The students turned to stare at the part 4 student who strode into the lecture room with his rag like clothes that depicted his status.
"I have a rule and you know that 'No lateness to Miss Anderson's lectures,"Miss Anderson reinstated, her eyes piercing deeply at the young man who stood before her somewhat weak.
"You are not only a lazy bone but you are also a pauper who gained his way into Stone University by scholarship.
I don't even know why such a student like you would be given a scholarship in this prestigious school.
You ought to be in a public school or in the slums," she spat, sizing Roland Lee from head to toe.
Roland was crestfallen. His mind wandered away reminiscing his past at the orphanage. He had tried incessantly to find out who his real parents were but all to no avail.
Madam Ross had little information to offer him about his parentage. He learnt from her that he was found crying helplessly before his dying mother who lay unconscious on the sandy soil.
His admission into the university was by hard work and Miss Anderson had tried to throw passes at him in spite of her age but he proved adamant to her advances because he was focused.
Miss Anderson on the other hand became envious when she learnt that his lover was Nancy and had been so glad when she heard that Nancy had jilted him for Greg Maxwell.
"I am sorry, Miss. I didn't intend to flout your orders but I am not late to class. This is just half past seven in the morning but your class starts by eight," he replied confidently.
The students laughed out loud mimicking his words right in the presence of Miss Anderson.
"This pauper still has some guts."
"Hahaha!" They all laughed.
"I wish some guts could put money in his pockets."
"Hahaha!"
Jack, Mark and Sydney winked at themselves as Jack stood up and screamed.
"Where is my four thousand dollars? I left it in my pockets this morning. I felt it in my pockets some moments ago but I can't find it now."
"This is ridiculous!"
A female student exclaimed her brow furrowed in amazement as she searched her breast pocket to see if her own money was still intact. She nodded her head happily when she found that her money was still there.
"What! Four thousand dollars?"
"But this has not happened before. It is unheard of in this school," Sydney exclaimed standing to the amazement of Miss Anderson who turned from scolding Roland to Jack who stood searching everywhere for his money.
"Are you sure, Jack?"
"Yes Ma'am."
"But why come to class with that kind of money?"
"Yes, ma'am. I needed the textbook you introduced to us last week and I was willing to come to your office to get the book after the lecture this morning," Jack remarked, his eyes clouded with crocodile tears.
"But, you should have come to my office to get the book as soon as you came into the campus."
"Yes I did but I didn't find you at the office.
"Let's search everyone's bag," Carolyn suggested to the whole students and everyone agreed.
The search began abruptly and Roland Lee gave his knapsack to be searched thoroughly.
The four thousand dollars was found in his knapsack lurked securely at the side. He was shocked beyond words
Shit!"
"You are not only a penniless nobody with no name, you are also a thief?"
Miss Anderson slapped him as he fell to the ground.
"Why are you falling now?" Jack walked up to him, lifting him up.
"Why can't you just ask for money if you need some money and you will be gladly given rather than stealing?" He held his shirt rough handling him.
"I didn't steal any money and you know it.
This is just a set up with your friends.
But I will teach you a lesson of your life for this stunt you are pulling," he said as his eyes welled up in tears but chose not to let them drop so as not to be thought weak.
"Hahaha!"
The thief spills," the students laugh again mockingly.
"You can see, we are so afraid," Carolyn laughed mockingly as Sydney and Mark joined her amidst the jeers and sneers of the other students in the room.
"The school authority must hear this," Miss Anderson declared.
They all trooped to the vice Chancellor's office.
The vice chancellor, Mr. Donald looked at Roland squarely and asked him.
"Is it true?"
"No Sir,
It's not true I didn't do it. It is just a set up."
"Who is setting you up?"
"Jack and his friends."
"But what would Jack and his friends gain from setting you up?
Isn't that funny?" Mr. Donald asked amused.
"Sir, It is a set up from them and perhaps with all the students in the class too. I don't know what I did wrong to be hated by these students."
"Yes Sir, he didn't do it!"
A sharp male voice was heard at the back.
Everyone turned and looked towards the entrance of the office.
It was Anthony, his best friend.
He was in the library when one of the first year students came to inform him about the theft. The student had overheard the battering when he was in the restroom.
So Anthony had rushed out of the library towards Mr. Donald's office just to save his friend.
"How did you know that?" Mr. Donald demanded.
"I know it as much as I know my fingertips. My friend can never steal."
"Don't be so sure, Anthony, because your fingertips could get burnt, you know.
Don't you know that the money was found in his bag?"
"It is a setup. That I am very sure," Anthony insisted.
"But why should he be set up? Why?" Mr. Donald asked again.
Anthony looked at his friend as he stood helplessly before the vice chancellor who wouldn't listen to any defense against him
"Stealing is a heinous crime in this university and we would not tolerate such. So he is rusticated from this university as we cannot breed thieves in this prestigious school," Mr. Donald announced on a final note.
"No,.please Sir,"
Anthony knelt pleading.
He looked at his friend who stood staring at the vice chancellor with tears clouding his eyes.
Everyone walked out of the office and trooped back to the class.
Anthony saw his friend off to the hostel to pack his belongings with some officials watching them. At the school gate, Roland Lee stood and looked at the school as the tears he had been holding dropped from his eyelids like waterfalls.
"So my dreams are shattered? My dream to become a cybercrime security guru and a business administrator is shattered. I just have four weeks until my final exams.
I committed no offense. The only offense I committed was penury," he lamented holding his friend firmly.
"Come on, Roland. This is not the end of the world. I would have helped you but my parents are just managing.
They sold their only house when the company went bankrupt to send me to this school being their only child believing that when I graduate from here things will become better for the family.
I foot other bills with the menial jobs we do at weekends, you know."
"Don't worry, Anthony. I know you would help me if you had enough. I will always find a way," he said reassuringly just to soothe his worried friend.
"But, where will you go now?"
"I don't know Anthony, I don't know."
They hugged each other weeping until Roland withdrew and turned back walking out of the gate.
Anthony stood watching his friend as he trudged on the sidewalk.
"A highly intelligent student, the best in Cyber crime Security department is rusticated for a crime he didn't commit because they tagged him a
penniless nobody without a name," he thought inwardly.
"But, life is so unfair to the impoverished," he muttered under his breath as he stood watching intently.