The second I entered into the library, I walked to my favourite reading spot--where the huge shelves blocked the jointed tables, sun rays scattering on them. Having sat down, I muffled the scream I'd withheld into my palms as what I said rang through my mind on replay. It was stupid, stupid and unnecessary. Amara and Daniel were only joking around, and I just had to mess things up by taking their words seriously. Nathan too might be wondering if my mood normally switched back and forth. Oh God.
Breathe, Kaira. I bet it wasn't that serious anyway. I breathed in and opened my civic notebook. Civic wouldn't be enough to wash off the embarrassment I felt. If I could feel dizzy while taking down notes during classes, imagine how tempting it was for me to get get up and join my friends in the cafeteria. But then my silly reaction to what they said downstairs glued me down to my chair.
Despite knowing they wouldn't be offended with me eating with them again, I couldn't stand myself saying something ridiculous again, or Tola starting another of her unnecessary drama. Her creativity always resulted in dramatic things. Why she ended up choosing to be in science, I saw no sensible reason.
Christ...my train of thoughts derailed again.
I slouched in my chair and tipped my head backwards, hiding my eyes when reflected light rays shone hard into them. Someone knocked on the shelf or table, whichever. The person better not be trying to get my attention because such a light tap against the wood wasn't worth opening my eyes for. Sitting here like this in silence gave me a kind of comfort. Now someone had to spoil it.
"I know you heard me knock, Okori."
Argh...Kazeem.
"You're pronouncing it wrong." I frowned, reluctantly sitting up. "I really don't know why you keep on pronouncing my surname wrong when you know the right way to."
''The day you call me Senior Kazeem or head boy I'll reconsider what to call you, but for now, you're Okori," the annoying head boy said with an irritating smug look on that yellow face of his. "Your sister didn't complain once when I called her senior Okori."
Still frowning, I said, "That's because she didn't care if you pronounced it right or not, as long as you showed her respect. Unlike her, I like my surname being pronounced right."
He nodded, only as a mock show of understanding when we both knew he was never going to do as I asked, even if I went down on my knees for him to (no chance of that happening). While I despised Omotola for being so nosy, troublesome and annoying, I disliked Kazeem for being so cocky. Like him being brilliant and good-looking wasn't sufficient for him to boast about, he had to be nominated for the position of headboy, which he obviously ended up being.
Whether he was the head of prefects or not, I still hated his guts and my sister's for choosing him to be her school child--even with our school was a day one--when she already had me with her. Looking at him, his perfectly knotted tie, perfectly ironed uniform, perfectly polished leather shoes, his fresh fingers tapping his crossed forearms...a vein almost burst in my head.
"Don't eat me please--" He coughed in sudden realization. "Okay, how about we both unhear that?"
"Agreed."
He pulled out the sit opposite me. His perfume struck every sensory nerve in my nostrils that I wanted to sneeze.
"You still haven't changed that insecticide for a perfume, I see." I commented, rubbing my nose.
"Like I've always told you and still will, Okorie, you need to see an ENT doctor because you're the only one that thinks this wonderful cologne is bad." Cologne? That insect killer? He must be playing. ''Or maybe I'll give you the bottle to check if you're allergic to one of the ingredients." He stroked his beardless chin lightly, the way he did whenever he was having deep thoughts. He did care, surprisingly.
I sneezed, and Kazeem sprang up from the seat like he didn't know beforehand that his insecticide affected me. "Yep, it has to be an allergy."
Amina appeared from behind one of the shelves, her eyes peeking at us above her glasses. Our short female library prefect folded her arms, nagging in that tiny voice of hers, "Kazeem, I hope you're aware that your voice is real deep. And you should be leading by showing good examples. You're lucky that the librarian isn't here to see what you're doing. Those juniors"--she pointed at the two girls seated not too far down our right--"had to report—"
"Chill for a moment, will you, Mina?" Kazeem did that thing with his smile that the tips of Amina's fair ears tinted a reddish colour. Simp! "I won't take much time here. I only want to speak with Kaira for a second."
She pursed her lips. Now her words had boarded a flight out of her small head. Another reason I disliked Kazeem? Because of his effects on girls within and outside his set. Just a simple flash of his thirty two, and they'd look as if they would give him their first born at his command.
Amina wouldn't be any different today since her strict resolve had already faltered.
"But you can talk with her outside na."
I just knew it.
Kazeem tried charm number two: body contact and flirtatious smile. He coaxed, placing his hand on her shoulder, "Just few minutes, Mina. I'll be quick about it. And it's also very important."
What important thing could this guy talk about? We stopped talking and never really did when my sister studied here.
"Very important, you say?" She moved her glasses upwards on her nose.
Kazeem confirmed, "Yes, very important."
"Five minutes, Kazeem," Amina warned sternly. She pointed at him, her eyes narrowed to little openings. "Five minutes is all I'm willing to give you because if Mrs Chizitere comes here now, she's going to blame me."
Kazeem's smile couldn't get any bigger, my irritation too. "You're such a darling."
The darling part returned my breakfast from my colon all the way to my stomach. Amina practically shifted from toe to toe, her fair face trying to change its color to red. Seriously, what's happening to girls these days?
Kazeem wasn't the only pretty boy and yet, here was our ever serious library prefect turning to a puddle just because he flashed her a smile.
She walked away, though seeming hesitant to do so. Maybe whe wanted to see his face some more, who knows.
"Let's talk now. And don't vomit on the furniture," Kazeem said, taking out the chair before me only to prop his right foot on it. So much for head boy.
"At least you know all that was revolting."
He wagged his index finger a no. "I know all that was a friendly conversation."
"Indeed," I laced my tone with sarcasm. "A friendly conversation that made her give you permission to make noise, even with the complaints."
