I Did Not Want To Fall For You

25: M.O.T and consequences

Nonso shrugged, looking unbothered, "So I've been told."
"I remember in junior school, I hated the both of you," Toyo laughed as if she has no idea what impact her words caused, "Kaito was always bossing everyone around and Nonso, the ever stone-faced quiet boy but if you give him one, he'll give you ten."
"Correct," Michael laughed, "he has even calmed down now. I was surprised when in Jss3, Nonso started rapping well with people."
The tension in the group had dissipated so she calmed down but she was still worried about Kaito. He had not said a word and His look was blank.
"It was Kaito I disliked, not even Nonso. He mistakenly tore my basic science notebook in Jss2 and instead of telling me sorry when I shouted at him, he told me to hit my head on the nearest transformer," Kehinde B shook her head, laughing.
Savage much, she thought with amusement.
"And you know how long Basic Science notes were in junior school. I now had to copy it from the beginning. If murder was not a crime, I would have killed him then," Kehinde B continued.
Kamsi caught the corner of Kaito's lips twitching and she smiled, relaxing her stiff bones.
"So Nonso was quiet and Kaito was savage," She spoke up with a chuckle.
"I can't even believe I was calm back then. It was because of the new environment and new people," Nonso said.
"Not that quiet oo," Michael intercepted, "he was always entering trouble with Tochukwu and Bamidele but Bamidele left after Jss3."
"Ahh, Bamidele, my guy. I miss him," Nonso laughed.
She glanced at Kaito, catching his quick look at her. She couldn't imagine him being that bad of a troublemaker. He loved breaking the rules alright but he did it calmly and unsuspiciously.
"But really, you guys were baddddd," Kehinde spoke, "half of your classmates were always complaining about you."
"And the teachers," Daniel added, head bent over phone.
"Who didn't know Tochukwu Iwele and Chinonso Udoka?"
"Especially Mrs. Chizoba. She was complaining about Tochukwu's result," Kehinde said.
Kaito's result? She furrowed her brows in confusion.
"Yes," Toyosi laughed, "who would believe brainy Tochukwu of today was struggling in the past?"
She blinked, turning to him, "You weren't always brilliant?" He shrugged.
"He was always brilliant, just not always serious," Nonso corrected.
Surprise, surprise.
"And you Michael, you poured my sweet Sunday rice away!" Kehinde cried, glaring at Michael.
"Oh no," Michael facepalmed, "since Jss3. I thought you'd forgotten."
"How will I ever forget? And he has eaten his rice already oo,"
"Payback. You threw a spoilt mango at me and ruined my house wear," Michael threw back.
"Kehinde don't form oo. You were..."
"A devil in junior school," She interrupted Nonso.
"Devil, classy," Toyo laughed.
"And Daniel was also a snub," Michael added.
"And Toyosi ever with the razor blade mouth," Nonso spoke.
"I didn't see Daniel as a snub, he was just normal. Michael was okay too, it's just the rest of us. Senior school brought good changes," Toyosi said.
"Kamsi, it's remaining Kamsi," Daniel turned to her with a smirk. Kaito looked at her.
"How we go take know your junior school behavior?" Nonso laughed.
"I think I was okay, I can't really remember," Kamsi smiled, "you'll have to ask my classmates in the two schools I went to."
"Madonna girls, I think I know someone there," Daniel taunted.
"You went to an only girls' school?" Kaito spoke after his long silence, "why did you transfer here?"
"Only for Jss3," She informed, "my parents wanted me to experience education in different environments."
"That is serious," Nonso laughed.
"But seriously, how is my behavior now?" Nonso asked Toyosi.
"It's okay, better but obviously as with everyone, you have your bad part."
He turned to Kehinde B who was sitting beside Toyo.
"Oh, everyone?"
And that was how the conversation turned into a moment of truth(M.O.T).
