conference room three days ago?

In that moment, I could have sworn I saw my subconscious raised its eyebrows and hissed at me.

At how ridiculous I sounded.

But what should I do when he never told me he likes me?

And you told him you like him already?

Must I always be the first person?

The door opened and Zee stepped in. She took in my appearance with bewildered eyes.

Sure, I must look like a mad woman with my tousled hair because I've ran my hands over them like a thousand time during my hot mental debate. My hands were spread out in front of me like I was begging for alms.

Zee looked at me, then looked back at the door.

'Are you alright? I was hearing voices in here?'

Was I talking out loud? God! Uthman! With this rate, I might end up losing my sanity.

'I was just reading out loud'

'But you don't have any textbook with you.'

Pttttfff. Anything ever pass Zee's eyes?

I heaved a sigh and Zee smiled.

'Is it boy's issues?'

She asked and she joined me to sit on the bed. She a shoprite nylon on the bed. I took out the contents. It was a box of chocolate and some other ijekuje. I opened the box of chocolate and started eating it without thinking much of it.

When I looked up, Zee was staring at me in mock horror. Then, she smacked my lips.

'Did I tell you they're for you?'

I rolled my eyes.

'I never asked though'

She made a tsk tsk sound and started eating from the box too.

'So what happened? Is it boy's issue?'

Then she moved closer with a look of conspiracy on her face.

I pushed her back.

'It's not boy's issue oo.'

'Then, what's it if it's not boy's issue?'

'I don't even have any boy in my life to give me any issue'

She moved even closer, her expression bewildered.

'What about the cute boy? The one with the abs and.....'

'We broke up.'

'Ehn????'

I said nothing and Zee took what I just said in, then her eyes grew wide?

'ehn??? Otoo abi iro? (true or lie)'

'Ela ni (prank ni)'

I replied with a smile and she calmed down, her hands to her chest.

'You scared me. I would've have just matched to his house to beat him up......'

I rolled my eyes. Oshey John Cena of our time.

'But seriously, I'm angry with him. I'm annoyed. Infact I'm beyond pissed.'

I said, sitting up straight, folding my arms over my chest and pouting my lips.

If only he had locked the door properly, I wouldn't even be going through all these. And then, the stupid PES too.

Zee smiled.

'Oshey girlfriend. What did boyfriend do wrong oo?'

'Everything!'

I blurted out without thinking twice.

'Everything. He never told me he likes me and can you believe we've kissed just once and I'm here going crazy about whether or not we are going to ki..........'

I trailed off, realizing I have said way too much and how I even sounded ridiculous to my own ears.

What on earth were you thinking about?

Zee who was looking at me and shaking her head all the time I was talking just burst into laughter.

She laughed so hard that she had to clench her stomach.

She laughed so hard that she started coughing.

I facepalmed myself.

Oh God!

'So what you're telling now is that the reason why you're angry at him is because of a kiss?'

She managed to get that out before bursting into laughter again.

'Wow wow wow. Who is this girl in front of me? This is definitely not my innocent sister. Seems like someone resetted you.'

She burst into laughter again.

'Okay okay! I'll be serious now'

But she only ended up bursting into laughter again.

Seriously?

'Okay. Let's be serious na. So you're angry at him because he is not kissing you again? Does that mean you've kissed.... BEFORE?'

She asked, her voice raising a little.

I nodded and she covered her mouth with her palm.

'Wow. The cute boy is a bad influence oo. And God, I've really missed all the important things in your life.

Ehn? All the important things in my life?

So it's not important and yet you spend hours thinking and debating over it?

Oh. Shut it.

'So you've liked him all along even though you always denied it?'

I started to say something and she beat me to it.

'And he liked you too but you guys were just using your childish rivalry as a camouflage. Must be why he gave up the competition for you.'

I frowned.

'Nah, he did not. He was sick on that day.'

Zee appeared thoughtful for a while.

Something she never do. Think, I mean.

Hmmmmm hmm hmm. Let her catch you.

'Why do I find that doubtful? Considering the history you guys have especially with Michelle and the stolen keypoints.'

Was that even possible?

How logical was that?

But he was perfectly fine a day to the competition. We even talked late to the evening that day only for him to have a strange sickness the next morning.

Could Zee be right?

No way.

He wouldn't do that.

'So baby sis, fill me in on how you guys started dating and wait, the kiss first.'

I rolled my eyes but started to gist her nevertheless. I was not even halfway done when her phone rang. She signaled for me to keep quiet. She brought out her phone and stared at the caller. She frowned.

'Why is Aunty Lara's sister calling me when I just left the hospital?

She picked the phone up and I heard everything on the other line because her phone was on loudspeaker.

But other than focus on what the person on the other line said, I focused on Zee as her phone dropped from my hands to the bed and then the floor. It hit the floor with a loud thud and I was sure it must have broken.

I focused on Zee's expression. I expected a scream or two but she just stared at me, without seeing me, her expression bleak.

Because what would you feel if not bleakness if they should call you to tell you that the mother you just left her side had died?