CHAPTER ONE

First day of final session 

Tracey Damson was the most popular girl in Einstein High School and it was not because she was intelligent. Although she was a bright student, her popularity owed nothing to that. It was the first day of her final session as a student at Einstein High School—or EHS—and she returned to school as beautiful as ever. She was dropped off at the school gate by her Dad's driver, who had instruction to come back as fast as lightning so as to drive Mr. Damson to court. Mr. Damson was a prosecutor, tough enough for lawyers to fear, and wanted Tracey to read law, although she chose to go into science and aspired to read medicine. 

Tracey started for the office of House Master with her luggage in her hand. Her nose straight and slim like knife, she touched it every so often as it was the most complimented of her looks after her spotless brown skin. She had grown much taller and looked to have put on some weight too. She was in her uniform—the short-sleeved white shirt, black tie and black skirt. At House Master's, students queued in two lines with their luggage for clearance. 

"Tracey, hi," said one student. "Tracey, you're just coming?" said another student. Tracey either nodded or smiled as the students, the boys mostly, made efforts for her attention. She didn't join the queue; she walked forward along the female queue on her right; she looked at their faces—most who were seniors like her were long-faced but the juniors were all smiles. 

"Tracey!" shouted Caro, coming out of House Master's office. 

"Caro!" screamed Tracey.

They ran into each other's arms and hugged tightly and emotionally like a family reuniting after many years apart. Holding each other's hands, they went to sit in one of the classrooms at the end of which was the staff room. Caro and Tracey were classmates and best friends.

"I have collected the key to our room," Caro said, opening her fist to display the key.

"You're late, you know. If I weren't on time, other girls could've had it."

"There was traffic, but I'm glad you got our old room again."

"Have you seen Banks?" Caro said. "He has been asking of you."

"No, and why is he asking of me? I've told him I can't be his girlfriend."

"Hmm, are you still thinking of Kelly?"

"Kelly, my foot!" Tracey put off her backpack. "I have moved on, girl. That was lo-o-ng in the past." 

She unzipped the bag and fetched out some chocolate biscuits. "There you go," she said, handing them to Caro. 

"Aww, thank you," Caro said; the two hugged lightly; then: "Let's go to hostel."

"I haven't done my clearance. Is it okay?"

"We seniors don't need to do clearance, as long as one of us has received the key to their room."

"Oh, that's fine then," Tracey said and they started for hostel.

There was a can't-wait look in Geoffrey's face. His aunt, Mrs. Fletcher, had been in the room since the last one hour she said she was dressing. Geoffrey sat antsy in the living room, his face hung between his hands and his elbows upright against his thighs. He looked up constantly at the clock over the TV.

He was in the uniform of his new school and couldn't wait anymore to see the school. His aunt had told him that it was the best boarding school in New York and that it was a miracle getting its admission for him as a transferrer. Suddenly, the power went out, the TV quieted, and he could now hear his aunt's and her husband's voices in a fight about him. 

"You have never done anything for him," said Mrs. Fletcher, "and now you want to stop me too?"

"All I'm saying is be careful with him," said Mr. Fletcher.

"I should be careful with my own nephew? Listen to yourself!"

"Yes, be careful," said Mr. Fletcher, his voice rising even more. "You know what his mother did to his father."

"You're unbelievable. He could be hearing you."

"And what if he is?"

"See," Mrs. Fletcher remonstrated, "I have nothing more to say on this. I'm taking him to the school today, with or without your approval."

"Good! And when he causes trouble there, don't bring it into my hearing," Mr. Fletcher said and left the room.

He stopped in the living room and stared at Geoffrey, who drooped his head to avoid eye contact. Mr. Fletcher sighed and went out; Geoffrey rose and breathed relieved. A little later he heard the room door jammed.

"I'm sorry," said Mrs. Fletcher, putting her iPhone 12 into her handbag. "We're late. Let's go now."

She hopped in her car and switched the gear to reverse, Geoffrey holding the gate. He also hopped in and off she drove.

Tracey, Caro and other students on the assembly ground watched as Mr. Ezekiah announced the titles and names of new prefects. There were three key positions he hadn't called yet.

"I can't believe they made him sports prefect," Tracey said to Caro.

