Brown Skinned Bet

Chapter XXVI

•Kainene•

            I stood in my place,my hand dropping to my sides in frustration as I watched his indecisiveness as to where to head to or perhaps,it was a disorientation. Whichever it was,I found myself pitying him. Why? The reason even I was yet to know.

          Whilst we talked,I tried to remain strong,wishing so much that I wouldnt waver before him. But I'd failed,I'd failed because he always did everything with so much emotion,so much that I had to remind myself time and time again,that it could all be part of his scheme,it could all be a faze.

          Stopping myself from staring at his retreating back over the chapel slabway,I looked to the bag which was still in my hand. Even if I didn't want to admit it,at the very last minute,I'd had controversial thoughts regarding returning the hoodie,I suddenly didn't want to let it go. That was probably why I hadnt declined when he'd offered it back to me,and why I couldn't forget that he regarded it as mine.

         I couldn't forget how much tingles spread over my skin at his words,my throat hurt as I was trying to hold back all I was feeling,all I deemed inappropriate of me to feel at this point,all I couldn't stop myself from feeling despite my efforts.

         Giving off a low sigh,I turned and headed back to the hostel to return the bag. I contemplated still sending it back to his hostel,I knew I had other ways to return it to him if I really wanted to but yet,I'd insisted on returning it to him personally.

        I hadn't seen him all day,he had been absent during breakfast,lunch and dinner and I had no idea why I cared to notice but it's bugged me,so I did seize the opportunity,I'd decided to submit to the bugs of my heart just this once.

           I threaded slowly back to the chapel,my mind still stuck on our conversation as I walked. I kept going in an endless cycle of assessing,dismissing and then reassessing his words in my mind. Why did he have to look so sincere? His words had stirred me up and his gaze made me want to believe them,but I just couldn't,I couldnt bring myself to believe them. I was scared. The thought of putting myself through the pains I'd been through just before the midterm frightened me. I couldnt be a fool twice.

           I'd been so engrossed in my thoughts that I failed to notice that my feet were now drawing me closer to the door of the sacristy of the chapel which lay slightly ajar. I was drawn back to earth though,by the rather noisy deliberations of final year students within the chapel. My brows furrowed as I looked through the windows,noticing how they'd all huddled at different corners of the chapel,debating over something I was yet to find out about.

          On my entrance into the sacristy and noticing it was empty,with exclusion of the junior sacristans who were putting everything in order in preparation for the rehearsals,I walked through the second door of the sacristy so I emerged on the corridor which was closest to SS3 pews and walked right through the door close to the choir pews,the pews just before ours.

          The noise became even more audible as I walked further in,spotting Jade,Onome,Oghale in the group of students which were gathered at a corner of the middle aisle of the chapel and approaching them thereafter.

         "Why did you people pick her na?!" A seemingly angered Jade shot at Ayo. "Because she's practically the only SS2 girl that can handle it" Ayo argued back.

          "But I suggested other people to you! Why did it have to be her? You should have at least told me first!" Jade yelled him. "Jade calm down" Onome tried to subdue Jade.

         "I was looking for you all through the day,I didn't find you and White-ney was asking for the list" Ayo explained,trying to keep his cool. "Ayo this thing is very annoying shey you know?!" Oghale,whose arms were now crossed beneath her bosom fired at Ayo.