Chapter 57: Chapter 57

~Jade~

I was walking with my back, all the while waving at Isreal when I bumped into someone. The drink the person was holding feel on the ground and it spilled on our bodies. I instinctively bent down to pick the cup and the keys that fell with it.

'I'm sorry. I wasn't looking at where I was going.'

I stood up and handed the key to him. His hands brushed against mine and it lingered there for a moment. I met his eyes, about to tell him off and I froze.

He winked at me, smiled and gave me a mock salute before walking off.

I had an instant flashback and I instinctively moved back.

I did not know how long I stood there. I was too immobile to do anything. It was only when two girls bumped into me that I regained my composure and started to walk back.

I was angry at myself. I was angry at how I felt.

I was angry at how I can't continue my mind and how that loser still affect me like that.

I did not know when I got to where my friends were. I did not know when I yanked my bag away from Hana and started to walk away. Uthman was calling my name but I ignored him. I picked my phone from the bag and called the driver. It was then that he soon caught with me anyway. He grabbed my hand. I tilted my head back to stop the tears.

He paused when he saw my face.

'Wait, what happened? Is it that foolish Isreal?'

Then he started to walk back before I could say anything. That brought a smile to my face. Was he going to go and beat Isreal up?

I turned and grabbed his hands.

'It's not Isreal Joor.'

He stopped and looked at me, searching my face.

'Then, what's it?'

I heaved a sigh and looked around. We were standing not far from an ice cream cafe and there was a shady tree beside.

'Let's go and see down first. I don't fancy standing.'

I did not wait for him to reply and I started walking to the tree. He hesitated for a minute before he followed me. I got to the tree and sat on the big log of wood that he was. He stood in front of me, still staring at me as if I was an alien.

'What exactly is going on?'

I shook my head and he sat down beside me. I did not say anything for a while. I only stared at my foot. Uthman was looking at me all the while but he kept quiet anyways.

After a while, he stood up and walked to the ice cream cafe . He returned minutes later with two cones. One stray berry flavour and vanilla flavor. He stretched the vanilla flavour to me. I shook my head and reached for the stray berry instead.

He sat beside me and still said nothing. I opened my own cup and started eating my ice cream. When I was done, I turned to look at Uthman, he had barely eaten his. I looked at his face before I reached for his ice cream. He allowed me have it. When I was almost halfway done with it, I noticed him staring at me quizzically.

'Don't tell me all that was because you wanted ice cream?'

His voice was low and I burst into laughter.

What?

'Of course not. Why would you even think that?'

'Well, you are eating it like it's your life line.'

I burst into laughter again.

'I'm just a sucker for ice cream. That's just it.'

He nodded and I returned my attention to the ice cream. When I was done with it, I threw the two cups away.

'I saw him.'

He turned to look at him, eyebrows raised in confusion.

'Him?'

I nodded.

'Yes. Him. The guy.'

I watched as all colors drained from his face. He clenched his fist.

'Did he try.......'

He asked and I shook my head. He visibly relaxed but his fist was still clenched. His knuckles were turning white. I reached out and touched his hand. He turned to look at me.

'I'm okay now. I'm fine. Don't break your hands oo.'

I tried to reduce the tension but he did not smile, he only released his clenched fist. We fell into an awkward silence before he talked again.

'I'm sorry.'

I turned to look at him.

'Why are you sorry? I should be the sorry one. I shouldn't have yelled at you guys. I was just being terrible.'

He moved closer to me.

'Oh come on. It's understandable. I'm not mad at you. I can't even be mad at you. And besides, you have every reason to be angry.'

'Are you trying to get cute with me?'

He smiled.

My favorite smile.

'Is it bad?'

His phone rang before I could answer and he muttered Akin before he picked it up. I could only hear his own side of the conversation.

'Yes. Yeah. She's fine. Yeah. No. No wahala. Ehn....'

Then he blocked the receiver and mouthed to me:

'Should we go back?'

I shook my head.

'No, we're not coming back. Yeah. Let's meet when we're going home. Alright then.'

He hung up and looked at me.

'Are you sure you're okay?'

I nodded.

'I'm fine now that you're smiling at me.'

He burst into laughter.

'Seriously? Now, who's getting cute with the other?'

