MY RHYTHM AND BLUES

NINE

I didn’t really notice Senior Henry was already looking at me, “Don’t worry, he’s always like that”

I turned back to him and forced a confused smile trying not to laugh.

He stood up and asked me to enter inside and sit on Senior Jerry’s seat. Their seat was last row; last column in their class, Senior Jerry’s seat was at the wall, a window just at that end. I walked past him and sat at Senior Jerry’s seat and he sat too.

Suddenly, he held my hand and pulled me closer, his face dangerously close to my neck, my breath stilled, I wasn’t sure but I think he had sniffed lightly. My heart was thumping loudly and I was afraid he could hear it. Then he released me and raised a brow,

“This perfume… Seduction” Oh my gosh. He knew it.

“It’s not what you think” I said and he just smirked, opened his locker and said again, “Can I get that paper back please?”

“Oh, I haven’t even seen it yet” he took it out of his locker and made to open it. “Senior, please wait” He looked at me, “Please don’t open it, it’s embarrassing”

“You just make me more curious. Now I want to know what it is” he opened the neatly folded paper. I was sure to catch the glimpse in his eyes, hard to see though through his thick eyelashes.

“You’re still a beginner, I see”

“Huh? I’m one of the best in my set. That was one of my best”

“Then I guessed right. You’re still a beginner.” He brought out a drawing sheet from his locker, just took a glance at me and he began to draw. I stared at his hand move. Surprise coated my face, he could draw too. He looked at me, probably concerned with the way I was staring. He turned my face away, towards the window and said, “Don’t look till I’m done…”

He stopped and threw a brown novel in front of the locker “…I know you girls like this s**t. Keep yourself busy.” My eyes gleamed. Brown Novel. I took it, Cruel paradise by . I was so tempted to look at him but soon I got lost in the book.

I got to a point in the book when I shut the book and screamed in my head. She literally butt-dialed her boss while playing out a s****l fantasy starring him. I muffled a chuckle and almost yelled when I found him staring. “s**t!”

“s**t? Chisom. Let me see that page”

“No,” I mumbled. I hid the book behind me. He shook his head knowingly returning his gaze to the paper. “I’m done sef.” He said passing the paper over to me.

“Wow…”

My voice trailed off. I touched it lightly, my hand ran across it, tracing it with my fingertips.

It was beautiful.

It was me.

He drew me.

I looked towards the window cause I couldn’t stop myself from blushing. When I finally got a grip on myself, I turned to look at him. “It’s so… beautiful.”

He just smiled. “Can I keep it?” I asked again. “Yeah” he said as I kept admiring the drawing. He was so good at drawing. I studied it close searching for a flaw. He even captured the faint birthmark underneath my ear in the drawing.

I looked back at him. He was equally beautiful. I stared at him for a while. I noticed he had ear piercings. “You wear earrings?”

“Yeah. But not in school. I don’t wear them much anymore, not like I did when I was still in New York” I looked at him in surprise. “You’ve been to New York?”

“I was born in New York. I’m a half cast. My dad is an American, my mom is Nigerian. My mum brought me down here in my Jss1. Something about Nigerian values.” He rolled his eyes. I nearly chuckled.

“Wow, no wonder your hair is so curly, and your eyes are…” I stopped when I noticed he was giving me the ‘did-you-really-notice-all-these-about-me’ look. “Sorry. I was being talkative.”

“No. It’s okay” I then smiled. His eyes were a lighter shade of brown… so pleasing to stare at. “Are you the only child?” I asked.’

“No. I have a younger sister. She should in primary three. She’s 8 years now.”

“Wow. I bet she’s finer than you” I blabbed but he laughed. “I see you’re a feminist. But I wouldn’t say you’re wrong. She has their hair.”

“That’s cool”

“So you’re the only child?” he asked.

“Yeah, my mum is a single mum”

“You’ve never met your dad?”

“No. Not that I remember”

“Yes, before I forget…” He leaned in “… this perfume, don’t use it again when you’re coming to meet me alone.”

“Why?” I asked, totally not expecting that.

“Cause it’s addicting.”

“And?”

He turned in his seat to face me, “Alright, think about this. Me and you… don’t forget I’m a guy…alone in this class probably alone in the whole building and you’re sitting beside me looking pretty with this addictive scent. Don’t you know what happens? Or do you really want me to show you what happens?”