Facade (Romola 1)

73: Return to class

Romola kept her face buried in the note. Her hands danced across the page as she copied words from one page to another. The noise in the class rose. A couple of students streamed into the room. Their words were like an angry buzz that she couldn't care to decipher. It was three days after her fight three days ago with Yetunde and her first day back in school.

She'd missed several two classes and some assignments during her stay with Olumide. The assignment for this course hurt the most. It was a major part of her grade. Bagging her degree was the only way to reconcile with her mother.

She flipped a page and sighed at the enormous notes she had to rewrite. She'd promised her mother that she would graduate. Her mother wanted nothing to do with her now but that was more fuel to succeed.

Tears pricked the sides of her lids but she brushed them away with her palm. So far, she had avoided anyone's notice. Bukky's pink fluffy hoodie hid her face but she was afraid that her tears would draw unwanted attention.

"Aren't you done with my note?" The tall dark-skinned boy peered into her note.

"No Femi. I'm almost done."

"Be fast. The lecturer will soon come and I think we might have a test. I want to read."

Romola's back ramrod straight. The last thing she needed was a test. Not only did she have incomplete notes, her previous knowledge base was weak and the lecturer in charge did not know the meaning of mercy.

"Yes, he said it in the last class." Femi pulled his note across the wooden table to himself. He flipped back a couple of pages and began to mutter the words on the page under his breath.

Romola dropped her pen. Regret coursed through her heart as she stared at the note. All of this happened because she was foolish enough to get between Yetunde and Olumide. She had done her best to stay away from him.

Her eyes rose and she stared back at the middle seat of the second row in the class. Yetunde sat amidst several of their friends. Romola wasn't sure she could call them friends. None of them had said anything to her. No one called to know how she fared. Not one had accused her of prostitution. Had Yetunde even told them her story?

"Why aren't you sitting with your friends?" Femi asked.

"Nothing. I just want to concentrate."

Femi raise his brow. "Are you fighting with her?"

Romola faced Femi. They had never discussed anything outside the bounds of education. Why was he suddenly interested in her life? Did he know who she really was.

"Forget about it."

"I was wondering why you did not come to class for two weeks. You weren't even picking your calls." Femi toyed with the button on his shirt. "I asked Yetunde because I needed your help with my assignment but she said-"

"Alright class. Take out your bags and books. We'll be having a brief test." The lecturer marched into the class.

"Femi, please, let me just-" Romola reached for his note but hurried to the front of the class with his bag. "Femi!"

"When you were writing the note, did I stop you? You said you were almost done. Read what you have."

Romola forced her feet to carry her body. She used the desks for support. She limped towards the platform where other members of the class dropped their belongings. She sighed and tried to return to Femi's table. An invigilator intercepted her path.

"Move to that seat." He pointed to the other end of the row beside Akin.

"Sir, I have a sit."

The man turned back to where she pointed. A girl with orange ponytail braids took the seat beside Femi. "If you want to write this test, you will sit where I ask you to."

Romola moved to her new chair, avoiding Yetunde's poisonous glance. All she had to do was stare at the seat next to Akin's and she would be staring into that monster's eyes.

"Once you get your paper, you start. No conversation." The invigilator distributed the papers to the students. "Start."

Romola turned the paper over, praying that the questions would not involve too much calculations because she did not come to class with her calculator. It was one of the things the hostel thieves had claimed. Her lips spread. Most of the questions there were about the note she just copied. She began to pen down all that she remembered before the memory would fade.

She had almost exhausted her test sheet when Yetunde's voice rang out in the room. "Sir, this guy and his b**tch beside me are disturbing me." 

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Hmm, this Yetunde sha has plenty problems. What do you think of Yetunde? And do you think the teacher would react?

Don't forget to comment, vote & share.