With You, For You

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Jet black hair and silver eyes and pale lips. This boy was beautiful. His straight hair was sharp around the edges and hung low. Another thing I noticed was his skin colour. White. He was so white and lean and coupled with his eyes, he looked ethereal. He looked Caucasian, but wasn't the skin too fair even for one? He looked like a ghost. Harsh.

"Hello." He smiled at me. I waved and returned his greeting. "You must be new here. Haven't seen you around before."

"Yes, I'm new here," I affirmed.

"Are you Jordan's sister or girlfriend? You two look very close."

"She's my girlfriend, Oscar." Buchi who was walking to our table wrapped his arms around me. Oscar smiled.

"She's pretty. Nice catch." European accent.

"Well thank you." Buchi tried to mimic the accent. I smacked his arm.

"Why did you lie that I'm your-" he cut me off before I could finish.

"So anyone who has eyes on you will stay away." He smiled and I rolled my eyes. "You are my girl."

"I'm your twin sister."

"They don't know that."

"The resemblance."

"Haven't you seen how both of us look while standing together? You can only see a resemblance if you look closer. "

"How does Oscar know you?"

"He's my next-door neighbour. We share a living room."

"Living room?" He had a living room?

"You don't have?" I nodded. Wawu. I looked back at my phone. I wasn't interested in this study thing going on. Thank God it was only a few minutes to go. I plugged in my earphones.

If you get a woman, hold am tight oh
Me and my guys we dey for bike oh
Na her allocation dey for mind oh
If you leave your woman, she go off pant oh
No be lie oh
We go use the raba blind her eyes oh
Me and my guys we no dey smile oh
Big Thug Boys, we no dey lie oh
Big Thug Boys, we no dey fear nobody
And you see wahala, we get am full for body
Only one thing we no dey like na police
One wrong move, you turn to my enemy
So, make you no try mе

"Keep vibing, they're looking at you." I frowned at my brother who had removed my earpiece.

"So?"

"I want to dig his eyes out." I looked in the direction he was staring at. I raised my brows at the boy who was standing before us but at a distance. Braided hair? I thought that wasn't allowed. I looked around and realised most people here did not follow rules. And authorities didn't care. So was the rulebook for fancy? The guy staring also had earrings on both ears. I shrugged and ignored him.  But his face...did I know him from somewhere?

"Just let him be." My attention turned back to Oscar whom we had forgotten. His eyes were on his book, seriously reading. Lessons were beginning on Monday.  I had received my schedule but I hadn't checked it.

"Attention! All students should gather at the hall for an announcement and pairing up." Pairing? What kind of pairing?

I later found out.  Every academic year, each student was paired up with another. The pairing was done at random. I didn't know why we were paired. For studying? Probably. I looked at the students who were standing at a part of the hall with their partners. Some of them were talking to each other while others were just on their own.

I heard one funny pronunciation but I couldn't laugh. I didn't blame the speaker for not getting the pronunciation of our surname correctly. Buchi was the one called out. He stepped forward.  "...will be paired up with Cahill. Cahill Oscar." How lucky.  The two of them were paired up. "Next up is..." I heard my name and suddenly felt rigid. I didn't move until my name was repeated. I stepped out, my eyes on the door we entered through. I felt uncomfortable. Couldn't they stop staring?