Lady K

It had been barely thirty minutes since Kora ran out of the classroom, and the class was back to normal. Everyone seemed to be so concentrated on the lecturer in front of them, as he went through the slides that appeared on the projector. They listened attentively, everyone except Luke of course.

Luke kept turning back to where Jeremiah was, and scoffing all the time. The same questions repeating themselves in his head. How could he sit there so comfortably, and act like he didn't see what had happened? How could all of them- he slouched into his chair, and struggled to pull his tie from his neck. The lecturer's voice still echoed around the room from the microphone, and it gave Luke such a headache. He couldn't take it anymore. He was upset, really upset. He got up quickly, and it started a lot of distractions as he tried to find his way to the stairs, right to where they all sat, members of the rich people's club. Old money.

He came to a stop, right in front of Jeremiah, and at that moment, the lecturer stopped talking. Luke was distracting everyone, and they were slowly pushing their attention to him. Jeremiah stopped looking into his book for a second. He raised his head slowly.

"Are you just going to sit there?" Luke asked him? "Didn't you see what just happened? Are you going to sit there and watch it continue? Watch everyone disrespect her?"

Jeremiah exhaled.

"Please refrain from disturbing this class." The lecturer announced from the microphone.

"Aren't you going to say something?" Luke continued. When he was pretty determined to cause a scene, he always caused a scene, and this time, he just couldn't help himself. "Aren't you going to tell everyone what really happened? I'm talking to you!" He raised his voice at Jeremiah.

"Please step away from my classroom if you want to cause a scene-"

Luke was barely even listening to what the man in front of the class was saying.

"What is wrong with you?" He asked him. "What kind of a person are you?" He turned to the rest of them. "What kind of persons are all of you?"

Oma scoffed. A tiny smirk appearing on her face.

"Don't you think you're talking to the wrong audience?" She asked him. "Your girlfriend did the most here. You should be scolding her, not us."

Luke scoffed.

"You know, I always thought you were an incredible person." Luke told Jeremiah. "It sucks that I was wrong. It sucks that you're nothing like everyone thinks you are. You are not a man, and you have no honor."

Jeremiah scoffed softly. Just who did he think he was talking to? Was he not the same person that had abandoned Kora in the past, for her step sister, just to get into NAUN? How dare he?

"If anything happens to Kora." He continued. "If anything happens to Kora, I'm not going to let it go. I would never forgive you." He turned to the rest of them. "Any of you."

"Okay boomer." Sadiq said in Jeremiah's defense.

"Hey you, tall boy at the back." Now the lecturer sounded really angry. Luke just stood where he was, exchanging fierce glances with Jeremiah. "Leave my class this minute!" He ordered.

"What's wrong with your boyfriend?" The girl sitting next to Racheal asked her. Racheal just sat still, her eyes focused on the projector, clenching her fists and holding her breath. She was so upset.

"Does he have feelings for Kora too?" Another one asked.

"Didn't you hear what he said?" Sadiq whispered to Luke, loud enough for those sitting around him to hear. "Leave the classroom."

Luke scoffed. Like he cared to be around them. God, they were all so annoying. He turned quickly, and walked away as fast as he could to his seat, and grabbed his bag. He turned to leave. Racheal got up too, and ran after him.

Sadiq scoffed.

"Look at them." He said. "Getting worked up over a whore." He chuckled, hitting Kingsley jokingly on his arm. Kingsley frowned.

"Stop it." He whispered to him. "It's not funny."

"Of course it is." Sadiq continued. "I wonder what it is about that girl that has everyone in their feelings." He turned to Jeremiah, and then tapped him on his arm. "Bro, let me know when you're done hitting, I'd like to have a taste of it too."

Jeremiah turned to look at his shoulder, he had been holding on to a lot of anger, and Sadiq was giving him a reason to finally lash out. He turned to glare at him.

"What did you just say?"

He got up quickly, facing Sadiq, whose smile was fading away, the moment he saw the frown on Jeremiah's face worsened.

"Yo." Sadiq turned to him. "Chill. What is wrong with you?" He chuckled

"What's going on at the back there?" The professor was just as clueless as the rest of the class.

