Ethan Godspower
The door opens, and the teacher stops teaching and everyone divert their gaze to the door, Keilani majestically enters into the classroom, looking so blue. She greets the teacher and goes straight to her seat. She is never late to school. She opens her bag and searches for a book.
"Church girl looks blue" Kailea taunts from behind me and chuckles, but I don't find it funny.
We hear a thud, and I stare at Keilani. All her notebooks and textbooks are on the ground, and she tries to gather them, but it keeps slipping from her grip. Everyone laughs, and I gaze closely and notice she is breathing heavily.
She is scared.
"Church girl can't get a grip of her book. Awwwww" Amoris jibe and everyone burst into laughter, and she halts and continues to try to pick up her books but to no avail.
She hits the table in frustration, and the laughter grows louder. Eric walks past me and halts Keilani, he assist in gathering her books for her and drops it on her table. He leaves before she can get a chance to thank him. Eric has always had a soft spot for her. He hates to admit it, but he loves her. We all know that.
"Thanks" she shouts to his hearing, and he nods from his seat and tries to hide his blush.
"Back to what I was asking" our math teacher continued teaching.
I avert my gaze to Celestia and back at Keilani. Why didn't she defend her or help her pick up her books? Are they quarreling? Even if they are, she should have come to her rescue. I am certain that is what Keilani would have done despite their quarrel.
I stare back at the teacher but I can't seem to concentrate, so I steal a glance at Keilani every four minutes, each time I catch a glance of her, I notice she is lost in thought.
"I am coming. I want to get something from the vendor machine", I inform my friends, and they nod.
"Get me Pepsi and any milky biscuit" Aisha speaks
"Burger" Kailea snaps her finger
"Water-" Isah informs me on what he wants and pulls Aisha closer to him
"Biscuit" Amoris slurs
"You don't need anything, Eric?" I ask, and he continues to stare into thin air, lost in thought. Amoris nudges his arm and brings him back to reality as he widens his eyes at everyone obviously lost and asking for an explanation.
Keilani is preoccupying his mind.
"Worried about church, girl?", Aisha voice out my thoughts, she wiggles her eyebrow, her fingers intertwined with Isah's fingers.
"Stop it, Aisha. He does not have a crush on her. He is in love with me" Amoris consoles herself and holds his hand and brings it to her lips to kiss. He looks away and frowns.
"But you both aren't dating. He hasn't asked you out offic-"
"Neither have Ethan or are you both not just fuck buddies-" Amoris shoot back and that hit a nerve as Kailea drilled a hole in Amoris head with her gaze.
"Enough!" Aisha intervenes before it escalate.
"What did you ask?" Eric asks, slowly removing her grip from his hand, and she is offended. She stares away in embarrassment while Kailea holds back a laugh.
"Never mind, I will get you coke" I walk away. Kailea pulls me back and kisses my lips before letting me go.
She winks at Amoris, and Amoris frowns and folds her arms against her chest. Amoris looks at Eric sadly as he avoids eye contact with her. I warned Eric not to lead her on if he liked Keilani, but he claimed he knew what he was doing. He should have stated he wanted them to be fuck buddies, I know Amoris would have accepted either ways.
I walk down the hallway and halt in front of the machine. I hear an angelic voice that sounds calming and relaxing. The voice is subtle and heavenly and melodious. The voice is nothing like I have ever heard. Why haven't I heard such amazing voice during talent hunt before? Such voice could win an international singing competition if she applies.
I know you are able.
I know you can
Safe through the fire with your mighty hands
But even if you don't, my hope is in you alone
They say it takes a little faith to move a mountain
Good thing, little faith is all I have right now, God, when you choose to leave mountains unmovable
Oh! Give me the strength to be able to sing
It is well with my soul
I bring out my phone from my pocket and shazam the song and see, Even if by MercyMe. The voice sounds hurt and in so much pain. It sounds like she is asking God for help and indirectly trying to remind herself to have faith in God.
"Babe!" Kailea taps my shoulder, and I tilt my head to look at her.
"Don't worry, I will get it" she pushes me aside lightly and inserts money into the machine.
Some group of student enters into the music room, and the voice stops, and I stand patiently waiting to see the face behind the voice.
"Let us go" Kailea, hold my arm and walk ahead of me, I freeze and pray the girl walks out soon enough.
"Babe" Kailea croak, and I walk away with her but sluggishly.
The door opens, and I spurn hurriedly to see the person, and Kailea stands in front of me, obstructing my view. I stretch my neck and see Keilani walking away. Is she the face behind the voice? It can't be. She can't be smart, godly, and talented. God can't be so partial.
Kailea turns to know what has my full attention, and I place my hand on her shoulder and peck her lips and smile, trying to distract her. She reciprocates my smiles, and I spurn and don't see Keilani.
Where did she go to? What made her sing with so much pain? She is a Pastors daughter, and she has it all.
~
Kailea feeds me her fried plantain and kisses my cheeks. I smile. I tilt my head beside me and see a sad Eric, and I trace his eyes to know what has him so sad. I notice him stare at Keilani with so much concentration.
