Chapter 10- The Beginning.

The first and second periods were quite exhaustive. The biology teacher asked me to stand all through the lecture due to my late coming, while the Economics teacher kept telling us about an irrelevant story of his childhood days. Now,we are in the third period which is government and I don't think I have seen Mrs. Richardson today. It's quite weird because she comes to class immediately after the bell is rung and now the bell has been rung five minutes ago.

Harrison and Bolaji have moved to my sit. Harrison is chatting away, with his phone under the table. I wonder who he chats with by this time of the day. 

While Bolaji is telling me about his supposed girlfriend, Bola coming back to Nigeria in a week's time. He has been smiling sheepishly all morning. Speaking of girlfriends, I haven't seen Amanda in a while now. I have missed stealing glances at her.

The VP enters the class with Amanda behind him.

"Good mooorning Sir," We greet him uniformly.

"Yes, good morning, students. Have your sit."

 We sit quietly. Amanda is standing behind the VP with her arms crossed to her chest. Such a beauty! I am sure you are tired of me bragging about her beauty all the time. I am sorry. I can't help it. 

"The government teacher isn't around. She had an emergency, so we allowed her to go for today. Nevertheless, Education must continue. I'll take you on government today. You can go and have your sit,Amanda." 

Amanda walks majestically to her sit unbothered by the piercing eyes of virtually all the boys in the class. The VP goes to the board and writes government boldly in block letters on the board.

"So, where did you stop in your last class?" He turns back and looks at Amanda. I open my bag and I bring out my government note book.

"We stopped at colonialism, sir."Amanda replies. The VP looks around, looking for who to fall prey to his trap. Most of the students begin to open their notebooks and textbooks and in less than a second, almost all of us have opened our books to the topic. The VP smiles.

"Guy, do you know you shouldn't be here?" I whisper to Harrison who is completely indifferent about the situation here.

"Did you hear what I said?"I tap him on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, Timmy. Why you dey take paracetamol for my headache. Take a chill pill." Harrison smiles.

Wow! What the hell? What's my business anyway?

"Okay. I won't teach you today. We will revise on what you've learnt ever since you heard the name government." The VP smirks.

"Ahhhhhh!" Bolaji exclaimed.

Most of the students begin to murmur. The VP turns his face to my direction. My heart skips. He let out a loud laughter in that deep baritone voice.

"Yes, Bolaji. This is your judgment day!" He continues laughing. He turns his face away from my direction.

"Hey! It's okay. Maintain decorum please." The class quiets down. He turns his face back to my direction and raises his brow.

"Harrison, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in Chemistry class? Aren't you in the science department? Stand up!"

Harrison stands nonchalantly, with no element of fear or remorse in him.

"What are you doing here? That's what I asked!" The VP yells.

"Well, I am considering a change of department. So, I am still observing." Harrison seems cool. I know if I were in his shoes my heart would beat a million times in a second.

But Harrison is so cool, so chilled. No wonder the girls flock around him.

The VP takes a deep breath in.

"This is not a decision you make on your own. That's why we employed a counsellor. See me during break, okay?"

"Okay, sir."

"Sit."

Harrison sits down.

"See, guy, I told you I've got this under control." Harrison punches me on my shoulder. I ignore him.

He shouldn't have replied me in that manner. After all, I was just being concerned. He chuckles.

"So,we will be doing a mini quiz competition. The boys vs the girls. The boys and the girls are to bring one representative each.

Once you fail a question, it will be thrown to your opponent. If they fail it, the question will be thrown to the audience. The winners gets." He pauses and smiles.

"I won't say the prize yet..." 

Most of the students begin to murmur. Harrison pokes me.

"Guy, you don vex?" Harrison pokes me again. I put a straight face on.

"Angry? Timmy, are you angry?" Bolaji asks.

"No mind am. I just gave him a piece of sliced bread, he kan dey vex." Harrison says. Bolaji laughs rather loudly. 

Most of the students look at our direction with a puzzled look.

"Who is that?" The VP asks, knowing fully well it was Bolaji.

"I am sorry sir. I was carried away." Bolaji apologizes.

"Well, its okay. Alright! Each gender should pick three representatives. Yes, its better that way. In a second, the boys should come to the left while the girls should be at the right."