"What did you just say?"

"Why are you getting so defensive? it was just a joke." Sadiq asked him. "Even if it wasn't sef, didn't you hear what they said? What they said about her family?"

"So what? Is your family better than hers?" He asked him. Everyone got up quickly to stare at the scene. Sadiq scoffed.

"What has gotten into you?"

"Your mother isn't any different." He told him. "She had you before she was married to your father, as a second wife. What gives you the right to talk down on someone else?"

"At least I know my father." Sadiq stood up glaring at Jeremiah, now things had gotten a bit too serious. Kingsley got up too, and stood right in their middle. "He's the president of this country, and he didn't send me away for years, because I was a nuisance to my family."

"Come on man." Kingsley turned to Sadiq, trying to stop him from talking. He pushed Kingsley's hand away, his eyes still focused on Jeremiah's.

"At least I can't say the same about you and your little whore." He lowered his gaze to Oma, and then let out a tiny smile. "Or should I say whores-"

Oma scoffed. She was disgusted.

Jeremiah pushed Kingsley out of the way and gave Sadiq a punch that almost threw him out of the lecture room. Some of Sadiq's friends rushed to him as fast as they could, just as the entire hall turned to a market place, with all those loud murmurs.

"What is going on here!" The lecturer yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Say what you said again! I dare you!" Jeremiah yelled at Sadiq, just as Kingsley pushed him back. Sadiq was already bleeding from his nose.

"Hey!" Kingsley yelled at Jeremiah, and then turned to Sadiq. Stretching his hands wide in front of them. "Can you both get yourselves together?"

One of the boys attending to Sadiq got up quickly to glare at Jeremiah who was taking his time with drawing deep breaths and keeping his anger in check.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?" He asked him. "You'd fight your own friend for that girl?!"

"He's not my friend anymore." Jeremiah announced. Sadiq scoffed in disbelief. "I can't be friends with someone that does nothing else but talk down on people all the time, like a little bitch."

"What has come over you?"

Jeremiah took deep breaths. He had obviously been holding on to all that anger for a long time, and Sadiq just gave him a reason to let it all out. The lecturer was fed up of everything already. He looked like he was about to faint, with the way he held on to his head with his arm resting on the podium.

Jeremiah grabbed his jacket quickly. He was done. He was done sitting in that classroom with all those people. He didn't even care about his bag or his books.

"Jerry." Oma reached for his arm the moment he turned to leave . He pulled his arm away from her with force, and then walked away. Kingsley exhaled. He was just as exhausted as the old man in front of them.

"Kingsley." Oma called him. He turned to her.

"I'll go after him."

Kingsley walked out of the hall too.

Meanwhile, at a perfectly different part of NAUN, not too far from the hall, a certain somebody had chased another certain somebody, all the way to the men's room. Luke didn't stop for a second to even notice Racheal, who didn't stop yelling his name behind him, trying to get his attention. Luke stopped at the sink and turned one of the taps on. He started to wash his face, when Racheal stopped right beside him. Totally ignoring the boys in there, that yelled at her to get out. She took a deep breath, and folded her arms, watching Luke splash water on his face for three long seconds.

"So you're not going to talk to me anymore? You're just going to go ahead and ignore me?"

Luke kept on ignoring her.

"Because of Kora?"

Luke paused for a second, and then turned off the tap. He took a deep breath, and raised his head a little bit.

"How can you ignore me, and cause so much tantrums in class because of her?"

Luke hit the slab so hard that it made Racheal shake in fright, right before he turned to face her, glaring at her.

"Why did you do it?" He asked her. "Why did you do that to her?" Even amidst all that anger, Luke managed to keep his voice in check, and stay calm. Racheal rolled her eyes.

"Why do you care?" She asked him. "It's not like I lied. I only told everyone the truth. The truth they deserved to hear."

"The truth? Since when was it your job to tell anyone anything that wasn't their business? Since when was Kora's personal life anyone's business?"

"Why are you taking her side?" She asked him, she was starting to raise her voice a little. "How can you blame me for acting the way I did? I wouldn't have, if you both weren't still texting each other."