Keilani is sitting alone and fiddling with her food, and I look around and don't see Celestia. I look at Isah, and he seems to be looking at someone, and he looks really jealous, like he is ready to kill, and I already know who it is.
I trace the eyes behind me and see Celestia sitting with her seat mate, Messiah. She is chatting and laughing with Messiah and doesn't seem to care about her friend. If Isah really loves Celestia, why not break up with Aisha and be with her. I personally don't like Celestia, and I know Aisha deserves him more, but all that matters is my buddy's happiness.
And for Eric, why can't he just man up and tell Keilani how he feels. He has liked her ever since he set his eyes on her. Why do these young men complicate their lives and are scared to go for what they want? If I finally fall in love, I'd do anything to make sure she is all mine, instead of dying in silence and praying to the Earth for the right time. There is no right time. You create the right time.
And the one that annoys me more is Isah. He knows that Celestia is in love with him and will scream yes if he asks her out, but he won't. He doesn't want to hurt his childhood friend. At least we all know Eric is scared of rejection, which is quite understandable. I look back at Eric and see Amoris glaring at Keilani with so much hate.
I shift close to Eric and whisper into his ear, "Go and talk to her, I know you want to"
"I don't want to-"
"Okay maybe you will stop staring when one of her crush makes a move like Celestia." I sit up straight, and he widens his eyes and thinks for a moment before looking back at Keilani.
Eric spurns, and when he sees Messiah and Celestia laughing, he takes a deep breath. He stands up and carries his tray in his hands, and I smile. Amoris holds him back, and he shakes her hand off him lightly.
He walks to Keilani and whispers to her. She spurn and stares at me before she looks away. She nods, and Eric sits down beside her, and they both begin to talk, and I see him smirk.
Amoris stands up and walks out angrily. Aisha looks up at her phone and doesn't see Eric. She looks for Eric, and when she finds him with Keilani, she rolls her eyes and looks at Kailea. They communicate with their eyes before they both stand up and run after Amoris.
"Isah-"
"I don't want to hear it" he stands up and leaves.
I sigh and push my food away and look at Eric and Keilani. At least Eric gets to talk to his crush. I smile as I see the happiness in Eric's eyes. He really loves her.
The bad boy falls for the church girl.
Perfect love story.
~
We hear a knock on the door as we all get ready to go for our individual classes. Art is having history, science is having chemistry, Commercial are having accounting and we technical students are having technical drawing.
We all turn our gaze to the door and see Mrs Odunze. She takes excuses before we all sit down and stare at her. She cleared her throat, and I tilt my head to catch a glance at Keilani, and her eyes were already on me. She has this forlorn look on her face that cause my heart to crack open a bit. I recognize that look, that is the stare my mum gives me when I have those nightmares. I look back at my teacher and sigh.
"Ethan Godspower and Aisha Hussein" she calls our name and I and Aisha stand up.
"They will be representing us in our national essay competition" she announces, and I look at Keilani, who she has her head bowed low, and she isn't clapping like the rest of the class.
"After school, you both would stay back, and we will talk more about it" Mrs Odunze looks at Keilani with pity.
"Good luck" she takes one last look at Keilani before leaving the class.
Keilani grabs her bag and leaves the class hurriedly like this room suffocates her. Eric runs after her, and Aisha stands in front of him, stopping him. He looks back at Amoris and then at me and then lets out a deep breath. Eric kicks the nearest table in anger.
I look back and catch Celestia's staring and obviously not paying attention to Messiah.
"He isn't going after her. We are going for chemistry class-"
Aisha interrupts Isah, who is trying to defend his cousin, "She is also a science student-"
"That is not our fault" Isah mutters under his breath and holds unto his bag tightly.
"If it was Celestia who stumbled out, you would have gone after her to-"
"I am not going to have this conversation with you in front of the class" Isah draws his cousin, and they leave the class, nudging Aisha's shoulder in the process.
She staggers and gives Celestia a hateful stare. She grabs her bag and storms off in anger; Amoris stands up and walks away but halts when she is in front of me. She eyes me and then hiss before going for history class.
Kailea stands in front of me and frowns. I roll my eyes because I know what she is about to say.
"Don't" I tell her.
"One will think you are trying to hook Keilani and Eric up-"
"What if that is what I am doing?" I arch an eyebrow
"Well stop. Amoris has had a crush on him since she knew him-"
"Same with Eric. You needed to see the joy in his eyes when he spoke to Keilani. I have never seen him that happy when he talks to Amoris. Don't blame me for putting my best friends cousin first" I grab my bag and walk past her, and he holds my hand, and I halt and look at her. I can feel myself already getting agitated.
"And I am putting my best friends' happiness first. Don't help the enemy-"
"Is that a threat?" I shake her hand away from mine angrily.
"Depends on how you take it" she walks past me and nudges my shoulder.
I breathe heavily and tighten my fist as my vein pops out. How dare she threaten me and why because of Amoris? I'd love to see the extent she can go to. I walk out of the class. She knows I hate being threatened. I wasn't trying to match make them, but now I am.
I love a good old challenge.