Chapter 6. More than meet the eye

The morning was cold and breezy, most people were still in bed, others up and running around. Nanklin was already up and she had mingled around and probably came in contact with information. She however rushed back in and woke Akwa up, who slept with her journal next to her. 

"Girl, how long have you been offline?" Nanklin asked, successfully waking her up. 

She wiped her face, still getting rid of the sleep in her eyes. 

"Two days, why?"

"Hehehehe. . ." Nanklin laughed. "See, u don blow o. Your matter has busted the internet."

Akwa was still struggling to get the point. 

"Your video with Jason is all over the internet, posted from different people and in different places. Facebook, instagram and even YouTube."

Akwa marvelled and her mouth kept open. 

"Facebook is even the worst, almost everyone in school will have it on their timeline. Girl, the video is superb!"

"No, no, no, this is not happening," she made her way down the bed. 

"You should be glad, u don blow o. Forget up upcoming exams and just log in for once," Nanklin urged. 

"Keep your advice to yourself, I won't," she declined and hurried off to the bathroom. 

An hour later the two friends were walking about on campus, and it was as Nanklin said. All eyes and attention on Akwa. There was no place they pass that the parties there won't at least move their necks towards her. She howbeit felt embarrassed by the looks and even, shy. Any gathering of two above she saw on her way gave her a feeling she was the topic amidst them. 

"Akwa, like play like play u fit contest for an SUG post in this school o," Nanklin teased. 

Akwa ignored her, fastening her footsteps from the public's eye. She later rested somewhere less crowded. Just as she opened her book and took the first glance, another company of two approached her, ladies. 

"Hey, Akwa, right?" One of them asked. Akwa nodded and she continued. "Can I sit next to you?"

Once again Akwa nodded and she sat while the other kept standing. 

"I'm Giret, sure you might know me but look at you now, who doesn't know you?" Giret said. 

"You're right but I don't know you, so please I'm kinda busy right now, as you can see. The syllabus ain't going to cover it self, I will."

"Don't worry, I'll be out of your hair as soon as I pass my message."

Akwa forced a smile and shut her book closed in submission of her attention. 

"I'm supposing Jason have at least told you about me, haven't he?"

This can of start Akwa was quite firmiliar with and at that point, knew where it was heading. But for the time, she just kept quiet and only listened. 

"I would be dissapointed to know you all these while thought a guy like that would be without a girlfriend."

"Why are you telling me this?" Akwa asked. 

Giret scoffed and replied, "Look, Jason in our hundred level was my boyfriend."

"Was?" Akwa interrupted. 

Giret stammered to compose a full speech but later gained composure. 

"Things happened okay? We were dating, and late last session we had a fight, since then we've been trying to fix things up. In a relationship people fight, right?"

"You still haven't answered my question, why are you telling me this?"

"Don't play hypocrisy," Giret unpleasantly roused. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. We may have problems but doesn't mean we're old news. He's taken, just do yourself a favor and look away, please."

Akwa as well roused up and they two shared a look. 

"And what makes you think he's worth being mad over?"

Giret frown, definitely confused from her careless and ludicrous reply. 

"I have no shackles or chains holding him captive or whatever," Akwa continued. "You want him? Go on, have at it, I'm not as desperate as you are. Jason and I are just friends, but if you have any problem with that," she stopped and took a deep breath. "Just stay away from me, please. Thank you."

The look on Giret and her friend's faces clearly showed how dissapointed they were in themselves and even ashamed of their improper unplanned approach, especially how Akwa handled it preposterously. Mean while, Akwa was long gone, making those short, fast steps of hers with head down. 

Along the way, Nanklin met her and clearly knew she wasn't in her best of moods. She quickly linked it to the random unpleasant attention from people around. But on a second thought, imagined how that would critically ruin her mood, especially judging from the type of person she is, hardly irritated. 

"Hey girl, what's up, why the long face?" Nanklin asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and staring in her face. 

"It's Jason's ex," she replied, still walking fast with face down. "I don't know what the heck she was thinking by approaching me over him, maybe to scare me off?"

"What did you say?"

"I told her she could go ahead and have him, that we're just friends."

"Are you sure that was good a idea?" Nanklin stopped and asked. 

"What do I care? I used her jealousy against her, left her guilty."

Nanklin rushed up and blocked her and they both stopped. 

"You're alright?" Nanklin asked holding her chin. 

"Yes!" She answered vigorously and started walking ahead. "You coming or what?"

Looks speak louder, but Nanklin wasn't observing the physical appearance, she knew the subtle person Akwa was and her looks are deceitful. She however paid attention to her heart instead, being conscious it would definitely affect her emotions. 

Jason had just finished packaging his sandwich maker in a leather bag, about to go out for repairs when he collided with Giret, standing at the door steps. 

"Hi Jason," She smiled. 

He looked stunned and unable to speak instantly. She howbeit brushed passed him making her way inside. He then after her. 

"It's been a while," she said. "I mean, your house. Haven't been here for quite sometime."

"What are you doing here?" He finally spoke. 

