I Did Not Want To Fall For You

Chapter 34: You are not eating well

Wednesdays always appealed to Kamsi. Perhaps it was because of the food they ate. They had bread and tea for breakfast, garri and okro soup which didn’t appeal to her for lunch and then the prize food of the day, Moi-moi, for dinner that most students took with bread and other accompaniments like tea or soaked garri or Agidi. Or perhaps it was because they had free periods on Wednesdays or because of the club and societies meetings they had after school; not that she was actively involved in any society.
She hurried her steps to her class from the hostel that morning instead of going to the refectory. She had her Biology and Economics note to update since the date of the JAMB exams had been fixed and the starting date was two weeks away. She sighed, realizing she had been missing meals a lot recently and she had been supplementing with junks which was not healthy. She stopped just before the corridor of her class and turned to look at C.J who had come out of his class to dispose something. She watched as he ventured back into the class, not noticing her stares. It had been three weeks since they came back from the midterm break, three weeks since he had been avoiding her and she had no clue why. She knew there had to be a good reason, he wasn’t the type to just blow off someone like that. She had kept her distance, respecting his decision but she was tired of the malice and she was curious to know his reason.
She liked him as a friend, liked that he was good-looking and cool, liked that he was willing to befriend her, liked that he was the kind of guy she liked to befriend; she wasn’t willing to throw away what they shared.
So she turned around and crossed the distance to his class. There were only a few people in his class. She was quick to notice his alarm when he saw her.
“Hey,” she greeted nevertheless when she got to his seat. He stared at her for a while, the shock still evident on his face then he stammered a barely audible greeting while scratching his full afro. She waited for more but he only stared at her.
“Love eyes.” She heard  someone mutter and she rolled her eyes.
“You know we have to talk,” she said to him. He looked away.
“Caleb Johnson,” she called, displeased with his cowardly attitude.
He sighed and sat up.
“About what?” he questioned,  not meeting her eyes.
“About you-know-what,” she drawled mockingly.
“Caleb,” she called out warningly when he still did mot say anything. He finally looked at her.
“Can we talk later?” He pleaded, “during clubs and societies?”
“Why? Why can’t we talk now?”
“I… I’m not ready. I promise, I’ll be there, I’ll tell you,” he begged.
She blew out a breath then nodded.
“Till then,” she said pointedly before leaving.
*
Getting to her class, she almost screamed out in frustration. Her chair was missing, all her notes and textbooks she needed for the day’s classes were nowhere to be found even though she was sure she had padlocked her locker the night before. Her missing padlock, she found in her locker unharmed so how did whoever get to seamlessly open it and steal her belongings?
“What the hell!?” She finally let out her anger, drawing the attention of the few student in the class.
“Hell is Kaitochukwu Iwele,” Michael informed her while laughing loudly.
“And Nonso Udoka,” Samuel added, laughing also.
“So what is their gain? Did they finally grow brains?” She frowned, albeit relieved it was them.
Sarah who just entered the class, stopped and gasped, “Who angered the almighty Kamsiyonna?”
Michael answered her at the same time, “I don’t know, you’ll have to ask them.”
She hissed and slammed her locker shut. Dropping her bag on the locker, she glared at the empty space where her chair was supposed to be.
“They said you should meet them in the box,” Cynthia informed her.
“Like a puppet, abi?” she muttered in annoyance and left the class.
Breakfast was over already when she trudged into the dining. She didn’t bother going to her table as she was sure her bread would be missing. She went up the stairs instead to the demarcated room that was ‘The Box’. It was filled with prefects who were just having their meal. She smiled at Kehinde B who was with Taiwo on the executive table.
The sitting arrangements in the box were in order of hierarchy. Starting from the head boy and ending with the house prefects. The executive table consisted of the head prefects and their deputies and the labour prefects and their deputies. Somehow, she felt a sort of pride that Kaito and Nonso were part of the executives.
They weren’t there though. She looked at the occupants again and looked further into the box. She sighed, sighting them at the far back, at one of the tables for house prefects, sniggering while watching her. Like children, she thought with a frown and marched up to them.
“Can I help the both of you?” She demanded and waved at Toyosi who was on the opposite table.
“Sit down,” Kaito ordered, his childish demeanour gone.
“My books and my chair,” she demanded, ignoring his words.
“Sit down.” It was Nonso that spoke to her this time.
She glared at them and sat opposite them.
Kaito shook his head, “no, beside me.”
She shut her eyes, blew out a breath then opened them and did as he said. Nonso moved over to her previous spot, a pleased look on his face.
“What is…” Kaito stuffed a piece of bread in her mouth. Oh God, she thought, not in public.
She swallowed and began to speak again and he repeated the action. Nonso snickered and she could only hit the table in frustration. Kaito was grinning widely.
“Please no noise. Carry your wahala and go elsewhere,” Faridah, Idanre’s prefect said with disdain.
“Better still,” Nonso butted in before she could speak, giving  Faridah a sour look, “carry your bad breath and go elsewhere.”
“Because you have smelt my breath, abi? Olodo,” Faridah hissed.
“Look before you leap, all mouth and no brain,” Nonso retorted.
“Please, it’s okay!” Jessica, Sankwala’s assistant prefect, exclaimed.
Kamsi kept her mouth shut so Kaito wouldn’t get her. Meanwhile Nonso and Faridah continued their bickering.
“Open your mouth,” Kaito ordered quietly and she shook her head in defiance.
“Or you won’t get your chair and books,” he threatened.
She made to protest but realized her mistake too late. She chewed another piece of bread.
There were four loaves of bread on the table before him, another in his hand from which he ate and gave her from. She hoped he wasn’t going to force her to finish them all.
“Didinrin,” Faridah threw her latest insult at Nonso who had long since kept silence.
“E dey pain you,” Tony laughed at Faridah when she kept muttering words under her breath.
“E dey pain her,” Samson agreed, laughing also.
Faridah shot glares at them, “Ode, don’t mind your business. Fools.”
“Hey!” Jessica exclaimed again, “abeg Nonso, Tochukwu and Kamsi, pack your load and leave our table. You are causing too much trouble.”
“Or you guys are the trouble,” Kaito countered and fed her another piece of bread. She felt uncomfortable with the attention.
“What trouble?” Faridah shot at him, “abeg pack and go.”
“Carry your Ghana-must-go,” Tony sang.
“No tear pant for table oo,” Nonso laughed.
“Nonso, abi what is your name? bera, watch your mouth, bera mind yourself before I give you your size,” Faridah warned angrily.
“It’s better, not bera,” Tony interjected while holding back a mocking laugh. Faridah eyed him.
“You people should just go,” Jessica said again but Nonso and Kaito sat undisturbed. She looked at them both, nudging Kaito with her arm but he instead stuffed her mouth with another piece of bread.
“I don’t have a problem with Tochukwu. It’s Nonso and Kamsi that must go,” Faridah spoke. She looked up.
“I understand your prolem with Nonso but what did Kamsi do?” Tony asked, amused.
“That one that will be carrying head like say she own the world. Pretender, oshi.”
Nonso laughed out loud, Kaito looked astonished while she stared at Faridah with wide eyes.