"Okay, listen, I'm not making any noise. Neither is it my fault girls behave like this around me." He shrugged. "It isn't like I can actually do much about it."
Holding back my scoff was becoming difficult.
To stop myself from being disrespectful, I went straight to the point., "Can you please just tell me why you came to see me? So that we can both read for our tests. You're being cocky, and I can't stand it."
"What are you saying? I'm not a cocky person––"
I shut out the rest of his words, seeing that we weren't going anywhere with this conversation and began packing up. I hadn't considered where to go, but for now, leaving for a silent place was top priority. Kazeem stopped talking, of course. How would he continue when I wasn't even paying attention?
His mouth hung open slightly, and damn, did he look funny. That was the highlight of my morning. His pride was not something I was willing to handle when I was already annoyed with my own self.
"You're just gonna go? Just like that?"
I stopped in my tracks, almost out of his sight, before going back to face him. "Yes." I folded my arms. "When you didn't tell me why you're here."
"I was going to—"
"You see?" I raised my brows. "I have to read. You're not being exact, and I don't have the ti—"
"Can you rejoin the track team?"
"I was about to say that I don't have the—What?"
The track team?
"Exactly. That's why I initially didn't want to cut to the chase, knowing how…sensitive? How sensitive you might be. That's why I came to meet you there." He bent his head towards where I previously sat. "I was thinking that you'd be calm, but I obviously thought wrong."
I unfolded my arms and held the straps of my bag. "Why are you asking me if I want to rejoin? I mean, you're only the head boy."
"Because..." He glanced around us as if he was about to share a secret, and at the other corners where some students were reading. Really, Kazeem, just answer me. "Can we go outside first?"
Reluctantly, I signed out and followed him into the free hallway.
"It's a request. Please." If desperation ever walked on earth as a person, Kazeem might just end up being it. The whole thing puzzled me. His question wasn't the actual cause for my confusion but him being the person informing. The head boy wanted me to join the team I'd quit.
"But why me? What am I needed for?"
"Ok." He licked his lips. His reason better be sensible. "I'll answer your questions, but don't get angry with me. First, I'm asking you specifically because I know you're a very good runner. And second, it's because of a personal issue I'm trying to solve."
"Kazeem needs me to rejoin the track team for a personal issue. This is..." Heightening my confusion? Interesting? I tried finding the right word, "Wow."
"Don't get used to it."
"Kazeem, I don't even want to." I still held my bag straps, discreetly rubbing my sweaty palms on them. When did it get so hot?
"So, what's your answer? Can you join again?"
My hands slipped down the straps to my sides. Rejoining the track team meant going back on the decision I'd made months ago. I didn't deserve to be there, not when the guilt lingered within me. My decision to leave the team definitely wasn't one of my best ones considering how I did it on impulse.
Even when a small part of the team (which didn't include the seniors) asked me not to quit, I still did. There's no use being there, running with my legs when I'd just wounded someone else's. I just couldn't bring myself to do that. If I went back, I'd be reminded of everything. The insults I had received and the good things I left behind.
Heck, I tried so hard to delude myself into thinking my lack of involvement in the activities we did together would make me feel better. I thought if leaving what we loved to do would be the best form of atonement. Stupid.
A mistake was a mistake, but a costly one meant for a harsh decision. Having an enjoyable school life wasn't meant for me anyway.
"You're being unnecessarily hard on yourself, Kaira, and I'm nearly certain you know it too," Kazeem noted.
"What?"
"Efemena was popular, yes. The rumours spread really fast, and I wouldn't be surprised if the juniors heard it too. But what you're doing to yourself is very unnecessary, in my opinion.
"That other girl went too far by adding salt to the sore, but you also caused this for yourself by not clearing up your image. Leaving the team and club was another bad idea in itself, actually. Withdrawal from society isn't the right action."
He'd say that because he needed something from me. Anyone would. He wasn't the one in my shoes, so words would roll off his tongue with such ease. He wasn't the one who had Efe hospitalized and out of school.
"I'm sure you're only saying this to play with my emotions and get me to say yes."
Kazeem facepalmed himself. "I honestly can't believe you. The first time I'm trying to be serious, and you tell me this? Well, whatever. Just know that I'm sure if you didn't leave school for two weeks and quit the team and club, you won't always be buried in boring books."
"Kazeem," I said, "Efe was my best friend."
Not just that, but my very first friend. He practically brought me out of my shell. I'd never been the type to pop in and out of my shell each time I wished, so he noticed and forcefully became my friend when he saw me alone during orientation day.
After attending a grade school with envious classmates, my confidence in communicating with others took a downturn. I couldn't bring myself to actually befriend another person because nobody ever saw the person beyond the academic brilliance.
And when I got admission into secondary my will to associate with others was close to nothing. Then there was him, the lively and intelligent Efe. He slipped into my life and grew on me like moss on a piece of bread.
"Yes, he's your best friend. Not a god, Kaira. I can't believe I'm the one telling you this." Kazeem's palm remained glued to his big forehead. "Get yourself together because it's for your own good, not mine."
Myself is already together, Kazeem.
"I've heard you. And I'll think about what you said." I turned on my heels and began strolling down the hallway.
"Kaira!" He called out, getting me to stop abruptly without turning. So now, I'm Kaira? "I'm...I'm counting on you!"
Turning back to glance at Kazeem, I let my lips curve up in a tight smile. I continued making my way down the stairs, threading them with all the care in the world. When I couldn't help it anymore, I stopped midway as the memory flooded my head—the sole source of my problems.
________
We finally have our update…
Writing these days is becoming hard, please bear with me, forgive me🥲
I really appreciate you for giving this book your time, every one of you😭🤲
Sooo, what are your thoughts on our headboy? Or the ending?👀
Till next time✨