"Do you mean Kelly?" Caro asked. "He might be a bad guy as everybody says, but he's the most capable athlete in the school."

"Athlete, my foot! He is just an arrogant guy, a bully." 

"Look at him," Caro touched her shoulder to Tracey's. "He's winking at you."

Tracey hissed and frowned at Kelly, who stood amongst the announced prefects lining horizontally in front of the students. 

After a terse chat with the physics teacher, Mr. Ezekiah returned to call the last three prefects.

"The Library Perfect," announced Mr. Eze, coughing intently, "is Tracey Damson."

Caro and many students clamored in excitement, especially the juniors and the boys from Tracey's set. Tracey walked elegantly through claps and hypes to the front and stood far from Kelly. 

Mr. Ezekiah continued, "The Head Girl of this year 2022 session is—" The students shouted, "Caro! Caro!" Caro smiled embarrassed. She focused on her right-foot shoe scratching the ground.

"The Head Girl is," Mr. Ezekiah continued again, "Caroline Peter." Caro walked to the front, keeping her head down and her mouth covered with her hand. She rested her head against Tracey's smiling shoulder and kept her mouth covered.

"And the Head Boy of this year 2022 session is—" The students, taking over from Mr. Ezekiah again, shouted, "Banks! Banks!" 

"Banks Coker," Mr. Eze announced, laughing.

Banks Coker walked to the front. He was very tall, fair-complexioned, and reckoned to be the smartest student.

CHAPTER TWO 

Welcome to EHS!

Geoffrey and Mrs. Fletcher arrived at Einstein High School. Cleared at the gate, they drove down into the school. Geoffrey looked through the car windscreen at the tall buildings in far distance, thinking, "There was no exaggeration in my aunt's words about this school." 

The car parked outside the staff room, Mrs. Fletcher reached for her handbag in the back seat and pressed down on the car trunk-button by the bottom of the driver's seat and hopped off. The students gazed from their classrooms' windows at Geoffrey fetching his luggage from the trunk. He had shining, darkened afro and wore a one-handed khaki schoolbag from his left shoulder. He shut the trunk closed and kept beside Mrs. Fletcher now speaking with Mr. Ezekiah. 

"But you're late, Mrs. Fletcher," said Mr. Ezekiah. "The school resumed yesterday and we've had our assembly already this morning."

"I'm so sorry, sir," said Mrs. Fletcher. 

"Geoffery, how are you?" said Mr. Ezekiah, turning his gaze to Geoffrey.

"I'm good, sir," said Geoffrey, in a confident, studently voice.

"Alright," said Mr. Ezekiah. "Let's go to see the Principal."

The Principal asked them to wait, to round off with the visitors in her office. Kelly, the new sports prefect, was inside the office too. His parents had been invited as a result of a disturbance he and two other students caused last term—beating up a fellow student from their set but not their class. David, the boy beaten up, was also inside with his parents.

The principal had Kelly and his parents apologize to David and his parents and give their words that such a thing would never happen again.

"Okay, please you may leave now," said the Principal to them. "Mr. Ezekiah, please come in."

Kelly and Geoffrey brushed each other's shoulders in the doorway and he turned back and, with a frown, looked at Geoffrey go into the office. Geoffrey stood behind his aunt, laying his hands over each other before him, as Mr. Ezekiah sat in the chair beside Mrs. Fletcher's.

"I'm sorry we are just coming, Mrs. Coker," said Mrs. Fletcher.

"I told you about how we're principled here," said Principal. "If you hadn't come today, the admission would have been revoked. I have discussed it with Mr. Ezekiah already."

The Principal stared at Geoffrey from behind her glasses. "Is he your nephew?" she asked, nodding to him.

"Yes, ma," replied Mrs. Fletcher, dragging Geoffrey out onto her side by the wrist. "He is my elder sister's son. And he is of good character."

"We shall see about that," said Principal. "I have accepted his admission only because of his outstanding results from his former school."

"Thank you, ma'am," Geoffrey put in. 

"You're in the art, right?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Okay, you'll join our art class here. And you've to buckle down. Our students here are best of the best."

"I will do my best."

"Please, show him to the class, Mr. Eze, and call House Master for me so that his accomodation can be arranged for as well."

"Alright, ma," said Mr. Ezekiah. 

