Memories

       

Three more weeks till the Welcome ball and I'm doing my best to avoid Tishe.

But that girl is everywhere!

I dodged her during all classes, gym, history class, prep, Music class and Counseling Segment throughout the previous week. This week hopefully, she would've gotten the message.

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I took my seat at the front of the class that morning, ready to read for the days topic as usual. As I sat, I felt something sticky on my butt and I groaned. I stood and stared at the was of gum on my desk. I rolled my eyes as I heared snickers from the few guys that sat at the back of the class. I scoffed at their childishness, tore a blank sheet of paper from my note book and used it to clean my chair up. I heard the clicking of boots behind me and I looked up to find Caitlyn smirking at me. Her wild auburn colored hair was plaited into upward cornrows, popularly called shuku . She was wearing her newly purchased school uniform, a pair of leather black boots and a leather black jacket instead of the school approved blue blazer. She had on six tiny silver earrings on each ear and her signature smoky gothic makeup. 

"Morning Jefferson."

I glared at her.

"Jeff. And there is nothing good about the morning."

She raised a brow.

"What's wrong?"

I hissed, "Someone apparently thought it was funny to stick a wad of chewed up gum on my seat." I said, casting a glance at the boys who were still snickering. Caitlyn followed my gaze and her smirk turned into a scowl.

"You sure it was them?"

I looked at her, brows raised.

"You see anyone else here? Besides, I'm sure if you ask they wouldn't hesitate to confirm it. Obviously, bullying me is a better way to get a babe in this school than pickup lines and chocolates."

Caitlyn dropped her bag on the floor and rolled up her sleeves.

"I'll be right back."she said and walked over to the guys. The one in the middle, some dunce who probably considers himself the leader of this group of idiots(I'll just call him leader of the dumb...or dumb leader), smirks at her and she plasters a fake smile on her pretty face.

"Bae, how far na."

"Oh hiiii." she said, too sweetly for Caitlyn. She stood in front of him and leaned on the desk nearest to her seductively.

"So, I saw what you guys did there."she said , gesturing to my seat. Dumb leader grinned.

"Oh, that one. It's nothing. That one is scared of me ehn. Infact, the way he fears me is the same way Jehovah Witnesses fear hell fire."

I'm a Jehovah's Witness!

Caitlyn giggles, girlishly.

"You're such a strong man o."

"Before nko." Dumb leader says smugly. Caitlyn stretched out a hand.

"Come, let me tell you something."

He looks at her, shocked. She smiled.

"Come na."

He regains his cocky smile and takes her hand. She pulls him close, looking like she was going for a kisses.

Keyword like.

I heard a crack, the scrapping of chairs and tables and a deep grunt. Caitlyn had punched Dumb leader in the face and now had him pinned with his face against the wall. His goons stared at her like she was an alien from another planet and she grinned like Maleficent.

"Now, listen to me you dumb piece of shirt(not her exact words), if I ever, and I mean ever find you within thirty meters of Jefferson again. I will break your bones and grind them into dust. You are not to speak to him. You are not to touch any of his things. Don't even look at him. Am I clear?"

Dumb leader nodded and she let him go, smacking him upside the head. He and his goons scurried away, slamming the door behind them. 

I'm pretty sure my mouth is wide open right now. 

What is she? Some frickin' ninja?

"So, pest problem solved. Your welcome." she said, smugly. My mouth snapped shut.

"How-? How did-?" I shook my head, "Why?"

She gave me an odd look.

"Why what?"

"Why'd you help me? Why'd you defend me? Twice!"

"You're weird you know that. I think what you should really be saying is, 'Oh thank you, Kitty! You're the most amazing person in the world! I want to kiss your totally awesome feet! Let's be BFFs forever!"she said in an extremely high pitched voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Why?"

She scoffed.

"Some damsel in distress you are."

I scowled.

"I am not a damsel. And I am definitely not in distress."

She shrugged, a nonchalant look taking over her features.

"Alright. If you say so. But let's see how you handle it when they come at you again."

I huffed and sat. She sat beside me, opening her bag and pulling out a wrapped sausage roll.

"Uhh, what are you doing?" I asked her. Why is she sitting beside me?

"Eating Gala." she said between mouthfuls.

"I mean, why are you sitting besude me like you're the owner of-" I stopped talking at the sight of her cocky smirk.

