27 WHEN LITTLE BOYS GET HURT

"Sir, how many questions should we answer?" Israel, the smallest boy in our class asked the Chemistry teacher.

"You must be very foolish to be asking me that question." the teacher barked in reply while glaring at Israel. "You know you're supposed to answer all the questions but you're asking to know what I'll say. Premature mosquito." The plus size teacher hissed and all the students in the exam hall burst into laughter.

"But there are fifteen questions in Section B." Israel whined.

"I don't care. Answer all!" the teacher concluded and every Chemistry student began cursing the man underneath their breath but he seemed to care less.

Exam periods were the most interesting, stressful and eventful time of the term. It was also very sleep depriving. I do not know if my headache was as a result of the chemistry questions or lack of sleep. Anyone looking at me would definitely know that I was the true embodiment of stressed out.

"How was Chemistry?" Jay asked after we left the exam hall. He didn't even look like he had much trouble with the exam.

"You tell me. You were the first person to leave the hall." I'd lazily adjusted my bag on my shoulders while rubbing my eyes and yawning.

"That man is crazy if he expects me to answer all fifteen theory questions." Jay scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief.

"I bet you're the last person he expects to even write the exam." I said, trying to hold back my laugh and failing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jay folded his arms and raised his eyebrows at me.

"You hate Chemistry." I said bluntly.

"True." Jay agreed and we continued walking. Jay was good at Physics and that was pretty much all he came to school for. To him, other subjects could go to hell.

As we approached the garden, I could see Tunde sitting alone at the one of the many wooden benches. He seemed to be reading a Biology textbook but I could tell his mind was somewhere else.

"I'm going to the cafeteria. Are you coming?" I heard Jay ask.

"Go ahead. I'll meet you there." I replied and he didn't take three seconds to leave my side immediately. I guess he was famished.

I walked further into the garden filled with SS3 students who had notebooks and textbooks in front of them. Only few were actually reading and not talking away their time.

"Where's your mind at?" I asked before sitting down next to the light-skinned boy. His hands were shaking slightly and he seemed on edge.

"Nowhere and everywhere." he said while turning towards me. His eyes were red and his huge eyebags didn't make him look better. He turned away immediately.

I simply nodded slowly to his reply not knowing what else to say. It was the perfect time to have a serious talk with him concerning what Jay had said but I didn't know how to bring it up especially because I knew it wouldn't end well.

"If you have something to say, you better say it." He stated, turning to me again.

I opened my mouth and closed them. Was this my chance? I wanted to take the opportunity and talk to him, "How are things at home?", but I didn't.

"Well... The usual." I wasn't fully sure of what he meant by that but I decided not to push it any further. A comfortable silence followed after that. The only sounds came from the inaudible chatters of our classmates and the continuous flipping of the Biology textbook on Tunde's lap.

"Why does she have to tell me what to do?!" he suddenly shouted making a few heads turn to our direction. "I mean, I don't even understand a single thing here and yet she wants me to be a fucking doctor!".

My lips remained glued as I watched Tunde about to cry after he threw the textbook across the garden with earned him glares and dirty looks from various people.

Tunde covered his face with his palms and I couldn't tell if he was crying already. I simply froze up in perplexity. A seventeen year old boy sitting six inches away from me was about to start crying and I just sat there and watched him. I wasn't heartless but neither was I an expert when it came to emotional issues so I couldn't blame myself.

"Tunde, you don't have to become a surgeon just to please your mother." I stated as calmly as I could. When he didn't say anything, I continued, "Your happiness comes first before anyone else's and your lucky enough to have found your dream career so why not just follow your dreams other than trying to make someone else happy?"

"You don't and you won't understand." he finally looked up at me with teary eyes. "You won't understand what it feels like to seek the attention and love of your parents and failing constantly. I mean, why should I have to please my own mother?"

"What about your dad?" I asked almost immediately just realizing that he never actually said anything about his father.

"I don't know." he shook his head. "Last time I saw him, he was with his other family."

"Your parents are divorced? How come you never mentioned any of this before." I was surprised to know this and it made me realize how little I actually knew about Tunde even though I always felt like I already knew him.

"It's not something that you easily talk about, Rachael." Tunde said.

"I know. I know." I mumbled feeling sorry for Tunde. Ever since he returned to school after his suspension and calling things off with Yvonne, he hasn't been himself. I knew he hadn't been himself since the beginning of the term but he got worse. "What if we study for the Biology exam together?"

He turned to me with a sad expression I couldn't read. Seeing him like that was so overwhelming and heart-wrecking. I'd come to care for Tunde a lot more than I ever thought that I would. And though we had our differences and complications, I knew we met for a reason. I just wasn't sure what the reason was yet.

I squeezed his hand a little not knowing exactly when we eventually held hands on the bench. I gave him a reassuring smile that said everything would be fine and he gave me a smile of hope that said he wasn't giving up yet.

After Tunde had gone to the library, I went to the cafeteria to meet up with Jay and the others. They seemed to be in a serious conversation when I got to our usual table.

"Rachael, you won't believe this." Jay said upon seeing me.

"What?"

"China and Frank are dating." Jay announced and I froze a little looking at China for confirmation.

After she nodded slightly, I didn't know what else to say. It had come as a serious surprise to me because I never thought China was the type to date and I never had the slightest idea that she had interest in Jay's best friend, Frank.

"I'm happy for you guys, man." I heard Jay say next to me while I stuffed my mouth with his cheese balls since I had nothing to say.

"You never told me what was in that envelope I gave you weeks ago." Jay said suddenly while we were walking home with Sebastian.

"What envelope?" Sebastian asked.

"None of your business." I said to Sebastian and he rolled his eyes and kept walking. "It was a letter from an old friend." I turned to Jay.

"Old friend? Who's that?" he asked once again.

"You ask too much questions." I mumbled before walking ahead of him to avoid further interrogation.

I heaved a sigh and walked slowly with Sebastian ahead of us already.

The last thing I wanted was to have anything to do with my so called grandfather. For all I knew, he could be a ritualist who wanted to use us for rituals. There was no way in hell I was going to run to him simply because he offered me an opportunity at Harvard. I'd refused to even consider his offer, at least not without talking with my father first.

I didn't want to say anything to Jay or his mother because I just didn't know how to explain the situation to them. And I hadn't told Sebastian because I didn't want to get his hopes up over nothing.

The sound of a vehicle screeching behind us brought me out of my thoughts and I turned around to see a car approaching us with high speed and it look like it was also failing brake. Before I knew what was happening, the over speeding vehicle had moved past me and the next thing I knew Sebastian was knocked out of the road by the same vehicle and all I could do was scream.