As they left the office, Mr. Ezekiah told Geoffrey to leave his luggage at the staff room until closing time, when his accomodation would've been sorted out. Mrs. Fletcher thanked Mr. Ezekiah for his hospitality and said few private words to Geoffrey before taking her leave. 

Mr. Ezekiah started for the senior students' building with Geoffrey. On the way, he asked if Geoffrey was good at English, and added that he was the English and Literature-in-English teacher, and then: "The best student at both English and Literature currently is Banks Coker, the Head Boy of the school and Principal's son. You should get along with him. I see you're intelligent yourself." They entered the art class.

"Good morning, Sir!" greeted the students. The girls among them looked at one another's eyes and talked silently about Geoffrey's handsome face. One whispered, her hand covering the corner of her mouth, "His eyebrows are so wide and dark."

"Good morning!" said Mr. Ezekiah, walking back and fore, his left hand cuffing his right wrist behind him. He wore grey trousers and a white turtlenecked sweater. "I'm introducing Geoffrey Richard to you as a newly transferred student. Treat him kindly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sir!" the students answered in chorus. 

"Geoffery, say something to your classmates," said Mr. Ezekiah, moving into the center of the class.

"Hi, my name's Geoffrey Richard. I'm happy to be in your midst." As his eyes traveled about, he caught sight of David at the back of the class, keeping on an expressionless face, folding his arms to his chest. 

"You're welcome, Geoffrey," spoke Banks, the Head Boy. "You can sit here." He waved Geoffrey to the seat next to his and directly in front of David's. 

After Geoffrey had settled in the seat, Mr. Ezekiah took the marker and wrote the date and the topic—Concord—to discuss. He wrote a wrong sentence (The boy, as well as his father, are here.) on the board and asked the students to correct it. Banks walked up to the board and rewrote the sentence as "The boy and his father are here." 

"You're not wrong," said Mr. Ezekiah to Banks, "but you're not correct, either. You have written a new sentence, not correct mine. Geoffrey, would you like to try?" 

Geoffrey started for the board, the students watching him interestingly. He acquired the marker from Banks and wrote his own version as "The boy, as well as his father, is here."

"Correct!" shouted Mr. Ezekiah. "Clap for him." 

The whole class clapped so noisily that some science students next class sneaked up to the art class corridors to see what was happening. They took information back to the rest and unveiled it very amusingly, saying, "Banks lost an English quiz to the new, transferred student."

"Did you hear that?" Caro said to Tracey. "They say some transferred student won over Banks in an English quiz."

"So?" Tracey said, her head bent over her book, writing.

"I'm just saying," Caro said. "Banks may start to feel embarrassed in front of you because of this."

"That's his problem," Tracey replied coldly. 

"Have you no feelings for him? Nothing at all?"

"No, I have not," Tracey said and dropped her pen over the book. "And, in addition, I'm not interested in anybody. I just want to focus on this last session so that my medicine dream can become reality."

"Well, you said it well," Caro said. "Moreso, considering what you went through in Kelly's hands, I support it."

"I don't want to talk about that cheat anymore. I'm sick as it is that we're in the same class."

"As your lordship wishes—hmm, but, I'm curious, who is this guy that beat Banks?"

CHAPTER THREE

A face-off with the Villain

"Hi, I'm Geoffrey," said Geoffrey to David. He had been curious as to why David sat by himself when other students interacted with one another in the class.

"Hi," said David, weakly, barely opening his mouth.

"You're David, right? I heard your name while at the Principal's office before."

David said nothing, but the blank expression on his face had started to mold into a light smile of potential friendship. He was the first classmate Geoffrey had spoken with one-to-one since his short introduction speech to the class. 

"The bell has rung for breakfast," said David. "Let's go to the kitchen." 

"Oh," said Geoffrey, "I didn't know there was a kitchen."

"It's a boarding school, so, of course, there should be a kitchen. Unless you have big money to spend on outdoor food."

David had started to speak more comfortably to Geoffrey. And this couldn't make Geoffrey any happier nor prouder as he loved to uplift people's spirits. They went out into the kitchen and took breakfast and were watched eating by students who wondered if they had known each other out of school. After breakfast, as they were walking around the school, David asked what sport Geoffrey liked.

"I like football," said Geoffrey. "And I played well in my former school's team."