I only shrugged. He threw his arms around me so our sides were pressed together. I smiled. It was like a heavy weight was being lifted off my shoulder.

His phone was still in his other hand and I collected it. It was locked and I turned the back to him so he'd unlock it. He shrugged.

'Try to guess the password.'

I swiped the screen up and tried all possible passwords I could think of, ko werk. I already tried it up to five times and I had to wait for 30 seconds. I tried four other passwords but still nothing. I turned to him and he had a smirk on his face.

'Wait, Uthman, Don't tell me your password is one formula like that oo. This one that it is unguessable.'

Hr burst into laughter.

'Come on, you're not that creative. Try to come up with something.'

I returned my attention back to the phone.

What could it be?

Your name?

No way.

I rolled my eyes but I tried it anyway. And it worked.

Huh?

Seriously?

I did not say anything. I only stared at the unlocked screen. I was feeling things I've not felt before. One of the pictures we snapped together on that last day at school was his profile picture.

He moved forward so he could see my face.

'Are you touched?'

I did not reply him and he smiled, putting a hand to his chest.

'Oh, my heart. Jadeshola Badmus is touched. I can die now.'

I rolled my eyes and smiled.

'Oh come on and which kind of die is that one? Do you even know how long we have to go?'

He did not say anything. He only kept smiling.

Oh God!

I must be in love with this boy.

Love? What do you even know about love?

Well, something pretty close to what I feel right now.

I smiled and returned my gaze back to his phone. I stared intently at the picture. He looked finer in the picture. Way too finer than I am. No way.

'I'm changing this picture. You're finer there. It's not done like that. No way.

Then I scrolled to where the gallery was and started searching for a suitable picture. His gallery was filled with my pictures, our random pictures that I did not even know he snapped.

This guy has been stalking me.

I smiled to myself and I finally found the perfect picture. Now, this is what we call the perfect picture. See how I look pretty. I used it.

'And now that you've seen the picture where you're finer than me, it's okay, hun?'

I nodded and he scowled.

'On my own phone?'

I nodded and shrugged.

'I don't care. It's our picture.'

He made a tsk tsk sound and I got another idea. I clicked on the contact and he was quick to snatch it away from me. Now, I'm getting suspicious. I eyed him suspiciously.

'What did you save my number with?'

'Jadeshola Lakeview.'

He replied in less than an heartbeat and I burst into laughter.

'Won bi e da. We'll just end every thing right now and here.

He burst into laughter.

'Haba, Jade. Someone cannot play with you?'

I rolled my eyes.

'Not that kind of play.'

'Okay. I saved your number with Sugar.'

I rolled my eyes.

'Sugar ko, Sumiga ni. That doesn't sound like you at all. Sugar? Just save it with Honey then.'

He burst into laughter.

'Come on, it's not that bad. People use that all the time.'

'I'm not people sha. But seriously, tell me na. What's it?'

'Just Jade.'

'Lai Lai.'

He laughed again, throwing his head back.

'Girls ehn. You guys are just not understandable.'

I shrugged.

'It's not that hard to understand girls. Just tell me what you saved my number with. If not, I won't tell you yours too.'

That seems to perk his interest and he handed his phone to me. I smiled to myself and quickly typed my no into his dial pad. I really don't want care what he saved my no with but I care even though I feel like it doesn't matter that much.

Baby Girl

He won't just relent on this baby girl of a thing. No wonder he did not want me to see it.

I turned to him with my brows raised.

'Seriously?'

He immediately made to collect the phone from me and I held it away from him.

'Let me change it if you don't like it.'

I rolled my eyes and clicked on edit on my name, adding 6 different heart emojis to it. I handed the phone back to him.

'It's okay now. As long as you don't add a padlock emoji to it. I'm good.....'

He raised his brows.

'But I can definitely add one to your name.'

He smiled and held out his hands.

'Your phone? Lemme check mine.'

I smiled and shook my head. I had no attention of giving him my phone in the first place.

'Oh wow. Don't worry. Two can definitely play this game.'

I patted his back, all the while smiling at him.

'Calm down boo. I saved your number with sweetest thing.....'

He started to smile.

'...... But I'm still not going to tell you.'

The smile on his face disappeared and I laughed.