The students slowly interchange positions, murmuring to each other. Fortunately, my seat is in his left hand side, so I don't have to move. Amanda remains where she is too, with her eyes fixed in her textbook. I am sure she would be chosen as one of the representatives. She alone can defeat ten professors in government. Ade approaches, his eyes filled with fury. I'm certain he knows about the incident with Sen.Emmanuel this morning. I avert my eyes from his direction.

"Timmy, Ade is coming." Bolaji whispers.

"I know." I reply in a whisper.

"Ade is coming. So what?" Harrison raises his voice. 

"Harrison, you shouldn't have said that so loudly. What if he heard you." I can feel my heart pounding.

"Do you think I care." Harrison replies. Bolaji looks puzzled. I am sure he is concerned about how things will turn out.

Ade finally reaches my seat with his gang behind him as usual. I gaze at my book on my table.

Bolaji's look becomes more puzzled while Harrison keeps his cool as always.

"Hey, you no go sit down!? Why you come my front dey look like cat fish na!?" Harrison yells. Bolaji chuckles, holding his mouth. He tries to hold his laughter but fails miserably as he bursts into laughter. Everyone looks at our direction. Bolaji ducks his face in shyness. This his loud laughter will put us all in trouble one day. I shake my head.

"Ade, what are you doing there? Go and have your sit." The VP intervenes. Harrison smirks.

"This isn't over yet." Ade curses.

"I think it is."Harrison replies with a straight face.

Ade obeys the VP and goes to sit down in the third row. I take a deep breath out.

"Yeeeeeeehhhhhhhhh!" Bolaji and I hail Harrison quietly.

"Thanks bro. You saved my life." I tap Harrison on his shoulder.

"Oh, it's now you remember me. When you were snubbing me, you did not know." Harrison replies.

"Don't mind him."Bolaji hisses.

"Hey! Three of you! Keep quiet!"The VP yells.

"So, you have two minutes to decide who'll represent you. Your time starts now."

The girls seem more organised than we, the guys .They move aside from the chairs and they form a circle. I can hear whispers and light giggles. While, the guys are still sitted. Most of us are unconcerned about this mini competition.

"Guys, have you decided who will be representing you?"The VP asks.

"Yes!" Harrison replies sharply.

"So, who are your representatives?"

"Bolaji and -"

"Timmy!" Ade interrupts.

"What!?" I react in shock. 

"Wow! Do you guys agree?" The VP seems unsatisfied with the chosen representatives. Yes and No fill the air. The yes seems louder than the no.

"Majority carries the vote. So, your representatives are Timmy and ?

"Excuse me, sir." I interrupt. 

"I think Ade should be a suitable representative for the competition."

"Yes!" Harrison roars.

"I totally support that!" Bolaji says.

God! I love my friends. I can feel Ade's nerves rising.

"Sir, what if I don't want to participate." Ade protests.

The VP takes a deep breath in and out. 

"You guys are drama queens. This is what the girls should be doing but it turns out, they are more sensible than all of you. Timmy, Bolaji and Ade come out."

Bolaji and I stand uniformly. We carry our books as we head to the front. Ade remains seated. Wow! What nerve! 

"Ade! Are you deaf or what? Come here now!" The VP's face hardens.

Ade comes to the front without uttering a word. The girls return to their seats. They seem so organised, so serious as if their lives depend on it. I can tell by the look on Amanda's face that the meeting went well. She looks so calm and relaxed.

"So, can we begin?"The VP's voice is filled with so much enthusiasm.

"Yes sir! I totally agree with you,sir!" Harrison yells. I smile. Most of the students turn back to face him. Harrison winks at one of the girls. She smiles. Her face flushed with shyness. I glance at Bolaji whose face is on the ground. He is scared of crowds and height...even cockroaches seem to scare him.

"Thank you, Harrison. I love your enthusiasm. So-"

"Thank you,sir!" He sharply replies. Most of the students chuckle.

"So, the girls! Can we have your representatives." The VP ignores Harrison. 

"Okay." Amanda smiles, walking majestically to the front.

"Folakemi."The whole class looks at Folakemi. She ducks and smiles sheepishly. Folakemi has always been shy. She stands and walks to the front.