"There's a football team here too," replied David. "But it's captained by Kelly. I would advise you not join."

"Why?"

"You can join the basketball team. Banks is their captain. That'd be better."

"Aren't you going to tell me about the kind of guy Kelly is?"

"He is a bully," said David. 

"I heard part of the discussion at the Principal's office, although I didn't mean to eavesdrop. I'm sorry for what you've been through." 

Geoffrey put his hand onto David's shoulder. David was much shorter, but they had almost the same body size, both being broad shouldered and slim.

"He pursued me out of the team," David said. "He threatened me that if I didn't quit, I would lose one of my legs in a match against him. One thing about that bully is he hates players getting praised, whether his team members or the opponents. He wants everything for himself, even when he does very little in a match."

"Such a self-centered bastard!" Geoffrey said, and they both laughed out loud, almost heading different ways. 

"Well," Geoffrey continued, after they came back together, "I will join the football team. In fact, let's go to the field. You know where, don't you?"

When they got to the field, where the football team trained, the Coach was no other man than Mr. Ezekiah. He clenched a whistle in his mouth and blew as he ran with the players, ahead of them sometimes, behind them sometimes, and beside them sometimes. He had changed into green Adidas pants and a green custom-made Nike jersey. Now, he blew the whistle for the players to take a short break. Kelly and the rest of the team ran toward where drinking water was stored in a large covered bucket with a tap close to its bottom and rubber cups next to it. Mr. Ezekiah saw Geoffrey and David watching from behind the goal post and walked up to them.

"Are you interested in football?" asked Mr. Ezekiah.

"Yes, Sir," answered Geoffrey. "I would like to join the team."

"What about David?" asked Mr. Ezekiah. "Do you want to come back to the team?"

"No, Sir, I have only escorted him here," answered David.

"What position do you play, Geoffrey?" asked Mr. Ezekiah.

"Ten, Sir."

"Amazing! Unfortunately, we've been a striker short since David quit. I think you can fill in."

"Thank you, Sir," Geoffrey said.

"Don't mention it! I am eager to see your skills. Are you ready to play your first match?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Alright, go change into the team jersey. David will show you to the dress room."

The players ready for the second half, Mr. Ezekiah announced that a new player was joining the game and the team. He waved to Geoffrey jogging onto the training ground. He put on black boots and the black school-customized jersey. On the front of it was written EHS, in white paint; on the back, the number 10.

Mr. Ezekiah patted Geoffrey on the shoulder as he introduced him to the side to play for. The side was playing against Kelly's and was two goals behind from the first half. Kelly smirked at Geoffrey when their eyes contacted. His lips drifted toward the left corner of his mouth and three yellowed teeth in the corner flashed like traffic light at Geoffrey. 

The whistle blown, the match begun, Geoffrey got the ball under his foot from a long pass and was running with it at an Mbappe-like speed. He dribbled past the opponent's defense and shot the ball into the net.

"Goal!" David shouted first.

The players circled Geoffrey, some touching his afro, some his jersey. The opponents, too, looked struck by the shot, especially Kelly, who looked like a baby whose ice cream just kissed the ground. The match resumed and Geoffrey got an across from the left wing and scored the equalizer. A little later, the final whistle blew, with the game ending in a draw. 

"That was a good play," said Mr. Eze to Geoffrey.

"Thank you, Sir," said Geoffrey, shyly, driving a finger underneath his nose. 

"Go and wash up and change," said Mr. Eze. "David, you come with me."

Geoffrey made his way toward the dress room and, suddenly, got waylaid by Kelly and his two underlings.

"Nice skills," Kelly said, blasting chewing gum. 

"Oh, thanks," Geoffrey said. "You were superb too"; and continued toward the dress room.

"Are you going to change?" Kelly asked.

"Yes," Geoffrey said, turning back to the three. But he was surprised at the unnecessary question, because he was holding his uniform and thought anybody could be able to tell what he was going to do.

"The waters don't work in there. You have to use that restroom over there," Kelly said, pointing Geoffrey to a building in a bit far distance. 

"Oh, thank you," Geoffrey said and went toward the new direction. Kelly and his friends looked at each other and laughed. 

