LAST DAYS AT PACIFIC CREST HIGH SCHOOL.
•Kainene•
Thrilling. That was the one word I could use the describe our last days. Each day went by so quickly,leaving no time for us to catch up to our reality. We,the 0'22 set of Pacific Crest were finally done with high school,for good and for the better.
We'd spent the whole week taking passport photographs,clad in our uniform with school graduation gown over it and cap to go with for our yearbook. It had been a hassle,but the elating type of hassle.
My classmates had taken to singing in groups in the periods designated for our evening preps,mostly the girls though. They would huddle up together and in groups,singing farewell songs like,'See you again' by Whiz Khalifa and 'My heart will go on' by Celine Dion.
Despite the initial gloom which had loomed over us the previous day,we'd went wild on Friday,the minute after we'd dropped our pens over our final paper of the NECO examination.
It had been crazy. People tore their question papers into pieces,stomped over their pens and pencils,yelling and threatening to shake the very grounds of the school. It had taken us six long years to get here and we were going to ensure that everyone acknowledged that fact.
Every part of the day had been planned out and the authorities of our school had played their part,granting us whatever request we'd placed. Mobile phones suddenly seemed legal,camera shots and videos kept rolling all through the time we'd spent in the refectory.
The afternoon time had been allocated to the final football match between SS3 and SS2 students. Temi and Oghale had ensured that jerseys had been customised for everyone in the set with their names(or preferred nicknames) inscribed behind it,just below the 0'22 print.
The girls had dressed in the provided sports wears,even though we were merely the cheerleaders of the game. We'd coiled the fore strands of our braids in blue and white hair cords,tied blue and white ribbons to our wrists and ankles and held white and blue pom-poms to go with. The rest of our hair was pulled into a high ponytail,our feet clad in blue knee length pairs of socks and tucked neatly into pairs of sneakers.
It had always been the tradition of Pacific Crest,quite an important parting ceremony. The final match was always held at a very high regard. It was more than pertinent for we the SS3 students to win the match,it would only supplement our position in the hierarchy. So the boys never took it lightly,practicing every evening all through the week for the match.
The SS2 boys also practiced as hard as they knew it would be a big plus to their reps and levels in Pacreis if they were to defeat the outgoing set in their own final football match. But it was almost impossible,no outgoing set would dare to leave with such a dent to their imagine in Pacreis. It was the definition of what they call,a do-or-die affair.
The game had had a swell start,our team scoring barely twenty five minutes into the first half of the game. The first half came to an end much later and the second half was started. Tensions began to rise though,when our opponents scored their first goal sixty five minutes into the game.
The thought of the game ending in a tie was absolutely mind-boggling. I found myself chipping off bits of my nails unconsciously as we entered the last minutes of the game.
"Omor,don't tell me this match will end like this" Onome had just chided into my ears as we'd reached the eight-nineth minute. Two extra minutes had been added to the game and in the very last minute,with an assist from Andrew,Tobi had scored the very last goal.
The next thing I knew,my mates and I were in the air,leaping in cheer and yelling atop our voices and throwing ourselves over one another. The very next moment,we were running through the fields and into the boys who had also been engulfed by thrill and delight. They gathered us together as we yelled and cheered,jumping continuously and chanting our success mantra.
Camera's were on roll the very next minute and photos of the whole set in our victory moment were taken. We'd broken into our different friendship groups later as everyone wanted a memory and a memento to go with.
The moment had been short-lived for us,because Jade was called out minutes later by Auntie Yinka. Her parents had arrived to pick her up for her flight the next morning. It was like a bucket of cold water had been poured on us as we rushed with her to get her things from hostel.
"Jesus,Jade..." Oghale cried after we'd taken all her things towards the gate. Her parents had brought a helper to do the rest of the work. "You guys should not cry naw,if not I'll start crying" Jade sniffed,tears brimming in her eyes as she hugged Onome,Oghale and I.
"So you won't come for grad or prom?" Onome sulked. Jade gave a sad smile,exhaling heavily. "Jade,just pick our call when we call you yeah" I told her,caressing the dorsum of her hand.
"No wahala,I'll miss you guys" she told us. "We'll miss you too! Bye!" We all fought our tears,watching here retreating figure make her way out of the school gates. I'd cried so much all through the week,I'd tried to avoid it all but I'd only been deluding myself and it was time to face reality.
Watching her go broke my heart,knowing that she wasn't okay made my heart ache,watching her exchange looks with Yomi when she'd been called on had me shattered. They'd ended it,but they still hated to give up sharing the same space.
It was only after we'd turned on our heels to head back to where our mates were,despite being sombre,did we notice Yomi dashing down the slabway towards where we stood.