"No. No. No. This can NOT be happening."

"Oh, but it is, Darling."

She looped her arm around my neck and crossed her slender and gorgeous legs, placing them on top of the desk.

"I'm your new seatmate."

"Noooooo!!!!"

"Yeeesssss!!!!"

She took a bite out of her sausage roll.

"Our class teacher assigned me to your desk cos obviously she was worried that you would end up as an old miserable man living in a dark dreary castle with a gazillion black cats like her grandfather." She snorted.

"Sounds just like my grandfather."

I groaned. Why, God? Why?! I was just fine being amongst the very few students without a desk mate. Now,thanks to Caitlyn and my always-wants-the-best-for-me-but-often-passes-her-boundaries class teacher, Mrs Ariyo, I'm among the majority. 

Great. Just great.

Did it just have to be Caitlyn of all people?

I was miserable the entire time. Caitlyn Blossom is the worst! All she did was play with her phone, drum on the table, chew her gum loudly and doodle all over the desk. She was driving me crazy! I made up my mind to have a long talk with Mrs Ariyo by the end of the day. 

Time went by fairly quickly and the period for Biology class came. I prayed to God on high that Caitlyn wouldn't be my partner. If she was, my village people were obviously following me. I took a seat in the middle of the lab, across from Mide and Diana. Diana eyed me and Mide flipped me the bird.

"How mature." I said before I could stop myself. Both girls glared at me.

"What did you just say?" Mide asked, menacingly. I gulped. Usually, I don't bother trading words with them. Or saying anything to them at all. I would just let them do whatever they wanted to do and keep my big mouth shut cos I knew that the more I spoke, the more trouble I got into. Suddenly, I wished I hadn't said anything.

Well, it's too late for that now.

I sighed.

"I said how mature. If your ears weren't stuffed with pride, vanity and boys, you would've heard me clearly." 

This is why I don't speak. I'm always sarcastic and rude. Two things that do not help matters. Ever. Mide laughed dryly.

"See this one o. He's talking about maturity. Oh, so because Tishe and her foolish cousins are defending you, you feel you can talk to us anyhow. Mad o. Wo, see, if I slap your dirty mouth ehn. You will-"

"He will what?"

We turned to find Gazelle standing behind me. She had a cold look on her face and gave off an aura of utter superiority. Mide glared at her.

"I'm not scared of you."

"I do not need you to be. That is Caitlyn's thing. But what I do need from you is to stop bothering this young man because he has done absolutely nothing to deserve this kind of treatment from any of you."

Mide snorted.

"You just joined the school last week. You don't know anything that has been going on here."

Gazelle smiled. The same smug smile as Caitlyn, and sat beside me.

"I know everything that happens in this estate. Don't judge my book by it's plain cover." she said coldly. What the heck does she mean by that? Mide growled lowly and was about to say something when Diana placed her hand on hers.

"Just forget it."

"Diana-"

"Let it go, M."

Mide sent us one last glare before turning away. I gave Gazelle a grateful smile.

"Thank you."

"No fair!"

"I wanted to annoy him some more!"

I groaned. Gazelle rolled her eyes.

"I believe Jefferson has had enough torture from you two, Kitty and Tish."

Caitlyn and Tishe gave us mock shocked expressioms from where they stood behind us.

"What an insult!"

"Well I never!"

"Come on, Duchess Kitty. The Countess has insulted our dignities enough."

"I agree, Lady Tish. Good day."

They held each others hands and, with as much dignity a British female socialite could mister, they walked away. They sat two rows away next to the Lawore twins. I heard Gazelle sigh.

"What's wrong?" I asked and she smiled a little.

"I am in huge trouble when we get home. Kitty and Tish will never let me live this down."

I laughed, ignoring the glares the two witches across from us sent me.

"Those two are really something."

"They are, but they are the best cousin a girl could ask for."

I smiled and she smiles back. Why was it so easy to talk to this girl? Usually, I would be hanging my head and mumbling inaudibly. But with her, I felt free. Like I have known her all my life. Which actually felt true cos there was something about her that seemed so familiar. I just couldn't put my finger on it. Our Biology teacher walked I'm and gave us another project; to grow a fungii. To be honest, Mr Adebiyi was the weirdest Biology teacher we had ever had. He hardly ever taught. But then he said it's because we were in our final year and our West African Certificate Examinations(WAEC) was going to be full of practicals. Me Adebiyi was wearing the same suit as the last time I saw him and I noticed as he threw Annabella a flirty look.