Outside the building, Geoffrey saw nobody around and started getting suspicious. But he went in and then into one of the bathrooms and ran the shower and then changed into his uniform. As he started for the door going out of the building, he almost crushed into Tracey.

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Caro said in an angry tone. 

"I'm Geoffrey and I have come to take a bath."

"Are you saying you didn't know this is a female restroom?" Caro asked.

"What? A female restroom? I had no idea. I was directed here. And when I got here I saw nothing to indicate it was for females. Believe me, I had no idea." His voice started to shake. Tracey looked at him as he spoke fast but clearly and correctly.

"I will report this," Caro said. "What is your full name and class?"

"Oh, please," Geoffrey begged. "I'm a new student, Geoffrey Richard. This is my first day. I'm in the art class, senior."

"You're our mate?" Tracey said, hair imprisoned in a black beret.

"Wait, wait," Caro said, demonstrating with her arms like a traffic policeman. "Are you the new student who won Banks in a quiz?"

"Yes, I'm that student. But I won nobody. It wasn't a quiz per se but a question we both answered well."

His modest words put a smile on Tracey's face as she kept looking at him and swiping a finger over her nose.

"I will still report this, nonetheless," Caro said.

"Please, Caro," Tracey intercepted. "He said he didn't know. Moreover, the plate spelling 'Females Only' had been stolen from the entrance since last term. Spare this dude."

"Hmm," Caro said, "I will do as she said, but don't come back here."

"That needn't be pointed out again," he said. "Thank you, ladies."

"You're welcome, Geo-o-ffrey?" Tracey said, dragging the name. 

"Yes, Geoffrey," he said. "Tracey and Caro, I will remember the names." He said and went out into the sun. Tracey and Caro turned around and watched him walking. The sun shone on his big afro and water from the bath streamed down the back of his ears into his shirt. 

"He is a gentle guy," Caro said.

"I know right," Tracey said, smiling, wrapping her tie round a finger.

CHAPTER FOUR

Night class

Geoffrey sat idle in the classroom. This wasn't odd to him, for, from his former school, he had learned that revisions went down the most in senior classes and that teachers seldom visited. They would come only when they had to teach you something old you might have learned on your own or wanted you to run an errand for them; only the enthusiasts among them, teachers like Mr. Ezekiah, would come because they enjoyed teaching, he thought.

He turned around in his chair and saw David's sleepy head down on the desk. He had wanted to ask him to go to the library together, but saw that was impossible now, and so went by himself. The library overcrowded with books so that some sat on the shelves and some on the floor. And the tables were divided with long plywood in order that readers had no clue who sat in front of them. 

Geoffrey picked up a book from the piles on the floor and settled in the seat where he would only gear his head a little backward to look up at the afternoon sky. The library was quiet, not completely but enough for the librarian, himself busy on a book, not to walk around to maintain order. 

About ten minutes into the book, Geoffrey saw the shadow of a person suddenly come up over the page. He made a quick U-turn and behind him stood the library prefect, Tracey Damson, obstructing the light in the window and smiling down at him. 

"That's Things Fall Apart you're reading," she said. 

"Yes," he said.

"Can I sit beside you?"

"Yes please."

She pulled out the chair beside him, ironed her hands from her waist down her skirt as she sat, and then, pointing to the book in front of him, said, "That's my favorite African book and author, Chinua Achebe."

"I love the book too," he said. "This is my third time reading it."

"Is he your favorite African author as well?" she asked.

"No, but he is one of my favorites."

"Who is your first favorite?"

"Wole Soyinka."

"The Nobel Laureate that writes with big English?" 

"It is his style."

"I have never finished a book by him. I always give up when it starts giving me headache."

"But I enjoy his books. I learn new words from them."

"That's because you're an art student," she said. " Where was your former school?"

"Pennsylvania."

"You're from Pennsylvania?"

"No, I'm from New York," he said. "But I lived in Pennsylvania for a long time with my Grandma. She is from there."

"Oh, I am from New York too, and I haven't been allowed to leave—not even once."

She had been looking at the side of his face to her, for he kept his eyes down on the book before him.

"Can we be friends, Geoffrey?"

He turned his face now, pursed his lower lip, and said, "Yes."

Unexpectedly, Banks grew out of the seat in front of them. They looked shocked, as though they had seen a ghost. They watched him pack the books he had unshelved to read. He returned the books to their positions and exited. 