It was getting late and the sun was already setting. I glanced around. The hangout was still in full gear and we could hear loud music and excited voices. My eyes fell on a signboard in a distance and I smiled at it. It was Lakeview's signboard and the side I could see from here had the picture of Uthman and I.

'Baby, see.'

I called out without thinking twice and I pointed to the direction of the board. When he did not say anything, I turned to look at him. He was staring at me. I mouthed what.

'Do you realize you just called me baby?'

'Really?' I put a hand to my neck and massaged it. 'I take it back then. Jerk, see.'

I repeated my statement and he burst into laughter. I joined in too. God! I don't think we've sat under the tree for an honor and I've laughed 8 months laughter already.

God! I wish we'd just stay in this moment forever.

Just us, no third party, no any other thing.

Just the both of us.

'So what are you trying to show me?'

His voice jolted me out of my reverie and I could feel me inside jump.

'The sign board there.' I pointed to it. 'Can you see it? It's lakeview's.'

He frowned for a second or so before he finally saw it. He eyes twinkled with amusement as he stared at it.

'Do you remember the day we snapped that picture?'

I burst into laughter at that memory and he joined in. We were in SS2, it was during those days when we couldn't stand each other. We gave the photographer a hard time that day ehn. We just couldn't get a single posture right. I didn't want Uthman any where near me. I did not want his hands around my shoulders and that was exactly what the photographer wanted us to do.

But his hands now...

Oh shut it.

'The photographer must have told we were crazy. In his mind, he must be like: how on earth are this two nuisances the ace of the school?'

My laughter heightened at his words and God, my stomach was starting to hurt from laughing way too much.

But it's not bad. I want the rest of my days to be like this.

My laughter turned into a grin when I realized we were both staring into each other's eyes. His eyes were twinkling with amusement and excitement.

'On that day, who would never have thought we were going to end up like this?'

'Who would have thought?'

I replied him and I don't know how long we stood there, grinning at each other. Passerbys must be wondering what our deal was. They'd probably conclude we were crazy or something.

I'm definitely crazy.

About boo. About Bae.

I shined my teeth wider.

There was a small sound from above us and I instinctively looked up. That was the same time the street light on the tree came on. It illuminated the tree making the ordinary leaves on it look more beautiful.

This feels romantic.

The ice cream stand turned on their lights too and the name of the Cafe flashed in neon light right above the main door.

'ROMANCE IS A LOVE STORY.'

I and Uthman read out at the same time and I smiled.

'What a name!'

'It's serving the purpose they want it to though. Everything feels romantic right now. It's way too beautiful self.'

I turned to look at him with my brows raised and he grinned. We should leave. It was getting real late.

'Let's snap a perfect picture. We can't allow this beautiful sight to go to waste.'

He said and moved closer to me, his camera poised in the air. I put on my best smile.

There's no way I'd allow Uthman to be finer than me in a picture.

No way.

I won't allow this fine boy to kill my shine.

**********

~Uthman~

It was our Dinner and Award night and while some of our mates were already inside the hall, we were still outside. Akin, Dan and I. We were waiting for the girls and we've been waiting for God knows how many minutes.

My mates were snapping pictures in front of the Lakeview's banner beside the door. We've already snapped some pictures there but then, we still have to snap with the girls. Except that they were nowhere to be found.

Dan checked his wristwatch again and he groaned.

'Eeh eeh. Shey this girl will arrive any time soon? Shey I won't go and sit down in the hall like this.'

I smiled. I know I dare not do that. Jade would have my head. She specifically asked me to wait for her. And even if she did not ask, I was going to do that anyway.

'Well, well well. Here they come.'

I immediately looked up at Akin's words. Hana and Ayisha were working towards us and it took me a total of 30 seconds for me to realize the third girl was Jade.

Holy freaking freak.

Oh my God.

I instantly lost my voice and thoughts. I just couldn't think about anything except the girl walking towards me.

My girl.

She was putting on a straight black off shoulder gown that had a slit up to her thigh. It was the simplest and yet, most exquisite style I've ever seen. It fitted perfected and it outlined all her curves.

Her hips.

I've always known she has a very tiny waist but the gown made it look tinnier.

Yeah. You've held her before. My subconscious grinned at me and I rolled my eyes.

