Somebody Else (Christian Romance)

THREE

"You don't know how happy I was when Daniel told me you came to UNIBEN," Chinasa said as they walked out of the hostel's gate. "I thought I was the only one from our class who came here."

Stephanie chuckled. "Same as me. I thought I was the only one here."

"What made you choose UNIBEN?"

"Why did you come to UNIBEN?"

Both girls asked simultaneously.

Chinasa burst into laughter. "You first. You first."

"Okay." Stephanie cracked her knuckles. "To be honest, I just wanted to be far away from my parents."

Chinasa laughed. "I can totally relate. My home is bondage too."

"Is that the same reason you came here?" Stephanie asked as they walked on the side of the tarred road.

"Not really. I came mainly because I'm from Delta State. Delta is part of the school's catchment area and so it was very easy for me to gain admission here."

"Makes sense." Stephanie nodded. She had her eyes fixed on a young man walking towards them. For as long as she could remember, he'd had his gaze fixed on them, and that made her uneasy. She looked straight, pretending not to look at him, but as he got close to them, she could tell he wasn't looking at the both of them. He'd been looking at just Chinasa all this time. He walked past them without saying a word. Moments after he'd walked past them. Stephanie stealthily glanced back to see if he was still looking. And indeed, he was. His eyes were fixed on Chinasa's bum. When he noticed Stephanie looking at him, he quickly faced forward. It was then Stephanie noticed the change in Chinasa's walking step. She swayed her hips in a bodacious way. This wasn't the way she'd been walking while they were still in the hostel.

"I was happy at first because this place is far from my home in Keffi until my parents told me I had an uncle living in this city," Chinasa said.

"There's a free bus." Stephanie heaved a sigh of relief as they approached the bus stop. She could finally sit down and get a little rest on the bus.

"So?" Chinasa looked confused.

"We're boarding a bus to the cafeteria, aren't we?"

"No way." Chinasa's laugh was void of humor. "You don't think I'm going to waste this beautiful outfit, do you?" She gestured to the clothes she was wearing. "People dress to be seen, Steph. Not to hide in some miserable looking bus." She took Stephanie's hand and they crossed to the opposite side of the road, farther away from the bus.

"But the cafeteria is very far." Stephanie couldn't imagine walking that long distance.

"Is it farther than the school's main gate?"

"No."

"Then it's trekkable." Chinasa gave a wave of dismissal. Stephanie could tell from her tone that she'd made up her mind and nothing could dissuade her.

The school's main gate was about forty-five minutes trek. Why would someone in his right senses trek that long-distance? What then was the use of the school's shuttles? Wasn't Chinasa the same person who said she was famished, not long ago? The heaviness in Stephanie's legs made the twenty-minute trek far from enjoyable. To add to that, she was made to feel uncomfortable the most of the time as eighty percent of the boys they'd passed had their eyes glued to Chinasa, making Stephanie feel all the more invisible. The more boys they passed, the uglier she felt in her jeans and T-shirt. She couldn't have been happier when they reached their destination.

This place was more like a complex. It had many identical cafeterias which when put together, could accommodate hundreds of students.

"Let's go to that one." Stephanie gestured to the cafeteria closest to them. "My mom and I ate there yesterday. Their food is nice."