Kehinde said basically the same things as Toyo, adding that she wasn't close to him. Daniel and Michael said he was a good guy, that the bossiness made him cool. She said he was nice and friendly, funny and very likeable but she didn't like being close to him when he was angry. It was Kaito's turn and he looked blankly at everyone.
"Do I have to say anything?" He asked Nonso.
She understood him. He and Nonso were close, very close. Talking about their misunderstandings, even among friends, wasn't cool.
"No," Nonso replied.
"Yes, best friends can settle later," the rest agreed. It was now Michael's turn. She didn't say much since she wasn't close to him. Daniel was next.
She wanted to tell him that she didn't like that he didn't take his studies seriously but she shut her mouth, deciding to tell him in private.
"So there's nothing you don't like about me?" He asked her with disbelief. She shrugged.
"Kamsi, talk now," Toyo sighed.
"I'm serious, I'll think about it. You're my good friend so it isn't for me to badmouth you."
Daniel still stared at her but eventually gave up. She told Kehinde B when it got to her turn about her feelings on her and Taiwo.
"I know you like him and now you guys are good but you're kind of distant now. You're mostly with him and his group and you're neglecting us just like in Ss1. We were friends then at some point, we weren't then Ss3 when you guys broke up, we became friends again and I felt like a rebound friend."
"Kamsi is jealous oo," Michael teased.
"Sorry, I just..." Kehinde started but paused, her shoulders slumping.
"You want to be close to him, everyone understands that," Kaito said to her, "just make out time for her," He smirked at Kamsi, "and for us. You can't just throw friendships away like that."
"I'll try, thanks for telling me. Kamsi, I'm sorry." Kehinde apologized and she smiled.
One thing everybody agreed on about Toyosi was that she needed to unsharpen her razor blade mouth; it most times caused pain.
"I don't notice your bad side," Michael spoke in Kaito's turn, "you can be annoying but you're mostly cool."
Nonso didn't speak then it was her turn.
"Uhm... do I have to say anything?" She chuckled, feeling awkward.
"Open that mouth and speak up joor," Toyo scolded and she sighed, shooting him a glance. He was staring at her expectantly and it made her even more uncomfortable so she stared at the table.
"Well, you're okay. You're a good friend..."
"Just cut to the bad part," he interrupted and she shot him a glare.
"You... can be annoying..."
"Annoying how?"
"Annoying as in annoying," she snapped then sighed, "but you're nice and a good friend," she concluded, looking straight ahead.
"You can also be very annoying... and impatient," he said when it got to her turn, "but you're nice and a good friend."
She shot him a glare but was glad no one noticed the tension between them.
Nonso said the only problem he had with her was that she was growing on him and she liked testing his patience as Kaito does; Michael said she was considerate and smart and also admitted to having a crush on her when she was newly admitted; Daniel said that for the fact that she was his closest female friend, she was really good but that she needed to be more outspoken; Kehinde said she was a good friend but quite blunt; Toyo said she didn't like that she was too calm and preferred keeping things to herself to which Kehinde and Daniel agreed.
"You remember when we resumed for Ss3 first term when I downplayed and stylishly insulted you in front of Onyebuchi and his crew," Toyo explained, "you were angry and hurt and felt betrayed but you said nothing, and even when I talked normally with you after, you didn't mention it. I know what I did was wrong and childish but I guess pride prevented me from rendering you an apology so I'm apologizing now, I'm sorry but please tell me when I do you wrong because I won't notice everything I do. Not only me, your friends too, all of us here, even the littlest things. Communication is important in a relationship and not just romantic ones."
"It's fine to hurt your friends sometimes," Daniel pleaded after telling her he knew she was hiding something, "when it's for their good. I know you don't like hurting people but brushing everything aside can be toxic."
It took great effort for her not to cry. It was just her, she preferred brushing things aside than bringing them up and causing tension or making herself look foolish. At least the speech she was given wasn't as long as the one they gave Toyosi.
She didn't like the M.O.T, she never liked MOTs; someone always got badly hurt but she knew that something had changed between all of them, in a good way.