OYINADE

~29~

~OYINADE~

"Closing time!!", the timekeeper yelled after ringing the school bell.

The government teacher walked out of the classroom while we all started packing our bags.
I noticed that Ade hadn't arrived yet. He must be having so much fun.

"Oh!", I muttered.
"What happened?", Bisi asked.
"Nothing", I said with a convincing smile. She looked at me briefly before looking away. It seemed like she had something else in her mind.

I did too. I had suddenly remembered that Jordan was going to spill the beans about everything I wanted to know.
If he was right about Bisi, how would I be able to handle sitting with her and spending a lot of time around her.
I just hoped that she wasn't who he said she was.

Bisi stood up from her seat and proceeded towards the classroom door.
"Are you leaving already?", I asked.
"No, not yet", she said.

I resisted the urge to ask her about where she was heading to.
"Oh...okay. I'll be leaving soon. So, see you tomorrow", I said.
"Yeah. See ya", she said.
I watched her warily as she walked out of the classroom and turned towards the stairs.
What business does she have upstairs?

Lately, everything about her just seemed sketchy.

I arranged my books in my bag. Then, I had a mental argument about whether I should wait for Ade or not. A part of me wanted to just go home and rest as it had been a long tiring day. The other part of me wanted to wait for Ade to get back because if he really had no choice but to go with his dad, then my only option would be to cherish every moment we could spend together before he leaves.

Anyways, after a few minutes of back and forth banter between me and myself, I finally settled with the latter. I was going to wait for him even if it takes months for him to get back.

Daniel walked into the classroom, holding a small polythene bag that contained drugs.
I hurriedly stood up and walked towards him.

"Hey", I said, while his face lit up as soon as he saw me.
"How do you feel?"
"Good", he said, smiling adorably.

"Did you just wake up?", I said, chuckling. I had noticed the lines on his face, lines that most probably came from resting his face on a rough surface for a long period of time.
He forced a smile, then nodded, walking leisurely towards his seat.
I followed him to his seat and sat on the desk at the right side of his desk.

"Thank you", he said with a weak smile.
"For what?", I said.
"Your care and advice", he said. Earlier that morning, after the morning assembly, he complained of a throbbing headache, I had advised him to go to the sickbay but he refused. I had to persist and encourage him before he later accepted to go. I followed him to the sick bay and as soon as we got to the entrance, he fainted.

The medical practitioners all had to attend to him immediately. I was mortified and didn't leave until he was in a stable condition. It was after he opened his eyes that I decided to head back to the class. I also informed the teachers about his health each time any one of them asked after him. As his friend, that's the least I could do.
"Oh..please, don't thank me. What are friends for?", I said.
He smiled gratefully.

"So...what did you do after I left?", he quizzed.
"Boring history, government, marketing and maths but don't worry we didn't really do anything serious. We only wrote notes. They all referred to you and Ade that they wouldn't want you both to miss anything important especially since you were not absent by choice", I said with a scowl.
He chuckled, clearly amused.