AWAKE

Chapter 19

The event was finally over and Nina was praised for her performance. The oha soup was served with pounded yam which was pounded by the big muscled boys in the group.
"Hey Nina, come over here" Mrs IJ beckoned.
"Yes ma"
"You did very well and you deserve all the money you were given"
"But ma..."
"No, besides I didn't see any parent or guardian here for you.."
"I thank God," she said to herself.
"...so use it and reward yourself..." Mrs IJ squeezed the money into Nina's hand, "...before they start seizing snacks" Mrs IJ whispered and they giggled together, she squeezed the money into Nina's hand.
"Thanks, ma" Nina said excitedly.
Nina became pressed and carelessly left the folded money on the table and went to use the bathroom. When she came back, she didn't see the money on the table.
Nina was confused. She checked everywhere and when she couldn't find it, she gave a sarcastic laugh.
She would have let it slide, but she wanted to use the money to take pictures with the attire. So she alerted Mrs IJ who informed everyone but there was no reasonable result.
Nina became suspicious of the Library attendant who seemed funny. He was a bit shaky and went to Nina severally to tell her "sorry".
The teachers agreed to contribute, but she declined and decided to let it be.
She packed all her things in her school bag and was about leaving to the hostel when she saw the library attendant leaving the class and decided to follow him.
The library attendant, got to a quiet place at the back of the school block, and brought out squeezed money from his pocket and started counting the money. He always looked around as he counted.
"Oh my gosh!" Nina said holding her mouth in shock. She was so disappointed in him that she quickly left, pushing the urge to confront him.
She wondered how a rich school worker, would also steal.
Nina couldn't speak and she couldn't tell anyone, cause it didn't make any sense hearing a student call a teacher a thief.
luckily, on her way to the hostel, she saw Anny whom she told everything but didn't expect what she heard back.
"Babe, I'm not saying you are lying, but you should be careful of what you say, congratulations again, I need to go back to my parents," Anny said and left.
Nina felt so bad and remembered when her mum once shouted at her saying "you are a liar, and no one would ever want to associate themselves with liars, evil child."
The words rang in her ears, and she didn't even know when tears dropped from her eyes. She knew Anny didn't mean to cause any harm, but the pain...
She immediately cleaned her eyes, dropped off her things at the hostel and went back to the class block. She looked for an empty class and stayed there, looking out the window and reminiscing on memories which were all painful to her.
Michael had finished seeing Daniel in his class. As he was leaving, he walked through each block to make sure no one was doing any fishy thing with anyone in a secret corner, when he saw her. He walked past the class she was in to avoid any trouble. But as he walked further, the state he saw her in flashed before his eyes. Why was she alone? And why was she in a class that isn't her's, he asked "She's so weird" he thought to himself.
"Hey, peter and the boys were looking for you and besides you shocked everyone with your dance" Micheal said as he got into the class.
"Hey... hello," Michael said as she didn't answer him.
He went further and tapped her "he-ll-o oh"
"What is wrong with you?" Nina shouted.
"I'm sorry, I've been here for some time..."
"Wait, are you crying," he said when he saw her wipe her face.
"I'm not, mind your business!" Nina shouted.
"What's wrong?" Michael asked.
"Nothing" Nina stood up to leave but was caught by Michael when she almost tripped from the empty bottle on the floor.
"I'm fine... I'm fine" she protested as Michael assisted her to get back to her seat, then dragged a seat close to hers and sat.
"I hope you ain't expecting a thank you 'cause I didn't ask you to come here," Nina said.
"Can you be calm for once?" Michael asked and when Nina didn't say anything, he continued.
"Even if you don't want to say what's going on, I want you to be totally fine before leaving here," Michael said.
"I was called a liar again. By someone, I care about..." She said looking out the window then later drifted her face back to him, "My money was stolen by a teacher and my friend doesn't believe me, no one believes me, not... not even my mum does" she broke down crying.
"No no no no, stop crying Nina" he gave her his handkerchief and rubbed her back gently. He didn't fully understand and didn't know what to say.
"Maybe no one does, but I do and I don't want you to spoil the beautiful face I want to see in my pictures," Michael said, he was mind blown by what had come out of his mouth.
Nina raised her head and looked at him and he nodded "yes, I'd like you to take a picture with me - I mean us, I and the boys. Pl-ea-se" Michael begged.
Nina just nodded and he shouted "yes" with both his hands making a gesture like he had worn a jackpot.
"Your parents should be proud, I mean, I saw how proud your dad was when you gave him the kola yesterday," Nina said as they walked through the garden.
"I don't mean to be proud, but they are," he said and they laughed.
It was a Sunday, a day after the cultural day. The principal stopped all activities after the church service, to enable the cleaners to finish cleaning up from the event they had the day before. So the students were free till whenever the sanitation was over.
Michael requested Nina take a walk with him and she obliged. She wanted to run away from the room since Anny won't stop apologizing and at the same time suggest she was right.
"You know it's quite unbelievable to see another side of you other than your alpha female mode," Michael said.
"What are you saying? that I'm too serious," she said in a husky voice and shoved him with her shoulders.
"That's not what I mean, but it could be," he said and shifted slightly from her as he expected to be shoved again.
She smiled, "I understand what you mean, a girl can be messy too."
Nina observed every junior they passed greet Michael.
"Famous senior" Nina said.
"I don't know if I'm famous, but I love the juniors and it bothers me," Michael said, looking all worried.
"What's wrong?" Nina asked feeling concerned.
"If I become a prefect, I don't know if they would still love me, you understand right."
"I do. You might be a good prefect, and they would learn to understand whatever decisions you make or take."
"Thanks, you are not so bad after all"
"You're so bold, ah" Nina smiled.
"So why do you dislike me, 'cause I don't think that feeling has changed or has it?" Michael asked.
"To be honest I don't like a flirt..."
"I'm not..."
"You are and then you have girls around you every time and yes my feelings haven't changed, cause you haven't changed."
"I've never thought of myself as a flirt, besides no one has told me that... Wait, you hate me 'cause you think I'm a flirt?" Michael saw the cleaners with their pieces of equipment, coming to the field, "They are here to clean the field, let's head back to our hostel"
"Okay," Nina said.
"Not just that, I just didn't like you" Nina continued once they left the field.
"Aaah my village people are against me!" Michael exclaimed and they both laughed. "As I said, I never considered myself a flirt, 'cause I was trained right. Although I allow the ladies to hang around me for fun."
"Oshey! Well trained."
"Be serious" Michael said
"Should I?" Nina asked.
"No oh!" Michael replied, realizing what she meant. He liked her this way more than her usual moody self.
"I thought so"
No one said anything, so they remained quiet till they got to the front of Nina's hostel.
"We are here," Michael said.
"Gosh! I'm not blind, I Know where we are" Nina said and started walking into the hostel.
"Bye" Michael shouted as he watched her leave.
"So much for letting him walk me" Nina muttered under her breath.
She turned around and walked back to him, " why are you screaming?" Nina asked.
"I didn't scream though... You left without saying goodbye so I decided to say it to you".
"Say it to me by screaming?"
"I didn't scream, I know my voice was a bit high."
"You're so stupid," Nina said.
"I take that as a compliment," Michael said cheesing.
Nina rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly.
"Thank you" Nina mouthed inaudibly"
"Always," Michael said rashly.
Nina smiled and walked back into the hostel
"Always? Wait... I said always instead of any time?" Micheal pondered as he walked back to his hostel, "How... How can you just open your mouth and voice out rubbish whenever you are around her?" He knocked himself, "maybe she's right, after all, I'm so stupid".
He smiled to himself and jogged back to his hostel.