“Benjamin.” Tito's brows drew together in an affronted frown.
Her reaction amused him. How could he blame her?
There was a thing about the chemistry teacher that got him yawning throughout the class. It wasn’t the class itself. Ms. Jones's teaching was just unenthusiastic during her class. He was so happy when the class ended that he didn’t remember to carry his textbook along.
Well, thank goodness he didn’t carry his textbook along. How else would he have known that Tito had a crush on his best friend?
Point of correction, he wasn’t eavesdropping. Their voices were completely loud enough to stop him to hear more.
“Abby,” Benjy greeted Tito's best friend who had large eyes and a round face.
Abby lifted her chin and replied stiffly. Ah, she was the type you call inherit-my-friend's-enemy type.
“What are you doing here?” Tito asked, fiddling with a napkin.
“You can go on, ladies.” He flapped his hand in the direction of his book on the table. “I just came to get this.”
He knew she was watching him as he picked up his book. “You heard something, didn’t you?”
He feigned ignorance. “No. Should I have heard something?”
Benjamin made a mental note of how pale she looked.
“You are literally giving me a face that tells me you heard something,” Tito said.
“Relax.” He moved to the door. “I didn’t hear anything. If I could just take my book and—
On another note, it would be nice for him to get under her skin. If it were him, she would taunt him all his life.
He halted in his steps and turned to face her. “You know, I don’t blame you have a thing for Dare. All girls do. It’s just, I thought you were different.”
Her ebony face had a touch of red on her cheekbones as she threw the napkin on the table. “You big bag of dirt. You heard.”
“Of course, I did.”
Abby shook her head in irritation. “Benjy, it isn’t nice to eavesdrop, you know.”
He held up a finger. “I know but in my defense, you two were loud about it. Everyone passing by could literally hear you.”
“I swear, if you tell anyone or even Dare, I am going to murder you in six different ways.” Tito snapped, taking an inch forward.
He looked at the slender girl standing in front of him. “You can’t murder someone in six different ways.”
“Benjy, please!” Her mood was now serious. “You keep your mouth shut.”
His eyebrows shot up. Wow, she really meant it. “Okay. Okay. I promise.”
“Thank you.”
“And congratulations on representing the class,” Abby put in and he was sure it was because she wanted to get them both in his good book.
“Thank you,” He told her. “It was easy.”
Tito snorted a little. “Please. The only reason you are the representative was that I wasn’t around. No offense but you can’t beat me.”
Did she just say no offense and go on to insult him?
“Do you realize I am doing you a favor by keeping your secret? The least you could do is be nice.”
“Nice? Dude, you know I will say the truth as it is. Okay, name one time you’ve won against me.” She folded her arms over her chest.
“P.H class in Junior class 2.”
“I was sick. I couldn’t do physical exercises.”
He returned her intense gaze. “That’s not an excuse.”
“Look.” She sighed, dropping her arms. “I am angry you took my spot but I just wanted you to know competitions are competitions. It isn’t like what we do here. It’s different. Like you have to read ten times harder than you have. I know because I’ve been there.”
He cracked a smile that he was sure came out mockingly. “Well, thanks for the unsolicited advice but I think I have this under control. Ciao, girls.”
------------------------------------
“I don’t understand how this girl manages to rile you up every time,” Dare had said when they got to the cafeteria. The cafeteria was loud with students in white and blue uniforms filling the room to the brim.
He sat up. “It is because you don’t know her. She…she is like the mistress of the devil.”
“She looks pretty angelic to me.” Dare shrugged.
He stopped and narrowed his eyes at his friend. “Are you really on her side?”
“I don’t choose sides if I don’t even know what’s up with both of you.” Dele paused with a maintain chip halfway to his mouth. “Fighting over academics? Boring.”
He slammed his hand on the table. “How dare she? I am tired of staring into those brown eyes of hers every time.”
He noticed Dare was giving him a look.
“What?”
“What is the color of my eyes?” Dare asked.
He squinted his eyes. “I don’t know, black. Why?”
Dare tilted his head like he was studying him. “You know the color of Tito's eyes and I have been around you more than she has. How did you know the color of her eyes?”
