Dubem [A NIGERIAN STORY]

Chapter 7

««« Chapter 7 »»»

This chapter is dedicated to all backstabbers out there, change your ways.

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“I’m very sure I placed it in there this morning.” I cried out almost immediately.

The entire students gathered, as they pushed in through the room door to see what was happening. “You did not bring it or you misplaced it?”. Mr Samuel and some of the staffs had were there. Vicky squatted beside me.

“Come with me to the principal's office”, Mr Solomon instructed. He spoke English with a thick, Hausa accent so strong it extended even the shortest words with extra vowels.

I was at the verge of tears. “Wait sir, eh the thing is I brought the note. But I can't find it.”

“Even me too!”, Stella exclaimed. She'd filed a complaint against her missing note too. I was indeed lucky as I wasn't the only one, again.

Although we spoke aloud after Mr Samuel said the first few words, an inner silence enveloped us all. Everyone exchanged quick glances at each other.

Somehow, our eyes miraculously jammed so quickly. It was David. Without delay, I averted my gaze to the floor. I could not process one thing within the four seconds stare I could manage to hold. Only that he stood beside his best friend, Dami.

I couldn't tell him that I liked him, because I couldn't bear the risk. It was so huge, sometimes I wondered if it was just mere crush. There was... everything and everyone involved. There was the school rules, and then there was all of the other girls.

By the slightest chance, if anything progressed between David and I, I would simply go from ‘Clever Chi’ to the leader of the dumbassdom squad.

Now I would not want that to happen to me!

“Mr Samuel, I think we should conduct a bag search”. It was the sweet dulcet voice that tracted it's way from David’s mouth. It was the voice I never knew I would ever hear speak, talk about standing up for me. I could smell that voice in my dreams.

I turned to look over my shoulder. He was standing there, beside the infamous Dami.

One by one everybody surrendered their bags. Three seniors were selected in particular, and were strictly warned against contempt. Everybody scattered in different locations of their seats in an attempt to get their school bags and there were shuffled voices of people that polluted the warm air.

“Don’t worry, we'll find your jotter!” There was the figure of a huge hand I had envisioned, rested on top of my feeble shoulders. I turned to see a worried looking Divine.

Not who I expected, and definitely not the first person I would strike a conversation with. Hopefully, I would get off this hate phase I had for this kid. In other words, he was annoying as fudge. I only followed up with his numerous babbles just to keep up with David, and though he wasn't the most smartest amongst the ‘D-dudes’ clique.

“Notebook not jotter!” I slapped his hands off my shoulder. Where ever did his tiny brain wander off to, he couldn't collect such a tiny piece of information.

“Just drop the act Dubem. You know you like me, just admit it.” The pest waggled his thick brows from pure playfulness and released a sigh full of success.

I leaned back blissfully onto the shoulders of my chair and crossed my right leg over the other. “It is not only ‘like’. If you want anything to do with relationships I'm not interested abeg. Go and look for other girls or am I the only one in this class.”

“This one you're forming hard to get, if it's David now you'll start blushing like one thing. It's alright. I won't give up on you sha.” He kissed the face of his front palm and blew air to my face. The height of foolishness in my class was indubitably absurd.

I pinched the bridge of my nose as I waved off the stench that followed each of the words he vomited. “Hmmn... are you sure you brushed your teeth this morning?”

“Hey you!” There was a thundering voice that trailed from the far end of the classroom. The musculine figure took several steps to my desk point. “Have we checked your bags?”

I rose from my chair. “I’m the victim, senior Timileyin.”

He turned to look at the boy that stood an inch from him. Divine traced two steps back, he got the message quite clearly stated in the senior's glare. “And you?”

“I’ll get it”, Divine squared his shoulders. It was an expression of intent to prove headstrong. He was as stubborn as a mule.

It was just the both of us. Senior Timileyin cleared his throat to speak. “So has my brothet made a move on you yet?” I didn't hear that coming. It was the look on his face, it seemed like he was not comfortable with this mini convo and my suspicions were confirmed, well not just yet.

“I’ve found it sir!” It was the cunning voice of miss Elizabeth.