My Arrogant Course Rep Want Me

EPisode 2:The Lodge Training

EPISODE 2: THE LODGE TRAINING

"Come inside, let me teach you how to be my babe."Esther stood at Jaden's lodge door, her hand still tingling from his handshake. Her heart was beating like she just stole meat from her mother's pot in Ikorodu.The lodge was not like Moremi Hall. Moremi Hall smells like 8 girls' perfume mixed together, fried Indomie with too much onion, damp bathroom that never dries, and Okrika clothes drying on line inside room. The wall is cracked, fan makes noise like grinding machine, you must queue for 30 minutes to fetch water from tap that brings brown water, and at night, mosquitoes will eat you like suya.This lodge smells like AC, expensive perfume, air freshener, and money. Real Lagos big boy money.The sitting room was big enough to be her whole room in Moremi. Black leather couch that looks soft like you will sink inside and sleep. Big 65-inch TV on wall showing Netflix on pause. Fridge with small light inside making hum-hum sound. There was even a PS5 with two white pads. Esther has only seen PS5 on i********: reels of rich kids in Lekki. On the center table, there was half-eaten small chops, two bottles of Coca-Cola with ice, and Business Law textbook opened. So this arrogant boy actually reads? She thought he only uses money to pass.

"You stand for door like statue? You will still pour water on my fine couch? Enter na, water girl," Jaden said, going to the fridge. He brought out two bottles of cold Eva water and pushed the plate of small chops to her. "You don chop today? You look like you have not eaten since morning. Your lips dry like harmattan."

Esther shook her head. She had not eaten since morning. She had 200 naira left in her Opay, and she was saving it for tomorrow's bus fare from hostel to campus. She drank only water in the afternoon. No garri. No bread. No Indomie. Nothing.

Jaden hissed loud. "You and pride. See you. You will faint and they will say Jaden Cole killed his course mate. Take, chop. It's not poison. I bought it from Chicken Republic."

"I don't want your food," Esther said, forming big girl, holding her Ghana-must-go tight, but her stomach made loud gurum-gurum-gurum sound that echoed in the AC room. It was so loud Jaden heard it.

He burst into laughter, holding his stomach. "Omo! Your stomach said YES, your mouth is forming 'I don't want.' Esther, you too funny abeg. See, if you don't chop, you will not have energy for training. Sit down, fake girlfriend."

Esther sat down at the very edge of the couch, like the couch will bite her bum bum. She was holding her Ghana-must-go bag tight on her lap, like shield. Her black gown was now more grey from sweat and running from Moremi to MBA 201 that morning. Her slippers have cut at the side, she used black cellotape to gum it.

"Okay, lesson number one for fake dating," Jaden said, sitting opposite her, too close. He was still wearing black singlet, showing his broad chest and small muscle, his hair still wet from bath dripping small water to his shoulder. Esther tried not to look, but her eyes kept going there and coming back. She has never seen a boy's chest that fine, except in movie.

"If you want to be my girlfriend, even if na fake, you must stop dressing like you are going to Oshodi market to price fish. My ex Amanda is a UK babe. She wears bone-straight 30 inches that costs 300k, carries original Chanel bag, wears designer gown that costs my school fees, does acrylic nails every week. You..."

He looked at her black gown that was now faded to grey, her slippers with cellotape, her Ghana-must-go bag that has small tear.

"...you look like SUG welfare officer that is sharing free rice for election. No offence."

"Is that not what you want?" Esther snapped, angry again, her hunger making her angrier. "You want to pepper her with me? So that she will see you have fallen from Chanel to market bag? So you can show her you now date poor girl from Ikorodu? Good! Then let her cry! Let her see you have suffered!"

Jaden stared at her, then laughed loud, his head thrown back, showing his white teeth. "Ah! You have mouth! I swear I like that. Amanda never talks back. She just says 'baby, baby, baby, you are right baby, sorry baby.' You, you will pour water on me again if I talk nonsense. Good. That will pepper her more. She needs to see that I now like real girl, not plastic babe that only knows how to take pictures for Instagram."

He stood up and went to his bedroom, the bedroom that has big bed and AC and fine curtain, and came back with a small white box, sealed, with Apple logo and picture of iPhone.

"Take."

Esther opened it slowly, her hand shaking. Inside was a new iPhone. iPhone 13, midnight black, 128GB, still in pack with charger and paper. Her eyes almost fell out of her head. Her mouth opened.

"Ha! JESUS! Blood of Jesus! Is this real iPhone? Is it not Aboki clone?" She touched it like it will disappear. In UNILAG, if you hold iPhone 13 as a girl, you are big girl. Lecturers respect you. Boys toast you. All her roommates in Moremi use iPhone 11, 12, 13 except her. She is the only one with Tecno Spark 7 with cellotape on screen. She has to hide her phone when they are snapping group pictures.

