GIVE ME A HEART
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3??
” You surprised me, Cain,” I said to Cain as we did our class cleanup.
Cain rolled his eyes. ” You mean what happened at the schol gate this morning?”
” Yeah, why would you do a thing like that?” I asked.
” Because Jude and his boys are a bunch of morons. The girl has a deadly heart illness, he had no rights whatsoever to lay hands on her,” Cain said turning to look at Naomi as she came around and stood over him.
” Is it true you’re hanging around with that diseased girl?” Naomi asked.
Cain shrugged indifferently. ” And what if I did? Is there a law against socializing with my fellow classmate?”
Naomi became red in the face. ” She’s diseased. If you get infected, you might spread it to my boyfriend and to our classmates as well.”
” Oh give me a break will you?” Cain said with disgust. ” Whoever said her disease was contagious? To be honest Naomi, with due respect to your boyfriend who is a great friend of mine I’d say that’s the most stupidest thing I’ve ever heard from anyone.”
Naomi gasped. ” Are you insulting me?”
” Cain,” I touched him on the shoulder. ” Do you realize you’re talking to my girlfriend?”
” I’m sorry, Andrew,” Cain spoke, removing a lollipop from his pocket and sticking it into his mouth. ” I didn’t mean to sound harsh to your girlfriend but this talk of the disease girl totally makes no sense to me. If you ask me I’d say Naomi’s just feeling insecure that’s why she made it up.”
Naomi’s mouth fell opened. ” I can’t believe this,” she turned to me. ” Can you hear what your friend is calling me?”
” I didn’t say anything wrong,” Cain paused and sucked at his lollipop. ” I’m just being realistic. Just because Veronica looks more pretty than you doesn’t give you any reason to make her feel bad just because she’s sick with a deadly disease.”
” Unbelievable,” Naomi said ontop her voice. ” Did you all just heard what Cain just said about me? He thinks I’m because Veronica looks cuter than me, I’m the one causing her pains in this class.”
Our classmates stared at Cain and from their wild talks you could agree they supported Naomi.
” Why would you say something like that Cain?” One said.
” That was harsh of him,” another spoke.
Naomi left us, her back stiff with rage. She joined her friends as they worked on the black board with grinded charcoal.
” What?” Cain asked as he saw me frowning at him.
” You owe Naomi an apology,” I said.
” For what?” Cain scoffed, climbing a chair to remove cobwebs with a long broom. ” I didn’t do anything wrong.”
” You hurted her feelings, you have to apologise,” I insisted.
” Your girlfriend?” Cain paused and turned to look down at me. ” And what about Veronica, huh? Doesn’t she have feelings too or isn’t she human like your girlfriend?”
” What’s gotten into you?” I asked. ” You’ve been acting weird lately. Is it because of Veronica?”
” Maybe,” Cain said. ” I’m just sick of you guys making her feel like a leper.”
” God,” I swore if I lay hands on that girl I’ll make her life miserable. What has she done to you?”
” Do whatever you want, Andrew,” Cain yawned and came down the chair. ” It’s your life. Not mine.”
Just then, Veronica came into the classroom. She had gone out while others were sweeping and cleaning up the classroom. She said her condition doesn’t allows her to partake in such activities as sweeping because of the dusts. Many of our classmates thought she was being lazy and unfair. I just hated her for that flimsy excuse.
” Oh yeah,” I said to Cain. ” Well, watch this.”
And I walked over to Naomi, took the black board duster already wet with black grinded charcoal and I walked over to where Veronica was coming, I made a slip and bumped into her.
” Oh I’m sorry,” I said as I removed my hand from her shirt. ” That was very clumsy of me.”
She looked down and saw the black charcoal stain on her school uniform. Everyone in class stopped cleaning and stared fixedly at the two of us. The silence in the room was enough to drown a horse.
