WHITE!!!!; The color of your heart???????????
(A wall flower’s guide to finding God)
Chapter 4
(Smile for me, not for him…..)
My voice caught in my throat as I stared stupidly into the blank expression of Sean Odeyemi, who had just pulled me out of a very stupid situation.
“Sean! Thank God you reacted just in time.” Tobi said breathlessly, his eyes laced with concern.
“Why weren’t you watching where you were going?” He said again, his voice now taking on a scolding tone.
I pried myself clumsily out of Sean’s grip.
“I-I’m sorry….” I began to mutter.
“What on Earth are you apologizing for?” Both boys chorused in unison, with one’s voice full of concern and the other’s laced with irritation. Neither of them seemed to notice their strange sync though, and I stared at them helplessly.
“I—l don’t know…” I said, scratching my head like a dummy. But really, I was feeling like a dummy right now.
“Th- thank you again Sean.” I said weakly.
The tall, fair boy shoved his hands into his pockets, sighing uninterestedly.
“There’s no need to thank me. I only did it because I didn’t want to see some idiot get herself killed before me on a Monday morning.”
My jaw dropped.
“Okay, what is your problem?”
The words left my mouth before I could stop them, and I instantly regretted it.
He rose an eyebrow at me.
“Are you talking to me?”
His bored, cold expression only fanned the flames of my anger.
Whelp. There was no turning back now.
“Yes, oga. I am talking to you. When you snobbed me I didn’t say anything. But now you’re insulting me again? Is there something wrong with you?” I was shocked at the ferociousness of my voice.
Maybe I was dreaming.
There was no way it was Ileri talking to someone like this!
“Whoa, whoa, Ileri calm down.” Tobi said, coming in between Sean and I like the peace maker he was.
Fumes spread out of my ears and I took a deep breath.
Where on Earth had that courage come from?
Sean scoffed.
“And you, Mr Course Rep, maybe you should hold on to your girlfriend more tightly. This isn’t the first time she has tried to get herself killed.” He muttered casually, but I could see the disdain and contempt in his eyes.
Did he really dislike me just because I poured water on him?
Ahn. It’s like this guy is some new breed of evil spirit.
He gave me once last glance, but then his eyes lingered on my arm before he scoffed and began to gallavant away.
I scoffed too, as soon as he was out of earshot, clapping my hands in the way only a true Nigerian could.
“This Bobo thinks he’s so high and mighty oh. Ahn ahn! How do you deal with people like him?!” I said, and heard a soft chuckle from beside me.
I turned to find Tobi smiling fondly at me.
“Honestly Ileri, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this fired up before. You’re always so complacent and easily intimidated. This side of you is seriously kind of hot.”
My mouth dropped open faster than my brain could instruct it not to, and he gave an amused chuckle at my reaction.
He smiled again and began to stare off in the direction that Sean had walked off.
“Sean Odeyemi must really be a one in a million kind of guy, to earn a reaction like this from you. God knows I’ve been trying to get your attention like this since we were in 100l.” He said softly.
His words were vague, and he might as well have been speaking Spanish to me at that point.
He suddenly gave a cheerful smile, as if clearing the heavy air around us, acting as if he hadn’t just rendered my entire thinking faculty useless.
“Alright, shall we? And….walk by my side this time, away from the road.” He said jokingly, and you responded with an uncomfortable smile.
???
It was later in the evening when I got home that I noticed a small scratch on my arm, and I guessed that it must have appeared from when Sean had gripped me to pull me out of the Keke’s way.
Hmm.
Was that what he was staring at before he left?
I couldn’t seem to figure out Tobi’s words though, no matter how hard I tried.
None of the answers I came up with made any sense.
I eventually decided to put it out of my mind, as our tests were coming up very soon.
I had my very own favorite reading spot on our side of the campus. It wasn’t one of the popular lecture theaters as it didn’t have WiFi connection, so it wasn’t always crowded. Only very few students who valued their peace and quiet and didn’t like the library read there, and I loved this place, particularly because it was devoid of people and I didn’t have to be uncomfortable.
I packed my essentials for a night class, water bottle, some snacks, and my earphones, and made my way to the hall by eight pm.
I arrived there and began to head for my favorite seat when I stopped dead in my tracks.
Who was I seeing?
It was Sean, and he was sitting in my spot.
That unknown anger and courage flared up in me, and I marched up to him.
I tapped his shoulders a little too roughly, as he had his earphones in.
Guess he liked reading with music, too.
He looked up at me, then rolled his eyes.
“What do you want?”
“You’re in my spot.”
He sighed.
“Now where have I heard that before?” He asked casually.
I stood my ground, refusing to be deterred by his sarcasm.
“I don’t care where you’ve heard it. Just stand up.”
“Is your name written here?”
“No.”
“Did your father buy the chairs?”
“No…but….”
“Then it’s settled. Find somewhere else to sit.”
I began to feel stupid, but my anger surpassed the stupidity.
“This is my favorite spot to read in this hall. In fact, everyone who comes to read here knows this is where I stay, and we all have our formation here that we’ve been doing before you arrived. You cannot just come and scatter everything. How will it be my own spot you would miraculously pick to sit? Are you some kind of w!tch?” I said, the words flowing out of my mouth like water from a tap.
He sighed rubbing his temples.
“Well, I happen to prefer this spot to read too. I guess we have that in common. And maybe you’re the w!tch, since you just keep showing up whenever I’m around.” He said firmly, but I wasn’t going to back down just yet.
“If you won’t move, then I won’t either.” I said sharply, planting myself on the seat beside his, and I noticed that he flinched at how close I was to him.
“What are you doing?” He asked incredulously.
“What does it look like, smart guy?” I responded sarcastically as I began to bring out my books.
“You have a lot of fire in you now for someone who couldn’t even stand up for herself a few days back.” He said spitefully and I hissed.
“Well, maybe you’re just not a good enough person for me to be afraid of.” I retorted stubbornly, then shoved my earphones in my ear, sending the message that I had ended the conversation.
I waited awhile, then glanced at him from the corner of my eye, and saw him reluctantly turn his attention back to his books.
Ha!
Was that all it took to shut him up?
I laughed triumphantly in my head.
Ilerioluwa-1, stupid VC’s grandson-zero.
I had won this round.
But if only I had known then, that the night was still young, and that this game, was far from over.
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What do you think is going to happen during this night class??? Keep reading to find out!!!
Written by Authoress Covenant.
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