Ode.

And damn, I wanted to hold her around the waist again.

Right now.

In that gown.

Whoever sew that one must be a silent killer because the gown, coupled with the girl wearing it were killing me silently and slowly.

Her hair was down and the full length fell across her neck and shoulder. My eyes were drawn to her neckline and the diamond pendant resting just below a collar bone. I sucked in sharp breaths as I stared at her exposed shoulder, neck and upper chest.

This girl and off shoulder.

When they were explaining exquisite, they should have just written Jade. She's that word itself.

My eyes traveled from her neck to her waist, then to her legs and I could make out the color of her shoes. Diamond and I could swore it glittered against the late evening sun.

She had a smile plastered on her face as she walked towards me. And then she winked.

I swore my heart stopped for a minute before it started beating again.

I'm dead

I'm so dead.

She got to me and I closed my mouth. I opened my mouth but I couldn't form any words. My eyes remained focused on her face. Her smile widened and she waved her hand in my front.

'Boo, are you awestruck?'

I blinked once or twice, momentarily forgetting where we were.

'Ohhhh.'

I finally found my voice but I still couldn't think of any sensible thing to say.

She smiled and blinked her eyes repeatedly. I know she must be waiting for me to say something. I scratched my head but I still couldn't think of anything to say.

'God! I'm dead. I can't...' I stuttered before raking my hand through my hair again.

'I've lost my voice. I don't what to say. Geez. How did I get this lucky?'

She smiled coyly and nudged me with her hands.

I looked around to see that the rest were gone. They've probably entered the hall. They must have said they were going but God knows I couldn't hear or see anything except Jade.

Jade nudged me again with her hands and I looked down at her. Even with her probably 5 inches heels, she still barely manage to meet my shoulder.

'We should probably enter now. The program will soon start.'

I nodded and we started walking towards the entrance, her hands wrapped around my elbow.

'And, you look good boo. You're the most handsome here tonight. You've always being sha.'

Boys don't blush? Well, I just did and I'm probably sure everybody would see the color pink on my cheeks.

Oh God. It's Jade that'd kill me.

We soon got to where the banner ban and the rest of the gang were there.

'We thought you guys were not going to come again. You were both busy shooting a love scene with your eyes.'

Akin said as soon as he saw us and Jade laughed before she greeted him and Dan by hugging them. The girls were directly in front of the banner and Dan was snapping. Hana was putting on blue ball gown and Ayisha wore something similar to what Jade wore, except that hers wasn't an off shoulder.

If we waited for like 30 minutes before before the girls arrived, then we must have waited for more than an hour to them to snap pictures. It was either too dark, the angle was bad, their smile wasn't beautiful enough, their posture was bad, someone looked ugly in the picture.

I shook my head as Hana complained to Dan for the umpteenth time that he still did not get the angle right.

The only thing you need when dealing with a lady is patience. Lots of it.

'Are you guys not going to enter? The program already started.'

One of our classmates said and he entered the hall immediately. I instinctively glanced around, we were really the only ones outside.

As if on cue, Ayisha wrapped her hands around Akin's shoulder and they entered. Dan and Hana did the same.

I turned to Jade with a smile on my face and was about to say something to her when someone called our names. We both turned back to see the new social prefect walking towards us. She was panting.

'Oh, Thank God I met you. I'd love to ask you some questions.'

I nodded. She was initially here before the girls arrived and she had gotten into brief chit chats with my mates as they were snapping pictures. It gave a red carpet sorta look and Akin had said something about the new social prefect obsessed with her post.

Jade nodded before I could say again and Aanu started asking us questions.

'So who do think is going to win the award for the most sociable? Female category.'

'My friend of course.'

Jade replied her in less than an heartbeat and former smiled.

'And the most popular female students.'

'Jade of course. That's not even disputable.'

Aanu's head jerked up, her eyes crackling with laugher.

'And finally, to the last question, what couple do you think would go home with the award for the best couple? I mean, we have you guys and then, we have Paulina and Paul.'

I exchanged a knowing glance with Jade whose eyes were twinkling with excitement. Only God knows what was exciting her.

'I guess we'll find out in less than an hour.'

And with that, I extended my arms to Jade, she grabbed it and we entered the hall.