HER ADVERSITY: Chapter 31 – 40

By Obianke Prosper

Chapter Forty

GRACE POV

The bell ranged signifying lunch break and I stood with a smile on my face.

I had missed visiting the cafeteria and going there again would feel so good.

I kept back all my books properly in my backpack before I headed out of the class. I got to the cafeteria and smiled before going in.

I could see Dave and Vanessa eating and laughing at their usual spot and my smile widen as I walked towards them but suddenly, I heard my name being called and I turned to the direction I heard the voice only to see Kyree, holding a tray of food on his hands as he smiled at me.

“Kyree?”.I said, walking closer to him. He walked closer to me too as his smile grew wide, really wide.

“Wow Kyree, I…I…I..”.I stopped speaking when I realized I was speechless. Seeing him again did make me feel kinda excited and I was sure the excitement was evident in my voice.

We both stared at each other for minutes and it got to a point when I started feeling uncomfortable, thanks fully he chased the silence away by clearing his throat.

“Um, am speechless”.He scratched his head, looking somewhat shy and I giggled.

“Me too, am speechless”.I said and he sighed, staring down at the tray on his hands before staring back at me.

“Can we like you know, take a seat, eat and then talk about how we spent our one week holiday?”.He asked but I shook my head, remembering that Dave asked me to join him and Vanessa at their table.

“Am sorry Ky but no, I can’t”.

“Why?”.His face fell.

“My brother wants me to eat with him…”.

“It’s okay, I understand”.He shrugged, putting on a sad face. “Tomorrow then?”.

“Yeah tomorrow”.

I watched him leave but when I remembered something, I ran back to him and gripped him by the arm.

“Hey! Who is this?!… Huh, Grace?”.He looked surprised seeing me back. “What’s wrong? Why are you back? Perhaps you wanna eat wi…”.

“No, it’s not that”.I sighed, running my fingers through my hair. “I just wanna tell you that yesterday was my birthday”.

His face quickly brighten up and with the way his body shook at my words, I feared that the tray on his hands might fall.

“Wow, really?”.He beamed and I nodded.

“Yeah!”.

“Gee, happy birthday. Sorry for not wishing you yesterday”.

“It’s okay”.I said and began walking away but stopped when I heard my name. I turned back to him with eyebrows raised.

“Why did you call me?”.

“It’s nothing. I just wanna ask what age you are”.

“Am sixteen. Why did you ask?”.

“Nothing, just forget about it”.He smiled and began walking away while I sighed, heading to Dave and Vanessa’s table.

Dave was the first to see me when I got to their table and he smiled at me before Vanessa’s eyes ran into mine.

“Grace, you came in late. I actually thought you wouldn’t be coming”.Dave said, stabbing his chicken meat with a fork. I would have pitied the chicken if it was still alive.

“Well, am here now”.I said and sat on a seat, staring at Dave who was just stabbing his chicken without pity.

“Hi Grace”.I turned to the voice and when I saw who spoked, I gulped down shyly.

This is one of the few times Vanessa have ever spoken to me. It isn’t like she doesn’t want to talk to me, she just hardly see me in school.

You know, we were both in different classes and we can’t always talk but if we were in the same class, then the situation would have been different.

“Hi”.I said to her and she smiled, sipping her juice. I stared at her and I once again admired her eyes.

I mean…blue eyes are really beautiful and people who possesses them are cute but hers…her eyes just seem more beautiful and I loved the way it sparkles under the ray of the dim sunlight penetrating through the opened window close by.

“Quit staring, will you?”.Dave said, half yelling and I coughed embarrassedly as I saw Vanessa looking at me. I knew she caught me staring at her eyes and that was why I was embarrassed.

“I was asking if you want something, I could buy you anything you would want to have”.He added and I took in a loud breath, nodding twice.

“Um, you can get me sandwich and a fruit juice”.

“Just that?”.He crocked his eyebrows and I nodded, wondering if I mentioned something less satisfying.

“Okay then, I will be back shortly”.He said and left.

I turned back to the table, staring back at Dave’s food as crazy imaginations ran into my mind. I was imagining the chicken meat groaning angrily in pains as Dave continue stabbing it with the fork. I almost laughed.

“Your brother is really nice, you know”.I heard Vanessa say and I turned only to see her smiling. Well, she always smile, I hardly see her frown.

“You like him, don’t you?”.I asked and she gasped in shock with her eyes popping out widely.

“W…what?!”.

“I mean only as a friend”.I added and she sighed in relief.

“Yeah, I do because he is nice, really nice and he possess some other qualities which no female can resist loving”.

“No female? You mean, you couldn’t resist loving him?”.

She shifted on her seat, looking uncomfortable.

“Oh, am so sorry if am making you uncomfortable”.

“No, it’s okay, really”.She forced out a smile which I knew to be fake but I said nothing more in order to make her feel comfortable.

Dave came with my food on a dish and I took if from him with a smile. He started a conversation with Vanessa and I watched both of them laugh heartily. They do look like a couple…

School closed for the day and everyone in class got ready to leave for home but I sat impatiently waiting for everyone except Dylan to leave.

I want to remind him to bring our project to school tomorrow cause everyone is gonna bring theirs and I don’t wanna be left out.

Soon, everyone in class left except Dylan, Jeanann, her three friends and I.

Jeanann chewed her bubblegum loudly as she zipped up her bag, she hung it on her shoulder sending me a glare.

“Look Grace, I know this is none of my business but I just wanna ask why you are still in class. I mean you normally leave before others do but look at you, still sitted doing nothing”.She voiced out, looking surprised and I scoffed. It was my turn to be rude.

“Please Jean, stop poke nosing into my personal affairs. I don’t care whether you are concerned or not, just leave me alone”.

She gasped, obviously shocked by my response and without wasting anymore time, she left the classroom angrily.

Her friends followed after her, sending me glares but I rolled my eyes at them before going to Dylan who was packing his books into his backpack.

“Dylan…”.I called, trying so hard not to scoff.

Of course, I remember what he said in the restroom that I was a pain in the a.ss but right now I was trying my best to forget that.

“You have to bring our project to school tomorrow, okay?”.