•Daryl•
My head pounded,it was like someone was trying to pull down a building inside my head and it had my cranial cells doing a protest in return. "Urgh" I groaned for the nth time today,burying my head over the knuckles of my left hand as my right hand massaged my temple.
"Daryl,pass your maths note let me submit for you" Temi instructed as he walked towards our desk. "Please just get it from my bag" I let out a muffled plea before sitting up in my place.
"Chai,sorry yeah and you still can't take paracetamol" Temi sympathised as he went ahead to take my note out of my bag. "Not yet" I told him lowly. After expressing further sympathy,he went on to submit the notes. Hearing the bell for the break period go off,although it had resonated through my head still brought some relief to me. At least I would get to have a few minutes to shut my lids before the voice of another teacher intensified my headache.
I was just about to lay my head back on the table again when I noticed Kainene walk into the class. I needn't be told the extent of my stupidity that in spite of my the pounding beneath my cranial box,I still found myself taking to my feet and walking to her table.
"Hey" I greeted,taking a seat beside her as both her seat mates were currently absent,causing her to look to me,softly at first but then her gaze grew rigid the next minute. "Hey" she replied lowly,turning back to the pack of cards in her hands.
"What are you doing?" I pushed further,brushing off her reaction which I knew I well deserved. "Arranging the cards" she told me. "You want to play?" I inquired. "No,Onome said it helps her control her anger" she told me.
"Kainene" I called subtly making her turn to me again. "Daryl" she called back,fiercer than I had. "Are you angry with me?" I questioned. She'd tried so hard,but I'd already caught how the stoic expression she fought to keep on diluted into something softer every now and then as she stared at me.
"No,why would I be?" She shrugged,looking back to her cards. "Because of yesterday" I pointed out. "Is that something to be angry over?" She stated but before I could get another word out,she slammed the cards over the table,turning to me abruptly thereafter and earning a flinch from me.
"I mean,its not even the fact that you drank that's annoying,why did you have go drink the one that would make you react?" Her sudden outburst had pangs hitting against my head again. "Jesus,Kainene small small" I groaned lowly,bringing my fingers to massage my temples once again.
"Sorry,sorry" she was quick to apologise,reaching for my temples as well as slight fright replaced every emotion on her features. I raised my gaze to her and she retrieved her hands,sighing afterwards. "I thought you said you weren't angry" I mused.
"I'm not" she shrugged. The fact that she kept denying it caused me to chuckle,I'd never thought a day would come when I'd think her cute but it had. "I'm sorry" It became my turn to apologise.
"Mxw" she let out a low hiss,turning to glare at me afterwards and I let out another chuckle. "Its not funny Daryl,I know it's hard but treating yourself this way isn't going to change anything" she breathed heavily.
"I know..." I trailed off with a sigh. "You could have at least...abeg,dont even worry" she gave up. "No na,say what you want to say." I urged her. Although I'd hoped she wouldn't be,it felt nice knowing that she'd been concerned about me. Even though I'd heard it all from Yomi,Temi and Oghale,it still felt nice seeing it up front.
"No,it's fine,you'll still do what you want so let's leave it" she told me. "I wont na,I'm sorry" I apologised,taking her hand in mine. "I've heard abeg,leave me alone" she told me whilst holding back a smile.
"I'm not leaving you until you accept my apology well" I told her,causing her to roll her eyes before looking back to me. "Is the hangover bad?" She questioned. "Nothing I can't handle" I told her with a smile,even though it was obvious that my words had done nothing to convince her.
"What's happening here? Daryl,why are you on my seat?" I turned to meet Onome standing before me. "Onome,you're always ready to beat me" I pointed out,causing Kainene to chuckle. "Its good you know,abeg come dey go before you make my friend to be sad again" she retorted playfully.
"She's not sad,are you?" I turned towards Kainene,caressing her palms slightly in mine. "Five minutes Daryl,you have only five minutes" Onome called out to me before she dashed out of the class.