"Okay. Your third Representative."

Amanda smiles at Gloria who stands and finds her way beside Amanda without an iota of fear in her eyes. Everyone knows Gloria for her intelligence, beauty and courage. She is slightly dark in complexion and has the shape of a cocacola bottle. She dated Harrison in Jss3 and then, moved to Ade in Ss1. Right now, she is with the head boy. Series of guys from our class have tried getting her before she accepted the head boy's proposal. Turns out she likes boys with authority. Gloria holds Amanda's hand and smiles, revealing her cute dimples. I can see Harrison's eyes, totally concentrated on Gloria. 

My God! If people's eyes are capable of undressing, Gloria would probably be naked right now.

"Alright," The VP says.

"Let's begin. First of ,I'll tell you guys the rules and regulations in this our mini quiz competition. The first rule is..."

"Guy." I gently hit Bolaji with my elbow. Wow! He is sweating profusely. He seems so tensed and uncomfortable. He ignores me with his face still on the floor.

"Guy. Why are you sweating like this." I whisper, hitting him again with my elbow.

"Can't, can't you see I am tensed right now." Bolaji replies. He uses his thumb to wipe the sweat beads off his fore head. Oh! I forgot about Bolaji's crowd-phobia. I chuckle, holding my mouth.

"Wow. Really? You are tensed because you are in front of your class mates?" I let out a low laughter. Oh, how I wish I have his loud mocking laughter. I would have given him a taste of his own medicine. 

"If not for the fact that we are in this situation, I would have-" Bolaji mutters. 

"Excuse me, Sir." Ade interrupts.

"Yes." The VP turns to face Ade. He was apparently about to finish his speech.

"Bolaji and Timmy are disturbing. I could barely hear you, sir."

"Oh." The VP walks to my direction.

"So, you were talking. Eh! Timmy and Bolaji!?" The VP yells. 

"Sorry, sir. I am very sorry." Bolaji apologises. 

The VP stares at our direction for some seconds, he deeply inhales and exhales.

"Apparently, I was talking about the rules and regulations and if you didn't listen, that's your problem." The VP turns and walks towards the girls who seem to be the only ones listening to him.

"Jack ass." Bolaji curses under his breath.

"What!? Me!" Ade shouts. He turns and grabs Bolaji's uniform with his fists.

"Leave him alone, you fool!" I yell, trying to pull Bolaji out of Ade's grip. Bam! Ade leaves Bolaji's shirt and places a cold punch on my stomach. I scream as I fall down to the ground. Amanda screams, covering her mouth with her palm. 

"What's going on here!" The VP yells, coming towards our direction. Bolaji pushes Ade and comes to my aid. Ade moves, struggling to gain stamina. From no where, Harrison appears and gives him a blow to the mouth, knocking Ade off his feet. Ade's gang stand up, clenching their fists. Harrison positions himself like a soldier ready for war. 

"Hey! Stop! Have you all gone mad!" The VP yells, coming to my direction. He squats. He touches my fore head and with a soft voice, he asks. 

"Are you okay?"

"Ye- Yes, sir." I mutter. He stretches his hands and helps me on my feet. I smile at Bolaji and Harrison who because of me are in big trouble. Bolaji taps me on my shoulder. His face, driven with fear and concern.

"All of you. Sit down!" The VP points to Ade's gangs who apparently are still standing with their fists clenched. 

"Get up, you rascal!" The VP stares at Ade. I can see blood stains on his lips and handkerchief. He cleans off the blood on his lips as he hesitantly gets up. He touches his lips softly with his thumb and curses under his breath.

"What did you say!?" The VP yells.

"Nothing."Ade mutters.

"You, Timmy, Bolaji and Harrison, go to my office. Go and wait for me."

Immediately, Ade storms out. Harrison follows with the same agility. Slowly, Bolaji walks out with his face on the floor.

"I am sorry,Sir."I stare at the VP.

"There is nothing that can be done." The VP says to Bolaji. 

Slowly, step by step, I walk out of the class. I swear, I could feel Amanda's eyes on me. Her face, filled with concern. I shrug. I can't believe I am thinking of Amanda in this exact moment.