Chapter 11

Jesse stood behind the doors, giving the two prefects the privacy they asked for. As he waited, he saw Ben come out of his room with his towel and bucket, slung over his shoulder.

"Hey, aren't you going to take your bath?" Ben called out to him. Jesse noticed Nkansah also getting ready for a shower. "Wait, why are you bathing early? We all bathed around 8 yesterday," Jesse said, confused. "No, yesterday was our first day, so they let us bathe late. Honourable Josh said this is the time we're supposed to bathe," Nkansah explained, breaking his silence. "Honourable Josh?" Jesse furrowed his brows, not knowing who they were referring to. Ben quickly chimed in,

"Oh, Josh is Nkansah's Schoolfather."

"Oh, I see," Jesse replied,

gaining clarity.

Ben then asked if they should wait for Jesse which Jesse declined.

" why are you standing outside?" Ben asked

Jesse scratched his head and replied, "I was told to stand here to give privacy to the prefects in my room. Don't worry, go on. I'll join you soon."

Jesse urged them to go ahead, and they nodded, heading towards the bathroom.

Just as they left, Honourable Dan and a fresher, who Jesse assumed would be his schoolson, approached their room.

"Is Kelvin there?" Honourable Dan asked, his face showing a frown.

"Yes, both Honourable Kelvin and Kwesi are inside," Jesse replied. Honourable Dan questioned why Jesse was standing outside, and Jesse explained, "Well, they told me to give them a little privacy."

So here I am, standing outside the room."

Honourable Dan turned to his schoolson and commanded, "Stand here too."

The boy followed the order and stood there with Jesse.

Honourable Dan entered the room to find out why they needed privacy. "It's not easy being in the prefects' room. I wish I was in the normal dorm with the Form 3s. At least I would have more friends since there are more than 10 in a room." Honourable Dan's schoolson thought out aloud.

"Well, I think you should thank your stars because at least you still have one fresher," Jesse said

"No, Honourable Dan has a room to himself So I'm alone," The boy said

"Yes, he's the House Prefect." He added when he saw Jesse's confusion.

"Oh, so you mean all the House Prefects have their rooms? What's the name of the other House Prefect?" Jesse asked.

"It's Arthur." The boy reminded him

Jesse was about to say something when the door opened, and Honourable Kelvin came out, now dressed in his prep attire.

He glanced at Jesse for a moment before his gaze landed on the boy, who was staring down at the floor. Honourable Kelvin gave them one more look before making his way out of the house.

Just then, Honourable Dan emerged with a smile on his face. "You should bathe now. I'll be locking the house exactly at 5. I don't want to lock you in, I mean both of you," Honourable Dan said to both Jesse and the boy as he started to leave. The boy hurriedly ran after him to catch up, and they went back to their room.

So, Jesse walked into the room and saw Honourable Kwesi all set to leave. Jesse casually asked, "Hey, didn't you take a bath?" Honourable Kwesi replied, "Nah, I'll do it in the evening." Jesse was a bit confused and said, "I thought we were only allowed to bathe at that time yesterday." Honourable Kwesi explained, "Yeah, but prefects can shower anytime, it's normal. Anyways, gotta go. See you later, buddy, and hurry before the house gets locked." And with that, Honourable Kwesi bid Jesse goodbye and left.

Jesse sat there for a moment before deciding to take his bath. Luckily, the bathroom wasn't too crowded. He went back to the room, put on the same green checked uniform he wore during the day and made a mental note to wash it tomorrow. After grabbing his lunch bag and schoolbag, he headed out as usual. Jesse tried to call Ben, but this time Nkansah joined in. They all went for supper together, but Jesse didn't like the school's food. So, he went to the school's market to buy something tasty. The other two waited for him to finish eating before they headed to their respective prep classes.

During prep, Jesse chatted with Gideon, a cheerful guy who loved to laugh. They had a great conversation while Nkansah read the story Jesse had brought along. When prep was finally over, they made their way back to the house. They had to wait for a while since the house prefects hadn't arrived yet to open the house. But once it was opened, they all went inside.

After bidding Nkansah and Ben goodnight, Jesse swiftly retreated to his room. Adorning himself in vibrant pink pyjamas adorned with teddy bears, he lounged on his bed, eagerly anticipating the arrival of the other two. Two hours later, a dynamic entrance unfolded as Honourable Kwesi and Kelvin burst in.

"Already asleep?" Kwesi queried, nonchalantly tossing his books onto the bed and collapsing on his bed with an exaggerated sigh. Meanwhile, Kelvin, sporting a stoic expression, entered the room, leaving Jesse torn between greeting him and prying into his day

Without a chance to utter a word, Kelvin exited with a stone face, presumably off for a bath. "Hold on, Kev, let me grab my things. We'll bathe together," Kwesi declared, changing into a bathing robe. The duo left the room, leaving Jesse in contemplation.

Post-bathing, Jesse found himself wide awake. Gazing up from his bed, his eyes locked onto Kelvin, who reciprocated the intense gaze. There was an unspoken tension in the air, Jesse captivated by Kelvin's midnight black eyes, unable to look away.