Let's Meet Zack
"Baby Joe stop tickling me!"
"Joseph don't play with mud!"
"Daddy I want ice cream !!!!"
"Carmen I'll get you ice cream if you promise to look after Joseph"
"I promise Daddy!"
"Good!Now who wants pizza and ice cream?!"
"Hurray!!!"
Smiling in her sleep,Carmen dreamt happily of some good memories of her father and baby brother.Joseph,her two year old loved to play a lot;every weekend he used to throw tantrums until their parents took him to his favorite amusement parks.That's right,parks.Her father,Mr Prudence Kingston would take her and her brother to the park and they would all play to the point of exhaustion.Chuckling to herself,she turned softly and felt something hard pressed against her cheek;awareness hit her hard as she opened her eyes and realized she was sleeping in class again;her desk was the hard surface she had felt.
Feeling apprehensive,she looked around and saw her other classmates were all chatting and studying.'It must be small break..Thank God' she thought,wiping the saliva from the corner of her lips.
"What was the dream about this time?"Vicky chirped beside her,lowering the romance novel she had been reading.
"Baby Joe and Dad"Carmen mused sadly.
"Sorry babe I know it must be hard on you,I would feel the same way if something happened to Pops"Vicky said sympathetically.
"My insomnia is becoming worse,I can't seem to sleep at night no matter how hard I try...I watched three movies and six episodes of my favorite anime but I couldn't go to bed"Carmen complained,smacking her fore head.
"Ugh...anime again?Babe,try Korean films and love will just intoxicate you I mean....how could you not fall in love with Lee min ho?"Vicky mused dreamily.
"No way!I'm not going to fantasize about Korean boys who would probably never even know me or come to Nigeria"Carmen said giggling.
The two girls were similar in so May ways except in their movie choices.Where Carmen loved anime,horror,thriller and sci-fi;Vicky loved romance,Korean romance,and comedy.Whenever they wanted to watch movies,they always had disagreements.
"Well I'm not and will never be a fan of some AOT or One piece,I mean have you seen Luffy ?The dude is so stupid it hurts"Vicky said cheekily.
"Crazy girl!Why would I watch Koreans in some lovey dub-by shit?With their extremely pale skin and weird sense of romance "Carmen stated,fake gagging.
"Why you...."
"Good morning class"Mr Macbeth the Mathematics teacher greeted softly,cutting their little tiff short.
Vicky stuck her tongue out at Carmen while Carmen gave Vicky her middle finger as they both focused their attention on the Mathematics teacher.
"Morning sir!"the class replied courteously.
"Well today we'll be learning some algebra,words and numbers combined...what a delight!But before I begin,Zack Paul could you please come in?"Mr Macbeth called out.
A young 'man' of around seventeen strolled in and the class went wild;the girls started gasping in delight while the boys eyed the newbie with barely disguised interest.Carmen stared at the boy who seemed bored of his surroundings with what called only be described as...awe.The boy was strikingly handsome with the body of an athlete;he had a beautiful face with a straight nose,deep brown eyes,white shining teeth and thick long black hair which he twisted .He looked smart and looked like he was not meant to be here:even though,this was a private secondary school in the heart of town.
"Omg babe!This lad is a hunk of cutie potatoes!Girl,boy be looking sooo fine!"Vicky gushed openly.
"Shush it V!"Carmen hissed,her cheeks flaming in embarrassment as the boy looked in their direction.
"He's staring at us!Us...well,maybe not us but he's definitely staring at you!!!"Vicky stated,shaking her bestie frantically as she giggled.
"V!!"Carmen hissed loudly,causing everyone's attention to turn to the two besties.
"Yes Carrie?"The other girl asked feigning confusion.
'Why you little imp!I'll deal with you once I get out of this mess you've put me in!'she thought.
"Is anything the matter Miss Kingston?"Mr Macbeth asked sternly.
"Ummm...sorry Mr Mac,I feel a little discomfort...I'm having a terrible tummy ache"Carmen lied.
"Oh sorry about that....could it be that time of the month?"Mr Macbeth asked uncomfortably.
Awareness hit Carmen at the same time her cheeks went hot pink with mortification"No definitely not sir!"
The class erupted in giggles and snickers;even the new boy chuckled and Vicky giggled slightly.
'I will avenge this you little brat!'she thought glaring at her mischievous friend.
"Well.....now that everything is settled,Zack Paul is a new student in this class,he came in from the States recently and his mother wants him to get settled here in Nigeria,so I expect you all to accept and treat him as an equal,understood?"Mr Macbeth informed.
"Yes sir!"the class chorused.
"Now find a seat and today we will be....."
The class passed in a blur and Carmen continued to steal glances at Zack.
