Mr Bamidele checked his time. .
‘Your time starts now!’
The classroom was quiet and every head was bent over their table, writing, except one. His head was bent, hand un-moving and he was still for a while.
‘Anthony? Dude it’s being fifteen minutes already and you haven’t written a thing. …are you okay?” The voice beside him asked . When it got no response he nudged him
“TF dude? ?? You know if you don’t write nothing, I don’t write nothing mehn. Anthony ?? ” the voice continued
‘Is there a problem Mr James ?’ Mr Bamidele asked from his chair .
‘Er no sir. Not at all. Was just asking for a spare pen. Gotten it sir ” James smiled and bent over his work, not without stepping on Anthony ‘s feet.
‘Ouch James. That hurts “…Anthony shifted his feet.
“Guy time dey go. Wetin do you?. I no read for the test. Start writing so I can dub”.. James queried, covering his mouth to stop Mr Bamidele from noticing
“You never read for anything. But hold on … gimme a minute .” Anthony said through closed lips .
Anthony shifted on his sit. How could he tell James that he has gotten completely blank.
Like blank. Nothing . Nada.!!!!!
He knew it. He knew the answers. When he wasn’t feeling the skin of a random beautiful girl and sinking into her warmth, he was buried head in his books. He didn’t have brains for nothing.
But for first time , nothing was coming. He was blank. All because of that girl that walked in . And all he could think about was her face and the whiff of her perfume that bathed the room.
He blinked once. Twice . Trying to clear his fogged mind. James impatient tapping wasn’t helping either. Victoria ‘ s stares boring into his back was making him uncomfortable and the fact that she kept sliding her feet up and down his left legs was disconcerting. He didn’t need a soothsayer to know that Victoria was only in class because he was in class and he could bet his balls she wasn’t writing jack either and neither were her sidekicks.
He stole a glance at the girl causing the commotion in his head. She was focused on her work. Biting her lower lip, eyes squinted. A lock of her hair dangled at the side of her face, he was tempted to reach out and tuck it behind her ear. He didn’t realize he was smiling at the way she was calm and focused and cute ,until he felt another pain on his already throbbing feet.
‘Ouch James. . What’s wrong with you mehn? ,”
“Anthony … time is almost over for the test. Your paper is blank . Mine too. And you are smiling and you are asking me what’s wrong with me? ?, wait lemme answer that …..” James thought for a second ….
” Everything. !!!!! ” He exclaimed under his breath.
Anthony sighed. James was his closest friend. He is a good guy and a good friend but he was dumb when it came to books, still he always would be the last man standing beside you when trouble hits and everyone else runs.
Anthony tore his eyes away from the girl. Shook her out of his head and faced his empty test sheet. He faintly heard Mr Bamidele call out ..
“Twenty minutes to go”…
“Well James, I hope you can write faster than your mouth or at least try to keep up ??”
“Dude, just write.” James got into a dubbing and writing position.
Anthony smiled and twisted his pen between his fingers and then touched it to his script and began scribbling. He didn’t stop until the timer went off.
****Meanwhile *****
“Victoria? Anthony keeps staring sideways.”… Sandra stated eyeing the back of Anthony’s head.
‘ Yes!! He has been staring at the new girl since she walked in. “…. Bunmi concurred, she pinched her nose and wriggled it.
Victoria ‘s eyes darted to where Rose and Grace sat.
“I noticed . It’s making me really angry, but maybe he is probably just curious who the new face is that’s all”…she said, looking at Grace again and back to the head of Anthony.
‘If you say so”…Sandra wasn’t convinced. She exchange looks with bunmi who shrugged.
“But it’s always better to make sure that’s all that he is doing, just being “curious “, but if she as much as returns that curiosity…she would definitely have me to deal with. You both remember what I did to Cynthia Last year? ? “.
“Poor Cynthia. ” Sandra chuckled under her breath.
“Too bad she had to drop out of school. The humiliation was too much for her little poor mind to bear”..Bunmi added, as the memories flashed through her mind.
…Victoria Continued…”Yes!! well she had it coming. I wonder how hard it is it explain that Anthony is mine. Wheather he knows it or not. It’s only fair to warn them “politely ” first before the big shebang!!”
She smiled upon remembering Cynthia’s face and when she ran out of school crying over a big “slut” written over her picture and pasted all over school.
She takes her eyes off them, sighing. She dropped her pen. Her script was blank and theirs had little to nothing scribbled in it. She smiled . What was the point of reading when all she had to do was rub a certain head between her legs and her grades keeps being nothing short of A’s .
While Mr Bamidele collected each script and came to hers, she brushed her bosom to his hand slightly as he picked hers off her desk. He smiled . They exchanged knowing looks. Her sidekicks smiled too. She had also promised him to them. They were covered.
This were the little perks of being friends with the Queen V!!
********
After the test, Rose waited for grace to pick up her bag so they could leave as everyone filed out. Rose needed to get grace out of there.
“Let’s go to the love garden at PS block or we should head home?”
She scanned the area, thankful she didn’t see him around,she noticed he didn’t stop staring at Grace, she didn’t want grace to get into trouble . Especially when Victoria was probably lurking behind to get to Anthony.
“Er love garden. I want to write a bit before I head home ”
Rose wondered if she should tell Grace that Victoria had spotted Anthony staring at her and her looks wasn’t pretty.
Should she be scared for Grace?
But Victoria wouldn’t act on anything unless Grace goes after Anthony. . And grace isn’t after Anthony. She relaxed, She was being scared for nothing.
They walked in silence till they got to the garden and sat on its stone chair .