” Don’t worry,” I said, ” I’ll get that stain off your shirt.” And I began rubbing the wet black charcoal duster on her stained spot until I had extended the stain.
She pushed me away and ran out of the classroom. I shrugged and turned around. ” I was only trying to help? E b like say I too fine for her liking.”
Everyone laughed. Naomi smiled but Cain was indifferent. He went on cleaning the ceilings as if he had no interest in anything that had just happened but I caught his left hand balled up in fists.
???
The day was over and everyone were heading back home. Cain was nowhere to be found. I didn’t see him immediately the school bell ranged for dismissal. Usually we would hang around and chat with the guys or go play football in the school field or we’d stay at the canteen and order some yummy meal to eat before heading home. But today I didn’t find him in the football field nor did I found in the canteen.
” Hey, have you seen Cain?” I asked a bunch of my fellow guys.
” He’s gone home,” one of them said.
” Yeah, holding hands with that diseased girl,” another said and they laughed.
I left them and went to the bicycle shed. Cain’s bike was gone. He’d left without me. This had never happened before, never. Even when we’ve had a fight, he never leaves without me. Something strange was going on and I need to find out what it is.
I mounted my bike and cycled home alone. On my way, I got thinking really hard. This was serious. What strong connection does Cain have with Veronica.
Just then I sighted Cain’s bike parked beside a tree. This got me excited and I stopped beside the tree and got down. I heard voices further on, familiar voices. I crept into the bush and hid under a tall coconut tree. Before me was Cain and Veronica. Cain stood with his bag slunged over his shoulder, his left hand buried in his pocket. Veronica sat on the grass as they both stared at the raging sea a mile away from the hill they stood.
Cain wore only his singlet. He had given Veronica his school shirt because of her stained uniform.
For a while I heard nothing, then Veronica spoke. ” Why are you Soo nice to me?”
Cain closed his eyes as he inhaled deeply. ” Because you made me to.”
Veronica raised her head and stared at him. ” Aren’t you scared your friends would be mad at you for hanging out with me?”
Cain looked away. ” I have no friends.”
This came as a shock to me and I tightened my fist.
” What about, Andrew,” she asked. ” He is ofcourse, your best friend. I’ve heard soo much about you too.”
” Yeah, but he could be a asshole sometimes,” he spoke. I grew hot. ” I’ve told him repeatedly to stop bullying you but he’s stubborn. He’s only doing it to please Naomi.”
” I think he’s pretty nice,” Veronica said, pulling at a short grass. ” I don’t think he’s a bad guy. He’s just undecided about himself that’s what I thought.”
” True,” Cain agreed. ” That Naomi of his is bad news. She’s making him feel like a coward.”
Veronica said nothing else. She sighed as the waves came in the beach and lapped around. ” Do me a big favor will you?” She asked him.
” What?”
She stood up to her feet and stared at him full in the face. Cain stared back at her watching the way her eyes glittered with the sun. ” No matter what happens, please don’t get into a fight with your friend because of me will you?”
Cain chuckled. ” That would never happen. Andrew and I haven’t fought since we were kids. Sure we do get in a misunderstanding once or twice but it doesn’t last long.”
” I Know why I’m saying this,” Veronica said. ” You’re a good person, Cain even though I heard you were a bully. You’re the only one who’s ever nice to me in class. Your friend hates me. I wouldn’t like to see you two get in a fight because of me. Promise me you wouldn’t fight your friend, promise me.”
” I promise,” Cain said. Then he offered her a lollipop. ” Want some?”
She collected it. ” Thanks, are you honestly going to go home with only your singlet? Have your uniform back. I can wear mine will I get home. It’s just a stain.”
” Keep the shirt till tomorrow,” Cain insisted. ” I have a spare shirt at home.”
I left and cycled home. I was suddenly mad. Mad at Cain, mad at Veronica, mad at my bike, mad at myself. Tomorrow I’m going to show her she’s just stepped on the lions tail.
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