Brown Skinned Bet

Chapter XXII

•Daryl•

         "Guy stand up joorh,you don dey sleep since,you no even come mass sef" Yomi snapped,throwing a pillow my way so it hit the back of my head.  I ignored him,shuffling more into the warmth of my blanket.

        "Daryl stand up na,the sleep don do" Sele cajoled softer than Yomi as I felt the corner of my bed lower,meaning he'd taken a seat beside my cuddled up body on the bed.

         "Make una leave me abeg" I grunted lowly,shuffling in my position and turning into my left side. "Daryl!" Yomi hissed at me,earning no reaction from my end.

          I didn't have to try to recall,the scenes of the previous day kept playing in my head each time I drifted between deep and surface sleep,deepening the sadness in me. I'd realised I'd lost all my energy yesterday after I'd stormed my way back to hostel from schoolblock,my anger finally draining out and leaving me with plain hurt.

          "He still dey sleep?" Temi's voice came in and I knew my bedtime had finally come to an end. "Yes oh" Yomi sighed from where he sat on Temi's bed. "Come,Daryl see...stand up,come and bath" Temi instructed calmly,followed by his await for my response.

       When he earned none other than a heavy exhale from me,he took hold of the blanket over me and tugged on it harshly,pulling it off my body and exposing me to the chilly morning breeze.

         "Daryl stand up" he told me again,tapping my shoulders brashly. "Abi you've carried the blanket....leave me na" I groaned,turning to lie on my belly. "Daryl,if you dont stand up,na floor your head go knack,I swear" Temi finally warned,earning a groan from me as I slowly sat up in my place,growing tired of their antics,a grimace stitched to my face as my eyes fluttered to regulate the amount of light that struck my orbs.

         "We dey come abeg,make we carry something from school block" Yomi informed us of he and Sele's departure as they both took to their feet. "No wahala" Temi told them as he lowered himself into his bare mattress,as he'd taken off the sheets in preparation to head home for the mid-term break.

          "Daryl stop this thing na,its almost 11 in the morning" Temi appealed,turning back to me. "I know" I replied lowely,clearing my throat afterwards,seeing as my voice barely came off as a rasp due to the drying of my throat. Temi sighed.

         "Who is even coming to pick you?" He questioned,causing me to shrug whilst giving him no audible response. "You dont know? You didnt call your mum?" He questioned again,this time earning a negative nod from me.

        "Okay no wahala. At least stand up and pack your things..." he trailed off as I threw my head backwards,leaning into the wall and tuning out on whatever he was trying to tell me. "Or dont worry,just go and bath. I'll pack your things for you" he later offered.

          "You do na" he urged,throwing yet another pillow at me. "Its okay na" I grumbled,slowly casting my feet over the edge of the bed,putting on my bathroom flip flops before finally taking to my feet. The room as well as the whole hostel was empty,beds as bare as that of Temi,curtains all let down to prevent dust from getting into their rooms while we would be away,at least some people felt ecstatic for the mid-term.

          I slowly took out my buckets,arranging the things I needed to head to the bathroom,rubbing my eyes with fists at intervals. Temi got to work,taking off my sheets as well as my books out of my locker just before I exited the room. Although it couldnt completely take away my worries,the water did do well to calm my scattered nerves by a bit and I realised all over again,why I loved baths.

          On my return to my room,Temi practically had every bit of my things packed,except things like my towel which was over my neck and my bathing materials. Though at the slowest pace I'd ever used,I got dressed,cladding myself in my daywear,piece by piece.