Peace the Savage

Chapter 6: Lucy

ROY DID COME TO the Public Speaking Club that day. He was handsome, and when he got in with Peace behind him all eyes were on them and some few junior girls smiled at him. The class was already full except for the teachers. Roy saw the girl as soon as they stepped into the classroom. The girl was at the back row near the wall, looking at the two boys as they walked in. If Peace had not pulled him back Roy would have gone to where the girl was sitting.

Peace pulled his friend to the other end of the wall and sat in his usual spot with Roy next to him.

"Dude, why did you pull me back?" Roy asked. "That was the only chance I'd have gotten!"

"Sorry 'bout that," Peace said. "This is a P.S. Club and we mean serious business, so please save your filth business for later. Here comes Mr Mushayi. Chill, boy. You'll get your chance."

Mr Mushayi got in and walked to the front desk where he placed the books he was carrying. He turned back to the students. He was tall, slim in mid thirties but his dressings were those of a sixty-year-old.

"Good afternoon," he said to the students with a smile. His eyes settled on Roy. "Oh, I see we have a new face in here. What's your name, young man?"

"Roy, sir," Roy said smiling. He looked at the girl and winked. "Roy Chinyika, Upper six, Sciences."

"Oh, two Sciences students. How fortunate of us," Mr Mushayi said smiling down at Roy and Peace. He looked around at the other students. "Ok, class, as we know, today we begin debate. We've been given the topics for the competitions two weeks from now so literally we've got less than two weeks to practice." At that moment Mr Lameck and Ms Jones made their entrance. "Good timing. Ms Jones will read to us the topics for our debate this season. Ms Jones." Mr Mushayi sat down as the young lady took stand in front of the children.

"Good afternoon," she said. She had a lovely smile and voice and Peace always liked it when she talked.

"See," Peace whispered to Roy. "That's what a real lady looks like. She is the definition of a real lady."

"What's wrong with you," Roy whispered back.

Ms Jones was still talking in her lovely voice. "As we know the topics came a little later than we expected but we hope we will be ready before the two weeks come to an end." She lifted two sheets of white pages. "Here are the two topics, one for the juniors and one for the seniors. I'm going to read the topics aloud so that you can write down the topic concerning you. For juniors," Ms Jones said putting the two pages in order so that she could read them. "Your topic: The government should legalize all drugs and tax them as it does cigarettes and alcohol. For the seniors: will cryptocurrencies replace cash?"

There was a round of applause as the lady sat down and Mr Mushayi took stand again. The Juniors were divided into two groups, each group consisting of five people.

"Now for the Seniors,” Mr Mushayi said. “Peace and Roy are going to be opponents since they're both Sciences students. Roy, go to that side. Joseph you will be on Roy's team. Follow him. Samantha-” Peace did not pay any attention as the learners were told to go on which team. Peace only realised later that the teams were made, and that there were four people on his team against five on Roy's team. As Peace looked at the faces of the people in his team, he was surprised to see the girl Roy had referred to as rich sitting next to him. Immediately, he raised his face and his eyes collided with Roy’s and there was brief silent conversation between the two.

Peace's team were the movers while Roy and Joe's team were the opposers. They were given ten minutes to discuss their points as a team and then the Juniors began their debate followed by the Seniors.

The next two hours were spent doing debate. Roy kept on winking at Peace whenever their eyes met and would smile as he gestured towards the girl next to him. She was bright, as were all of Peace’s teammates. They suggested many useful points that helped in their arguments against their opponents. For the juniors the movers won. There was this girl who impressed Peace a lot as well as distracted him as he planned a strategy to have a conversation with her.

There was no winner for the seniors as the two teams showed equal competence. Joseph and Roy were a great team and so was Peace’s team.

After debate they were dismissed. Peace's eyes never left the junior girl as she prepared to leave. As soon as Mr Mushayi allowed them to leave, Peace took his notebook and followed the girl. At the door he caught her hand and pulled her back.

"Hey," he said. "I have to say that was pretty impressive what you did back there." He gave her a charming smile.

The girl smiled back. "Thanks," she said as she walked away.

"I didn't get your name," Peace said softly and the girl turned back and smiled at him.

"That's because I didn't give it to you," she said and turned away. Peace was left standing alone with a puzzled look and a grin on his face. The way the girl had treated him made her more interesting.

At that moment Roy came to his side and stood with his hands inside his trousers pockets.

"I'd say the P.S. club is quite interesting," he said. "I'm sure I'm going to quit drama- dude, what are you grinning about?"

"Do you know that girl's name?" Peace asked pointing at the girl who was now about fifty metres from them.

Roy followed his gaze and his eyebrows rose up. "Dude I just came here today," he said. "How can I possibly know her?"

"Maybe from somewhere else. You unnecessarily know a lot of people," Peace said. He never removed his eyes from the girl as she walked away swaying her hips from side to side. "I just wanna know her name only."

"I don't 'unnecessarily' know a lot of people," Roy pointed.

"You knew that girl Monalisa," Peace said as a matter-of-fact.

"It was necessary. Man, that girl is hot as hell!" Roy said.

"If you know you know," Peace said with a laugh. "Don't fight it."

"Dude, there are over two thousand students here at the school and I only know my classmates, my girlfriend and her friends only. I don't know that girl and I definitely don't know her name!"

"I do," a voice said and the two boys turned to see ‘the rich’ girl standing behind them with her hands on the straps of her backpack. "Her name is Alice, she is a form four Arts student, and is sixteen years old."

"Now here's someone who knows staff," Roy said as he smiled at the girl. She smiled back at him.

"Hi," she said and Roy's smile turned into a grin.

Peace who had gone back to watching Alice narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Alice."

Roy who was still looking at the girl offered his hand and she shook it. "I'm Roy," he said.

"I know," the girl replied.

"You do?" Roy looked surprised as well as pleased as he asked.

"Yah," the girl said. "You introduced yourself, remember?"

"Oh, right." Now Roy looked disappointed.

"Same as Alice introduced herself the first day of public speaking," the girl continued. She looked at Peace. "You were there. I wonder why you don't remember her."

“Yeah, dude,” Roy said. “How did you not catch her name?”

"Well, maybe I wasn't paying attention," Peace said softly. "I wonder how I didn't notice her before," he said this in a whisper more to himself than to anyone else.

"You never pay attention to anything," Roy said with a chuckle.

"Tell me about it," the girl muttered and the two boys looked at her but said nothing. Peace looked at Alice one last time as she rounded a corner and was lost from view.

"She kinda refused to tell me her name. I don't know if I should feel insulted," Peace said with a chuckle as he walked away towards the senior science laboratory. "Come on, Roy."

Roy looked back at the girl and smiled at her. "It was nice to meet you...ah..ah...?"

The girl smiled back. "Ask your friend." She gestured at Peace who was now halfway to the science lab using her eyebrows and face.

"I asked him," Roy said shyly. "He doesn't know."

"Oh?" She said lowering her eyes for a second. "It's Lucy, then," she said.

"OK, then, Lucy. Later."

Lucy remained where she was for a few minutes after Roy had left. She couldn't remember the last time someone had ignored her like Peace had done, not once but more than twice now. And he didn't even remember her name? She wanted it to be a lie. She knew his whole Christian name yet he didn't even remember her first name? No matter how short her name was, he didn't remember? She walked back to her classroom feeling frustrated. Only one thing explained this guy's behaviour towards her from the first time she saw him.

***