The number of students in the school increased. The SS3 students were back. But their presence did not make much difference because they were engaged with their studies in preparation to their forth coming exams. They were partly seen as outsiders. However, they come to school but were not really seen as part of it.
After the assembly classes became noisy. SS1 was not exception. Theirs were heard most because they were closer to the staff room.
The dean of studies came in and flogged the back sitters because those were the ones making the highest noise when he got in.
“You back sitters make the loudest noise. You are usually the cause of so many distractions and…. And you know nothing. Gosh! You are the dullest. You are going to vacate this class to the empty hall behind the SS2 class” Dean of studies ordered. They wondered why he had to be the one to do that Instead of their form master who was the one on duty for the week.
“Sir, the hall is dirty-we need to clean up the hall, so can we stay here for today? please” One of the students said.
“We will do the cleaning during preps” Another added.
“Then make sure I don’t hear your voices from my office, because you won’t like what will come upon you” He said and left.
“We are not sitting at the extremes of the class again” Godwin told Peter. They were among the punished ones.
“Of course. You think I like sitting at the back? We will secure a seat close to the window, in the middle”
“Not on the first row. Because everything starts at the first row too”
“Yeah. We will tell Lovett and Amara so they can get a seat close to ours”
“You can’t do that!” Godwin’s face changed.
“Why? I said close to us. I don’t mean they are going to sit on the same sit with us. We will find three sitter desk unlike this one, so that David will join us”
“Staying close will make it difficult for me to stay away from her. It will be more implicating”
“Don’t tell me you are suddenly giving up on her?”
“No..” Godwin tried speaking but words weren’t coming out. He swallowed hard, clenched his fist and tightened his as it enduring pains.
“Look Godwin, you have not done anything nasty. Loving someone is normal. Mr. Stones is simply making something out of nothing just because Lovett refused being one of his sex toys. He is jealous. He feels ashamed that Lovett chose you over him.
The worse thing you can do to Lovett presently is leaving her just for this. Remember what she told you yesterday when you were going. She is amazing. Her kind is rare, if not extinct. Let me tell you one thing. Don’t let her be the one always consoling and encouraging you. Do that most often, even as you happens to be the one undergoing most of the heat. Give her reasons to believe you can’t leave her. The more you do these the more she get strengthened.
But I still advice you minimize being seen together in school that’s all. Mr. Stones shouldn’t pervert your communication. Believe me, he will Surely go down one day”
Peter went to a class, JSS3 Class to get things fixed. On getting there, Peter collected names of noise makers. He flogged some while some had their way of serving their punishment. But one tall boy, taller and apparently older than Peter insisted he must be beaten like every other guys instead of serving a different punishment. They both disagreed with each other so that Peter had to take the issue to the dean of studies.
“Sir, there’s a boy as long as a palm tree in JSS3 that’s disobeying my orders. He was listed among noise makers so I flog other. In fact I dealt with everyone in a way no one complains thereafter, so reaching this boy’s turn he wanted me to do as he wishes”
“What did you ask him to do?”
“Cooperate”
“As in?”
“Like sir, he insist I flog him”
“Was that not supposed to be his punishment for making noise?”
“No sir, that will be like flogging a bamboo stick. After wasting my energy thinking I have done something he will bounce back to his seat like nothing happened. His mates will hail him later to make his head swell. That will make him more stubborn.
He won’t regard me or fear me for he would know that his punishment anytime is flogging. I want them to always fear what will be coming for them. There’s a limit I will keep flogging him and he will decide waiting for me outside the school. If I wait to fight him the school will have bad record about me and if I avoid that bad record by running home, the boy and his mates will see me as a coward”
“What exactly did you ask him to do”
“Nothing much sir. Paying for his offence”
“Paying for his offence, how?”
“He will buy those strokes of cane with money”
“Is that a bribe?”
“I said buy not bribe sir”
“That’s what it means”
“Sir, I’m sorry you don’t get it. They are not bribing me. They choose between options. I don’t force anyone”
“Because paying for their strokes might be the bearable option. Who told you that is the best way of handling them? It’s like you want them to handle you someday. Extorting money from them is the more reason some would wait for you after school”
“Exactly what I am avoiding. I don’t want to have enemies”
“Go call him for me”
Peter returned with the boy after some minutes. The case was resolved easily and peacefully then he asked them to leave, and so they left. They left the office smiling. Probably they were going to become friends. Peter returned to the class. He went to collect his notes from one girl he gave his notes to help him copy. Their agreement was that Peter would pay for her service base on the number of pages she copied.
“I won’t give you this book until you pay me” The girl said to him.
“I didn’t refuse to pay you. I said I will pay you later”
“No, I don’t want later things. Pay me now”
“How? I don’t have the money now”
“It’s a lie. Whenever you are coming from the junior classes your pockets get filled”
“Today was different. Somebody reported me. And all plans got clashed”
“Then come for it when you get the money”
“Please my wonderful friend, queen of the night, beautiful duckling, ghosts chaser. I need to read”
“Is that an insult?”
“No, how can it be?”
“Names can’t work on me this time”
Peter snatched the book from her and wanted to flee but she held his shirt tight.
“It’s like you want your shirt to tear” she said demanding to have the book back. His clothes were already getting stained and squeezed.
“See you have stained my white”
“That’s how you want it”
“I will pay you and you will wash my shirt”
“That means you don’t want to see the shirt again”
“I will shout o” Peter smiling.
“Shout then”
“Rape! Rape o! Rape! Somebody come to my aid” The class busted into thunderous laugher. The girl too was amused. She left him laughing back to her sit.
“Don’t worry, you will come to me for help again someday” She said
“I said we will settle this later. You are my friend na. In fact from today you are my wife”
“God forbid! Instead I will become a Reverend sister”
“What? Fine boy like me! That’s not a problem. I will become a Reverend brother and together we will be going”
As Godwin and Peter were studying on their desk, David came to meet them to talk about things. He and Peter discussed how their activities for that day went and plans they have ahead.
“Guys, Amara haven’t said anything to me since then” David said
“How do you mean?” Godwin asked.
“She is still making it hard for me”
“I thought you said she agreed?”
“No, if I had said so, I don’t mean so. It’s a mistake. See that day, after I told her what I feel for her what she said was there’s no problem but I should prove it to her. I don’t know what she meant by that”
“Didn’t she tell you how to?”
“I won’t be muddled if she had”
“Did you ask her?”
“I did, but she said whichever way”
“Girls and their hard to get attitude” Peter said.
“All of them does that. Both old and young, as if they all go through relationship courses at infant. They believe making it easy is to look cheap” Godwin added.
“Even if that’s what they want. Even when they doesn’t want to loose you they still make you feel like it’s your wish alone. They make you feel like they are doing you a favor. She wants you to prove to her that you love her. Does she think you also do not need to know if she truly loves you? She thinks it’s only guys that fumbles? Girls are more disappointing. Keys to relationship is in the hands of girls. If they want to make it work they can. If they don’t want then all your efforts will be in vain. They can leave you at anytime without a reason or remorse.
But what if you choose to put her on trial or delay just as she’s doing? You will both loose. They don’t consider all these. For as a matter of fact, within that period you both will be seeing minor flaws in each other and that will diminish the feelings you share gradually. If she loves you let her stop delaying it because she doesn’t want to be called cheap or regret later. Relationship is try and see. You can’t identify a genuine relationship from the beginning no matter how long you wait and how sensitive you have been in studying the other person unless you try. Most married people today did not end up with their first love. So I think you need to sit her down. Have a long heart- to- heart discussion with her. That might make things easier” Peter advised.