A Geek Choice

|10:The library

Dedicated to PriscillaMaxwell1
The above picture's Nathalia,I couldn't find an exact picture of what I imagined.

Julia dipped her hand into her side pocket, dragging out a Crispin five hundred naira bill. She sighed weariedly seeing as her stomach grumbled- but had no choice. She placed the money on the wooden desk.

"here, I brought the money." she said, hesisantly with her eyes feeling sad. She looked at a smirking hippo, who just happened to be Nathalia. Her legs were stretched out under the desk, chair kicked back, and was lazily plucking her pimples.

Nathalias' sinister smirk widened, enough to kill. She took the money delightedly, and tucked it in her side pocket. Then asked,"is this all you brought to school?"

"yes." Julia nodded, receiving a wave for her to leave.

Julia walked out of the classroom; heading towards the bleachers. She was going to sit alone today, since Delilah had March practice.

The only thing that lightened up her day was, she didn't have any practice at all, mostly because her house captain was sick today, his doctor diagnosed him of the usual malaria, and he felt weak, so, he stayed home. He's probably at home snuggling with a bottle of lacozade energy drink. Maybe, not sure. Either way, it made things a lot better on her part; she'd just sit down and watch everyone suffer.

She scanned the scanty crowd, spotting a frowning Ayo at the middle row. She sighed in fustration. Why couldn't he sit in the front row? Now, she had to climb those fustrating stairs. When she had successful escaped an exercise, another one comes up. The last time she sat at the back row, was when Aninta and Mackenzie were gossiping her name.

Slowly, she started ascending the stairs. One step at a time, just ten steps up and she was already sweating bullets, and her limbs begging for mercy. It's easy to descend the stairs, but hard to climb up. with her palm, she cleared the moist off her face and thought; What human beings do to be normal. On reaching the last step--by his row, she sat next to him, giving him a sheepish smile.

" What're you doing here?"

"Sitting what else," he replied, averting his eyes back at the field. He usually loved her company, but now wasn't the right time.

"why're you frowning?"

"na interview you come so?" he said, in annoyance.
("you came to interview me, right?")

Coyly she apologized," sorry."

For a minute or two, they sat watching the runners practice. Ayos mind was focused on the field, while julia was partly bored wishing she had brought some novels from home.

"so what happened to Jessy?"

He chuckled, seeing as she couldn't keep quiet, and watch the relay.

"Well, from what Daniel told me, a lot happened," he said, averting his eyes at the field."he got suspended for so many things."

"he's lucky," she remarked, shruggingly. " the principal'd had done worse."

"true," he agreed, giving it a quick thought. He added,"he was supended until further notice, to me that's almost the same thing as being expelled."

"I'm sure he's at home hiding from his dad again." she recalled, and half smiled. Rembering the last time Jessy got into trouble.

It happened three years back, when they were Juniors, Jessy fractured one of his classmates hand, both parents nearly flipped. The boys parents requested that he'd pay the medical bills- which his father did. With the matter being sorted out by both parents, and the school authority not knowing, he went home receiving a severe beating from his father.

"yeah, Daniel warned him, but he didn't listen."

A whistle was blown from across the field, which made them stop talking, and spun ahead. The relay run started off with four students, passing batons amongst team mates. The last set, Joel was amongst them. He darts his hand out waiting for the soft touch of the baton.

Finally, it reached him. With the baton in hand, he looks at the 100 meters race ahead of him. He ran at a slow Pace with his bear feet knocking the blistering racetrack.

"we'll take last if he keeps running like this." Ayo hissed, standing up in fury.

"It's just practice," she comforts, pulling him by the hand to seat down "its not the real race."

50 meters towards the finish line, another runner over takes him, making him the last out of four. He tried increasing his speed, but it resulted to leg cramps--which made him limp along the lane to the finish line.

His house captain approached him, yelling at him to do better. He placed his hands over his chest as he struggled to control his lungs. While Mr. Obia threw his head back, and snorts a laugh as he dug a spoon in a glucose box bringing out a white powder, and pours it into Joel's cupped palms.

With Joel's tongue leaping out of his mouth, and face bathed with sweat he looked emotionally and physically drained, possible on the verge of fainting. He staggered to a side bench nearby; licking the powder off his palm as Mr.obia blew his whistle for another match.

Julia watched ayo reactions for a while, seeing as he clenched and unclenched his fist before slumping back in his seat. He looked like he was about to kill joel at any chance been given.

Wait! Ayo's an athletic type why wasn't he on the field practicing, or was he waiting for someone, maybe he's waiting for Daniel.

She looks around try to spot a tall and slightly brown boy with a cheeky smile, but failed.

"Where's Daniel?"

"I don't know. He's probably nearby with Mackenzie." He replied, folding his hands over his chest, and irately glaring at joel from across the field.

"Are you in the same team house?"

He looked at her like she had grown two heads, then looked ahead and answered, "yeah, I thought you knew."

"No, it's just now I found out," she replied."During sports time, I usually hide in the library to read random books that have little or no knowledge." she half smiled, melting in her chair, then her eyes lit up in glee."Did you know there's a shelf full of literature books?!"

"Nope, I don't go to the library often," he said, it made sense why he was failing in class, giving it a quick thought he asked, "why aren't you at the library today?"

"the librarian didn't come to school," She said, looking at her fingers like it was a mystery."when was the last time you went to the library?"

He rubbed his chin, looking at her, "u-umm, two years ago, during our Junior exams," he confessed, "in a way, I hate the library, especially the librarian, she's always shushing, and sending me out for no reason."

"that's because you don't listen," she notified, remembering the last time she borrowed a chemistry textbook from the library, she had gone to the librarians desk to sign in her name and the date she'd be returning the book, but eventually found a huge book tagged 'The Blacklist' which was filled with peoples names, wrong doings and warnings, and it just so happens that, Jessy and Ayo's name were one of them. She scrunched her face saying, "and your on her blacklist."

"Oh" he shrugged, shifting in his seat, he looked up narrowly, feeling appeased by something, he smirks pointing, "look up,"

"Huh?"

Julia strays her eyes at the moving clouds, the sky was vivid with the sun at work.

"Don't worry, rain won't fall."

"No, Not up at the sky," he corrects, nudging her head sideways. "up stairs, second floor. The window to your right."

She darts her eyes narrowly until it meets a man in black suit. Her jaw dropped as her eyes widen in shock.

»«
Our Julia loves the library. What's up with Ayo these days? We also met joel, from a distance.

I don't know if that's a cliffhanger,😅 or not. I just felt like stopping there. Next update's next week.

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