Chapter 15: Compliments and a hungry woman.

‘‘This feeling will pass. The fear is real but the danger is not.”

- Cammie McGovern

Arsala's POV

Why today of all days? I woke up late today annoyingly its Monday and maths class is the first class I have for the day. Firstly Mr Ayomide hates lateness, secondly attendance takes 10 point. Unfortunately if I was to be late or for the second time miss his class I'd be screwed.

Luck also isn't on my side, since he is always punctual to class and takes attendance the moment he walks in. I hurriedly climb up the stairs and made my way to classroom 16. The moment I swing the classroom door up, the classroom is quite packed. There are only a few empty seats left.

My eyes were roaming around looking for an empty seat when someone aggressively bump a shoulder against mine.

"Ouch." I look up to meet a guy sweating like he just ran a marathon.

"Sorry." He apologize before walking into the classroom. He walked over to where I spot Imran seated with an empty seat next to him.

"Can........"

"Back off!" Imran growl at him before he could say anything.

Should I ask him if I could seat next to him? No, no he would just be rude and tell me to back off.

At least try? No, no I'd just take a seat from the next classroom.

There is a class going on there right now.

Why are you so confused? A voice in my head ask.

I don't know okay!! I don't know.

"Why are you standing out here Arsala?" Mr Ayomide my maths instructor asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"No reason sir........Good morning." I walk into the classroom.

"Good morning." He reply walking in right after me.

I walk over to Imran and suddenly his face bright up smiling back at me. "Umm........"

"Sit cupcake." He pat the seat.

"Okay." I took the seat giving him a weird look.

I took out my notebook and pen, placing them on the desk.

"Good morning class." Mr Ayomide starts out.

"Morning sir!" The chorus sound of different voices filled the room.

"You do know you look lovely right." Imran place his elbow on the desk with his hand and his chin. He wiggle his eyebrows at me.

"What are you are doing?" I ask him with raise brow.

"Complimenting you." He smirks.

"Yay!" Note the sarcasm in my voice.

I turn my attention back to the class when I spot Mr Ayomide approaching us.

Identifying quadrant on the Cartesian plane. Is bold written on the board.

"Why were you late, I don't know you to be the late type?" He ask in a whisper.

Sitting down next to him was a bad idea.

Using my hand I guest for him to lean in. Our faces are close but with a considerate amount of space.

"I woke up late, its no biggie. Stop asking questions I need to focus, I'm not a maths genius like you." I whisper to him directly staring into his eyes. He has one of the most beautiful pair eyes I had ever since. Muddy brown.

"Arsala enough with your little chatter." Mr Ayomide voice filled the air. I quickly jerk up, hitting my head against the desk.

"Ow!" I wince in pain. "Sorry." I mumble out still rubbing my hand against my head.

I look towards Imran to find him smiling, I feel like slapping that smile off his face.

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I hate ordering food, the restaurant around are going to be the reason I starve to death. I order chips and chicken sauce from salti a restaurant close by and for the past 3 hours my food is yet to arrive.

I couldn't have breakfast this morning because I was already late for maths class. Its 3pm and I haven't had anything to eat yet, thanks to salti. I have been sitting under the hut garden just outside the cafeteria waiting for the supposed delivery man.

The cafeteria food taste crappy thats why I ordered from outside. To make my situation worse, I already transferred the money to salti's bank account. My stomach grumbles again, I close my eyes and lean into the bench.

"I'm so hungry." I mumble out.

I'm so dizzy and hungry I don't know if I can pray Asr without fainting. Today is a bad day for me, the universe is against me.

"Hey." Imran voice made my eyes jolt open.

"Hi." I wave at him, sitting up properly.

"What are you going here?" He asks. Looking around.

"Stop asking me questions, I'm pissed off and hungry." I fold my arms together.

"A hungry woman is an angry woman." He chuckles softly.

"I order food from that stupid salti restaurant and for the past three hours my food is yet to arrive. I'm going to die of hunger, I'm so hungry." I rant out feeling really frustrated.

"Sorry about that but that's just how unreliable salti can be you should have order from home taste." He sits next to me on the bench.

"Yuck, I hate their food." My voice bears disgust.

Their food taste like party jollof.

"Um.....I'm heading to the cafeteria." He stands up. "So come I'd swipe for you, I don't want you starving to death."

"Yeah thanks but I'm not hungry." The grumbling sound of my stomach betrays me.

"Oh God!" He groan out. "Some seconds ago you said you're hungry and now all of suddenly because I offered to buy you food the hunger vanished."

"That's not it, I'm not hungry....."

"Don't even try to lie, you suck at it." He cuts me off.

"I'm not going to leave you here knowing you're hungry."

"You can't force me to eat."

"You got me cake some days ago....."

"That's different....." I cut him off before he could finish.

"This woman! this woman!" He run his hand through his hair, messing up the waves on it.

"I'm still a teen girl." I find It weird when I'm addressed as a woman.

"A girl?" He gives me a questioning look.

"Dude I'm just 18." I reply with a shrug.

"Wait what??" He eyes bears a shock look. "You are Just 18?!"

"Now you are making it sound like its a bad thing." I raise a brow. Yes, I'm 18 but not a child anymore.

"No I'm not. I'm just surprised." He takes back his sit on the bench.

"You are not the first person to say that." I avert my from him to look at students walking around, going about their daily life.

We both silent and I can feel his eyes drilling a hole into the side of my face. He really like staring at me, for some weird reasons.