Ew.

Annabella smirked smugly and threw him a look of her own. Fake, obviously.

We started our project and to be honest I found it disgusting. But I needed the marks for my grades and Gazelle was a great partner, making everything bearable. She handled the project like an expert, working quickly but gracefully and letting me participate. I could see strangers of curly long brown hair peeking out from under her hijab and I couldn't help but wonder how she would look without it. Her hair out, running wild and fresh with the wind. My eyes moved from her hair to her face. She had the longest lashes I had ever seen and her brown eyebrows were naturally shaped and trimmed. Her lips were a work of art! The upper lip was dark like her skin while the lower lip was a deep shade of pink. The contrasting colors made it look like she had applies some fancy lipstick. Her face was smallish, oval shaped and round. Her ebony skin was shiny. It seemed to radiator everywhere she went. She was astonishing!

"Jefferson?"

I snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"I need that scalpel."

I lookes at the tiny surgical blade in my hand and handed it to her. She smiled, a ghost of a smile, then turned her attention back to the project. I watched her work in awe. Her hands were quick and steady. She could be a surgeon. She looked so focused. Like the weird looking rock and dead toad were the most important things in the world at the moment. I sat up straight, raising my head and our eyes met. She had the most beautiful eyes. Brown with a hint of steel in them. Gorgeous eyes. They looked like the fur of a very brown puppy. Cute and cuddly, yet curious and observant. Brown fur with a steel streak starting from it's forehead and ending just below it's nose.

"I'm gonna catch you!"

A little girl, about six years old squealed happily as she ran around the garden. She had long curly brown hair that flowed like the river and dark skin that glowed like the sun.

"Jay Jay, stop!" she laughed as I caught her and began to tickle her. She wriggled in her oversized pink dress as he tackled her to the grass.

"Ahhhh! Ha ha ha....Jay Jay....ha ha ha...stop...ha ha....stop tickil...ha ha...tickling me....ha ha ha ha..."

I straddled her, smiling proudly at myself.

"Not until you say you're sorry."

She jutted her chin up, stubbornly. Her pretty eyes glistening with mischief and her smile proud.

"No."

"Say you're sorry for saying that I'm not stronger than you."

"You are five and I'm six. You can not be stronger than me."

I scoffed.

"Can too."

"Can not."

"Can too."

"Can not."

"Can not."

"Can not."

I groaned and she grinned.

"Reverse psychology does not work on me, Jay Jay. You should have known that by now."

I stuck my tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes, still grinning.

"Get off ." she said, attempting to push me off. But I stayed put.

"No, you have to pay for your insolence."

"My...what?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Insolence; noun. It means arrogant conduct, and insulting, bold behavior or attitude."

"Insolence.." she said and by the way her brown eyes deepened in color, I knew she was adding the word to her mental vocabulary library.

"Now, the price you must pay."

"I am not paying anything. I only spoke the truth."

"If you were stronger than me, you would've gotten me off of you by now. But I'm still here."

"That's because I like this position." she said smugly and I blushed. Did she always have to make me so uncomfortable?

"You do know what this position means in the adult world, don't you Jay Jay?"

I frowned then gasped, rolling off her in horror. She laughed, hysterically and I glared at her.

"It's not funny."

She snorted between laughs.

"Sure it is not."

"It's not!" I whined, turning away from her. I could hear her giggle as she pouted over to me.

"Awwn. Are you cross with me, Jay Jay?"

I sniffled.

"No."

I could practically feel her smile.

"Okay. I will pay whatever 'price' you want me to pay. Will that make you happy?"

I turned to her and she was smiling sweetly.

"Whatever price?"

"Whatever price."

I smirked and leaned closer to her, planting a kiss on her forehead like I had seen Dad do to Mommy so many times. She gasped as I pulled away, smiling shyly.

"All paid."

I said and she stared at me with wide eyes. We heard barking and I laughed as Fox jumped into her arms, licking her all over her face.

"Oh my gosh! Fox! Eww! You have got dog slobber all over me!"

Fox barked happily as he wagged his tail.

"That makes two kisses in one day." she said, sending me a toothy lopsided grin. I smiled back as I watched her play with the brown furred puppy with a steel colored streak down its face.