"Good morning students."

A firm young feminine voice greeted us from the podium momentarily distracting me from what Jessica was telling me. Us.

Me, Aliyah and Amanda.

Our clique was back once again. And we have been making up for lost time. Like we did almost everything in school together particularly without any butt-ins from extras like Lydia, Chioma and Peter – no offence to them.

I looked at the stage where Tara Dele, the female social prefect stood. Tall and confident, looking beautiful and sweet. The girl was one of my favourites from the SS3 class and that was seriously something. I hated the guts of those ss3 guys. They always moved with his really annoying pompousness and Ego like they owned Regal high. I did my very best to avoid everything concerning them but. . .

"Chimamanda and co, what are you guys gossiping about?" An intimidating feminine voice belonging only to Tolani Johnson, snapped at us. Tolani was the head girl of Regal high and Olamide's elder sister. This girl had a problem with everything concerning me, or maybe she just had a problem with ss2's in fact. But I was certain she had a problem with me because her sister, Olamide, didn't like me and also because both of us started on a really wrong foot.

At a certain time last session –after I had fallen out with all my friends– I was heading out of the Senior school building, when someone called me.

"Girl on low cut!" Was her exact words and of course I didn't stop. I was Nairobi, not girl on low cut. The girl snapped her fingers as she followed furiously behind me with heavy strides. "Hey you with the peeled black school bag I'm talking to you!"

That was me alright. I was already so close to the next staircase. I should have just walked on and ignored the girl but I turned to face her. I would only be kidding myself if I walked down the stairs. The drama that occurred afterwards would have still happened. That was Fate's twisted way.

"What?' I asked throwing her an uninterested look. I wouldn't say I didn't know she was Tolani Johnson or the head girl at that time. I knew that very well.

She chose to ignore my rudeness and proceeded with her agenda. "Go to the ss2 science class and call me Olamide –"

The audacity though.

"I can't do that. I am going home."

Tolani stared at me with a slack jaw, her stare clearly stating; who is this bloody motherfucker?

"Did I hear you well?" It was then I noticed the very dark boy standing few feet from her. He must have been walking with her before she started following me.

I just looked from him to Tolani then turned towards the stairs. I swear I didn't have the time for this. Someone yanked me back furiously and I would have fallen if not the boy was holding me tight. Too tight.

"Why did you drag me like that na?!" I tried yanking my hand from his iron grip. "Leave me o!" I was already gathering loathsome attention with my yelling.

"Will you shut up?!" Tolani finally snapped. "I was talking to you and you walked out on me? Are you mad? Like did you loose a nut upstairs or something?!" And I must say, Tolani was yelling so loudly, shaking and pointing like a deranged woman. Students that could watch from their classrooms were watching while some of those that couldn't, came out to watch, some of them peeping through corners.

Another guy I recognized as the disciplinary prefect came from absolutely nowhere, whipping his Gucci belt in the air as if showcasing. "On the count of ten, I want everyone out of this hallway!" He ran around whipping his belt about. "Two! I'm counting in even number!"

Everyone was scampering like mice and rats and I wanted to just laugh. These guys were exerting this much fear on Senior school students? Only Ss1, ss2 and ss3 used this building, so the people running were none other people but ss1's and my classmates? Wow.

It was impressive really.

In my former school, Ss3 had power alright but not over ss1. And ss2? They mostly exercised their power like this with the junior school.

Ss2?

There was no freaking way.

Soon the hallway was empty many students had left the building or rather hallways, leaving very few students in the classes to watch us. From our angle, only students in SS2, my class could see us. We were on the second floor of the two storey building, which SS2 Science and Art shared with all SS1 classes. SS2 commercial stayed upstairs on the third floor with the SS3.

"You want to humiliate me ba?" Tolani asked, a wicked grin that actually made me shiver plastered on her face. "In front of the juniors." She said juniors like some of us weren't even older than she was. "I will humiliate you and your generation. Idiot!"

She turned away from me before dishing out her wicked verdict. "Follow me to my class. On your knees."

"Ahn ahn. Say wetin happen?" I asked without even thinking.

