I sat in the library, two desks away from Uche as per his idea. He says he doesn't want to be a distraction considering the math competition coming up next week.
I couldn't convince him that he wasn't a distraction because he in ,fact, was, but I loved that distraction. I shouldn't have let him sweet talk me into signing up for the competition; I don't even know what course to pick for college if we won the competition and were offered the promised scholarship.
I stopped staring at the textbook in front of me and looked up to see Uche's head buried in his book, muttering to himself as he solved. It was my idea to read, but here he was doing just that, and I couldn't even find my book interesting anymore.
"You need help?" Uche startled me from behind, surprising me.
"I thought you were..." I got confused ofaboutow he came up behind me without me noticing.
"You're not reading," he sat next to me.
"I've lost interest."
"No, you haven't, you just need a reading partner." He quietly pulled his chair closer to mine and brought my textbook in between us."Where'd you stop?"
"Here," I pointed to the first paragraph of the chapter and caught his brow arch in surprise.
"Really? All this time?"
"I told you. I lost interest." I replied in defedefence he shook his head with a light smile."All right, here's what we'll do..."
***
"Who knows what goes there?" Our teacher asked in class after explaining the topic. It was the same topic I studied with Uche in the library. I looked in his direction and smiled, happy that I knew the topic before the teacher taught it.
Maybe reading beforehand wasn't bad at all.
Nobody was raising their hands so our teacher got mad."If someone doesn't tell me what number goes next in this calculation, we'll do a test right now and I'll make sure to use it in your final results."
The whole murmured and mumbled with most of the class not knowing the topic and not willing to learn it from our teacher because he was...well...boring with it.
I knew how to solve the question he had on the board but I wasn't about to get on my feet and answer in front of the whole class; I wasn't that brave yet.
"No one?" The teacher asked in a threatening voice and when no one said anything, he strolled back to his desk and turned to us."Everyone get out a sheet of paper."
"But sir..." Someone in front wanted to plead but he wasn't having it.
"Get. Out. A. Piece. Of. Paper. Everyone!" He really was angry."I don't understand how I've been explaining this for the past twenty minutes and none of you, not one person can tell me what I want!"
"Let me try," Uche raised his hands and everyone turned to him. I was wondering why he hadn't helped the class earlier.
"Not you," the teacher ignored his offer and folded his arms, waiting for everyone to prepare a paper as he requested.
"Sir, that's not fair, you said anyone could answer." April voiced out from the back and the whole class mumbled in support.
"Anybody but Uche. It's like he's the one I talk to every time I teach. Someone else. Maybe you April, can you help the class?" Our teacher asked her and she shook her head slowly."Rid your desks of anything that isn't a piece of paper and a pen."
I heard Casey sigh and reach for one of her books to tear out a piece of its leaves."I hate the class." She muttered.
I looked over at Uche. He had gotten out his paper and pen and was ready, and others were getting theirs. Just when I wanted to look away, he turned his eyes to me.
I took in a deep breath before slowly and shyly raising my hand for the teacher to notice me. He looked up from his tablet where he was planning to read questions from.
"Do you know the answer?"
"I think so," I shrugged just so in case I wasn't correct like I thought.
"Give it a try then," The teacher encouraged and I felt my throat go dry when I opened my mouth to speak. All eyes were on me, waiting to hear what I'd say. I felt the anxiety creeping up my spine slowly and prayed I wasn't physically fidgeting.
"Julie?" The teacher called and brought me out of my thoughts so I looked over at Uche and he smiled.
"17. 25." I forced the words out and the teacher stared at me blankly, maybe surprised that I knew the answer or maybe just impressed, I couldn't tell.
"How did you get that answer?" He dropped the tablet, folded his arms and leaned a bit on his desk after he asked me.
"I...I solved it."
"Where? Let me see," He requested but I immediately shook my head.
"I solved it in my head...it's not written down anywhere."
"In your head, huh?" He was surprised I could solve it, it was clear now."You don't mind showing the class how you got your answer, do you?"
Actually, sir, I do. I do don't.
But I didn't say that to him because I knew he wasn't asking for me to say yes or no, he was asking me to come solve it and I had to.
I cursed in my mind forever raising my hand and swore not to ever do it again as I got out of my seat and walked towards the teacher in front of the class.
"Here," The teacher handed me a board marker and I faced the whiteboard. I've never felt my hands tremble so much, not even when my mum overdosed.
I rounded up my calculations and arrived at 17.25. I turned around and the teacher had a proud smile on his face.
"Now that wasn't so hard, was it? If you all could just know basic things like this..." He took the marker from me and went back to my seat, doing my best not to look at the many eyes that were both angry with me and grateful that I solved the question.
"There's a mistake in solving, but your answer is correct, good one, Julie." The teacher smiled."Uche, come up here and see if you can detect her mistake."
I watched attentively to see what mistake of mine Uche would correct. He stood in front of the board, now with the teacher's marker. Uche wiped the last two lines of my solving and resolved it.