"Please tell me she hasn't gone! Has she?" He inquired hurriedly,still trying to catch his breath. My gaze softened as I watched him,empathy welling up in me for him,for them. With a slight bob of my head,I gave him the sad reply, "She has"
His eyes widened,his gaze shifting from us to the gate as he clenched his knees. Then the most unthinkable happened. Yomi grew red,darting his gaze to the floor as moisture eluded his eyes and soaked the floor beneath them.
Daryl and Temi had rushed towards us,just in time to support their friend who had lowered unto the floor,burying his face in his palms as sobs began to elude him. It almost had tears gathering in my orbs as well.
Has she gone? Daryl had mouthed to me as they reached us and I gave the same affirmative gesture. Yomi had said nothing,sitting in his place on the slab in spite of our attempts to get him off it.
He suddenly took to his feet thereafter,shrugging all our holds off him and stomping down the slabway in the direction of West Wood. His friends went after him while we helped ourselves back to our own hostel.
The evening had been packed. Our farewell party had been organised to take place that very evening and we'd picked a campfire sort of setting for it. I'd never expected that Auntie Yinka would agree with the idea when art students had come up with it but she had.
Four bonfires were made at the four corners of the school field. Speakers were stationed at those corners as well. Barbeque,suya and kilishi stands had been put up and we'd been allowed to be in charge of them all. Drums of iced drinks had been provided as well. It was a buffet setting.
To think I'd dared to be awed by it all,the real shock had come only when they'd started setting up tents around the fields. A total of twenty-five tents had been set up and only final year students were to be in attendance.
Every other student had been made to scurry into their hostels at the prompt time of nine o'clock in the evening. It must have been hard for them,to hear the blaring music from the fields and for the sweet aroma of the food to massage their nostrils and not be part of the party.
I cared little for them though. It was a mad night for us. As it had been all through the day,the girls also had some sort of uniform planned for the night. A pair of bum-shorts and crop-tees.
"Ahah! Shake that booty mama!!" Awele hyped as she walked into our room,seeing Oghale fully clad in her party wear. "Eh! Eh! Eh! Eh!" We'd all joined Awele who had done the honours of drumming against the door and Oghale who actually leaned down to twerk.
"Are they mad?!! They don't even know what's going down this night!" Onome hyped,causing all of us to laugh. "Abeg,you people should leave me jare" Oghale laughed as we returned to putting on our clothes. I'd picked out a nice sandal to go with because I knew we all had plans of going wild and my feet would not be what would stop me.
After minutes of deliberation,changing wears,fixing our hair and dressing,we finally started making our way out of the hostel. We'd barely made it around the bend when the music from the speakers blared against our ears.
The vibes from Fireboy's 'What if I say' had us moving our shoulders and waists to its rhythm so that by the time we were entering the field,we were almost fully engulfed by the music.
The boys made it out much earlier than us,they had already dispersed themselves all over the fine grass of the lawn. I'd spotted a few junior girls around and I'd smirked within myself knowing the exact reason why they were out.
"Omorr,this is going to be mad!" Onome shrieked as we maneuvered our way through the dancing figures. "Like do you get,whooo!" Oghale hyped,causing us to laugh. She was so pumped up for the night.
"When we celebrate,we go pop champagne....!" The next song came up,causing loud shrieks to elude the crowd as people started leaping in the places. The party was really just starting.
Onome got mixed up with the crowd at some point while Oghale and I continued our search for Daryl and Temi. We didn't walk long before we spotted them making their way towards us,clad in a pair of black jean knickers and free tops.
"Eh eh eh eh!" We kept hyping ourselves as we danced towards each other,laughs erupting from us when we finally reached ourselves. Our worlds had practically been split in two as I took the pair of designer glasses Daryl was on away from him and he wrapped his arms around me in a back hug.
"Where have you guys been?!" I questioned over the music,his hold over me not stopping me from dancing. "Looking for both of you. Ahah,you guys are out to kill oh" He hyped,looking over me with a desirous grin as I wrung myself out of his hold after settling the glasses on my own face.
I felt the pit of my stomach knot. It felt so good to elicit the exact response you'd wanted,to feel wanted and desired. I never thought I would be saying this,but it really did feel good.
Wild and crazy,was the perfect definition for the night. Art students had taken it upon themselves to organise every sort of game possible. But dancing was the best part for me. It was the most thrilling thing I'd ever done. I'd never thought I'd be able to be free,I'd actually had doubts. But being with my friends made it much easier.