"Where is this one running to?" Kainene muttered as she watched Onome. "Oya Daryl leave me na,I've accepted your apology" she turned back to me. "Thank you" I told her as I released her hand from my hold.
"Go and sleep before break ends oh,before your eyes will fall out" she adviced. "I think my head will fall off first at this rate" I groaned as I took to my feet. "Have you submitted your maths note?" She questioned before I could walk away.
"Temi submitted for me" I told her and she nodded before going back to what she was doing. I smiled to myself before walking back to my seat.
•Kainene•
"I just pity Sister Whitney if she thinks that thing is going to work on SS3 students" Onome commented,causing the pitches of our laughter our to rise again as we made our way down the slabway which led to the school block.
Apparently,evening food had been concluded more than fifteen minutes before now but Sister Whitney had SS3 students wait behind as she claimed to have a supposed announcement for us which happened to be none other than the fact that we were to start having late night preps.
The usual evening prep usually spanned the time period between 7pm and 9pm for normal students. According to Sister Whitney,in preparations for our exams,we would have to start observing a third prep period which would last for four hours from 10pm.
We were to make our way to the refectory before the stipulated time and subscription to tardiness would of course,fetch its deserved consequences.
Onome,Jade,Oghale and I were currently in the middle of what I would rather describe as 'dissecting Sister Whitney's matter'.
"But it's actually good sha,because me ehn,sometimes when I just think about this JAMB of an exam,my heart used to almost skip a beat" Jade opined after our laughs had died down.
"Almost skip a beat,so what do you used to think about that used to make the heart to really skip a beat?" Onome teased,throwing us all back into our fit of laughter at what Onome implied.
"Onome,the thing is that ehn,I dont just blame you" Jade tried to be stern,although her little chuckles and light blush which stained her cheeks did well to give her off.
"Before?!" Onome laughed as we drew closer to the school block. Noticing the arm which had been interlinked with mine since the start of our walk retract in its position,I paused in my tracks,turning to Oghale whose hand had now left mine.
"Oghale,what happened?" I questioned,earning Onome and Jade's attention as well as I followed Oghale's line of vision only to find Temi and Daryl,making their way down the corridor,which only meant they were headed our way.
I'd tried to ignore it but I couldn't help but notice,the sudden friction between Oghale and Temi. It felt like they were good for one second and the next day,we all just woke up to this. Oghale always managed to shrug the topic off each time it was brought up by any of us so I thought it wise to give it a rest but looking at how fazed she was as she watched him solidified the conclusion in my mind that something had gone wrong somewhere.
"Ehn,...no em,nothing em..." she stammered as she tried to regain herself,watching as the two boys stopped by the window of the penultimate class of the block,with Daryl leaning against the rail looking rather unbothered as he waited for Temi to carry out the duties his prefectship demanded of him.
"Wait,Kainene,please I need your help,just this once pleaseee" she suddenly pleaded,taking hold of my hand again. "Why? What happened?" Jade questioned as she and Onome drew closer to us. "Okay,with what?" I questioned,watching how nervous she had grown as her gaze travelling rapidly between us and the two boys.
"Please can you distract Daryl?" She requested,causing my brows to furrow lightly. I watched as Onome and Jade's gazes softened as well as they looked over to where the boys had now continued to make their way towards the slabway causing Oghale to tug at my forearm again.
"How now? How am I meant to distract him?" I questioned,almost feeling Oghale's tension get conducted through my skin and into me. "Kainene just do now,just to take him away from Temi,shey?" Jade chided,her question directed towards Oghale.
"Yes,yes,even if it's just for a minute,Kainene please I'm begging you" Oghale pleaded even more. Feeling needles prick my skin at the thought of approaching Daryl,I averted my gaze towards the boys as I beckoned on my intellectual power to help me with ideas as to how I was to make this go smoothly.
