A Loner's Journey Through Lemonade Making

Chapter 41~ Joju's POV

** re-read chapter 41♡

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After a brief banter with Kari at lunch, she'd challenged me to a game of table tennis at 5 o'clock.

I walked into the Game Room at 4:59pm, wishing I hadn't agreed to it. I stopped and observed my surroundings, nodding at those who greeted me.

Kari was looking at me from afar, with her hands crossed and her grin lopsided. I chuckled, walking towards her.

"5:01."

"As they gave you watch for your birthday, we won't hear word na." I joked.

She laughed, twisting her wrist. "Tell BJ I say thanks!"

I picked my paddle up. Kari tossed the ball. We went back and forth for some minutes, with her many points ahead of me. She jumped and made mocking faces every time she scored.

I served. "Did you come alone?"

The underlying question was, "Is Yewande here?"

She returned it. "Yewande's not here."

I stood straight, letting the ball bounce off the table. "She's not back?"

"She is, she came during lunch."

My eyes widened. "And nobody told me?!"

Her brows furrowed. "Come to think of it, you've barely asked after her since Sunday. And today, all of a sudden, you care?"

"Kari." I threw my paddle on the table, sighing. "You want to say I don't care? Who took her to the sickbay on Sunday? Who has been covering up on her work since Monday? Come on."

"You're acting like you don't have access to h-"

"I don't! I do not." I whisper-yelled. I went over to her. "She said I shouldn't talk to her until I decide what I want to do... about us."

"So what are you waiting for?"

I groaned. "You won't understand."

"Sort yourself out then." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Kari."

Right then, Ibidun came. We exchanged pleasantries, after which she asked to borrow Kari. The latter stated that it should be known she'd won, whether we formally ended the game or not. I nodded and waved her off, choosing not to bother about trivial things when I had bigger issues.

Yewande.

My leg.

My eyes fell on the abrasions that ran from my knee to ankle on my left leg. Yewande had pretty much banned me from playing sports, said I should "take care of my heart". But on Saturday, I'd been with the guys on the field. We had just returned from AASFG. Her anger was through the roof, so she did not listen to me calling out to her. She did not see the flying volleyball. So I dove in front of her, my leg grazing the cemented pavement. What did I get as a 'thank you'? Abrasions. A ball hitting my back. Silence.

I felt a wave of emotions. Foolishness. Pain. Anger, maybe?

My eyes were on the floor when white shoe-clad feet came into view. I looked up.

"JJ." He greeted, putting his fist forward.

"Osaze." We bumped fists. "Wagwan?"

"Nothing much." He replied, looking around. "I wan follow you talk something."

"Eehen?" My curiosity piqued.

"Ehn. Come this side." He gestured towards a table at the back. He strode, I limped.