A Silver Lining (#Wattys2018)

Chapter 3|gathering clouds

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This chapter is dedicated to my dear friend Josephine who I fondly call phine.

Song of the day: nobody knows by August alsina

"Love should not be exhausting"
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It is nearly two months, since I got admitted and resumed school, here at Star academy.  I cant say that I have loved every bit of my stay here, but I can't complain either.

Today is another terrifying Wednesday in star academy, mostly for students in senior secondary one.

Wednesdays are our devil days, all the wrong subjects are placed side by side. That's Jessie view, though if you ask me, all the days of the week have the wrong subjects placed side by side.

In star academy, it was mandatory for the students to offer all the subjects that is, both science, commercial and art. The totality of this subjects, is almost 21, and that's another faulty thing here, back in my old school, you decide where you want to be (art or commercial or science class)  and offer the necessary subjects.

As I mentioned earlier,  Wednesdays are our devil days, the first two periods is for French and the other two periods before break is for biology. Then the extra four periods after our break is double period history and double period computer science.

Presently, we were in the last period for Biology. I cannot say I like biology and in the same vein I cannot declare my dislike for it, its a love-hate relationship. Some days I like it and other days, i'd rather sweep the whole school than stay for a double period biology.

Our biology tutor, is Mr Mark, an average height albino, who has a penchant for thick rimmed glasses. He's drawing a table on the blackboard, the header for one side of the table is plant cell and another is animal cell.

I didn't want to draw with the biro, in my hands, so I turned to Jessie, so she could lend her pencil to me. She was staring right back at me, her head rested on the wall.

"Pencil" I repeated.

"I can't believe you are still writing" she spoke in a low voice, as she opened her locker to get a pencil.

I shrugged, and peeped at her note, she had written just the topic for today, difference between plant and animal cell.

"Let me guess" I continued, as I brought a ruler, and drew the table, "that's all you are going to write for this class".

She rolled her eyes, "whoever drafted this timetable, should be sacked or better still sued".

I returned, the pencil, to which she received with an unnecessary amount of energy. "Mide, look at the class, look at everyone, this man is so into this boring subject, that he can't even tell that nobody is listening to him, he is teaching himself".

"That guy at the extreme end is listening, Vanessa is listening, look at peter in the front" I turned to her, "some people are attentive to his lessons".

"Blah, Blah" she sneered, her attention was on the building facing the window, "I can barely wait for that bell to ring".

Mr mark, ended his class, exactly five minutes to break time, he didn't even give us any assignment. He just placed a foot stop on a conclusive sentence on the board, offered a 'have a nice day class' and stepped out.

*
I

was kicking pebbles with my brown back to school, it was all I had to do. School had closed some minutes ago, I was sitting under a shade outside waiting for Jessie.

After our normal class for computer science, ended, Miss Ann, our tutor, asked some selected students to wait behind. Jessie was one of them. Jessie is both a computer freak and geek, its no wonder why miss Ann, selected her to wait. In the real sense of everything, all the students, required to wait behind were very good in computer science.

I glanced at the school gate, for the one hundredth time and to surprise (I wasn't expecting her, to come out so fast) I saw the vague shape of jessie's titanic themed bag.

I stood up immediately, dusted my black skirt, and walked to meet her.

"How was it" I asked, even though I had absolutely no interest in whatever answer, she was going to provide.

We had taken just a few step when, we heard jessie's name on repetition— someone was calling her. We stopped and waited for the person to approach us.

Asiwaju, was one of those athletic
b

oys, in my class. The kind of boy, that had a masterpiece for a face, that you couldn't help but stare longer than expected or required.

He was also that boy, in my class that had a certain kind of aura around him, the kind that draws you in, and tells you that you can laugh and talk with this guy, he will listen and and can do no harm.

Jessie has that kind of aura, that kind of appeal, whereby you see a person, and you can vibe on any level with them.

So, its no surprise, that Jessie and Asiwaju are good friends. Asiwaju is also one of the selected few, of the computer science class.

He readjusts the straps of his bag, before he speaks to Jessie "Miss Ann, asked you and I wait".

"I did not even remember"

"Well, she is still waiting for you in the computer lab". 

She nods her head, and shots a pleading look at me and runs off.

Asiwaju, is still standing with me. Its an awkward moment for both us. Though I doubt, if it is for him.
Its very awkward since we aren't much of friends, and am trying not look at the masterpiece he calls a face.

"Aren't you going back into the lab?" Its a senseless question, and I can blame it on the awkwardness. If he wanted to, he would've returned to the lab with Jessie.

"No, Miss Ann was through with me, when she asked me to call Jessie".

I nodded. Again. And again.

There is still a stretched silence between the both of us after my question. I turned to in his direction, acting like I was interested in the road traffic, meanwhile I was just sneaking peeks at him.

He looks more handsome under the sun, like all his feature are been highlighted a thousand times more. He's standing a couple of steps from me, his hair is cut into a low punk, his lips is full, and his nose is long and a bit crooked, and for the first time, I notice a small scar, that runs from one side of his nose and ends on one of his nostrils. As engraved in my mind, his eyes are..

"Woah" He is looking at me, a tiny smile on his lips,  "should I worried, you have been staring at me".

I try to laugh it off, like I was staring but not that much, but I can barely do so, looking into his eyes, they remind me of warmth and sweetness of brown honey.

My saving grace, is Jessie, who arrives just in time, to cut Asiwaju's smile and impending question. We continue, our short walk home. And I succeed, in making Jessie,  promise, to buy a tub of yoghurt and one donut for me, tomorrow.

Sidelines

What was/is your favorite subject in secondary school?

Comment, if you still remember, one difference between plant and animal cell.

Aramide: ignore her.
*gives best puppy dog look*
One tub of yoghurt per vote.

Thank you!!!