"Oya see,let's just walk and then it will be like we just stopped to gist small ehn,Kainene you'll na just take Daryl from there and then me and Onome will continue going,let's do like that yeah" Jade drafted a whole plan in less that a second.
"Yes yes,oya let's go,let's go" Onome quickly concurred,causing all of us to go back to our initial stances as we continued down the slabway again.
"Ahah,where are you people going to like this?" Onome was the first to speak up,causing Temi and Daryl to stop right before us just about the corner where the slabway light had failed to illuminate properly.
"Must you know?" Daryl was quick to retort,causing Onome to glare at him. "See this one oh,you dont know that it's because of me that you're not inside John Bokos office right now" Onome chided.
Whilst Daryl gave her claim an answer,I took time to notice how Oghale and Temi seemed so disturbed,their gazes fluttering to each other every now and then but neither of them bothering to speak up.
"Kainene do na" Jade whispered,giving me a light nudge and reminding me that I held a major role in this drama. Taking the deepest breath I could and turning to Daryl who had entered some sort of word battle with Onome,I summoned the subtlest voice I could before parting my lips to call out "Daryl"
Even though it'd been rather low,Daryl's head snapped towards my direction in a split second. "Yeah,what's up?" He questioned,in a clear attempt to study my features as he drew closer to me. His brows hitched up,concern lining every other bit of his facial features as I took hold of his distal arm.
"I um,..." I trailed off,looking everywhere but him as I searched my head for the most reasonable excuse I could give. "Yes,talk to me" he urged,placing his arms over my shoulder. Still I got nothing from my brain,which caused me to look around,practically asking the people who had set me up to this 'what next?'
After following my gaze for a while,his hands finally fell to mine,intertwining our fingers in the process. "Temi,I dey come" he called out before pulling us away from the rest of our friends.
"Did something happen?" He questioned lowly after we'd walked a good distance from them. "Well....not really...." I told him,giving my neck a light scratch.
Tingles continued to run over the skin of my fingers which he held in place with his. Even though I knew there was no issue,I couldn't deny it,I simply loved how it felt like he could forget everything else and everyone else for me,how safe he made me feel,light gestures like these he probably didnt know,how much they amplified whatever it was I felt for him,they simply warmed my heart.
"You want to talk about something?" He inquired again. "Not really....How are you? Are you feeling better?" I questioned,as it became my turn to scan his features to ensure the fidelity of whatever answer he was going to give me.
"I'm better,at least my head doesn't hurt so much anymore" he replied,taking my other hand in that of his and caressing them both as I nodded in appreciation of his answer. He wasn't lying,he did look better. "Is that the reason you had us come here?" He questioned,a smile playing over his lips.
"In my defence,you're the one that brought us here" I was quick to retort,even though I found myself not being able to hide my own smile. "That's because I wanted to be sure you were okay" he told me,causing my smile to widen as I looked down at where our hands lay.
Just then,I noticed something pass the rear of my vision,causing me to look up again and notice Onome and Jade walk past us,Jade eyeing me with suspicion,a sly smile plastered over her lips and Onome giving me signals with her eyebrows. I sighed inwardly,I wasn't going to hear the end of this.
"Are you going to your prep class?" Daryl's question had my gaze shifting back to him. "Yeah,why....do you want to follow me?" I tried my best to make in a passive question,taking a few steps back and climbing the slender blocks which lined the rear edges of the slabway.
"Don't fall oh" he was quick to warn seeing as my feet wobbled against the blocks and steadying his hold on my hands. "I wont,why so scared?" I laughed. "Its because I'm holding you now,if not you would have fallen since,this breeze that's blowing would have just blown you away" he teased and I could detect the mischief glinting in his eyes despite the dim of the night.
"What's that meant to mean?"I practically chuckled,giving his hand a rough pull or an attempted rough pull. "That you're dragging weight with feathers" he teased again.