He scoffed.

"I thought it was over? Why do you keep texting her? Why does she still keep texting you? What happened between you both the other night? Did you sleep with her? Do you still have feelings for her?!"

Was she asking questions she was already giving answers to. She pushed him a little bit.

"Tell me!" She pushed him again. "You still love her, don't you? You're planning on abandoning me for her. You two are trying to get back together."

"You're getting it all wrong."

"Am I?" She pushed him again. She had loads of tears and anger in her eyes. "So why are you still texting her? Why do you keep defending her? Can you keep this same energy if I tell my Dad about it? The only reason you're here is because I made it so. Because my father made it happen. Should I take all those privileges away?! Are you going to keep testing me? Are you going to keep seeing her? Do you want to see how far I'm willing to go with, this because I can't let you be with her! I'll never let you be with her! You can't leave me for her! I've waited for you for so long, and now I have you, I won't let you cheat on me with her. You promised! You promised you were going to forget about her! You promised you were going to let her go!"

"That's enough!" Luke yelled at her, grabbing her hands, to stop her from pushing him for the umpteenth time. She looked into his eyes. He was really losing his patience. "Are you going to keep throwing this in my face? Are you always going to keep reminding me of all the favors I'm getting from your family, all because of your insecurities?" He glared into her eyes. Racheal tried to pull her hands away, but he tightened his grip on her. He wasn't going to let her go until he was done talking.

"You want to know the truth, then fine, I'll tell you the truth. I still have feelings for Kora. I never stopped. Kora is the only woman I've known all my life. She was there for me at the lowest point in my life, when people like you looked down on me. She's kind, and has an amazing soul, and does not deserve any of us, and that's why I can't do anything about how I feel anymore, because I don't deserve her."

"Because I'm a coward that chose his future over her. It kills me every time I think of how I can't hold her, and hug her like I used to. This is the only way I can be there for her. You're bothered about a feeling I can't even show her? You're bothered because I took her side, when it was obvious no one else was going to? Until when are you going to realize that what I do, and how I feel isn't going to change anything, because in the end, I'm stuck with you. I chose you and my future over her and everything else. That's how much of a selfish bastard I am. I've done everything you wanted me to do. I've pushed her away many times than I can count, because of your insecurities. Am I not even allowed to defend her, when she's not watching? Why do you have to be so insecure about everything all the damn time-"

"Then tell me you love me." She cut him off quickly. Luke stared at her. "You said you chose me, didn't you? Then tell me you love me, because you've never told me that before."

Luke scoffed. He slowly let go of her hands.

"What? You can't say it?" She asked him. Luke didn't respond, even though it was clear that Racheal's voice was breaking now. She was trying so hard not to cry. "You said it to Kora everyday in the past, why can't you say it to me now? Why can't you love me? What's so good about her? What's so good about Kora?!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

"What does she have, that I don't? Do you know how long I've loved you? How long I've waited for you? I even let you use me for your own selfish interests! Why can't you bring yourself to love me too?" She asked him, as tears began to fall from her eyes too. "I'm really not a bad person. I know I get angry, and say a lot of hurtful things when I'm angry, but I'm really not a horrible person. I can change, I can even be Kora, if you want me to. Is it that hard? I know I pushed this whole thing on you, but is it so hard to love me too? To look at me and defend me the way you do her?"

Luke exhaled.

All that drama, he had had enough for one day, and Racheal's tantrums were the last thing he needed.

"I chose you over Kora." He told her. "Don't make me regret it more than I already do. I know my future is important, but so is she to me. I'm grateful for everything you and your father have done for me, and I don't think I can ever be able to repay it, but the next time you breach our agreement, the next time you go ahead and do anything to hurt Kora, I won't think twice to let it all burn." He swallowed hard. "I'm sick of all of you in this school anyway."

He turned to leave.

"Don't walk out on me!" Racheal yelled after him, as she watched him walk to the door. "Come back here, Luke! Don't you dare walk out on me!" She kept yelling.

Too bad, Luke was playing deaf the entire moment.

He opened the door, and then walked away.