"Rude boy, is that the way to welcome a prodigal girlfriend," she sat down on the couch. "Someone hasn't been going to church. I can show you a verse to find it."

He too made his way to the parlor with a grim look on his face. 

"Cut the crap and tell me why you're here?"

"Fine!" she roused. "I've missed you, so I came to tell you I'm ready to pick things up from where we left them, sorry it took me this long."

He chuckled softly and she joined him, but just smiling. And suddenly he switched. Of course, she was such a fool to think it was a chuckle of good gesture. 

"Tell me, Giret, are you just reading my long apology texts, or you book words before you hear them?" He asked, without a sense of humour. 

"That's not fair, Jason. I needed time just like any other lady would. And because of I've been single all these while, somehow I looked forward to this day but wasn't just sure when, An. . ."

"Don't even go there lady," he cut her off. "You think I don't know the boy you've been screwing off camp?"

She froze and he continued. "The fact that you hardly sleep in the hostels, you stay all day on campus and go there to spend a night? That's how desperate I was in getting you back, I was busy finding out why you just shut me out, and I found all these. That good looking charming guy, and everything about him. Tell me, why are you back now?"

She couldn't utter a word and stood shamefully. 

"Or let me guess, you're jealous of the thing going on between me and Akwa, you saw the video, of course. Tell you what, that's selfish and greedy of you to come back here wanting us back, you can't eat your cake and have it back."

"Ahem!" Akwa cleared her throat coming from nowhere. 

"He, hey," Jason stammered. "Wha, what are you doing here, Belle?"

"You mean what am doing here at this time, wrong timing. . .?"

"No, no, not what I meant. Of course it's great that you're here," he hastily said. 

"Never mind," she walked forward and dropped a leather bag containing a few plastic containers. "There, I came to give you these, you know, I wouldn't want my supplies in papers of leathers. See you later, Jason."

Still putting on her subtle instincts, she walked away and he hurriedly went after her, caught up outside. 

"Hey, hey, slow down, will you?" He held her arm.

"I'm kinda late for a group study, so I gotta run," she excused. 

"It's not what it seems or what you're thinking, let me explain, okay?"

"How the heck will you know what am thinking and that I'm thinking what you think I'm thinking?" 

That sounded humorous to him but with the condition at hand he suppressed his laughter. 

"Because no matter how unpredictable you always are, now, you did are predictable."

"Okay," she folded her arms across each other. "Tell me then."

He readdress his standing position, now balanced hands akimbo, chest and chin high. 

"You don't do group reading no matter what, so apparently you just wanna leave. Second, you for the first time called me Jason, consciously without mistake. But I need you to know, I have nothing to do with her, she's old news and will remain that way." 

She stared at him for a while, mouthing. Probably sensed her weakness and sad by it, how readable and predictable she had let herself become, because of some selfish emotions she could not explain. She hated to be looked through, transparent, especially when it involves a man. She preferred her emotions hidden, protected. It would mean her being vulnerable since advantages are easily taken at the expense of vulnerability. At that instance, she was displeased and walked out of him, never turned back to his voice. 

Akwa got to the hostels and she looked remorseful, emotionally down. Nanklin from her arrival noticed but ignored, until when she saw how careless and angry Akwa was in handling things since she got back. 

"Akwa, what's the matter, what happened with you and Jason?" Nanklin voiced out. 

"Nothing, he was just with his girlfriend, Giret," she replied, acting quite normal not to draw attention. 

"Hey, hope nothing happened? You didn't react, abi?"

Akwa dropped the shirt she was holding, apparently folding her clothes to her bag. 

"Come on, why do you keep acting like it's that serious?" Akwa complained, almost portraying Nanklin that she was quibbling. 

"No you're acting like it's serious. How you're acting now because you saw him with his ex?"

"No, his girlfriend. And look, we're only friends, don't think I care who he rolls with."

"is that what you tell yourself to console yourself? That he's just a friend? We both know you love him!" Nanklin raised her voice. "You know you can't use your wiles on me or anyone close to you any longer, you've become as predicted as the weather, whether you like it or not."

"Stop," Akwa muttered.

"You fool and hide yourself from others and you still think you can do that to yourself?" Nanklin kept to it. "You think I haven't noticed how you look at him, how jealous you get when you see him with other girls? And the fact that you're punishing yourself by hiding your feelings from him. You have no idea how horrible and heavy that is, how painful and unbearable it is, do you?"

"Stop!" Akwa yelled this time, yet Nanklin voice kept piercing her ears. 

"You will loose your mind if you resist any further," she held Akwa's cheeks in her palms. "You, I know that you mean the world to him, he loves you a lot. He is only dedicated to making you happy. Now, whether you like it or not, run all you want, but deep in your heart, it sings a different song, where he is."

"I love him," she sobbed. 

"it's okay, open your heart and be free," Nanklin urged. 

"I'm scared of hurting, I'm paranoid," she sobbed louder. "But I love him. I've never felt like this before?"

Nanklin cuddled her in her arms, rubbing her hair gently, with a chin placed on her head, waggling from side to side.