Everyone except Nasike
Nasike was seated at the edge of her bed arranging her books and other necessities she carried from home. Her high school years were trouble-free. A quiet person, all she wanted to do was get through the system and get done with it. The complete opposite of Khalayi, she never understood why she had to fight a system that could not be fought. Yes, she had the resources, the parents and the money; however, she felt that such fights were meaningless. She came to school to study and as long as she made it to the top 10, the system and other school details were balderdash. She had a life to live; it did not matter whether it was within or outside a set system. At the moment, she was thinking of heading to the library to assess the books she would need to borrow for that time. When she stood, she saw a figure smiling at her with a mischievous glint at the corner of her eyes. Her elbow was placed on the edge of the cubicle's door, her body slanted slightly towards the hinges and her legs were crossed over each other. Her relaxed manner made her look like the owner of the school inspecting its progress in passing as opposed to its student. Nasike didn't think much about the student and greeted her as she headed to the door.
'Excuse me, could you please move aside so that I can close the door. Am the only one in the room and since am heading out, it is only prudent…', Nasike trailed off eyeing the student cautiously. Khalayi stood upright and then bent down to pick up her suitcase before heading into the room and placing her backpack on an empty bed.
'Um, I believe that is Cynthia's bed', Nasike stated in passing, a bit uncertain if she might have interfered too much. She was unsure whether she could keep walking and leave the room open or insist on locking it up.
'It is now mine. You can head out. I have a copy of the keys with me', Khalayi replied, dangling the keys on her forefinger. Nasike raised her eyebrows inquisitively but still headed out, avoiding further conversation. The exchange and how it happened was not her concern. Khalayi smiled more as her target disappeared from her eyesight. How boring, I wonder what can move her to the edge. What could be her tipping point? Khalayi mused as she unpacked her stuff, humming 'am bad' by Michael Jackson. A rubber snake fell out of her bag and could have scared her if she had not known better. The sadist her negligently threw it on Nasike's bed and continued unpacking. Once done, she headed out of the room to get supper, closing it behind her.
The dining hall was crowded by different faces she was familiar with, some in her year and others a year or more below her. She took her supper-the standard meal for every student, a combination of beef, rice, kales and a cup of mango juice. It was an improvement from the previous monotonous diet that leaned towards junk food with less dietary value. An idea leaning towards demanding more flitted through her brain but was extinguished immediately by the fact that it could be cliché'. The other students would not buy it. She was a crowd mover but not a miracle worker. An idea had to sale after all.
A group of girls at the corner ate, laughed and talked, catching up about their experiences at home. It was normal teenage banter, who is dating, who got what gift, who went where and many other adventures. They immediately went silent when Khalayi joined them. She smiled lightly as she sat down and scooped her food spoon by spoon. As if she had remembered something, Khalayi jolted, whipped her head up and inquired carelessly 'Dora you got back with Alex from St. Andrews?'. Dora seemed stuck but everyone else begged her to answer since it was the topic they were discussing before Khalayi joined them.
'Um, yeah', Dora replied and was tempted to ask curtly if she had a problem with it but decided against it, knowing the comeback would at least sadden her and at most humiliate her. Khalayi continued eating after commenting that it was good progress too and turned to Angela to admire her tiny pink bunny key holder. Angela excitedly explained how and where she got it. The table was lively once again after 10 minutes, every person throwing caution to the wind, forgetting the bridges that had been burnt sometime during the previous semester. That was her power, or rather skill, to disarm everyone around her and make them comfortable. Bored with the conversation she deemed shallow, she begun planning on how to dampen the lively mood. Her plans took a pause when she saw Nasike holding her food tray while looking for a place she can sit. She hurriedly called her and asked her to join them. Although a bit uncomfortable, Nasike sat down opposite Khalayi and focused on her food, trying to minimize her presence as much as possible.
Khalayi looked at the lady seated opposite her, eating quietly but not timid. As much as she wanted to minimize her presence, the silent confidence and elegance that exuded from her persona could not shelter her. On the contrary, it made her more outstanding. Her prolonged gaze caught the attention of her colleagues.
'Khalayi, you got a new love interest', Cynthia, the colleague she had exchanged rooms with joked.
'Mmmmh, timid but not timid. That confidence is extremely admirable and not bad looking at all. Beautiful in fact. That aloofness pulls at my heartstring. I really want to play around and drag them about a bit. Is that okay?' Khalayi posed, the mischievous glint more pronounced, her eyes still set on Nasike as her folk pierced a piece of meat and threw it in her mouth. The look sent shivers through the table. It was not a good look at all, everyone thought as they thought of how they can escape her. Everyone except Nasike.