CARING TO AN EXTENT

I was really furious on the next Monday morning. To be honest furious is an understatement. I was raging like a rodeo bull. One could literally see the fumes coming out of my ears and nose.

How could he!

How could Vincent try such nonsense? We were supposed to have our first weekend tutor session at his house the previous Saturday but we didn't. We had planned with Ms. Daniels that I would wait for him and his driver at a designated bus stop on Saturday. Well, being the good girl I was, I did my own part of the plan only to be disappointed by Vincent.

I waited three good hours for Vincent and his driver but they never came. Three hours of standing under the harshest sun in the history of harsh suns! Standing like a jobless teenager or a prostitute looking for clients. It was downright enraging and embarrassing!

Immediately the morning assembly was over, I stomped my way to class. I saw him walking with Israel though they weren't talking. As if I was on auto pilot I went to confront him.

"Vincent!" I yelled, pulling him back by the shoulder.

He raised his hand ready to hit whoever it was,"What the freaking f-" he paused when he saw me and an ugly frown marred his pretty features. "What?!"

"How dare you? I waited for you on Saturday for three good hours and I didn't see you!"

"Can you guys not just do this this Monday morning?" I heard Israel say, voice laced with impatience. I ignored him.

"Tell that to this psychopath," Vincent said through gritted teeth.

I pushed my index finger in front of his eyes.  "You are the psychopath, idiot. You make a plan with someone and stall because you think it's funny Abi?. You wasted my time and money and-"

Vincent pushed my hand from his face. "Bitch fuck off!" With that he stormed off. I was shocked as hell that I stood there jaw slightly unhinged staring at the spot he was standing on before.

Bitch?

Seriously, it left me speechless and stunned. I looked at his back as he and Israel made their way to our class. I was so cancelling the sessions. After our argument free sessions (well we did argue once or twice) through out last week, I was beginning to think that we could actually tolerate each other but boy, I was wrong.

We ignored each other in class but I was ready to tell Ms. Daniels about his partial madness. I was not going to be a goody two shoes for an ungrateful human being.

Immediately the bell for break rang, I found myself walking to Ms. Daniels desk.

She gave me a  heartwarming smile as I approached her desk. "Hello Nairobi."

She gestured to the seat opposite her desk and I gladly took it. "Ma, Vincent didn't come on Saturday. I waited three good hours for him but he didn't show."

Her brows furrowed in anger. "Really? What on earth is wrong with this boy?"

She rubbed her forehead then looked at the students in the class. Vincent was not there. "Class, who knows where Vincent is?"

Some people murmured incoherent things before a girl mentioned that he was in the library. She was Benita. The class loved her and she was a close friend to Nmesoma.

"Let me go and call him," I offered. Ms. Daniels agreed.

The library was empty so it was easy to find him. I had expected him to be reading something but instead I found him sleeping. I rolled my eyes. So he wanted good grades to magically appear on his report booklet? I forced myself to shake him awake because I was actually thinking of leaving him be. He looked sweet and peaceful while sleeping that I almost felt guilty –almost– for waking him.

He yawned and rubbed his eyes. The drool on the corner of his lips almost made me laugh. Who knew cute boys drooled in their sleep?

When he realised I was the one that woke him up, he  muttered 'Christ', hissed and placed his head back on the table.

"You have drool on the corner of your mouth. And Ms. Daniels is calling you," I said like an over pampered last born.

He used his handkerchief to wipe his mouth but he didn't sit up. With his head still on the desk and eyes closed he said, "I was busy on Saturday."

"Tell that to miss Daniels," I said stubbornly.

"I'm not going anywhere. I said I was busy so you have your reason. Now leave me the hell alone," he said. His eyes was still closed.

I didn't say anything but watched him sleep. Vincent was handsome. Dark skin, full naturally shaped brows, long lashes that could graze his cheeks and a dark pink thick pretty lips. It was in my checking out session that I noticed the bags under his eyes and how tired his face looked in his sleep.

His eyes fluttered open. "You are still here."

"I. . .uh. . .erm. . ." I stuttered nonsense. It was so unusual for me to be a stuttering mess.

"I look like shit right?" He asked, brown eyes trained on me.

"Not exactly. You look tired," I said softly. I was even surprised myself.

"I am tired." He shut his eyes and continued. "Tired of everything. It's proving difficult to keep my head above water," he said his eyes was still closed.

I didn't know what to make of his confession or what to even say so I shut up. When I saw that he wasn't going to talk again, I left him and headed to the cafeteria to meet my girls. If I couldn't talk about anything with Vincent, at least the girls would say something.

