Brown Skinned Bet

Chapter XLVII

          "Jade...." I cried,the tears I'd been trying to keep at bay finally trickling down my face. Why did it have to be her? Why her? So this was the last week we had with her. After that,I might never see my friend again? No,I couldn't do nothing while she went through all that pain. She made me want to go abroad with her,even if I got to see her once a month,I would be okay.

          We'd held each other so closely,so tightly,for such a long time that it took the noise emanating from our classrooms to break us apart.

          "What's happening in class?" Jade sniffed as we took to our feet,gazing over the block as our feet involuntarily started making way towards the building. We'd only gotten so close when Awele rushed towards us,panic written all over her face.

         "Kainene! Jade! Daryl and Yomi are fighting!" Was all she'd had to yell before Jade and I dashed up the stairs,right to the corridor where we gathered the fight was going down.

           Our classmates were still trying to separate them,Daryl and Yomi were being hounded by Sele,Andrew and Temi. I'd never seen them this way,so out of control. Rage burned in their eyes as Daryl tried to push through his friends which struggled to hold him back.

          I tried my best to keep my eyes away from the frightening sight beneath my feet. Windows had been brought down,blood had stained and mixed with the shattered glasses of the windows as well as the walls.

          Jawal who was being taken away by Ayo was almost blood soaked. His back was practically dripping with blood,the side of his head as well. I hadn't taken time to observe Collins before my gaze fell on Daryl again. Blood tricked down the side of his lip and his cheek,it had stained his forearm as well.

          I felt my insides tremble as I watched him. What could have possibly happened to get him this enraged? Who dared to give him those injuries?

         "Daryl,its okay,stop!" I found myself yelling,bringing everybody to a still as I stepped forward. Daryl stopped struggling as well,his gaze meeting mine.

         "Just calm down,its fine" I tried to calm,taking stealthy steps towards him and bringing my hands to caress his arms. He looked quite disheveled,the first two buttons of his shirt had been roughly undone and he shuddered under my touch.

          "Calm down,its okay" I whispered,my right hand trailing to the crane of his neck. I didn't care that the rest of our classmates were currently watching us. All I cared for was getting him to calm down,getting him together again. All I cared for was him.

         "I don't want you seeing me like this" he breathed,attempting to move away from me. "You've seen me,haven't you? I want to see you this way Damola. I would never judge you,you know that" I told him,caressing his neck gingerly and bringing his temple to rest on mine. I needed him to know he was okay and even if he wasn't,it was also fine by me.

           He took hold of my hand and without looking back,we pushed through our classmates and out of the block.

                        ***

          We'd headed for the tap first. Daryl had wanted to wash the dust and blood off himself. I'd wanted to help,but he'd refused. Temi had thankfully gotten his hands on the key to West Wood so we'd headed for their hostel thereafter.

         Yomi and Jade seemed to have gotten the intel much earlier than us because they strode out of the hostel doors as Daryl and I approached.

         Despite having washed up and changed into a new set of clothes,Yomi still looked scathed,more than before even. Both he and Jade wore bleak looks,Jade's eyelashes glistened under the light and I presumed she'd been fighting her unshed tears,Yomi looked like he'd been placed beneath the world's weight,his orbs twitching erratically and his voice shaky when he and Daryl took out a while to talk.