Tracey rested her cheek over the back of her hand, standing her elbow against the brown wooden table. She stared on at Geoffrey as he flipped pages one after the other. 

When the day's final bell rang, she asked if Geoffrey would be coming to class in the night to read. He hesitated before answering that he would. As they made their steps toward the door, they were seen by two students, both of them girls and juniors, heading for the shelves.

"Are they in a relationship?" one of the girls said to the other.

"I think so," the other said.

"How about Kelly?" the first girl said.

"Didn't you hear they broke up?" the other girl said.

"I hear they always break up and come back together."

"They broke up finally last term. You know their classmate is my school mother. She told me everything."

"What happened please?"

"Kelly cheated on her with one of their classmates and that girl brought her friends to Tracey's room to laugh at her. They nearly got into a fight. Since then, Tracey stopped talking to Kelly."

"Ehhh!" The first girl opened her mouth in big surprise.

"You know what's more?"

"What?"

"Banks likes her but has been turned down many times."

"What kind of girl would turn Banks down?"

"Only Tracey, of course. The most beautiful girl of EHS." The two girls laughed and went out. 

Outside, more students stared at them as Geoffrey said goodbye to Tracey and started for class. Inside the class, he found David stretching his arms out and yawning. 

"You slept a lot today," he said to David and smiled. Then he brought out his hands from his pockets and walked up to the desk for his bag.

"Did you go somewhere?" David asked.

"Yes, I had been at the library. You were asleep when I was going and I did not want to break your sleep."

"You should have. I was sleeping because there was nothing else I thought I could do. Please wake me up next time."

"Okay, next time," he said. After he wore the bag on his shoulder, he said, "Get your bag and let's go. We're the only ones in the class."

David put his bag on his back and they stepped out. Passing along the corridors, they heard some students talking amongst themselves about seeing the new student and Tracey together. 

"You and Tracey?" David asked, surprised.

"Are they talking about that?" Geoffrey said.

"You and Tracey were together today?" he asked again.

"Yes, I haven't told you yet because you were sleeping."

"What? What happened?" David asked, widening his eyes and focusing on Geoffrey's lips. 

"That Kelly guy almost got me into trouble today. Remember when I was going to wash up? He ambushed me with his friends and lied that there was no water in the males restroom and pointed me to another restroom in the distance. I went there and washed up, and while coming out, I almost put my face in Tracey's."

David laughed out, and then: "Sorry I laughed. So you went to the females restroom?" He laughed again.

"I didn't know! Anyway, Tracey's friend insisted on reporting me, but no, thanks to Tracey."

"Tracey? Really?"

"Yes. She stopped her. She's a good girl, my friend now."

"Your friend? You really want to go head-on with Kelly?"

"How does this concern Kelly?"

"Kelly is her ex-boyfriend."

"Oh, really?"

"They were together for three years before breaking up last term."

"Why did they break up?"

"I hear he cheated on her with a girl from their class. Plus, she was already tired of his bullying other students around. But Kelly still likes her. He even confronted Banks because of her."

"The same Banks?"

"Yes. Banks likes Tracey. A lot. Everybody knows. He had liked her even before she started dating Kelly. I think it's true that girls love bad guys.

"Wow!" Geoffrey expressed surprise.

"You know what's funny? Banks get lots of advances from girls which he turned down because he has eyes for only Tracey. Most of the girls he turned down now mock him for not getting Tracey despite her not being together with Kelly anymore."

"Tracey may just want to be on her own, you know?" Geoffrey said.

"But she is being nice to you, huh?" David brushed his shoulder at Geoffrey's, laughing. 

"Oh, come on, David. We are only friends. She bumped into me at the library and sat beside me. And we talked about this and that. Then she said we should become friends."

"You guys even met at the library?" 

"Yes, when I was reading, she appeared behind me. Will you go to class tonight?"

"I don't know yet. Why? Something's up tonight?"

"She told me to come to class tonight."

"What?! She likes you, Geoffrey. Believe me, she likes you." David continued laughing, holding Geoffrey's arm and bending his head to look at his face.

"She is just trying to be a good friend. Stop reading ridiculous meaning to this." 

"Hmm, we shall find out tonight. I'm coming to that class with you!"