NVH

THIRD TERM II

“Kneel down,” Ore commanded, and she dropped to her knees instantly. “I still haven’t gotten an answer to any of my questions.”

“Well, senior…”

“You know what, see Femi after food. He is Head Refectorian, so he will tell you what to do.”

Femi turned to look at Ore with an indecipherable look on his face, who just ignored him. “Leave now. I don’t want to get to ref before you.”

Damilola didn’t need to be told twice. She ran while Femi and Ore walked through the main field, which was a shorter way to the refectory. Students aren’t allowed on the field unless it was a sports day, but that rule didn’t apply to the newly elected SS2 students and the SS3 students who were about to graduate.

“You’ll sweep SS2 roll.” Lola compose yourself.

“Oh okay.” Lola stood up from her punishment. “Thank you.”

The sweeping was pretty mild for her offence, and she knew he had done her that favor deliberately. A smile crept onto her face as she walked away to get a broom, her mind filling up with thoughts of him.

It was soon time for afternoon prep. School block was silent as a graveyard, as all the prefects were either patrolling or in their prep classes.

In a shocking turn of events, the prep prefect for Lola’s class SS1C had not arrived. Lola took the opportunity to write about Femi in her diary.

He saved me again today and he looked so handsome… Oh my gosh…

I think there is a chance. I will tell him. Tell him that I love him—

“What’s that Lola?”

Lola tried to hide the small book but it was too late. Her worst nightmare was about to come true as Temitope, one of Misan’s minions snatched the book from her hands.

“Give me back!” Lola fearfully exclaimed as Temitope just moved further away, her eyes wide with cruel excitement.

Jesus…

“Ah Lola! Wow, this is rich! You guys, Lola is in love!” She began to address the class which burst into mocking laughter. “Fatty Lola’s fantasies about Femi.”

Some people gasped in shock before breaking into laughter again.

“Ah that one is old news na. The way she used to stare whenever he walks by…” Someone spoke out. "Nobody is shocked.”

“Ah me I’m shocked oh!” More laughter.

“He saved me again today…Ugh Femi…I love you!” Temitope exaggerated mockingly, causing laughter again.

“I will tell him. Tell him I want to suck his…”

“OBUROH!”

Temitope went still as the class went completely silent.

“Bring that book and come here!”

Lola just got into the worst trouble.

“Bashir, give me my phone.”

“Wait first.”

“What are you even looking at? Since…”

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing,” Prince replied, snatching his phone back. “What are you doing in my Snap…”

“Where is Femi?” Ify inquired, plopping down on Femi’s bed. They were in Femi, Ore, Bashir, and Prince’s hostel, Cromwell.

“Mrs. Aremu called him.”

“Call him keh?”

Silence.

“Why?”

“Are you even in this school, Ify? And you call yourself Femi’s best friend.” Prince replied calmly. “That Lola girl and her diary…”

“Her feelings are written all over her face already. Why did she have to write it down?”

“Arinze…chill bro.”

Arinze just hissed. “So, what are they going to do to him now?”

“I’m going to let the two of you go with just a warning. Femi, you are a prefect and her senior, so you should know that relationships between students—”

“We are not dating ma.” Femi interrupted.

“That is not what it says in this book,” she said, raising it for the both of them to see. Femi shut his mouth, making a fist to stop himself from talking. Lola on the side wanted the ground to swallow her whole, but she was glad it was Mrs Aremu who had taken the book from Temitope. Mrs Aremu was a part-time counsellor and didn’t look a day over thirty. She was young, pretty, and strict, and she was feared as much as she was liked.

After Mrs Aremu drawled about the disadvantages of underage relationships for twenty minutes, she finally let them go. Femi left first, silently fuming as he walked to his hostel.

He was six foot two, ebony-dark in complexion, and had the body and money to go with it. He was handsome, and he knew it, but he wasn’t cocky. He couldn't care less. He had been NVH's golden boy for as long as I could remember, so a lot of people thought he would be Head Boy one day.

But life had other plans.

“That stupid fat girl…” Someone muttered just as he entered his room.

“Femi!”

“Ify leave me.”

“Abeg stop vexing and talk to me. What did she say?”

“I’m not telling you anything. How did you even know? You’re normally in your own world.”

“It’s you na. How won’t I know?”

Everyone in the room burst into laughter and hysterics. “It was Prince that told him oh! Don’t mind the goat.”

“Oya sorry,” Ify said, clearly not sorry. “What happened?”

“She talked to me and that girl…what’s her name?” He paused, frowning.

“Wait,” Ore straightened. “You seriously don’t know her name?”

“I think it's Tope or…”

Bashir finally spoke. “Do you remember that vintage jersey that we found on your bed with one letter like that on your birthday last year?”

“Which one?” Femi asked, still oblivious. Bashir sighed dejectedly, giving up.

“I have like twenty jerseys like that.”

“That’s not the point. Her name is Lola. Fatty Lola. Any punishment?” Arinze asked.

“No.” Femi just walked past them, a little less angry, to his bed.

“Thank God. Do you know what she wrote exactly?” Cute, quiet Anthony asked as he sat up on Prince’s bed.

“Clearly fantasies. Of Femi and her…”

“I didn’t ask you Ify.” Anthony turned back to Femi. “I feel you should explain to her so she won’t go writing in any more of her books.”

“We are going to call her and make sure she doesn’t.”

“Arinze calm down shuu.” Kelly, another of their friends, spoke. “We will tell her nicely to stay away from Femi.”

“As if she will listen.”

“But that’s so creepy...”

“She will listen.”

“How do you know?”

Lola wiped the last of her tears. She had to apologize to him, even if it was just a letter. She began to walk to SS2 block, her steps filled with fear and hesitation.

No, I can’t do this…

She turned back.

“You! Lola! Come here!” Someone shouted from one of the SS2 classes, making her heart skip a beat. What was she going to do? She couldn’t run; they had already seen her.

“Please excuse me!” She shouted over her voice, entering her seniors’ class.

“Get out, I didn’t hear you.”

Lola didn’t even hesitate; she stepped out immediately.

“PLEASE EXCUSE ME!”

“Get out.”

“PL—”

“Shut up and enter the class.”

Lola entered and stood uncomfortably in front of the whole class.

“Kneel down and listen carefully,” a girl said now. “Repeat after me. Femi can never date me.”

Ehn? Lola could not believe her ears.

A slap greeted her immediately. “Are you deaf? Repeat it!”

“F-F-Femi c-can n-n-never date me.”

“Again.”

Lola bridled her tears. “Femi can never date me.”

“Again.”

“Femi can never date me.”

“Good. Why did you write it?”

Lola didn’t answer. To answer was just suicide.

“You don’t want to talk abi?”

Lola shook her head, staring at the floor as if it would just open and take her away from this mess. Her ears were ringing from the slap, and she was sure her glasses were broken somewhere on the floor. Black shoes came into her vision as she looked up and saw Femi staring back at her indifferently.

"Please excuse me Femi..."

"You know I could never date you right?"

Lola flinched like she'd been slapped again.

"W-W-What?"

"Look at yourself Lola."Femi's voice was low and brisk, his usual annoyed tone. "Why did you think it would ever be possible?"

The waterworks had already started forming in Lola's eyes.

"Listen," Femi tried his best not to yell—" Your so-called twisted fantasy will never come true. Both of us will never happen. Do you hear me?"

The tears were flowing unbridled, Lola's former resolution going down the drain with it.

"Answer me."

Lola could hear the muffled laughter and snorts of her classmates.

"I—" Sob. "—hear you." And she ran.

It kept ringing in her head.

His words.