•Kainene•
I stood,leaning against the railing and reading the book I was currently holding out in my hands. Yesterday seemed to be the first normal day I'd had since I stepped into these school grounds for my final year. I'd gotten no weird disturbance,I'd been in peace and it made me happy to see that today was going just the same.
I didn't plan to but for some reason,I was stuck on this novel I'd been reading, Redeeming Love. As it was a wednesday afternoon,what we'd usually call sports afternoon,the boys were out on the field playing football. We girls on the other hand,had no flair for sports but a few of course,so they were huddled up in class singing songs we'd heard during the holiday. I guess it made it more interesting when everyone sang along.
Just as I flipped the page I was currently reading,I noticed a male figure settle beside me. Without looking up to check who it was,I was quick to complain believing to know who it already was and I'd spoken too soon. "Daryl what do you..." I was cut mid-sentence when I finally looked up and realised I'd been wrong after all.
"What?" Jawal questioned with an amused look on his face. "Nothing joorh,dont mind me" I sighed,massaging my temples as I closed the book in my hands.
"Were you expecting it to be Daryl?" He teased,although it sounded strained. "No,why would I?" I questioned back with a shrug,earning a chuckle from him.
"Because you guys are close naw" he replied. "Ehn?" I questioned in what I could call an annoyed confusion. "Close as per how?"
"Is it not you guys we've been seeing together since we came back?" He questioned again. I gave a long hiss before turning to him. "You see,this is my problem with you people in this school" I fired at him.
"What na? Isnt it true?" He laughed. "Believe what you want" I sneered,already feeling angered as I attempted to walk past him but he held me back.
"Ah na,sorry. It was just a joke" he apologised. I glared at him before rolling my eyes and going back to where I'd been standing. "Please abeg,we're not close" I blurted angrily.
Just then,the ball which they'd been making use of on the field rolled to the sidelines and I watched as Daryl jogged out to get it. He picked it up before looking up the building to where I stood at the class corridor with Jawal.
As long as his gaze remained on us,I still couldnt pick out its meaning. He just kept looking between me and Jawal with a strange look. "Then why is he looking at you like that?" Jawal questioned making me snap out of whatever trance I'd been in and avert my gaze to him.
I noticed Daryl jog back to the field after his friends called him several times from my side view. "See him there,go and ask him" I shrugged,finally turning and walking away.
"You're not playing football?" I questioned,noticing Jawal still in close range. "I'm not really a fan. I can watch it but abeg,I'd rather not play" he explained as we reached my class.
Just as we stepped into the class,the bell went off signifying that sports time was over so we had to retire to our hostels and prepare for the evening prayers.
"Chai,so Onome and Jade really didnt come out for this sports o" I laughed, recalling how they'd both decided to remain in the hostel while it was being locked for sports.
"Did you bring your bag?" Jawal questioned from where he stood beside me. "Nope" I replied curtly.
"Let's go then" He urged and I nodded,walking us out of the class and down the stairs. We walked in silence for a while before he spoke up.
Jawal was a free-spirit. We werent very close friends but we werent strangers either. He'd always been particularly kind to me and I appreciated him for that. What intrigued me the most was he was almost the first Hausa person I'd seen who spoke his dialect so well but yet you'd hear no trace of it whenever he spoke English,he was too fluent in both languages for his own good.
His skin was of a much fairer tone than mine but he wasnt particularly too bright in complexion. With just the perfect height and slim figure,he could pass off for a model if he tried.
"Did you go for that Wale's birthday?" He questioned. "No,did you?" I replied. "Ahhhh,why naa?!" He exclaimed which made me look to him then laugh.
"None of my friends were going so I didnt go" I shrugged. "Was it that nice? Everybody has just been talking about it" I told him. "Ah,it was maddo. I legitely sneaked out to attend that thing and I didnt regret it at all" he told me which made me laugh again as we finally turned into the slabways which led to the hostels.
"I just....knew it" I said in between my laughs. "Because I know your father is strict like mad,I was wondering how you were able to go"
"Omo,leave that guy first!" He started,fuelling my laughter even more. "He even locked me outside when I came back o" he explained which had me rolling down the path of laughter with lightning speed this time. "For reals?" I questioned.
"Yessso,it was my mother that begged for me. I was just high as f*ck,I couldnt even correlate what the guy was doing in my head" he laughed which made me clench my stomach which had begun to hurt due to my excessive laughter.
"This boy you have mind o" I breathed as my laughs died down. "The guy likes to annoy abeg,if he had allowed me to go ehen,I wouldn't have come back late like that" he chuckled as we got to the junction which linked the slabway we were currently walking on,the adjacent one which people who were retiring from the field were walking on and the slabway to the hostels.
"What sort of reasoning is that?" I laughed,my gaze leaving him as I did and falling on that of Daryl who was walking on the adjacent slabway and staring directly at me. I laughed on nevertheless,ignoring his stares and deciding to get the best of my humour.
"And he didnt do anything else?" I questioned again. "He seized my phone but I took it back" he told me making me laugh again as we got to the point where only I could walk on as boys werent allowed on the pathway that led to girls' hostels.
"Abeg,Jawal,let me be going before you kill me with laugh" I waved him as I turned at the intersection. "Okay now,we'll talk later" he called to me. "No wahala" I called back before walking on,shaking my head in humour as I reminisced everything he'd told me about. People sha have mind sha. I concluded as I stepped into my hostel.
****
The bell went off,signifying the end of the day's classes and time for our afternoon food. I on the other hand,wasnt in anyway favoured by this because not only did I not like spaghetti,which was our usual thursday lunch,I also had to submit the chemistry notes on behalf of the my whole class which the teacher had asked me to collect.
