I Did Not Want To Fall For You

27: Accident

Kamsi stood, a few feets away from the reading statue, shifting from foot to foot and looking around. She wasn't sure if Kaito would come for their usual morning Rosary just before breakfast. She glanced at her wristwatch, it was 6:41 am. They just had 24 minutes before the bell for breakfast would go off. She wasn't even sure if he was in school, she didn't see him the previous day when they all resumed back after the short midterm break. She expected he and Nonso would resume late since Benin was quite far off.
When they were about to leave with their brothers on the day of the inter-house sports, he told her they would spend the night at a hotel since it was already late to travel such a distance.
She smiled, remembering Kaito's brother, Obinne. When she got home that day, she realized she had a crush on him, just a tiny bit. She kept thinking of him and blushing whenever she remembered the way he looked at her. She wasn't bothered anyway because she knew she didn't have a chance with him. The crush would fade soon the same way it did when she crushed on Onyebuchi when she was newly admitted in Ss1, Michael in Ss2, and the oh-so-famous last born, Kaito, also in Ss2 when they worked together for the maths competition she never participated in. Ss3 made her immune to all the boys' charms. She could have said something when Michael revealed his crush but she wasn't so bold and she wasn't ready to get embarrassed. Talk more of telling Kaito she had a crush on him in Ss2, he would never let it go. He was a persistent, annoying, and charming bug that just found her so nice to attach to.
He proved it on the day of the inter-house sports when he kept demanding her phone number. She didn't give it to him so he had forcefully written his on her palm just before they left and made her give her word to call him. His and Nonso's brother weren't left out, they proved the same when they paid for her, Toyosi, Sarah, and Daniel's transport fare even when they refused. Well, only she and Sarah, Toyo and Daniel were glad about it. It made her uncomfortable though she was glad for the extra change. Obinne made her even more uncomfortable with the glances he kept giving her and Kaito. He didn't think anything was going on between them, did he?
7:10 am. She gave up on waiting and left. Maybe he was too tired or he forgot, she thought, debating on whether to go to the refectory or go to her class. She chose the latter, as did many other students. The week after the resumption, the refectory was mostly half filled up. The vacation was a filler.
"Sittie, what happened?" She queried when she got to her class and met Sarah fuming in her seat.
"Is it not that foolish nincompoop of a girl named Stephanie? That girl likes trying me oo!"
"Watch your words," she chastised, "and what did Stephanie do this time? The both of you are always at each other's throat."
Sarah murmured a few incoherent words before she sprang up from her seat and matched angrily away. She sighed, sitting.
She turned back.
"Class capo," she greeted Michael.
"Kamsiyonna, looking fresh and beautiful as ever. Wetin your mama dey feed you?"
She laughed, getting up while straightening her skirt. She walked out and down the corridor, entering Kaito's class. His seat was empty, with no bag or any sign of him. Danielle was his seatmate and she was there with her head on her locker but she didn't feel like talking to her so she went back out.
"Are you looking for Tochukwu?" Stephanie, who was about to enter, asked. The same Stephanie Sarah was furious with.
"Yes. Why?"
"He's not around. I don't think he's in school sef," Stephanie informed her before going in.
Kaito was not in school? It was weird. For as long as she knew and noticed him, he always resumed school on the appointed days and he was always punctual to class. Now she felt very guilty for not calling him back home. If she did, she would have known his plans. She wanted to call him, she wanted to hear his voice and laughter but well... stubbornness... and pride. She didn't phone on Thursday because she didn't want to seem eager then not on Friday because she was still battling with herself, not on Saturday because her stubbornness wouldn't let her, and not on Sunday because that was the resumption day. She didn't even call Toyosi. The only person she called was Kehinde B and that was because she didn't want her to think she was still mad about her and Taiwo.
"Kamsi!"
"Toyo baby," she forced a smile as they hugged. She ran a hand through her cornrows when they pulled away. She was beginning to feel restless and anxious.
"Kaito and Nonso didn't resume oo," Toyo went into full blast immediately and suddenly she was thankful for it because she didn't know how to ask without seeming too eager
"They didn't resume?" She blinked pretentiously, dipping her hand into her skirt pocket, "I was wondering. I've not seen them since yesterday."
Toyo hummed, "I asked Kola, Nonso's roommate and he said they didn't resume. I even called Nonso on Saturday afternoon."
"You called?" She was surprised and she felt even more guilty.
"It was Tochukwu that picked up his call and he was talking somehow,"
She raised a brow.
"I asked why he was picking up Nonso's calls and he said it was because he saw my name on the screen and that Nonso was not available. He was talking hurriedly like he wanted to cut the call then he said he was busy and I can call later and he cut the call, just like that. At first, I thought it was because he was still angry about the M.O.T. stuff and I was annoyed. I called Nonso again later that night but he didn't pick up, not even on Sunday before coming to school. Only for me to come to school today and hear that they were involved in an accident."
"What?" She gasped, "Are they okay? What happened?"
"I don't know. You know Emmanuel is close to them and he's doing bro code rubbish but he said it was just Nonso and Kaito's brother, Obinne that was affected and that it is not serious."
She looked away, blinking back the tears that rushed to her eyes.
"It is just today that Emmanuel called Tochukwu and he picked. He also said they were not picking up their calls since Saturday so the accident probably took place that Saturday," Toyosi explained further.
She shut her eyes, feeling her insides twist. The same Saturday she was feeling too stubborn to call. She felt someone's finger on her face so she opened her eyes.
"You're crying," Toyo blurted out, genuinely shocked. She looked away.
"Awwwn," Toyo pulled her into a hug, "you're making me wanna cry. I don't think it's that serious with what Emmanuel told me."
She stayed silent, cleaning her tears instead, several anxious thoughts running through her mind.
"They'll be fine. Nothing will happen to those fine boys."
She laughed tearily, pulling away from the hug.
"I'm serious. I was seriously contemplating asking Tochukwu and Nonso's brothers to date me. I don't know if they were sent down from Heaven," Toyo joked.
"And Kaito and Nonso?" She teased.
"As if you won't admit that they are fine," Toyo teased back and they laughed. The siren for assembly went off at that moment.
"I don't feel like going for assembly," she sighed, watching other students troop to the assembly ground.
"Then let's stab."
Toyo dragged her into her class and they sat at the far back, away from the window. They weren't alone, there were five others either sleeping, using contrabands, or gisting the time away.
She brought out a phone from her skirt's pocket. Toyo stared at her, wide-eyed.
"Is that yours?"
She nodded sheepishly.
"I didn't think you were the type."
"How?"
"I mean you can do it which you obviously have but your type prefers keeping the rules."
She shrugged. To be sincere, Kaito and Nonso influenced her.
"Is it too early to call? It's just 7:30 am," she mumbled, staring at Kaito's contact.
"Emmanuel called this morning," was Toyo's reply.
Her thumb hovered over the call button hesitantly before Toyosi snapped and clicked the call button.
"Stop being too shy, be brave. It's just to ask about their health."
Shy? Far from it. She just felt bad that she was only calling because she heard something bad happened to them. The phone rang but no one picked up. She called again and then two more times but still no answer. She sighed, frustrated, and called again. This time he switched off his phone.