Daryl and Temi had kept Oghale and I away from alcohol for the greater half of the party but their efforts had gone down the drain. Oghale had felt a bit too adventurous and pulled me away from our dance circle to the other side of the field. She'd spiked our soft drinks with beer and well,it had been both our first times of taking the slightest bit of alcohol,of course we went crazy.
"Shuu! Shuperu! Warri...Warri do!!" It was only until Oghale and I began to yell atop our voices did our male friends realise that we were infact,tipsy. "Oh God,Kay,I told you not to drink" Daryl laughed,trying to keep me in his hold for the nth time. I'd always found my way back to the field.
Once I'd heard Temi sigh,"God,these girls have energy". But it wasn't a night to be sane in the first place. I'd lost control over almost everything. With each song that kept up with the next,I my body twisted and wrung itself in weird angles that even I never knew it could.
The part which had me going mad was when 'Your waist' started playing. By this time,Daryl had succeeded in bringing me to sit over his thighs while he sat on a chair but Temi hadnt had the same luck with Oghale.
I found myself loving their proximity as they practically started grinding against each other. I mean,I'd seen it time and time again that very night but seeing it happen between them had me cheering and whooping.
Just when I thought it couldn't get better,Oghale turned in Temi's arms and the next thing I knew,she was rocking hard against him. Even Temi was shocked by the action. It took him quite some seconds to retrieve his composure before he started matching her waist movement with his.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing! That na Temi so?!" Daryl laughed. "I swear. Omo,this night is sweet. No,this night is sweet" Daryl laughed as I took a sip from the can of soda in my arms,my grin almost permanent on my face.
"If you like stay here Daryl,me I've gone" Was all I told him before joining my friends on the field again. It was like we'd only taken a break for a recharge because the next round of dancing was much steamier and longer.
There were times where there was practically no tad bit of space between Daryl and I. If I needed any boost of confidence,Oghale had given me all I needed. The stronger Daryl's hold over my waist grew as we danced,the more my body moved against his and the more I lost myself in the music.
At some point,Ed Sheeran's Perfect had begun to play. We'd exquisitely tired ourselves out and a few had started retiring to their seats. All I could feel at that point,was Daryl's arms around my bare waist as mine found their way to encircle his torso.
My eyes had grown woozy and I could hear little of the song. But my feet moved with that of Daryl which swayed both our figures gingerly,back and forth,to the music. My lips began to etch upwards in a smile as the chorus came up and he was whispering the lyrics into my ears.
Baby,I'm
Dancing in the dark,with you between my arms
Barefoot on the grass,listening to our favourite song
When you said you looked a mess,I whispered underneath my breath but you,heard it
Darling you look perfect tonight.
I looked up to him thereafter,mirroring his smile as he placed a soft kiss over the bridge of my nose. It felt right,the place and the time. It felt like the lyrics had been sung specially for us. Even if it wasn't going to last,we'd had something special. And I was never going to forget it.
We'd retired to our tent thereafter I'd practically slept off in Daryl's arms. Oghale and Onome were still going but I'd burned out a bit past two in the morning.
The school had probably intended the girls use separate tents from the boys but we all knew that was not happening. We'd shared ourselves as we'd deemed fit into the different tents and I got to share one with Daryl,Temi and Oghale.
Yomi had not bothered coming for the party. I think I'd spotted him once when we'd stopped to feast on chicken and pastry but he'd disappeared the very next minute. He looked so uninterested in whatever we'd been doing and I felt so much pity for him. Watching him made me miss Jade. If she'd been here,she would have taken it all to another level.
"God,I'm so tired" I breathed,slumping into one of the two beds in the tent. "For real" Daryl concurred,coming to lie beside me and shutting his eyes.
"Are you sleeping?" I giggled,poking the side of his arm. If I was this giddy and I was only tipsy,I didn't wish to see myself drunk. "I'm not" he smiled,opening his eyes and turning to lie on his side so he was facing me.
"You're very fine" I laughed lowly,caressing the side of his face and earning a low laugh from him as well,a rather husky one. "I believe the word you're trying to use there is handsome" he replied,causing me to roll my eyes as he brought his hand around my waist.
"But you're finer" he told me. "Of course I am" It was my turn to give an egotistical reply,causing us to laugh again.
We continued to stare at each other,neither of us bothering to say anything.
"I feel very bad for Jade" I told him whilst my eyes beginning to fall close. "I know right" Was all he said,giving off a yawn thereafter. "Don't swallow us abeg" I told him,snuggling close to his chest.
His chuckle reverberated through me,causing me to smile as I filtered every other sound besides that of our breathing. Loving the feel of his gentle heaves against my chest,I allowed sleep to consume me.