Luxury In Adversity

CHAPTER 8

"I'm going to the toilet, I'll catch up with you in the canteen"

"No problem" Sam continued to the canteen while Mark took a turn heading to the toilet. They just finished a class and it was lunch break so both boys met at the school corridor. Mark doesn't miss lunch, so normally, Sam didn't think too much about his need to use the toilet. After some steps, Mark turned round to see if his brother had gone far then he went back to the school corridor where he knows Dorcas usually waits for her clique to go for lunch together. When he reached the spot which was in from of the janitor's closet, he saw he with her clique and she was smiling and gisting happily. 'I'll never gets tired of seeing this smile even if I have to see it for the rest of my life' he thought and that few moments he got distracted, the group of girls turned and headed to the canteen. His attention was just on one girl so when she came to pass by where he stood, he stretched his hand and grabbed he wrist. She turned to look at the perpetrator with a scowl. Her brow was knitted and her eyes slit but to him she looked adorable so he smiled

"Pervert" she muttered and flung his hand off her wrist, with an eye roll she swayed her hip and walked off to meet her crew.

He was confused. Did she just call him a pervert? How can that be, he had been like her best friend as long as his memory of her lasted. They both knew each other so well, or so he thought and now, suddenly he's a pervert? He couldn't handle such misunderstanding so he panicked.

"Dorcas" he called and ran to meet her. He wanted to grab her wrist again but she expected it so she dodged him. She knew he always liked discreetly touching her but she would ignore it. To her those were sacrifices she made so she could get information or persuade him on matters pertaining to Luke but after she read his text, she felt disgusted even though she knew all along that he had feelings for her. She just couldn't ignore hers for someone else.

"Can we talk?" he looked her straight in the eye and tried to sound calm when he was collapsing on the inside

"No" her answer was cold leaving no space to continue the conversation

"Why not. I believe we have something to talk about otherwise you wouldn't act cold with me" he persevered

"Are you just finding out I have a cold personality? ..." she paused and glanced at him "... we'll talk after school. For now, I can't miss my lunch for anything" she flicked her hair and marched off.

********

"Dorcas, a birdie just told me our school will be competing in a friendly football match with the school in the next town and guess the interesting part"

"Hurry up and say it" she was already giggling as she could guess what the next part was about.

"Our school's football team will be practicing non-stop, you know even if it's a friendly match, we need to show them our team is the best. So the boys are in the field practicing against each other, one team is wearing their singlet and sports short while the other team is on sports short and..." she wiggled her eyebrow making her listener's eye widen with curiosity and urging her to continue with her eagerness "... shirtless"

"Oh my Gosh, I've got to see my baby shirtless" She shrieked and ran off to the field which was opposite the canteen and her little informant was right behind her.

At a corner, Mark stood where he was when Dorcas walked out of him. He was a bit close to where she stood so he heard their discussion and watched her skip lunch and rush off to see his brother shirtless. He felt his chest stuffy and he couldn't breathe easily so he ran outside the school compound to get some air. If his brother was someone else, he wouldn't hesitate to hate him and probably look for ways to snatch her heart from him but Luke was family and family is very important. His love for his family supersedes his love for an outsider, no matter how much it is. So even if he knows he still some years in school and he'll have to encounter her almost every day, he'll survive and distract his mind with something else, but that's after meeting her after school so he'll know his stand.

******

"Good one Luke, observe the defender's move critically before striking a shot. That goal was perfect. Tony watch Luke and learn. Toby, you did a very good defending just now. Just few more hours and we are done practising for today..." the coach kept cheering them on "...Ambrose, I still think your keeping skills are not good, I'm not impressed. One more slip-up and I'm swapping you with Benjamin..." he scolded the goal keeper who looked aggrieved

"I wonder where the girls came from" Toby who just passed by Luke whispered with a smirk. Luke glanced at them and saw their mouth agape and you could almost see them blush through their dark skin.

"They just a group of boys-hungry sharks, I don't mind them ogling me, they can see but cannot touch" Alvin, a midfielder who heard what Tony said replied cockily.

"Why can't they touch you, you that is a strong ashawo" Tony pretended to tie his shoe lace

"My decent girlfriend changed me" he smirked and walked off

'Girlfriends change their boyfriend for the best?' Luke thought. He has a very weird perspective on girls especially the one in the crowd cheering the loudest who his brother was mad about. He knew no matter how she denies it, she knew about Marks's feelings for her but choose to ignore it and even take advantage of it to get to him so he felt slight hatred towards her.

"Dorcas, I think he just looked at you" her informant did a good work in keeping her informed as if she was absent.

"I know" she smiled happily "and today is the happiest day of my life". She didn't even stop to think about Mark for a second. "One day, we'll walk hand in hand down the school corridor and you'll boldly declare to everyone that I'm your one and only true love and that your heart beats for only me" she muttered to herself with a smirk.

"What a show off" a girl who stood at the door to watch the guys play muttered "I still haven't forgotten how you humiliated me until you apologise. I gave you enough time to take the initiative to apologist to me but it seems you are not just an idiot but a beauty without brain. Just wait till I report you to my daddy" she left with a huff

"Isn't that Dinah, our principal's daughter?" a girl who saw her leave asked

"yes, I wonder what trouble she'll cause now" another girl on the bleacher replied

"Whatever. Not like I care but it better not be about our god"

"Who's your god so I'll know if we are to be friends or rival" a girl at the first row of the bleachers looked back and asked.

"Of course it's god Luke. Who's yours"

"You sure have good eyesight. He's god Luke dear" the first row bleachers girl turned back to the field to admire then

"Hmmm" someone else agreed.