He took a huge sip from his bottled coke. “I…I…It is a normal thing. I just noticed.”
“Yeah.” Dare threw a plantain chip in his mouth. “You noticed because you spend too much time paying attention to her. Sometimes, I wonder if maybe you like her.”
The cafeteria became much quieter like it heard Dare's words.
“Ah, like Tito? Trust me, she is not my type. Ew.” His nose scrunched and his forehead wrinkled. He had never thought of him and Tito that way.
“Okay, Humor me. What’s so wrong with her?”
“She is proud. She is an egoistic maniac. She…she steps on anyone to get what she wants. If you think nothing is wrong with her, why don’t you go ask her out?”
“It is not entirely a bad idea. I mean, she is cute in her way. The only thing is I don’t like her that way.”
A junior student rushed to their table.
“Senior Benjamin, Mr. Johnson wants to see you,” the boy said.
He looked at the boy. “Now?”
“He just asked me to call you.”
Why was Mr. Johnson asking to see him? His mind began buzzing with different reasons.
“Okay. I’ll be right in his office.” The boy left.
When he was done eating, he made his way to Mr. Johnson’s office, trying to calm down his thumping heart. Had they realized he wasn’t the best representative for the school?
He knocked on the wooden door.
“Come in.” He heard Mr. Johnson say.
Mr. Johnson's office had different science charts on his wall. His office was loaded and unorganized except for his desk which looked too tidy for a science teacher. His teacher was seated on the chair, marking test scripts with a red pen.
He closed the door.
Mr. Johnson pointed his pen to the chair in front of him. “Sit down.”
He hunched down in the chair, his body sweaty.
For a minute, all Mr. Johnson did was mark his test scripts. With a scowl, he wondered what the teacher's plans were.
Benjy coughed.
“Do you have somewhere to be? Am I wasting your time?” Mr. Johnson asked.
“No, sir.”
Mr. Johnson dropped his pen on the table and finally paid attention to him. “How is preparation for the Medunal?”
Okay, the thing was he hasn’t read a thing yet.
“Good. It’s going great.” He lied.
“Hmm.” Mr. Johnson nodded. “What percentage of the earth is covered by water?”
“Sir?”
“That’s not the answer.”
Of course, he knew the answer. He just didn’t know why he was being quizzed. “Erm…about 71%.”
“How do precipitates form?”
He shifted in his seat. “They are formed when solutions containing ionic compounds are mixed and an insoluble product is formed.”
“Hmm. What is Analytical chemistry?”
His eyes bolted wide. Analytical what? “Sir? We…we have never been taught that.”
“Benjy.” Mr. Johnson shook his head. “You don’t have to be taught. You need to teach yourself. Do you know that was one of the questions Bolatito answered during one of our inter-class quizzes?”
“I…No sir.” How was he supposed to know that?
“You are good. I admire your strength and zeal but you need to understand how these competitions work. Your teachers aren’t the ones setting the questions. You read ahead of everyone. You should have read that.”
“I am sorry, sir.” He lowered his head.
“Don’t apologize. Find something to do about it. Action, Benjamin. Tito is good. If you think Tito should mentor you, then let her. Forget your pride whatsoever. You should be focused on winning.”
“Yes sir.”
Mr. Johnson nodded like he was proud of his speech. “Good. That’s all. Just wanted to check if you had been preparing. You are dismissed.”
When Benjy left Mr. Johnson's office, he ran to the restroom.
He opened the tap and threw a handful of water onto his face. What was wrong with him? Why hadn’t he read Analytical chemistry? Why hadn’t he even begun preparation?
He looked at his reflection in the mirror as his father's words echoed in his mind. If he failed, his father was going to hate him. He couldn’t afford to lose. He just can’t.
He thought about Mr. Johnson’s words. ‘If you think Tito should mentor you, then let her.’
Yes, they disliked one another but he might do anything to just win this.
Tito was the best, no doubt. The lady had an IQ almost as equal to Sheldon Cooper. If Tito tutored him for the competition, it would boost his chances of winning. But what in the world would make Tito help him?