Chapter 14

The tension in the hall was palpable as he addressed the latecomer, revealing her name as Emma

Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she quickly composed herself and with a sheepish smile, she stepped forward and offered a tangible excuse.

"Apologies for the tardiness," Emma began, her voice carrying a hint of nervousness. "I got a bit turned around during the campus tour and lost track of time.  I'm a day student and today is my first time here this won't happen again, I promise."

As she spoke, some of the tension in the hall eased, and a few sympathetic smiles appeared. However, Honourable Kelvin's expression remained stern, his gaze unwavering. In an unexpected move, he seized the opportunity to assert his authority.

"Freshers," Kelvin declared, his voice cutting through the subdued atmosphere, "let this be a lesson. Punctuality is crucial at Harmony High. Disorganization will not be tolerated. Emma, your tardiness will serve as a reminder to all."

With a slight nod, he continued, "As a consequence, Emma will be responsible for arranging the chairs and sweeping the entire assembly hall after today's orientation. Consider this a chance to learn the value of time management i don't care about the dumb reason she gave I hope this serve as a deterrent to all"

The hall fell silent, the air heavy with a newfound tension. Honourable Kelvin, left an indelible mark, instilling a sense of apprehension among the freshers.

As the orientation continued, the whispers among the students carried an additional weight of fear for Honourable Kelvin's authoritative demeanour.

The orientation finally concluded for they would continue it on the next day which would emphasize mainly the various house rules.

As lunchtime arrived, Jesse found himself once again opting for the familiar comfort of the school's market. Ben, his trusty companion, couldn't help but question Jesse's persistent avoidance of the school's food.

"So when are you going to eat the school's food?" Ben finally asked, eyeing Jesse curiously as they stood in the bustling market.

"I'm not used to the food they cook here," Jesse replied nervously, eyeing the long queue that awaited him.

"Jesse, you're going to let them finish eating the food without me," Ben complained. "I promise I'll buy one for you with a lot of meat if that happens. Just stay with me," Jesse lured him, successfully diffusing the situation.

With only about six people ahead of Jesse in the queue, they waited patiently, discussing their plans for the afternoon. As they stood in line, they noticed Honourable Kwesi and Honourable Zoe approaching. The two prefects took their place behind the food seller, placing their orders.

"Isn't this cheating?" Ben whispered to Jesse, his eyes fixed on the prefects.

"Well, I think it's one of their privileges as a prefect," Jesse whispered back. They observed Honourable Kwesi and Honourable Zoe completing their purchases before they thought of leaving.

However, Honourable Kwesi surprised Jesse by pulling him out of the queue, leaving Ben and Jesse both baffled. "Hey, do you know how long it took me to get there?" Jesse almost yelled.

"Oh? Well, I bought you one when I saw you in line. The prefects are coming soon to buy theirs, and the seller will probably serve them instead of you guys, so take it," Honourable Kwesi explained, handing Jesse a bag with food. Jesse looked at Ben, equally surprised.

"He bought too much for me. Why don't we eat it together?" Jesse suggested. "Alright, the aroma is calling me anyway," Ben agreed, and the two boys decided to skip lunch, finding a bench in the market to enjoy their waakye.

As the day came to a close, the trio headed back to their houses to freshen up and prepare for mandatory prep. Entering his room, Jesse found it empty. He grabbed his washing essentials and headed to the bathroom. After washing, he returned to the room, changing into fresh clothes.

Upon his return, Jesse noticed Honourable Kwesi in the room.

The confrontation Jesse had feared seemed inevitable, he thought maybe Honourable Kelvin had told Honourable Kwesi of what happened in the morning.

"Good day," Jesse smiled nervously, ready to face the consequences if Honourable Kelvin had shared the morning incident.

"Oh, good day, son," Honourable Kwesi responded.

"I'm not your son," Jesse retorted.

"Right."

"Thanks for the food, by the way. I appreciate it."

"No worries."

"You have a lot of money to be buying food always, don't you?" Honourable Kelvin asked as he started to eat his cornflakes.

"You too, papa. I always see you buying food too," Jesse countered with a playful smirk.

The door burst open, and Honourable Kelvin entered, his usual stern expression sending shivers down Jesse's spine. He wished the earth would split open and swallow him, feeling flushed as his heart raced. Unaware of his fast breathing, he avoided eye contact when Kelvin's gaze landed on him.

"Kev, you didn't eat today, did you?" Honourable Kwesi asked studying his fatigued expression; he was familiar enough to discern he hadn't had a meal.

Kelvin, silent, headed straight to his room. Putting his bag down, he lay on his bed, contemplating the day's hectic schedule.  He had to write a report on the orientation they did which made him miss both his breakfast and lunch.

He sighed as thoughts of a previous encounter with Honourable Kwesi's schoolson surfaced.

The room stirred with movement, and there was the boy Jesse, whom Kelvin loathed. "What do you want this time?" he asked, noticing Jesse couldn't meet his gaze.

"Honourable Kwesi said I should bring you the flakes." Jesse hesitated, extending the box toward Kelvin. "Tell him I'm okay," Kelvin whispered, eyes closed.

"It's almost 5, Honourable Kelvin. Having an empty stomach will cause an ulcer. I can walk to buy rice for you if you want, I don't min—"

"Get out!" Kelvin interrupted, eyes now open. Jesse, meeting Kelvin's gaze, asked shakily, "Why do you hate me that much?"

Kelvin smiled menacingly. "I know what you're up to, and the reason I haven't taken action is because of your school father," he said in a low, threatening voice.

"What are you talking about?" Jesse managed to say. Kelvin sat up, locking eyes with Jesse. " what I'm trying to say is that I'm not into boys, leave now," he calmly stated, lying back down with his eyes closed making his lashes rest above his cheeks.

Jesse approached slowly, placing the box of cornflakes beside Kelvin. "I'm going to change that, Honourable Kelvin," he whispered before exiting.