I wasn't an emotional person but I was caring to an extent.

When I got to the cafeteria Lydia, Amanda and Nmesoma were in the company of Israel, Olamide and Stephen. It wasn't a shocker. Even if I didn't talk to Olamide and she had a dirty attitude, it seemed like she had a manageable relationship with our classmates.

Amanda claimed she was nicer than I thought. Maybe only those on the basketball team could agree. I was shocked to hear Olamide was on the basketball team. She was even the captain of the female. I guess height really didn't matter in the game. It was just an added advantage. All of them at that table were part of the school's basketball team.

Since Jessica and Aliyah were not there, I saw no use going to the table. Besides it was already full. I headed back to class. I told Ms. Daniels not to worry about Vincent again before deciding to go to the garden.

The garden was before the sport field. It consisted of lush green carpet grass and tress scattered everywhere to allow for shade. Wooden and concrete benches were provided. Some student sat under shades eating snacks and telling gists to each other. I had borrowed a medical magazine from the library and I decided to read it here. Medicine interested me and I was considering being a paediatrician or a gynaecologist. I was also contemplating being a psychotherapist. I just wanted to help people.

"Naya."

I looked up to see Aliyah and Jessica. They sat beside me on the grass.

"Hey. Where were you guys?" I asked closing the magazine.

"Around."

Then Aliyah started grinning showing off her dimples. I gave her a questioning look and turned to Jessica who had a ghost of a smile playing on her pink lips.

"What's up with you two?" I asked looking from one person to the other.

"We saw you with Vincent in the library an well you two weren't arguing so Aliyah is excited that her ship is sailing," Jessica explained. "I personally don't like the boy but I see a ship setting sail," she shrugged coolly. Jessica had told me that apart from the hitting incident with Vincent, she had never liked him because of he was always carrying shoulders and was the ladies man. I couldn't imagine Vincent as the ladies man, imagine him acting cheesy like Chijioke. The thought of it was puke worthy.

"He was part of the four-tress. The cute bad boys of our class," she had told me. "There was him, Chijioke, Alec from art class and Israel. He wasn't even close to Stephen and it annoys me that they are now close."

"I see a ship capsizing, sinking to the innermost depths of the sea, never to be seen again." I smiled sweetly at them.

"Fingers crossed Nairobi. My ships always sail," Aliyah smiled back.

"Enough of the vessel talk. I have questions," I said looking between both of them.

"About?" Jessica asked.

I looked at Aliyah. Now she made me nervous to talk. I flipped hastily through my magazine before meeting their questioning gazes. "Vincent."

Aliyah squealed delightedly attracting attention while Jessica just stared blankly at me. "Hey calm down. I'm not interested in him or anything. I just-"

"Oh please." Aliyah stressed the please. "Ask on sis. Don't be shy!"

"What's wrong with him?" I asked immediately. When I noticed their confused stares, I rephrased. "Does he have any problem or suffering from something I don't know that maybe you know?"

"Not that I know of," Aliyah answers meekly.

"Well," Jessica started sucking our interest. "It was after the long vacation before we resumed JSS 3. Vincent didn't resume during the first term. He resumed second term a changed boy. I thought something had happened but I discarded the idea because our class teacher then didn't say anything was wrong. He was supposed to tell us if  there was any problem but he didn't. Vincent became so cold, reserved and two hundred times snubbish. I remembered trying to ask Vincent whether there was a problem but he shut me and called me a poke-nosing barbie doll. Vincent broke from his friends and he and Stephen became closer. Stephen defended him and followed him like a loyal friend. I remembered so vividly when Vincent used to make fun of Stephen's braces before he broke with his friends. It made me wonder why Stephen stuck around. It was when I saw how golden hearted Stephen was that I started liking him. . ." Jessica placed her palm over her mouth. "Oh crap. I wasn't supposed to say that."

"You like Stephen?" I and Aliyah asked wide eyed.

"I think I'm over him. I don't like ladies men, and he's one now," Jessica said in a timid voice.

Aliyah breathed a dramatic sigh of relief. "My ship can still sail."

"Seriously?" I and Jessica asked laughing. She was referring to Jessica and Chijioke.

"Ship sailor when would you sail yours?" I asked.

"No one wants to be on the same ship with a fat ugly girl," Aliyah forced out a laugh which I frowned to. I didn't reply her but concentrated on my medical magazine and tuned out Jessica's scolds. With Jessica's little reveal I figured that the people who would probably give me  answers as to Vincent were Chijioke and Stephen.