Promised To Another

ARE YOU SINGLE?

The beginning of the first week into the exams and there was already a somber atmosphere across campus.
It was like the whole campus was collectively holding its breath as the exam period unfolded.

The usual rustling and bustling movement around campus has reduced to just a trickle of people who were rushing to an exam or coming from one.

"Ugh! Why do we keep getting the wrong answer. Are we using the wrong equation or is it our calculations."
Siba complained as she threw the worksheet she was busy with on my study table.

"I don't know either." I said as I retrieved the worksheet and studied it.

"Ooh, I can't wait for this to be over, two more days and I will be done with Calculus!"
I exclaimed as I threw the worksheet back on the table.

I pushed back the chair and walked to my bed and plopped facedown on the pillow.

We were in my room working through calculus questions preparing for an exam that is in two days.
We were currently stuck on a question that we have been trying to workout for the past thirty minutes.
Sammy on the other side of the room was busy paging through her notes getting ready for an exam that was in a couple of hours.
She was going through her flash cards as she read the notes out loud.

"Time to call for back-up," Siba said as she scrolled on her phone.

"Malakai is about to go into his Linear Algebra exam now, so he is not available to help us out."
I explained from my position on the bed.

The room went eerily quiet for a couple of minutes. I lifted my head up, only to find Siba and Sammy looking weirdly at me.

I looked back and forth between them with a questioning stare.

"What?"

"Why do you know Kai's schedule so well?" Siba asked with her stare on me, it wasn't suspicion or anything. She just looked surprised.

Shucks!

It had slipped my mind that Siba was still very much in the dark about the developments between Kai and I.
She was not aware of our incessant phone conversation, let alone our secret rendezvous.

For the sake of our friendship, I need to keep things that way.

"Yeah, Arie. How do you happen to posses all that information? I am pretty sure you don't even know what exam I will be taking this afternoon " Sammy sassily chimed in before I could respond.

Ooh gosh! I am going to kill her.
I just gave her a look and hoped it conveyed my intentions.

"I just happen to have asked him to help us out earlier today and he told me about the exam." I responded as nonchalantly as possible looking at Siba.

That seemed to be convincing enough as she went back to her phone.

I gave Sammy a finger before I resumed my position on the bed.

"How about we all take a break from all the studying and grab something to eat?"
Siba proposed.

"And Sammy you can't study right up until your exam. You need the break or you will be exhausted by the time you start writing." She added.

" Yah, I know. I just needed to tie few loose ends. I think this will be it for now," Sammy said putting her flash cards aside.

" Yah, I could really use a breather right now."
I said as I got up from the bed and quickly changed out of my sleeping shorts and into a pair of black leggings and a white Nike crop jersey.

"Since we are all here, I think we should tie down the logistics of the trip." Sammy said as we sat down in the cafeteria with our orders.

I pulled out a chair facing the entrance on the table. Sammy and Siba sat on the two chairs opposite mine.