"For the fake dating contract," Jaden said, sitting down, watching her reaction with smile. "You cannot follow me to Jebba Hall party or to Faculty of Law dinner with Tecno that has cellotape. People will think I am dating you because I pity you, not because I love you. You need to look like my spec. Use it for one month. After contract ends, return it. Or keep it, I don't care, I have three phones. My dad bought me 14 Pro Max but I like 13."

Esther wanted to shout "I don't want! I'm not a runs girl! I'm not cheap!" But her fingers were already holding the box tight, so tight her knuckles white. iPhone 13. She has prayed for this phone since 100 level. She has followed iPhone vendors on i********:, liking their pictures and commenting "how much? DM price" but she never had money.

"I... I cannot collect," she whispered, but her voice was very weak, almost crying. "My mother in Ikorodu said I should not collect expensive things from man. She said man will want something back. She sells fish from 5am to feed me."

"I'm not a man, I'm your course rep," Jaden said, pushing it to her lap. "And it's not a gift, it's a prop. Like Nollywood film. Actresses use costume for film. This is your costume for our one month film. Collect before I change my mind and give it to Chioma. Chioma will collect without asking question."

"Don't give it to Chioma!" Esther shouted quickly, holding the box to her chest tight. Then she realized what she said and covered her mouth, face red.

Jaden smiled wickedly. "Ah, so you want it. See your face. Say thank you, fake girlfriend."

Esther bit her lip, looking down. "Thank you... Jaden."

"Good girl. Say it like you mean it. Look at me and say thank you."

"Thank you, Jaden," she said louder, looking at him.

"Better. Now lesson two: holding hands."

"Ha? Holding hands again? Is it not too early?"

"Yes na. If we go out tomorrow, people must believe we are dating. In UNILAG, if you don't hold hands, touch waist, people will say it's packaging, it's audio dating. So we must practice how to hold hands. Like this."

He took her hand slowly. Her hand was small, rough from washing clothes with her hands in hostel bathroom, her nails not done, no acrylic, cut short. His hand was big, soft, warm, with clean nails, with small veins showing on top, with fine wristwatch.

He interlocked their fingers, one by one, finger by finger.

Esther felt current again. Real current, like when NEPA brings light and you mistakenly touch wire. From hand to her chest to her stomach to her legs. She tried to pull, but he held tight, his thumb rubbing her palm small, softly.

"See? You shake like you touch NEPA wire. Why you dey shake? You cold?" Jaden whispered, looking at her face, very close.

"I'm not shaking! Your AC is too cold! 16 degrees! Who puts AC 16 degrees in this economy? You want to kill me with cold so you will not pay my 18 over 20?"

Jaden laughed and moved closer. Their knees now touched. His knee touching her knee. "My AC is not cold, you are just nervous. Have you held a boy's hand before? Be honest."

Esther looked away, face red. "Many times. Many boys. Many fine boys have toasted me. I'm not a small girl. I have many toasters."

"Liar. Your hand is sweating. Your palm is wet. You have never held a boy's hand in this lodge. You never even entered lodge before."

"And you have held many girls' hands in this lodge, abi? How many girls have you brought to this lodge? 10? 20? 100? I know you rich boys. You bring 100 level girls here and promise them iPhone."

Jaden went quiet small, his smile fading. "Not many. Just Amanda. And now you. You are second girl to enter this lodge since last year. I don't bring girls here anyhow."

Esther's heart did small gbim. Second? She is second girl to enter this lodge? That means... she is special? Or...?

"Okay, lesson three: eye contact," Jaden continued quickly, like he did not want to talk about Amanda and lodge. "If you are my girlfriend, you must look at me like you love me. Not like you want to pour water on me again or slap me. Look at me like I am your world. Can you do that?"

"I don't want to look at you. Your face is not that fine. Manageable."

"Look at me, Esther. It's training. For tomorrow."

She looked. His eyes were brown, deep, with long lashes that girls pay money to fix in Ikeja. Fine boy no be lie. When he is not being arrogant and rude in class, shouting "keep quiet, I'm course rep," he is actually very, very fine. Like movie actor from Netflix.

"You have fine eyes," she said without thinking, voice soft, then covered her mouth with free hand. "I mean... your eyes are okay. Manageable. 5 over 10."

Jaden smiled, soft this time, not wicked, not arrogant. A real smile that made his eyes shine. "You too. You have stubborn eyes. Fine but stubborn. Like you will fight anybody. That's why you poured water on me. No girl has ever poured water on me before. Only you. My friends were shocked. They said 'Jaden, who be that girl wey pour you water?'"

They were so close now. His face was just inches from hers. She could see his lips, pink, soft, small beard around. She could smell his body spray mixed with his bathing soap. Her heart was doing gbim-gbim-gbim so loud she thought he could hear it in the quiet room.

Jaden's eyes dropped to her lips, then back to her eyes. He licked his lips small.

Esther quickly stood up, pulling her hand away, breathing fast. "Okay! Lesson over! I need to go! My hostel will lock by 10pm and I don't want to sleep outside at Moremi gate with mosquitoes!"

Jaden laughed and sat back, his singlet riding up small showing his stomach with small pack. Stay tune guys this getting interesting