When The Light Dims

CHAPTER 15: SOPURU

"Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall"
-1 Corinthians 10:12.

My lower limbs were dragged off the bed. I tossed on my bed when I looked up and Jernora was fully dressed.

"Leave me alone," I grumbled. I crawled back in bed, blocking out her rants with a pillow I bet my head. The thought of waking up anytime soon was not part of my plans. My body craved the warmth of my blanket and at least an hour more worth of sleep. My pillow was pulled off my head but I refused to get up. Jernora would probably give up after this but no, my best friend made it her life mission to turn into my arch nemesis this morning. She shook me severally until I sat up and glared at her, expecting a good explanation for her pestering actions.

Jernora started fishing for clothes then threw some pants and my favorite shirt at me. "You will be late for class."

"Okay." I plopped down on my bed and closed my eyes.

"Class is in thirty minutes and we can't be late on this first day."

"Then, go without me," I muffled. She might as well be going to the moon. That still wouldn't change my mind.

"I won't." I gave her the peace sign. She muttered some words which my mind was too distant to process. Probably a threat but I knew Nora too well. She couldn't kill an ant because she would feel guilty for taking a life.

Water splashed down on me. I jumped off the bed, wondering where the water came from. There stood Jernora right in front of me with a half-empty bottle of water and a wide grin I wanted to slap off her face.

"You're up now. Let's go."

I knew we were very late when we stepped into the lecture hall and the only space left was at back of the class. The hall was large enough to take more than a hundred students and the seats were in descending order from the entrance. A man who looked as old as Jernora's dad stood in front of the hall. His tribal marks sprawled on his cheeks like whiskers of a cat.  We ducked and slid into the last rows beside the air conditioner not to draw attention to ourselves. The idea of being the first scapegoat of the year didn't sound as a great way start my first day. I groaned when I saw the picture of an animal cell on the slide in front of the class.

The worst. Biology was as complicated as making an airplane.

"Shush," Jernora muttered.

I threw her an unpleasant glance. She reduced her voice to a whisper but I could tell she was slightly annoyed. "You are the reason we are seating all the way at the back. The least you can do is stay quiet so that we can learn something."

I rolled my eyes and brought out a notebook from my backpack. Halfway into the class and I couldn't make out anything the lecturer was saying. I had to ask myself what I was doing there in the first place, but when I looked at Jernora scribbling down what the lecturer just said, I remembered the reason I chose this school and even the course. His voice grew distant as the cold air blew against my skin but I shook my head and stared wide-eyed.

I felt a nudge, stirring me awake.

"You slept throughout the  class."

Some of the students passed by us, their voices creating noise in the hall. I searched in front to find it empty. I couldn't remember anything after ribosomes.

"What did you expect? You forced me to get out of the room."

"I expected you to at least try to make an effort in your first year. You barely got into this school. I was expecting you to improve so that you don't fail and get sent to another department."