"Please you guys should hurry up with your assignment na,I want to go and submit!" I called out to the class,regarding the people who were yet to hand over their notes for submission.
"Kainene,please let me use your note first" Anita requested from beside me. "Take it from my table" I told her,settling at the edge of my seat.
"Kainene,we're going to ref oh. Abi you'll come to hostel when food is over?" Onome questioned as she picked up her bag,Jade waving me from where she stood at our window.
"Yeah,you guys can go" I told her,waving back at Jade. "Oya na,bye!" Onome called before walking out of the class. "Em,Faith and Chukwudi,are you guys done?" I questioned the last two people I was currently waiting for after some good 10 minutes. Every other classmate of mine had completed theirs and headed for the refectory.
"Almost done!" Faith called back. "Wait,Kainene,this number four,which formula of mole concept did you use?" Chukwudi questioned.
"The Avogadros number one,the number of particles divided by avogadros number equals to number of moles" I explained. "Ohhh..." he nodded,probably relating what I'd said to his work.
"Please you guys should hurry up" I called again. "Kainene" I heard Jawal call,making me turn to where he stood by the door. "Arent you going to ref?" He questioned.
"Not really,and I have to submit this stuff" I replied,tapping the stack of chemistry notebooks which sat on my table. "Should I help you?" He offered.
"If you can,yes please" I accepted. "Okay,let me just go and meet the matron" he told me. "Okay" I nodded,understanding it was part of his duty as a uniform prefect.
"We're done!" Chukwudi declared,taking to his feet and approaching me. "Thank God"I exclaimed,taking the notes from him. "Kainene thank you" Faith called as she hung her school bag over he shoulder.
"No wahala" I replied,rearranging the notes on my table as they both walked out of the class.
"Can you carry that thing on your own?" Another familiar male voice had my gaze averting rightwards,only to meet Daryl leaning on the front table of the test row.
"Jawal is going to help me" I replied,turning back to the books before me. "Jawal that's with matron?" He questioned. "I thought this chemistry man said you should bring it by school over" he pushed on when I didnt reply his second question.
"I'll carry it like that then" I concluded,trying to transfer the whole of the books to my hands. "Cant you just ask me to help you?" He questioned,walking towards me.
Just as he got to where I stood trying to balance the books,the books began to wobble as they seemed to be stacked to high,making me also wobble back but just before I could lose my balance completely,Daryl rushed towards me,putting one of his hands under the stack of books and the other behind my back so I wouldnt fall.
"You cant obviously carry this thing by yourself" he stated in a lower voice as I stared at him,somewhat perplexed at our proximity as well as feeling a tiny prick of heat at how subtly he was able to hold me. I quickly snapped out of it though,pushing him away and setting the books down on the table.
"Unlike you who waited for me to ask,Jawal offered to help me" I sneered at him,trying to cover up any slightest bit of awkwardness that would have proceeded.
"Okay,I'm sorry. Please let me help you" he offered,rather too politely. I furrowed my brows slightly,wondering where the overbearing Daryl had suddenly disappeared to.
"Oya naw,carry let's go" I told him,gesticulating towards the stack of books. He stepped forward and took a greater part of the books while I carried the last few he'd left behind.
We walked in utter silence as we headed for the staff room. Fortunately for me,when we arrived,our chemistry teacher was still seated at his table.
"Sir,the notes you asked me to bring" I called to the teacher as we reached where he sat,a bit towards the back of the staff room.
"Is it now I asked you to bring it?" He fired at me. "Sir I was..." before I could give an excuse,he cut me off. "Take them back,next time submit when I ask you to" he ordered.
I parted my lips to say something but Daryl beat me to it. "Sir please that's too harsh. It's not her fault,she was trying to wait for the rest of the class" he defended,making me look to him,ever so shocked.
"Was I talking to you Daryl?" Mr. Bright questioned. "Sir,please I'm just asking you to please mark our notes" he paraphrased more politely but with the same harsh tone.
"Drop the notes and go" Mr. Bright ordered after a while of glaring at us both. If there was anything I knew,the two most respected students in our set were Temi and Daryl. Temi,our head boy and Daryl,who'd been the top student since our junior school,not until SS2 though.
"Thank you Sir" I greeted before we walked out of the room. "Why did you talk like that naw?"I questioned as we climbed up the stairs. "The guy was being disgusting na,I dont like him abeg" he opined.
"Even if,see how you just said it. What if he had subtracted marks from our work?"I questioned. "But he didnt right?" He replied almost too sternly,making me give up on pushing the topic further. I simply walked on,leaving him trailing at a slower pace than me.
I had already settled into my seat,getting ready to bring out a few of my notes and brush over them with the little time before Daryl strolled into the class.
"I'm sorry" he apologised. "For what?" I questioned,even though I knew he'd clearly annoyed me earlier on. "For replying you like that,I didnt mean it that...you know..." he explained.
"I've heard" I shrugged. "Arent you going to refectory?" He asked,settling on the seat beside mine. "No" I gave a curt reply which led to an slightly elongated moment of silence.
"Kainene" I heard him call but I didnt look to him,I just kept studying what was written in my maths note. "Yes" I replied absentmindedly.
"Can we ever have a normal conversation?"
😂I just really needed to finish this chapter. I hope you guys are following as well as understanding the story.
Please do comment,here are some questions to help you.
-Whats with the change of attitude in Daryl?
-Why is Kainene so defensive?
Feel free to comment on this and much more🤗. Love y'all💕.