Behind The Gate of Lakeview

~Seven~

                                  ~Jade~

'Good day Mr. Chairman, a panel of judges, accurate timekeeper, Co-debaters, and my fellow student. My name is Wura Adegbite and I'm here to speak against Sex Education in schools. Firstly, I'll like to define Sex Education, Sex Education is...'

I blocked out what she was saying to focus on the notes on my lap. It was on Friday and I was sitting in front of the whole school. Uthman was sitting adjacent to me, arms folded across his chest. Our panel coordinator was sitting in our midst. After Wura and  Gabriel had given their speeches on the topic, there was going to be a panel discussion between myself and Uthman. I turned to look at him, he was engrossed in the book he was holding, his pen in between his lips. He looked up and saw him looking at him. He smiled in his cocky way and waved at me. My eyebrow must have raised in mock disgust because he made a broken face. I shook my head and turned back to my ravening thoughts.

Chill baby, Uthman's got nothing on you.

"With all the above, I hope I've been able to convince you and not confuse you that sex education should be banned in Secondary school. Thank you."

Wura's voice dragged me out of my reverie as the whole hall erupted in loud applause. Wura smiled and took her seat beside Uthman, the latter smiled at her and she blushed. Damn right. Mr. Chris, our panel coordinator took the cue

"Hello guys, so we'll start our panel discussion between Mister Gbadamosi and Miss Jadeshola Badmus now. Can you guys give it up for the team you're supporting?"

The hall erupted in shouts of #TeamJade and #TeamUthman. I swear I could hear Hana's voice screaming. I smiled and looked at Uthman. He had that smug look on his face.

Whatever.

"So, Uthman, you think sex education should not be allowed in school, why do you think?"

"Well, my partner said it all already, whether we are taught these things in school or not, we'll know them either way. A teacher will come to teenagers' classes and start teaching them about sex? It always ends on an awkward note. We always end up knowing nothing but then, our interests are already piqued, we can guess what the result of that will be."

 "Practice, of course, "I replied and he looked at me from the crowd

"And what happens when we are not taught about these things at all, our interests are piqued also and we end up practicing anyway."

He was looking at me with a blank expression on his face. I broke the eye contact and looked at the crowd

"I think sex Education goes a lot way in our education. We're not only in the world where we can easily access all this information online but also, we're in a generation of hormonal teenagers. We practicalize everything. Why not learn this thing in safe hands instead of relying on misguides on the net."

"Oh really? What about the awkwardness? What about the stigmatization of the female gender. Not everybody can be badass and not allow boys taunt to get to them."

Yeah right, it was pretty obvious that he was talking about me

"And is it awkward? Why do boys taunt? Because we are not vocal about it of course. If we can make it a normal discourse, if we could stop stigmatizing girls on their periods, if boys could see girls and just see girls and not just objects they can use anyhow, then it's not going to be awkward."

"So you're saying you're so comfortable with me whispering the D and P word in your ears in class?"

"Not whispering, you nutcase. And that's what I was talking about just now, that's taunting girls, how could you even think to include that into our argument, totally irrational and disheartening."