•Daryl•
"Guy stand up joorh,you don dey sleep since,you no even come mass sef" Yomi snapped,throwing a pillow my way so it hit the back of my head. I ignored him,shuffling more into the warmth of my blanket.
"Daryl stand up na,the sleep don do" Sele cajoled softer than Yomi as I felt the corner of my bed lower,meaning he'd taken a seat beside my cuddled up body on the bed.
"Make una leave me abeg" I grunted lowly,shuffling in my position and turning into my left side. "Daryl!" Yomi hissed at me,earning no reaction from my end.
I didn't have to try to recall,the scenes of the previous day kept playing in my head each time I drifted between deep and surface sleep,deepening the sadness in me. I'd realised I'd lost all my energy yesterday after I'd stormed my way back to hostel from schoolblock,my anger finally draining out and leaving me with plain hurt.
"He still dey sleep?" Temi's voice came in and I knew my bedtime had finally come to an end. "Yes oh" Yomi sighed from where he sat on Temi's bed. "Come,Daryl see...stand up,come and bath" Temi instructed calmly,followed by his await for my response.
When he earned none other than a heavy exhale from me,he took hold of the blanket over me and tugged on it harshly,pulling it off my body and exposing me to the chilly morning breeze.
"Daryl stand up" he told me again,tapping my shoulders brashly. "Abi you've carried the blanket....leave me na" I groaned,turning to lie on my belly. "Daryl,if you dont stand up,na floor your head go knack,I swear" Temi finally warned,earning a groan from me as I slowly sat up in my place,growing tired of their antics,a grimace stitched to my face as my eyes fluttered to regulate the amount of light that struck my orbs.
"We dey come abeg,make we carry something from school block" Yomi informed us of he and Sele's departure as they both took to their feet. "No wahala" Temi told them as he lowered himself into his bare mattress,as he'd taken off the sheets in preparation to head home for the mid-term break.
"Daryl stop this thing na,its almost 11 in the morning" Temi appealed,turning back to me. "I know" I replied lowely,clearing my throat afterwards,seeing as my voice barely came off as a rasp due to the drying of my throat. Temi sighed.
"Who is even coming to pick you?" He questioned,causing me to shrug whilst giving him no audible response. "You dont know? You didnt call your mum?" He questioned again,this time earning a negative nod from me.
"Okay no wahala. At least stand up and pack your things..." he trailed off as I threw my head backwards,leaning into the wall and tuning out on whatever he was trying to tell me. "Or dont worry,just go and bath. I'll pack your things for you" he later offered.
"You do na" he urged,throwing yet another pillow at me. "Its okay na" I grumbled,slowly casting my feet over the edge of the bed,putting on my bathroom flip flops before finally taking to my feet. The room as well as the whole hostel was empty,beds as bare as that of Temi,curtains all let down to prevent dust from getting into their rooms while we would be away,at least some people felt ecstatic for the mid-term.
I slowly took out my buckets,arranging the things I needed to head to the bathroom,rubbing my eyes with fists at intervals. Temi got to work,taking off my sheets as well as my books out of my locker just before I exited the room. Although it couldnt completely take away my worries,the water did do well to calm my scattered nerves by a bit and I realised all over again,why I loved baths.
On my return to my room,Temi practically had every bit of my things packed,except things like my towel which was over my neck and my bathing materials. Though at the slowest pace I'd ever used,I got dressed,cladding myself in my daywear,piece by piece.
Temi and I headed out,with me running a comb through my thoroughly disheveled and slightly wet hair,in search of junior students who we would lay the burden of getting my things out of the hostel. We hadnt walked long before we found three boys who carried out the task rather efficiently,leaving Temi and I looming over the slabways,having no specific direction although Temi took the opportunity to check students every now and then.
"Temi!" I heard Oghale call from behind us,bringing our threading to a stop in order for her to catch up to us. "What's up?" Temi questioned,linking his arm with hers as she came to stand between us both. "I've been looking for you,you said you were going to come back to ref" she sulked.