"This girl has guts!" The boy holding me exclaimed. The disciplinary prefect flogged his belt on the wall and rushed to me like a beast and I kid you not when I say I felt like my ribs had suddenly disappeared and my thrashing heart had deserted me. I was scared of that belt. That thing triggered fear within me

"What is all this?" It was a male teacher who looked familiar. He didn't teach my class though. "My friend would you put the at belt to its rightful use?! You want to hit her with a belt as per?!" The man snapped.  The dark boy had left me and I rubbed my wrist as they poured their stories upon the man. They didn't lie in their story which surprised me. So they  thought what happened was enough reason to punish me and embarrass me? Omo.

"All of you follow me to the staff room. Now!"

To cut the whole story short, Tolani didn't win the case. And she had been so bitter about it that she tried to pick on me at any little fault, any tiny flaw. I just wanted her to be an insignificant piece in my life but well, she didn't want to be.

Back to the present, we didn't give her a reply as we decided to concentrate on the dark beauty on stage.

"You all look great this morning," Tara Dele complimented on the stage. There were murmurs around and auditorium.

The female social prefect smiled and clapped briefly. "One house please."

When the murmurs had died down, the prefect tapped lightly into the microphone. "Great students of Regal High, I'm pleased to bring it to your notice that not only is St. Val's day going to be celebrated as usual on the fourteenth but also the senior school would be having their Love Fest."

Ear splitting screams of unexplained excitement and joy reverberated through the auditorium, stunning me. Jessica and Amanda looked as excited too while Aliyah just smiled.

"Why did this place suddenly turn to a mad house?" I asked them. I heard prefects and teachers trying futilely to maintain decorum.

"The Love Fest have been banned for two years now. I've been thinking of how I would survive not attending. God I'm so happy!" Jessica squealed delightedly. I made a mental note to know more about the love fest later

"For our new students, The Love Fest is an event organized by the social prefects of Regal high on Valentine's day for the senior school."

Right. That was on next week Thursday.

"To celebrate St. Val's day, Love lectures are given. Gifts are exchanged. Crushers crush. Lovers love." Jessica squealed again. "So many fun and exciting things. Just check out the other details on the notice board around school."

After a slight pause. "Senior school students," she called with a knowing look. "You all should thank me specifically for convincing the school authority to lift the ban on Love Fest. Please I beg you all to maintain good moral conducts that day. It's a day to show love not. . .the other thing."

Murmurs rose from all corners. "One house please!" Tara Dele said. When the noise reduced, she continued speaking. "The ticket fee would be communicated with you all soonest. And juniors should refrain from coming to buy tickets. Thank you ladies and gentlemen."

With that she stepped down from the podium and a huge round of applause, from admiring teachers and excited students, followed

"Why was the love fest banned in the first place?" I asked them immediately we got to class after the assembly. We borrowed nearby unoccupied chairs and sat around Jessica's desk.

"They didn't say," Amanda and Aliyah said in unison.

"I heard that they caught a junior girl and a senior boy messing up in the restroom," Jessica gagged.

"I heard that a tape of a drugged girl leaked," Amanda added with a shrug.

"You all should forget about why it was banned and focus on the fact that on Thursday, we're expected to show up in dazzling dresses and walk hand in hand with boys," Benita, Nmesoma's friend, said standing behind Amanda with a smile.

"Bennie, how are you?" Jessica beamed. Aliyah and Amanda greeted her.

"I'm fine." The girl turned from Jessica to Aliyah. "Hakeem said he wants to see you in the music room."

"Senior Hakeem?" Jessica asked.

"I'll be there in a jiffy. Thanks," Aliyah said.

When Benita left, Jessica turned to Aliyah. "Senior Hakeem?"

Aliyah blushed unnecessarily as she stood up. "Yeah."

"That girl has some explanation to do," Jessica said to us with a sly smile as Aliyah left the class.

*
Since the  teacher for the last class of the day wasn't available, I spent my time reading a marine life magazine I borrowed from the library. Biology was a very interesting subject to me.