**************************+****+**
"Ugh....this food is extremely delicious!"Vicky said,moaning in delight as she munched on her meal.
The lunch of the day had been:spaghetti,Chinese rice and grilled turkey.Vicky had gotten Chinese rice in a large helping and two pieces of grilled turkey and couldn't stop gushing over the meal;while Carmen silently enjoyed her spaghetti.
"Oh babe I'm sorry about earlier...believe me I truly am"Vicky apologized for the billionth time as she stared longingly at her friend.
"Leave me alone V"Carmen said,trying her best to still feign annoyance even though deep down,she knew her bestie didn't mean it.
"Okay....what can I do to make it up to you?"Vicky asked blinking her eyes like a puppy.
"Nothing"Carmen replied curtly.
"I'll give you my Barbie....or I'll watch every disgusting anime you have to offer or I'll make my special Chapman for you"Vicky offered,looking vulnerable.
"You'd really give me Barbie?"Carmen teased.
Barbie was Vicky's pet,a white beautiful Caucasian and would forever remain one of the most amazing gifts a twelve year old Vicky would ever receive.
"Well no!But the other offers still stand"Vicky said pouting her glossy lips.
"Fine...you'll give me a huge jug of Chapman and watch fifty episodes of anime with me,deal?"Carmen asked cheekily.
"Deal!!!"Vicky said giggling as she hugged her bestie.
"But that was really embarrassing in class though"Carmen complained.
"I know...I'm sorry!But,what do you think about the newbie?"Vicky asked mischievously.
"I don't...don't think anything"Carmen said fumbling,as cheeks started turning red.
"You little liar!You're blushing !"Vicky said accusingly.
"No I'm not!"Carmen refuted,blushing even harder.
A hush fell over the cafeteria and soon everyone knew why;the newbie,Zack had collected his lunch of Chinese rice ,a grilled turkey and a can of Coke and was making his way to the center of the cafeteria.He sat at an unoccupied table and ate his lunch casually,ignoring the stares and whispers.As soon as he took a long swig of his drink,chatter erupted.
"He's so hot!"
"I heard he's from the states!"
"No his mom is Nigerian!"
"Gawd I love him!"
"Well,your Prince Charming seems to be gathering a lot of attention"Vicky said,sighing.
"What do you mean my Prince Charming?!"Carmen snapped.
"Don't think I haven't noticed all the drooling stares you've been giving him all day you little whore!"Vicky snickered.
"I don't know what you're talking about!"Carmen fumed.
"Well things are about to turn interesting"Vicky said,turning a curious gaze towards Zack's direction.
Carmen turned a confused stare at what Vicky was talking about and instantly felt her blood run cold.
Bridget Vans was at the table Zack was sitting at and was trying desperately to gain the boy's attention.Bridget 'The Queen Bee' was what everyone including the teachers called her;a terrible bully,an even bigger slut and a pompous showoff.Her parents were amongst the management board of the school and she was considered one of the untouchables.
"What the fuck is that leech doing there with her lecherous hands?"Carmen cursed angrily.
"Calm down Carrie and watch the drama unfold "Vicky cooed.
"Stop touching me please"Zack fumed,causing everyone to watch curiously.
"Oh sweetie...calm down,I only want to be friends"Bridget said slyly,tracing a finger on the boy's left arm.
"Excuse me"Zack said angrily taking leave from the cafeteria.
"My boy's got steely spine!"Vicky enthused,clapping excitedly.
Carmen stared intrigued as Zack left and Bella also exited the cafeteria in a hissy fit,with her minions behind her.The cafeteria resumed it's earlier buzz.
"Stop drooling Carrie"Vicky said mischievously as she took a bite of her turkey.
"I'm not drooling V"Carmen said,blushing uncontrollably as she ate her spaghetti quickly.
**********************************
The last class of the day was Chemistry and Carmen's favorite.She wanted to be a pharmacist just like her father when she grew up and adored everything science;especially Chemistry.She was one of the brightest in the class and always won prizes each term.
"Why is Mr Vincent taking so long?"Carmen complained.
"Cool it nerd"Vicky cooed.
Vicky was not particularly fond of Chemistry and was more of a mathematician as she dealt with Maths and Physics.She planned on reading Mechanical Engineering at the university.
Meanwhile,Zack looked terribly bored as he fiddled with a pen and his scrapbook occasionally.Carmen chose to divide her attention between the cute teen and the door.After about ten minutes,the teacher walked in looking flustered.
"Good day class,I'm extremely sorry...I was in a meeting with some other teachers and lost track of time"the teacher explained apologetically.
"Good day sir!"the class called out.
"Well,I won't waste anymore time grandees.....I'd like you all to do group presentations for me by next week Friday....you're all to pick a topic and rapidly expatiate it as much as possible" Mr Vincent said looking excited.
