Peace the Savage

Chapter 7: Preparations

THE FOLLOWING WEEK MOVED very fast and the rehearsals began. The movers of the topic remained the movers and the opposers remained the opposers. Sometimes they mixed too. For Roy and Peace, it was fun and mind blowing. Peace liked it when he was at the club though some of the people there intimidated him. People like Joseph. He was his worst rival, always trying to challenge him whatsoever, making everything a competition.

Peace was not afraid of him as such but had been warned by Mr Lameck about Joseph. Joseph's background was kind of better than his by far. Joseph's father was a Statesman, a member of parliament and had influence too at the school. Also, Joseph’s father was known to be ruthless and his dark work preceded him. Peace had been warned and given examples of those who had had issues with Joseph or any of his siblings. Peace knew better than to mess around with Joseph very much. He did mess around with him, but he had his limits.

Then there was Alice. Peace had tried to talk to her twice now and the girl was always in a hurry or something. She never even bothered to give him her phone number or a chance to talk. That made Peace want her more.

"She kinda excites me," Peace had said to Roy one day after the rehearsals. "She doesn't give a damn about me and surely doesn't want to give me a chance."

"That's because she likes rich guys I guess," Roy replied.

"That could be the case," Peace said. "Or maybe I haven't impressed her yet."

"Dude, believe me," Roy said patting his friend on his shoulder. "You've done all you can to impress her. It’s just not enough or should I say, it's useless. "

Peace pressed his lips together and looked into a distance. "What should I do then?"

Roy laughed. "Says the guy who dated seven girls at the same time."

"Dated is a strong word,” Peace muttered. “Plus, that was different. I guess I want this one to be the one I settle for."

"You don't have anything else you can do to impress her, I assure you," Roy said. "If you had money, I guess it'd have been a different issue. But you don't. You can never win her. Just stay back and relax."

"That's what you said about Nora and I won her."

"This is different," Roy said with a chuckle. "Money matters to these girls. I hope it’s different with Lucy."

"Lucy?" Peace asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yeah, the rich girl."

"Oh." Peace looked at his friend and smiled. "You really like her?"

Roy laughed. "Not as such. She got the looks and money, dude! Who wouldn't like to date such a girl?"

"I wouldn't," Peace said absentmindedly. He looked at his friend and saw his expression and laughed. "Well, I would, but not someone like...like that girl."

"Why?"

"Well, for a start, she's too boastful and full of herself. She got a lot of pride and is manipulative. She thinks she's better than everyone and can control people. She thinks her beauty can help her get away with anything." Peace paused and swallowed. "I don't like someone like that."

"That's how all the rich girls are like," Roy said. "She is better than everyone. You can't blame her. It's the money. If you had money, you'd be like that, I bet. You'd understand."

"Perhaps," Peace said with a frown. "But I've met a few rich girls myself and they're not even half as mean and boastful as that girl. She's different. She thinks she got everything.”

“Thats because she got everything, dude,” Roy put in. “I heard that this girl is next level rich. Like, like, crazy rich.”

“That doesnt give her the right to do what she does. Have you seen the way she looks at the others?"

Roy shook his head. "No."

"It’s demeaning, bro. I hate it.

"How do you even know all that staff about her?" Roy asked with raised eyebrows. "I thought you said you don't like her so why do you have all this information about her? Do you check her out?"

"Saw how she treats people. I'm in her group remember."

"But you don't talk?" Roy asked.

"What's there to talk about?” Peace asked. “Maybe discussing our debate points. Like I said, I don't like someone like her."

Roy nodded and looked away. "What if she likes you back?"

"That can never happen." Peace raised his eyebrows and laughed. "Someone like her can never like someone like me. She's way out of both our leagues. And I bet she's that kind of chick who thinks that where there's no money there's no love." Peace stretched his arms and stiffened. "Even if something like that happened, from that girl? No, thanks."

"You really don't like her?"

"Well, I hate to admit, but I guess so," Peace had said. "I just don't know why but she kinda irritates me. Like she really bores me a lot."

“I thought you dont pay any attention to her whatsoever?”

“I dont pay any attention to any girl, bro, unless I got some interests in the girl.

Peace and Lucy had talked a few times just like he did to any other person at the Public Speaking club. He did not pay attention to the girl as he did to most of the girls in the club. But then, when he realised how she treated all those around her, he felt resentment towards her. He despised her character and behaviour and that led to his feelings of contempt towards her. She made herself the group leader, told everyone what to do and when to do it. She asked questions and when someone failed to answer her questions, she would bring down hell on them. She corrected people a lot and in such a rude way. Everyone, except Peace. She kind of had respect for him which was hidden somewhere and which surprised everyone. She never expressed it fully but it was there. Whenever Peace talked, she never interrupted like she did when someone else was talking. She always supported all his points, agreed with him every time he suggested something. She addressed him a lot of times and just like to any other person, he would reply.

Peace directly addressed her once. On this day, Samantha, another form five Arts student in Peace’s group, suggested something during the rehearsals and Lucy had rudely intercepted.

"You can't possibly expect us to do that-" she had said but was cut short by Peace.

"Shut up, Lucy," he had said to her with his jaws clenched together. "One thing you have to know is that you are not anyone's boss here, ok? And you do not have to tell everyone what to and what not to do. Let Samantha say what she wants and if everyone likes her idea, we're going to do that!"

To everyone’s surprise, Lucy did not talk back.

"Continue, please," Peace had said to Samantha.

The rest of the period of public speaking Lucy was quiet that day. She never interrupted or said anything rude to anyone that week too.

People liked Peace a lot because of his neutrality and especially because he stood up to Lucy and had shut her up. People liked Lucy too, but her behaviour intimidated them. She was just sweet and hard to hate but when she got into trouble people just wished she would learn her lesson.

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