The last thing I expected was Vincent bringing his chair to my desk. I watched the boy with a questioning look as he sat on the chair.

"Any problem?" I asked him. Our relationship might have improved but  intentionally speaking to each other in school was still in the dust. By intentionally speaking to each other, I mean me walking up to Vincent or Vincent walking up to me out of the blues to actually talk. We shared little chats when we had chemistry practicals together, when we sat together during joint classes or labs.

"I'm bored."

"What exactly am I supposed to do with that info? Go and meet your guys or something."

"CJ has gone nerd mode. He's trying to solve a University physics question. Stephen went to see his coach. I have no one to hang with."

"Israel?"

"He's with his girlfriend."

"Then go and read your book," I told him dismissively and turned my attention back to my magazine.

"What do you have there?" Vincent asked peeping into the book. "This looks like a nat geo magazine."

"It is," I responded flipping the page.

"Wow. Really? What is it about?"

"Underwater life."

"I like that. Underwater has so many mysteries and unexplored parts."

I looked at him. "You're disturbing me."

"Strange evidences of mer-humans. . ." He read the heading, totally ignoring me. He scoffed. "I don't believe in them. Do you?"

"I believe in everything. Everything is possible."

"Interesting. So you believe in aliens?"

"If humans exist, Aliens should exist. A supernatural force might have decided to create a race in one of these many planets in and outside our galaxy." Damn. I rambled. Now he was definitely not going to leave.

Vincent groaned and rubbed his temple. "You're giving me a headache with your wisdom talk."

I rolled my eyes.

"I don't believe in everything like you Sha. I believe in things I deem believable."

I rolled my eyes again. "Yeah. Whatever. Now leave me."

"Why do you like reading these brochures and magazines?"

"Because they are educative."

"You like reading to learn?" He asked again.

"Everyone reads to learn na."

"Not me. I read to pass and be entertained."

"As long as you read, you must learn something."

"Do you read novels and literature?"

"Not as often as I read these," I said pointing to the book on my desk. "Do you?"

"Nope. I get tired. I'd rather watch movies and play video games."

I smiled inwardly. Was this Vincent's attempt at get us to know each other better? It was sweet. But sadly I didn't know just how to keep the conversation going. I turned my attention back to my magazine and let the familiar almost awkward silence dwell among us.

I was aware of Vincent watching me. I wondered why he wouldn't leave but I didn't question him. I just acted like I didn't know he was there.

"Deji, they are letting us play!" Someone squealed. The person crossed their arm round his neck for behind. Olamide held my gaze for a while. We hadn't really crossed paths since she resumed on Monday which was day before yesterday. She didn't say anything to me and I faced my magazine once again.

"Relax girl," a male voice chuckled lightly. Stephen came and stood beside Vincent. I tried my best not to look at him.

"Never! I swear I didn't think it would be this easy to convince them to let us play nationals and we even get a coach? Guy, I'm like the happiest girl on this planet right freaking now!"

"You should tell Mandy," I heard Stephen say.

A slight pause. "She must be in the library. Lemme check." With that the girl left.

Silence.

I was tempted to look up but I didn't want that awkwardness that came with my eyes meeting Stephen's honey ones.

Honestly, I still couldn't hate Stephen which was new considering that I was unfortunately good at disliking people for no just reason.

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed Vincent pull on Stephen's hand and whisper something to him.

"Nah. Later." With that Stephen walked away.

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding. I looked at Vincent and it turned out he was looking at me. Our eyes jammed and I raised a brow with a small unnecessary frown. "Why are you looking at me?"

A small smile broke on his lips. Seeing Vincent smile was sort of good, I must admit. It shocked me every time, like it was the first time he did it and I couldn't keep on a good scowl with him smiling like that.

"You are looking at me," he said.

I rolled my eyes.

"If you do that again your eyes might just fall out," he told me, a tinge of amusement in his voice.

"Get out jor." I couldn't even sound dismissive.

Vincent stood up. "See you after school as usual."

I watched Vincent walk out of the class leaving his chair at my desk. I shook my head.

Would I ever get used to this boy?

Part one of double update!