Penfield's Greatest Swimmer

🌊~42

An hour and a half later, I stood in front of the Engineering Science building, completely clean and sweat-free. I hadn't been here since the club patron wrongfully threw me out of the club. I struggled not to let the memories resurface.

Shola had asked me to meet her here before the swimming competition to talk about something very important. She didn't give any details, but I had this nagging feeling that she wasn't absolutely certain about the confession she had made yesterday.

Akunna told me not to overthink it, that she probably wanted to find out if we were in a relationship. But if that was the case, she could have outright asked 'hey, are we in a solid relationship?' Or 'hey, is it ok if I call you my boyfriend?' And I, wholeheartedly, would've said 'YES!'

But she didn't say anything like that. She specifically said 'we need to talk', and when someone says something like that, it usually means that there is a serious issue at hand.

I sucked in a breath. You've got this Akwasi. No matter what Shola says, you're gonna take it like a champion cuz that's what you are.

Squeezing the handle of my sports bag with determination, I quickly jogged up the stairs and into the building. The hallway held a strong smell of paint and turpentine, which I guessed was from the new display cases filled with plaques, trophies and pictures. The sight of it brought the Science Fair to mind and a sensation of sorrow seeped into my heart. If only the club had won...

Shaking my head, I continued my trek to the engineering laboratory and slipped past the doors, surprised to find all the club members present.

My legs froze in place. This wasn't a scheduled meeting time, none of them were supposed to be here.

Chad, the club treasurer, was the first to spot me and his eyes widened. "Akwasi."

Everyone turned in my direction, including their shit-face vice-president.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Mawuli bellowed out and I was just about to give a snarky response when a feminine voice cut me off.

"I asked him to come."

Shola entered the lab, dressed in a simple knee-length *dashiki dress that made her a sight to behold.

"For what?" Mawuli's question pulled me out of my admiration stupor. "He's been banned from the club."

"I know," Shola swiftly replied. "But what we need to discuss involves him."

"And you didn't think to tell me about this?" His frown deepened.

"If you want to be involved in the club's state of affairs, then maybe you should start taking your responsibilities as the vice-president seriously, instead of acting like a self-centered prima donna!"

Giggles and snickers filled the air, clouding Mawuli's face with embarrassment and rage. He opened his mouth to shoot out a comeback, but Dr. Kankam's sudden appearance rendered him speechless.

"S-s-sir!" Mawuli dashed up to his side. "Umm...what-what brings you here? I don't remember calling you for this meeting."

"You didn't, Shola did." the club patron, who looked quite sporty in a Puma track suit, adjusted the baseball cap on his head. "She called me this morning and said it was very important that I attend this meeting."

Mawuli turned back to Shola with a suspicious glare, amidst an avalanche of whispers and chatter. It was obvious that Shola had something huge planned for this meeting, but no one in the lab knew exactly what it was.

"Hey, hey Shola." I walked up to her, hoping to get an idea. "What's going on? I thought we were going to be here alone to talk about-"

"Sssh." She grabbed my arms. "Relax ok, this is all for your good, trust me."