BEING A TEEN SERIES: BIMBO

° TWENTY NINE °

Bimbo slowly stood up and turned to face Jeremiah who placed his chin in his palm.

"So who's this someone that you like?" Jeremiah asked as Bimbo pursed her lips.

"Do I happen to know this person?" Jeremiah asked.

"You!" Bimbo blurted out as Jeremiah furrowed his brows.

"Huh?" Jeremiah asked.

"Its you that I like" Bimbo said as she bolted leaving Jeremiah dazed in the cemented chair. Jeremiah rubbed his forehead as Bimbo's words kept echoing in his head.

It is you that I like.

She liked him.

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Bimbo refused to go for prep that night. She stayed in the hostel after taking permission from one of the hostel prefects. She was scared out of her wits.

For some reason she didn't want to know what Jeremiah had to say. She was scared, excited, curious, anxious and embarrassed. She didn't dare imagine anything.

She didn't even wait to see the expression on Jeremiah's face before she ran away.

"You are a coward Bimbo" Bimbo said to herself as she face palmed herself and fell on her bed. Even though it was merely five days to the exam; Bimbo found it impossible to read that night.

Tunmise soon noticed her state when they came back from night prep.

"What's going on?" Tunmise asked as she dropped her school bag on her bed.

"I followed my heart" Bimbo said as Tunmise turned to her.

"What did you do?" Tunmise asked in surprise.

"I told him I liked him" Bimbo replied as Tunmise's eyes widened in surprise.

"Wow. So what did he say?" Tunmise asked as Bimbo's lips twitched as she turned to Tunmise.

"I ran away" Bimbo replied as Tunmise stared at Bimbo for a while before bursting into laughter.

"You this girl you need help" Tunmise said as Bimbo quickly sat up on the bed and held Tunmise's hands.

"I was so scared ehn and besides I didn't want to be disappointed right away even if I get disappointed in the end" Bimbo said as Tunmise laughed and shook her head.

"You don't look like you know you are going to be disappointed" Tunmise said as Bimbo stared at her blankly.

"Besides, don't conclude yet and listen to what he has to say" Tunmise said as Bimbo fell on her bed again.

"My heart is just doing anyhow" Bimbo fake cried as Tunmise burst into laugher.

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As soon as the Chemistry teacher left the class, Bimbo yawned and quickly covered her mouth.

"Why didn't you come for prep yesterday?" Bimpe asked as Bimbo turned to her. Someone suddenly whistled and everyone turned to where the sound came from and Bimpe's widened.

"What's Farouq looking for in our class?" Bimpe asked as she watched Farouq used his finger to beckon to Bimbo.

"You guys know each other?" Bimpe asked as Bimbo nodded and walked out to meet Farouq.

"Heyy, been a while" Bimbo nervously greeted. She didn't know why she was suddenly nervous. Maybe because she knew Farouq was Jeremiah's school son and maybe he sent him to her.

"Are you busy?" Farouq asked Bimbo who anxiously shook her head.

"Take a walk with me" Farouq said as he started walking away as Bimbo quickly hurried after him. He didn't say anything till they climbed the steps of the library.

"Its very hard for one to understand Snr Jeremiah because he always keeps his emotions and feelings locked up. I don't know why but I think its kind of a gentic thingy" Farouq started as Bimbo awkwardly nodded.

"But if you manage to get close to him, you'll realize that his emotions and his feelings actually isn't locked up. He just chooses who he shows them to. You can probably count the times Snr Jeremiah smiles in school but he could smile and laugh as long as he's with Snr Gbenga, me, Jemimah and the rest" Farouq said as he stopped and turned to Bimbo.

"You should have realized that he treated you different the moment he stopped wearing those expressionless masks around you" Farouq said as Bimbo raised her head to look at him.

"Yeah. Since when I could remember; Snr Jeremiah had only liked one girl" Farouq said as Bimbo swallowed her saliva.

"He liked her so much but she liked someone else. He followed her on every of her social media handles. He had her WhatsApp number as well but he never did send a message. He just watched and cared for her from afar" Farouq said as Bimbo felt her stomach churning.

"They never had contact for two years that he liked her but one day when he helped her and since then, they kept having contacts from time to time. Each time she needed help, he was always there but she never saw it, she never realized it" Farouq added as he sighed.

"One time something happened to her and he wasn't himself for a while and when she became okay, he as well. I really wouldn't be exaggerating if I said that she is his very existence" Farouq said as Bimbo wiped the tears rolling down her cheeks.

"You know I like him right? So why are you telling me about the girl he likes? Do you have to be so cruel?" Bimbo asked as Farouq scoffed.

"Cruel? It was you who didn't spare him a glance for two fucking years. Do you know how he felt each time he saw you and Paul together? A freak who didn't even like you?" Farouq shot back as Bimbo froze.

"What do you mean?" Bimbo asked as Farouq sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"You are the girl that Snr Jeremiah liked for two years and he watched you chase Paul all those years. You know he was always there right? The day you both got in trouble with Snr Masoma, the assignment incident with Mr Alaba, the day your meal card expired, the day you got punished at the assembly ground, the day you ran away and locked yourself up in some toilet so that no one would find you, he even told Tunmise to watch over you. You didn't see him all those while did you?" Farouq asked as Bimbo found it impossible to think.

"Jemimah and the rest were the ones who found me that day" Bimbo said as Farouq chuckled.

"He was the one who disappeared and missed his classwork to look for you. He couldn't even eat. Besides why would Jemimah and the rest look for you, did you ever think about it?" Farouq asked as Bimbo remembered that she did hear a male's voice that day.

"And on visiting day, I helped because if he had seen you he would have asked me to help you. Do you understand now?" Farouq asked as he rubbed his forehead.

"Do you know how he managed to keep all those feelings and emotions bottled up? He spent time with you without doing or saying anything so how could you tell him you like him and run away?" Farouq said.

"So he started doubting if you actually meant it or you were just playing a prank. Tell me Bimbo, do you like him or he's just a replacement for Paul?"