"Mxw,what am I even doing with you? Abeg,I'm going to my class" I gave off a playful hiss,stepping down from the block and attempting to retrieve my hands from his. "No na,you know it's not like that" he started,pulling me back to myself.
"Daryl leave me now,I want to go to my class before breeze will carry me" I protested,whilst a smile still playing over my lips. "I thought you wanted me to follow you before" he reminded,causing me to give off a supposed frustrated sigh. "Are you going to come?" I found myself questioning and wishing he'd accept the offer.
"Well......." he trailed off,an apologetic look growing on his face which only meant my hopes were about to be crushed. "Temi actually asked me to do something for him,but I'll come and meet you at the end of prep I promise" he was quick to add the last part earning a simply stare from me.
Giving off a sigh,I finally retracted my hands from his hold,a slight pang of regret hitting me thereafter at the loss of his warmth. "Daryl,goodnight" I told him before turning on my heels.
"Kainene I'm sorry now,I'll really come back,seriously,I will" he was quick to stop me before I could even take a step forward. "I know,I've heard you na" I gave off a chuckle,one which recurred seeing how serious he'd turned.
"I'm joking joorh,see you later. Before you start crying..." I teased,giving him a light swat on his belly before brushing past him. "Chai,this girl has finished me..." he commented dramatically,his hands going over his chest,only earning more chuckles from me.
"What class?" He called out to me just before I could step into the corridor. "SS2B" I replied,and giving him one last look,one which lasted long enough to catch the rather boyish wink he'd thrown my way,I proceeded through the school block with an even wider smile tugging at the edges of my lips.
****
At first,I'd been a bit too excited on reaching my prep class. I didn't know how and why Daryl was able to elicit such responses from my emotions but he was and was starting to do so more frequently. Not wanting to lose extra time debating whether he was really going to come back or not,I recollected myself and flipped the pages of my books.
The one thing I loved about myself was that,the minute my gaze met the prints of any book,my drive came hitting me hard,shoving everyother thing in my mind away and making space for only itself.
I was sure that it hadnt been long since I'd started reading,when I heard the bell go off. I sighed,relaxing into my seat as I watched the students file out of the class as the evening prep had been declared to be over. I tried to ignore the faint disappointment within me,some part of me,most of me had actually anticipated Daryl's return unknown to my consciousness.
I knew it wasn't such a big deal,but once again,Daryl had my insides hurting. Deciding that I wasn't going to let it distract me,I attempted going back to my books but before I could,a figure walked through the door which lay ajar directly to my left side. He didn't have to search much as I was now the only one left in the class so his gaze was quick to find me.
My gaze flickered his way,watching as he freely slid into the seat before mine,sitting in the opposite direction on the seat so that we faced each other. Whilst trying my best to keep a stoic expression on as I watched him,I couldn't deny the sudden burst of happiness I felt that he'd kept to his promise.
The plan was to ignore him for coming late but somehow,Daryl had me letting my guard down and laughing so heartily in a matter of minutes. After we'd spent over ten minutes laughing over matters that we best understood,I found myself being led down the slabway in Daryl's company,my fingers intertwined with his.
"So that's what you guys spent the whole day doing,your parents would think that its JAMB registration you people went for oh" I commented as he concluded his tale as to what he and his friends had been up to that day,although that had come later as a form of distraction.
It had bugged me so much and I knew I couldn't take it in anymore so I asked,I asked him what had actually happened back home. He'd taken a while,but he'd finally opened up and if there was something I'd come to know about Daryl,it was always hard for him to speak up,just talking about things took a toll on him and you could clearly see how much they'd eaten him deep.
When I'd noticed he was getting to that point where he couldn't handle it anymore,I did well to divert the topic as it was hard for me as well,watching him in that state. I would just have to hear the rest another day.
"But that's what we were doing now...plus some extracurricular stuff" he added,causing us both to laugh again just as we finally reach the crossroad which bifurcated the slabway into two different paths.