Carmen perked up at the chance to show her intellectual prowess;she loved studying and anything that would keep her studying was a definite win situation.However,she was a little agitated as to who her partner was going to be;the last time she had a class presentation,her partner,God-sent,a helpless flirt and grade A dummy,had ended up landing them with a B.Yes,to Carmen Kingston,a B on her report card was no good news at all.
"Oh my!!!My psychic sense is telling me you and I will get great partners...yes...I see it"Vicky said,closing her eyes and moving her hands dramatically.
"Shush it V!"Carmen said impatiently.
"Well class,I'll decide your partners.....yes...Princess....you're with Elvis.....Hillary...with Diane....Jack...with Perfect...."
The teacher paired off everyone including Vicky but there were still four people left to pair;including Carmen and Zack.Carmen looked frantically around;her options were very slim at the moment;Ego,the bright spark and egoistic girl,who was in an unspoken contest with her over the results glared at her menacingly,Joe,an apathetic jerk and the quiet mysterious newbie who stared into his wristwatch occasionally with a look of pure impatience.
'Oh my God...I'm in a serious dilemma....Lord please pair me with Joe...I don't mind at all..I'll do all the work' she prayed in her heart.
"Well then...last but definitely not the least,Joe.....you pair with Ego...and then Carmen.....you're with Mr Paul here,I hear he's new and you're one of the brightest students in this class so I'd love you to guide him on how things are done here"the teacher announced to Carmen's dismay.
Carmen stared at Zack,who gave her an uninterested glance before replying solemnly"Umm..Okay Mr Vincent...I'll not let you down"
"Good I know you won't...now today we'll be discussing the scheme of the term...."
"Omg girl!This is so adorable!You and your Romeo are a pair!"Vicky whispered excitedly.
"Stop it V,it's just school work!"Carmen hissed.
"Well,I'll remind you of this day when I'm your chief bridesmaid near the ocean side!"Vicky squealed.
Carmen's cheeks turned a flaming shade of red as she tried hard to concentrate on her lecture and not gorgeous mystery who was going to be her partner.
**************************************
Students thronged out of Broadway High in masses and the two pretty besties continued bickering as they also thronged out of the school.
"I'm telling you V I can't go over there and talk to him!What if he's a massive snob?"Carmen argued.
"What if he's such a gentleman that you can't help eloping to the Bahamas together on a yacht?"Vicky said mischievously wagging her eyebrows.
"You're so silly you know V?"Carmen said feeling tired of arguing with her friend.
"It can't be that hard to walk up to a hot teenager and say 'Hi!Wanna be my baby daddy?"Vicky snickered.
"Vicky....I can't.."
"Oh there he is!Goodluck falcon!"Vicky said as she pushed Carmen towards Zack whom she spotted coming out of the gate in the opposite direction.
Carmen froze as she soon had Zack's undivided attention;the teenager seemed to be staring at her curiously as well as the over dramatic teenage girl she called a bestie who continued with accolades.
She summoned up the courage after standing for three complete minutes like a zombie,and approached him with a fake smile saying"Oh..uh..hi!!Zack right?"
"Yeah,hi Carmen"Zack replied with a curious smirk.
"So umm...we're in the same team obviously...so how's it gonna look like?Are we studying together at the library after school or during free periods or if you'd rather not study at all I'm happy do all the work and hand you flash cards when I'm done or if you have any...."
"We'll study at my place...Saturdays for three hours"Zack cut in,dismissively glancing at his wristwatch.
"Or we can... wait,what?!"Carmen screamed in disbelief.
"Is there gonna be any problem?"Zack,asked,arrogant eyebrows raised in question.
"Well,not really but.."
"I'll text you my address"Zack said briskly,giving her his IPhone to type her contact info.
She typed in her contact,saved it as Carmen Schoolmate with a winking emoji and handed it back to Zack,who looked at it with what would only be pure amusement.Before she could ask any further questions,a Rolls Royce pulled up in front of them to which Zack hopped into comfortably,as she waved goodbye with a dazed expression on her face.
She was still standing there with a dazed expression when Vicky snuck up on her and whispered into her ear loudly "Oh you naughty slut!"
"Vicky!"Carmen shushed loudly,startled.
"Give me all the gist,did he just get your number?What is going on,Carrie?!"Vicky squealed with delight.
"Nothing...but I think I might be going to his place on Saturday"Carmen said shaking her head in disbelief.
"Omg!!!What are you wearing?...Damn you have to wear lipgloss and those cute earrings I got you last Valentine's!!"Vicky squealed.
Carmen just stared at the route Zack's car had taken as her bestie babbled on.