"Oh my gosh,I'm so sorry" Temi was quick to apologise. "I was busy helping Daryl" followed his reason for his negligence. "Oh,Daryl,how are you?" Oghale finally noticed my prescence,grasping my shoulder lightly.
"Are you okay now? Have you eaten?" She fired me with an array of questions without my being able to reply her first one. "I'm fine" I gave her a tight-lipped smile,not missing the sympathy that welled up in her orbs as she stared at me.
"I dont believe you,Temi,has he eaten?" She questioned,turning back to Temi. "Not at all" Temi gave her an honest reply. "Chai,Daryl" she sympathised again,her voice dropping octaves with pity. I exhaled heavily,knowing that none of that could bring me the relief I needed,none of that could get me out of situation.
"Wait oh,I think my mum has come" Temi redirected the subject of the conversation,which I was most grateful to as his gaze followed a black Sienna which had just made its entry through the school gates.
"I thought your mother was driving a pathfinder before" Oghale queried as we began to head over to the corner of the parking lot where the car had parked. "She changed it during long holz" Temi replied.
"Oh.." was the only reply Oghale could offer just before we confirmed that the car owner was truly,Temi's mother. "Mummy" Temi grinned,going ahead to throw his arms around the light-complexioned woman,who like every other day,wore a cheerful expression.
"Omo Ayo,Bawo ni o se wa? (How are you?)" She questioned as Temi pulled away from her,her yoruba speaking coming off with a rather refined accent. "I'm fine" The grin on Temi's face widened. Greetings continued to be exchanged,as Temi's mum picked a weird interest in Oghale,inquiring all sorts or things from her and almost forgetting who she'd come to pick up.
Temi and I,on the other hand,made ourselves comfortable at the back seat of the car after Temi had confisticated his mother's phone as she'd forgotten to bring his along.
"Temi,you people should come and carry your things na" Temi's mother suddenly called,causing me to flutter open my previously shut lids and Temi,bring his surfing through Instagram to a hiatus.
"Mummy,I thought you were busy" Temi mused,poking his head out the open door of the car so he could look at her. "Come and carry your things joorh,I have to head back to the office by 2pm" she told him.
"Okay,I'm coming" Temi gave in as we both climbed down from the car and Temi handed her phone back to her. "Ehen,look for Deadre too,she's coming with us" she told us. My brows furrowed,who the hell was Deadre?
"Kainene is following us? How come?" Temi was quick to question as well as provide an answer to my inquiry. "Her mum asked me to get her too" she gave us a curt reply. "Daryl what about you? How are you getting home? Is your mum on her way?" She lay her own share of questions on me,what everyone seemed to wish to do today.
"I've not called her...." I started,weighing the possibilities in my head "....or maybe I'll ask her if I can come with you too" I added,making Temi look my way. "That's okay,come give her a call so she would be aware that you'll be coming with us" she told me,handing her phone to me as she turned back to Oghale,inquiring from her as well,how she planned on getting home.
"Daryl,what are you doing? Kainene has to follow us...." I infiltrated his speech,dialing my mum's number in the keypad as I did. "I know" I told him calmly,just before my mum picked up the call and I brought the phone to my ears.
"Mummy,good morning,its Daryl" I informed her,which earned a rather excited reply from her. Our conversation ensued in which I was able to convince her to let me tag along with Temi's mum despite her already laid out plan to come get me in the early afternoon. She deliberated for a while,before finally giving in to my request,instructing me to hand the phone to Temi's mum afterwards so she could speak with her.
"Temi and Daryl,oya you people should go and get Deadre" Temi's mum instructed as she got off the call. "No problem,Oghale come let's go" Temi called out,taking Oghale's hand in his.
"Let me go and look for Kainene while you guys are carrying your things" Oghale offered as we made our way towards the court. "Okay,thank you" Temi appreciated as she rushed ahead of us.
