032| "I Like Someone Else..."
~K O M I S O L A~
"Since Ameenah Ahmed isn't around today, you, Komisola will be taking her place on the field and when she comes back, you're back to the bleachers." Senior Zara stated, eyes going through her clipboard as she spoke. "You're starting with-"
"Zara!" Someone shouted from the other side of the field. Senior Gabriel, the goofy senior that everyone liked. Including Senior Zara. Standing beside him was Oyindamola Faleye, a model and top celebrity in CH. "Over here, I and Queen Bee want to show you something? Doesn't this guy look like Solomon?"
I looked over to the person he was pointing and saw Hanniel walking together with Ibrahim and Hassan. Ibrahim was the younger brother to Amyra Abdelnour Mirza. He was also really popular as well but he definitely didn't hit quarter of his sister's.
"And... what do I have to do with that?" Senior Zara asked, before turning back to me and the other girls. I was a runner yes. But I never represented on the field, so it was no surprise I was a replacement.
"We're starting with exercise, slow jogging. Then, we start the main competition to pick the best two. You'll be competing together with Amyra for the Girls track. Is that taken?"
We all said yes. But in my head, was a blaring NO.
I wanted to stay low. I knew I wasn't going to go for the conference. But I just had to be picked as a replacement. Sad, innit?
And then we started running. It was nothing like the way I ran. Running was an escape for me, an escape from reality. It wasn't necessarily my fantasy but something I did for long till I was too exhausted to remember my reality.
Dabirah was leading by just a few meters. I did feel a little spark of competition in me but I tried to push it aside. However, I increased my speed and passed her by like the whiff of air. And I kept on running till I hit the white line marked on the ground.
"10 seconds faster than the second best, at the last moment. Amazing, Komisola." Senior Amir clapped his hands as he walked towards me together with Senior Inaya.
I felt warmth brew inside me at the sight of them. It was strange that I felt this peace, convenience with them. I was still trying to get used to it.
"Baby girl," Senior Inaya pulled me into a comfy embrace and patted me on my back. I didn't hug her back. She probably felt my stiff awkwardness but chose to pay no attention to it. "You're amazing, just like Amir said." She added and pulled away to smile at him.
"Komisola, you'll be competing with Ameenah and Dabirah tomorrow," Senior Zara interrupted, eyes still trained on her clipboard. She hadn't looked up from it all this while.
"Why does she have to compete with Ameenah and Dabirah? Clearly, she won." Senior Inaya asked and frowned at Senior Zara.
For the first time, Senior Zara and had this look in her eyes that clearly said; "And who the fuck are you?"
The look in her eyes was degrading, spiteful and cold, effortlessly. Anyway, she chose to answer.
"Ameenah is the top runner in SS2, asides from Komisola and Dabirah. Since Dabirah has come in second to Komisola, Komisola will have to compete again since she was just a replacement for Ameenah today. That okay?"
Senior Zara walked away without waiting for any reply and I just kept staring at her till she walked off to meet her boyfriend. The way her mood changed immediately was surreal.
Whenever I saw her with Senior Adam, it made me question if she was really this cold because she was always so happy with him. But her character, attitude and words... made it seem like she had no heart.
"Komisola clearly won. Her and Dabirah are meant to participate, why go against themselves all together with Ameenah again?" Senior Inaya scoffed. She sounded like she couldn't believe it. Like she could see no reason as to why I would be competing again.
"Leave it, Senior Inaya." I told her. Tried to calm her down. "By the way, your hoodie... the one you gave me. It's in my backpack but..."
I had been meaning to give Senior Inaya her hoodie, but that meant I had to go to her class. SS3 Arts. According to what I heard, it was a very quiet class, cool and even better than SS3 Science.
SS3 Science was the class where the fearful people dwelled. The Head girl, Head boy, Senior Adolphus, Oyindamola Faleye, name them.
But still, I'd never imagine stepping into a senior class.
"Oh that? Keep it, it's all yours. Think of it as a gift." Senior Inaya waved me off, dismissively.
"Is it because I wore it?" I blurted. Senior Inaya would never want someone like me in her clothes. She just had to compromise because of situations that day.
"No! No! Ya Allah, it's not. Why would you think that?"
"You've forgotten that you, yourself are obsessed with Drew. She wanted to give it to you. Although it's weird that it's her clothing," that was Senior Amir and I looked at him.
He was wearing a varsity jacket as usual and rocking the same red, black and white Nike Air Jordan's with Senior Inaya.
Best friends.
"Amir!" Someone yelled and on cue, a ball came rolling into Senior Amir's chest who caught it just a few inches away from him. "My guy, thank you."
"No qualms." Senior Amir said and softly threw the ball back at the male senior. "As we were saying..."
♤
Hanniel came to take his seat beside me, his face glistening with sweat as I took a good look at him. His curls covered his forehead and he was running his tongue over his lips.
I looked away.
After a long time, someone decided to speak up. "You okay?"
I jumped at his question because I was already looking into thin air. I nodded briefly and focused on the people at the field. An awkward silence engulfed us. "Hey, how do you apologize to someone whom you forgot, like a special event to that person?"
"I don't know," I shrugged and shifted a bit away from him. He noticed but didn't say anything. There was something about him that was too strong to resist. Maybe it was his aura, or his warmth? I didn't know. But whatever it was, I didn't like it.
"It's Ameenah," he told me. "She has this huge fencing competition today."
"The National Asian Games?" I glanced at Hanniel for a second. Everyone knew about Ameenah Ahmed's big game. It even had posters on the school walls and lockers. I tore one I found pasted on my locker yesterday.
Hanniel nodded and puffed out.
"No shit. Everyone knows. I was supposed to at least check on her." He sighed.
"Why?" I pulled my brows together.
"She's my friend." He answered. I stared at him blankly. "My close friend," he emphasized. "I really like her."
I scoffed to myself and pressed my lips together. I thought having a conversation with Hanniel was still unbelievable but hearing him talk about someone as strange as Ameenah was even more unbelievable.
Hanniel shot me a look of realization and raised his hands in surrender, "I don't mean in the romantic way. I like someone else." He said and stared at me in this very strange, knowing way that I couldn't decipher.
That was how he stared at me this morning when he pulled my head from his chest. That same look that was similar to longing, but something more intense yet gentle.
I didn't know what it was.
It seemed like time had stopped because we were stating at each other. "It's none of my business anyway," I wanted to say but all the words I had to say got hooked in my throat under his gaze.
"By the way,"
I was the one who broke the silence.
"Thank you for this morning," I said in all sincerity. For the first time, I didn't have a panic attack and it was new to me. Like a fresh break from my life. "And, I think you should text Ameenah."
With that I stood up and went to class.
~c h a p t e r b r e a k~
On his first day when he bumped into her, he felt something stir in his stomach. It was warm, electrifying and sent jolts all over his body. On the contrary, the lifeless pair of grey eyes weren't what he expected. She was pretty, very pretty. With a unique eye color.
Her body was slender, but she had the right curves and her complexion was that of rich chocolate. Her gaze was guarded, yet her orbs seemed to pull him in, drawing him into an unrealistic depth. He seemed to drown in her grey eyes. Just staring, studying and beinh pulled in deeper.
But he didn't mind it.
For some reason, he liked it.
Coming from Australia and going to Abuja wasn't a mistake. He didn't know why he chose the Federal Capital Territory of all places to go to, but he made friends. Rather, he decided he wanted to be with his mother.
So he came to Lagos, the centre of excellence.
And then, Crestview High.
Seeing this girl made him feel like he made a right decision.
He wanted to know her.
And whatever secret buried in her eyes.