"I'm very sure you were already planning how you would kill me if I didn't come back" he suddenly started,as our laughs died down. "I wasn't,hoor...what's my business?" I shrugged,trying to maintain my lackadaisical act although I knew he'd spoken all but the truth.
"Okay oh" he shrugged in reply,although I didn't miss the tad bit of disappointment which lined his features,despite his attempt to mask it. "Kainene...." he trailed off,his tone growing serious and causing my ears to stand.
"I know..." he started "I know I'm being greedy right now and I know I don't have the right to be,I know this is going to sound crazy but I just..." he failed to complete his sentence again,his gaze darting towards my now probably tense one. For some reason,his words had my hands which he still held in his sweating.
"We're good friends yeah and I wouldn't ever want to ruin what we have but sometimes....I just can't help thinking....if we could be more than that" he barely whispered,bridging a bit of space between us.
Suddenly finding it hard to hold his gaze,I averted my gaze to our linked hands,heat creeping up the entirety of my skin,specifically my cheeks and ear tips. The more the heat got conducted throughout my body,the more I tensed. It felt like I'd actually longed to hear this from him again,but now that I did,I felt somewhat lost,what was I to say?
"I don't know how you feel about me Kainene and honestly,I'm not going to push you into anything. It also doesn't change the fact that I really like you Kainene." He finished off,caressing my palms which only did more to shunting a mass of emotions through me,causing my skin to tingle.
"Daryl...I..." My voice started out low,not because I wanted it to but because my emotions had condensed over my throat,making it difficult for me to speak up. "I dont know...I..." I stuttered,looking everywhere but him and when his gaze caught mine,I sighed causing my shoulders to slump.
"I'm not asking you to say anything Kainene,I don't want you to feel any sort of pressure. Like I said,we're good friends and I wouldn't want to ruin what we have. I just felt the need to put what I feel out there....if it makes you uncomfortable,I wouldn't have to think twice to put my feelings off for you..."
"That's not what I mean Daryl I just...." I gave off another sigh,deciding to keep my gaze lowered. "I just want to be sure of what I want. I want to give it a little more thought. I dont want to give you false hopes and...I also don't want to get hurt again" I barely explained,my voice dropping octaves towards the end of my statement as my gaze darted towards him.
After a brief period of holding each others gazes,he finally closed the remaining distance between us,his arms encircling my torso subtly as he brought me into an embrace. "I'm sorry for everything Kainene,I'm sorry for all the times I've hurt you,I really am" he whispered. "I know..." I attempted to reply,even though it came off muffled by his shirt.
My eyes fell shut as my head hung loosely over his shoulder,my breath growing even more erratic as his cologne began to massage my nostrils even more. My joints suddenly growing weak as well.
I didn't know how long we stayed that way because deep within me,I wished it would never end. For so much pain Daryl had caused me,he gave me even more relief to compensate,my body relaxing into his hold and my arms encircling him as well.
"I think I'd better get back to hostel before they lock the door" I told him as the second bell finally went off,causing us to pull away. "Yeah you should,I would have escorted you if I could" he replied,causing the edges of my lips to tilt upwards.
"Don't worry,I can go on my own. Goodnight" I told him. "Goodnight" he whispered back,his voice coming off huskier than usual and sending another set of chills down my spine. Nevertheless,I turned on my heels and made my way towards my hostel.
Okay,so um,I wasnt obviously meant to end this here but what can I do,the word count was just too much and I know people dont really enjoy extremely long chapter. For me personally,it can be really tiring. Like,you just want to get to the end already.
Anyway so um,ships are sailing guys! Oghale and Temi though,who can guess what's going on with them? As for me,I'm quite concerned. They were my favourite after KayDee🥺. Let's help them sort things out😩😂. Thanks for having me guys! Please dont forget to vote and comment!😩.
Better updates coming up,so stay tuned. Love y'all💕.