"Daryl,do you really want to do this?" Temi questioned as we got to where we'd left our things,proceeding to move them out,one by one. "I dont know,I think so...theres no harm in trying" I shrugged,even I unsure of my motive behind deciding to join them.
"You know she might not want to talk to us right now,right?" He questioned again. "I know....but...abeg Temi,anyhow" I shrugged his question off,feeling exhausted at the thought of explaining my feelings.
I was desperate,I just needed her to look at me,no matter what her gaze bore,I would take it all. I just needed to be around her,I needed to give myself some sort of hope that I would find my way around this,that she would someway somehow forgive me,I needed to soothe the throbbing pain in my chest and only she could help me do that. I needed her to trust me again,I needed to earn it and this time,I wasnt going to stop myself from doing anything. I would use my very last drop of sweat,if I needed to.
"Have you found her?" Temi questioned Oghale whom we met on the slabways again,as we'd finished moving our things to the car. "No,I've not seen her" Oghale panted lightly. "Calm down,calm down" Temi told her,soothing her back subtly.
"Let's check around again,I'm sure she's somewhere not too far" I suggested,my head beginning to make its analysis as to all the likely places we could find her. It didnt take long after we'd spread out again before Oghale came jogging towards the car with Kainene in hand. I wasnt far off,so I was able to spot their arrival,feeling my body tense at the sight of her.
As I slowly approached the car,I noticed Temi had gotten there before me and his mother had engulfed Kainene in a hug. "See how all of you are looking good ehn,final year students!" Temi's mother hyped as I finally reached them,going ahead to hide myself behind Temi.
"Ma please,looks can be deceiving. This is not our true face" Oghale pointed out,making us all laugh. After a few more jokes and jests had been shared,Temi's mother instructed Temi and I to assist Kainene in getting her things to the car which we humbly obeyed,threading behind her and Oghale.
Oghale bade goodbye to us just before we reached the court,giving a hug to us all one by one. Kainene's things were rather few,a booksbag,a petite travelling bag and her school bag.
"Is this all?" Temi questioned lowly as he picked up her travelling bag. "Yes" she replied,clearly avoiding eye contact with both of us. Noone needed to tell me how displeased she was about having to be in the same space with us for the next one or two hours,I could easily detect the distress from being with us only for the past few minutes from her features.
Temi and I shared the task of lifting her booksbag while she took hold of her school bag. "I....I can..." I started,earning her attention briefly. "....carry that for you too" I offered,even though I knew through the way her lips pursed and she looked away,that she was going to decline the offer. "Don't worry" she snapped,storming off thereafter.
"Just leave her first Daryl,let's go" Temi encouraged and I heeded his words,though not completely. It was like a cold war,Kainene stood beside the car,filling the details of her departure slip which had been earlier distributed in the hostel,after morning mass while Temi and I arranged all our things into the trunk of the car.
Just as we shut the trunk of the car,a junior student approached me. "Please excuse me Daryl" the boy called,just as we made a turn towards where Kainene stood,earning her attention as well. "What?" I practically sneered as I looked down on him.
"Senior Dunni said I should give this to you" he informed me,handing me a piece of paper,or in more specific words,a letter. My brows furrowed as I took the letter from him before looking to Temi and Kainene,who wore a rather bored expression as she stared at the letter. She let out a low huff,averting her gaze elsewhere before turning to the other side of the car.
"Daryl,what just happened?" Temi questioned from where he stood beside me as I threw my head backwards,the urge to squeeze the piece of paper in my hand overtaking me. "Things just got worse,Temi" I gave him a rough summary. Why was I only realising now,how much mistakes I'd made in the past? Dunni couldnt pick a better time to do this,why did it have to be today and why now?
Damn did I struggle with this chapter. Nowadays,I feel at loss for words when I write,its like the words arent just coming to me. Please do vote and comment guys! Thanks for reading🤗💕.