"Me buying you something to eat is not for free, its a favor you owe me." He speaks up breaking the silence.

"Meaning?" I'm so confused right now.

"I'm helping you out, more like a favor. When the time comes and I'm need of your help you're going to help me out." He stands up dusting invisible dirt of his thobe.

"That's the only way I can think of to actually make you eat!"

He looks like he just fell out from one of those Arab vogue magazine or an Arab model.

"Cupcake." He waves his hand in front of my face.

"Na'am!" I quick snap out of my thought.

"Deal?"

"Yeah guess." I shrug, I'm not left with many options.

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I'm so comfortable with Imran, which is something new on my path. Eating lunch with him across the table, we got so engrossing in actually having a conversation without arguing. After the secret spilling conversation we had about his family I realized he is not as bad as I thought. We talked about his goals, ambition and hobbies.

He said his dream is to own the best construction company in Nigeria. He also said he is working towards achieving that with this brother. I also learnt he played football in high school, he was a striker and the captain of the team. He loves basket ball, boxing, car racing and anything sports related except ruby.

He dislikes mushroom, that makes two of us. Loves local Nigeria food because he spent all his life in the northern part of Nigeria. His favorite color is black, in his word black in an exquisite color. We also talk about me, a bit, I'm reluctant about letting him know more about me. He might start asking question that may open up old wounds.

Though I told him the story of how I got the scar on my forehead. That scar has been there since I was in primary one or two. It was closing time and I was walking pass the hallway, my dad was here to pick me up. Two students where fight over something, somehow one of them accidentally push me. I ended up hitting my head on the sharp edge of the wall.

My forehead was gushing out blood, my dad almost lost him mind when he saw my face covered in blood. He took me out of the school that same day. He laugh a couple if times when I told him about how much my sport instructor in high school hated having me on the volleyball team.

I can still picture the scowl on his face, every time he saw me. I think I was his worst nightmare and the worst player he ever had to coach. Trust me I also didn't want to be on the team but somehow my name magically appeared on the list. I tried hard not to get confused during the games but I always got confused and our rivals kept winning.

"Are you serious?" He asks staring at me with amused eyes.

"Like dude I live with my elder brother, I had to love it!"

People find it surprising when I talk about football or say I like football. I guess that what growing up in a house filled with men makes out of you.

I nod in response.

"Well my favorite team, it changes with time!" I chuckle out, me and my indecisive attitude.

"You have to pick one a remain loyal!" He uncaps the bottle and gulps down some water.

"Like I'm a die hearted fan of Barcelona!"

"I'm more loyal to the footballers, like Pogba, Kane, Neymar, Kareem Benzena, Muhammad Salah and the rest....." I cut a piece of my chicken and place it into my mouth.

"Explains why you can't stick to one club."

"Yeah....."

"Since you're so loyal to a club then you must have a favorite footballer. Someone who you think is the best football player." I put down my utensil, giving him my undivided attention.

"For me....." He uses the serviette

to gently pat his mouth. "I think Messi is the best football player!"

"Finally someone who isn't a fan if that egotistic man called Ronaldo." A wide smile is plastered across my face.

"So you're also a fan of Messi?" He asks the amusement not leaving his eyes since we started this conversation.

"Yup......" I nod my head slightly, picking up my utensils.

"Wow...... Actually with Ronaldo its bad blood!"

"Same here...."

That feeling when you naturally don't like someone and still have no hard feelings.

"That something we have in common."

"Yeah ....." My mind drifts to how weird this is, out of the millions of things we could have in common. Its our choice of who is the best football player. Good thing here is amongst the many things we could disagree and argue about one of them won't be Messi.

"Alhamdulillah." I burp out. "Sorry." I apologize to Imran.

"You just finished the entire plate after saying you weren't hungry." He stares at my empty plate in shock.

"That was my pride talking." I gently put down my eating utensil.

"You were really hungry." The disbelieve look still not leaving his face.

I nod in responses.

"I kinda......" The buzzing sound of my phone interrupts me.

Bae

Staring at the screen its Hafsat calling.

"Excuse me I need to pick this." Imran nods in response. I quickly pick up my phone and walk out of the cafeteria.

Once outside I slide the green icon and brought the phone to my ear.

"Yo!" I say into the phone smiling.

"How are you?" She asks from the other end of the line.

"I'm fine, you?" I pace around a bit.

"I'm good."

"So wassup, you called something must be up?" I asks. Knowing she rather text than call.

"I call you once in a while na." I could hear her chuckling.

"Maybe in our next life." I scoff.

"You're a rubbish girl." She chuckle a bit hard. A smile also made its way to my lips.

"Talk oo." I insist, waiting in her to slip the beans.

"I just wanted to tell you I need someone to be at the airport by 8pm to pick me up."

"Okay........we live in two different state." I reply in a duh tone.

"God!" She groan out.

"What?" I reply feeling confused.

"I'm flying down to Yola today, stupid." I could picture her rolling her eyes at me.

"Are you serious?" I need confirmation, last time she said this her flight got cancelled.

"Stop asking me silly questions."

"Yes!!!" I squeal out loud. "I can't wait to see you." I'm already smiling excitedly.

"Same here, just make sure to be at the airport on time."

"Of course I would." I move the phone to my other ear.

"Thanks."

"You are welcome." I reply before hanging up.

She just made my day. After 3 years I get to see her, my heart is racing so fasting I can't contain the excitement I feel.

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