Ninety Three

A while later, Uche came back to the hall with a tray. I laughed, "How many people saw you with the food as you headed here?"

"Don't worry about that," He placed the tray in front of where I sat."Let's eat."

"Fries?" I got excited."The lunch lady made fries today?"

"Well, yeah, she always does. You've just got to pay for it if you want it. Open up," He brought a fry dipped in ketchup and opened wide, but then he took it to his own mouth instead.

"Did you just..." I left my mouth open but I was shocked now. He laughed and I rolled my eyes while joining in laughing."I'll get you for that soon, just watch."

"Alright, here." He brought another fry to feed me but I wasn't about to be fooled again so I didn't open up."Come on," he begged with laughter in his voice.

I opened my mouth and he fed me. I fed myself two more fries and started to chew."Hold on," He leaned in and I thought he was going to steal a kiss but he just wiped some ketchup off my lips.

We ate in silence for a while till I remembered I was going to ask him stuff."Did your dad talk to you, about anything?"

"Like what?" He stopped chewing and asked. I didn't know how to explain that his dad thought I was a distraction to him so I asked a different question.

"When last did you read? Do you still read every day?"

He smiled at first, finding my question funny but when I didn't smile too, he realized I really was asking to know and not for humor.

"What? You think I read every day?"

"Don't you?" I avoided his eyes and kept on eating."You're so smart, I don't know."

"I don't read every day. I'm not that jobless." He answered and continued eating, his smile lingering on.

"So when do you read?"

"When I have to. Or sometimes when I feel like it."

"How often did you use to feel like it before you met me?"

"Julie." He stopped eating again and chuckled."What are you doing?"

"Nothing," I tried to act casual.

"You're asking interview-like questions, this ain't 'nothing'."

"Just answer the question," I dragged and looked away."How often did you use to read when you felt like it before I came here?"

"I don't know...probably every time I was alone or something. Or when I couldn't sleep at night. My turn; why the fuck are you asking me these?"

"Just checking something."

"Really, just checking. You're asking weird questions and you're 'just checking'."

"They aren't weird. I just want to know. Now, tell me, how often do you feel like reading now."

"Is this about the competitions? If it's about them, don't worry. I've got them covered. Our school curriculum is faster than most of the competing schools, I've covered most of the things."

"So you do read?" I sat up, more interested. I had to validate to myself that I wasn't a distraction to him.

He chortled, his deep voice vibrating in my ears, "Of course, I read. Everybody reads, I think. I just don't read every day."

"But you do read just as much as you used to before we started dating?" I asked and saw his smile fade.

"Hold on," He ran his fingers through his hair."Did my dad come over to your place while I wasn't around?"

"No." I shook my head.

"My dad spoke to your aunt, didn't he?" He realized."Shit, he did." He sighed.

I just sat back and drank some water."Julie, you're not a distraction to me. I can't believe him, he actually..." I watched as Uche's mood changed.

"The shit my aunt pulled on Sunday when you were over. She said she was trying to help me push you away 'cause your dad didn't want me with you."

"Julie..."

"He was so nice to me the day we went to pick you up from the police station, he was so nice. Does he really think I'm a bad influence on you?" I became emotional.

"Does overthink it. He doesn't have a problem with you, he's just tryna manipulate me to do what he wants. I got mad at him the other day and said I wasn't gonna show up on the day of the school competition."

"Then he went, 'You do that, and I'll make sure you never see that Julie girl again.' Said something about how I was never reading whenever he checks on me before bed 'cause I will be talking to you over the phone. That's where the whole 'distraction' shit came up from."

"..." I didn't utter a word, I didn't know what to say.

"He's just mad at me, this has nothing to do with you."

"Why is he so obsessed with the competitions?"

"Scholarship." He answered with one word."I give our school a good name when I win the competitions, and they help me pave the way to a college scholarship."

"Oh," I nodded. Valid reason on his dad's part, but still.

"I don't even mind going to college here, I really don't know why he's so invested in the scholarship thing." He muttered after me but I just sat there silently.

I didn't even know where I wanted to go to college and his dad was setting shit up for him. Almost made me wish my dad was around. 

"You know where you wanna go for college yet?" He asked a question I had hoped he didn't, so I bit my lips hard and shrugged.

"I don't know," I answered honestly."Shit, I don't even know if my mum had any plans for my college. She couldn't even get me a new phone when my old one got spoilt, I had to work in two places to get it."

I felt my tears wetting my eyelids so I looked at the ceiling and blinked to ensure none rolled down my cheeks.

"You talk to your mum recently?"

"She found a way to get drugs in there so now they've stopped her from contacting anyone. I can't reach her."

"..." Silence at first from him, and then, with anticipation in his voice, "Go to the competitions with me. That way, our principal can get us the forms for the scholarship exam by the end of the year."

I snorted out a laugh when I heard because hell, that was a lot of studying. If I heard him correctly, I'd have to go to different competitions, and when I was done with the competitions, I'd still have to write an exam before I could get the scholarship.

"Nah, I'm good." I laughed and wiped my eyes with a sniff.

"Come on, do it with me. Please?"

"You're literally one of the brains of the class, and I can't get anything higher than a C in my tests and exams and you want me to go to a competition with you."

"We can study together. We'll just continue with the lessons I was giving you before and then we'll inform our class teacher to add your name to the list; we do need one more person to fill the five-person requirement to participate after all."

"Nope," I shook my head. I didn't think my brain could cope with the amount of studying I'd have to do to be on Uche's and the other people's level. No way I was going to embarrass myself like that. I wasn't very brainy and I've learnt to accept it.

"Alright, let's do this," he took my hand, "We'll start studying today, and by next week, we check if you're better, if you're, we'll tell our teacher about it?"

"I've tried before, I'm not just good at being intelligent. I stay up at night and study and I still get the same grades, so I gave up."

"Try again?" He rubbed my hand with that charming smile of his plastered on his lips making me contemplate taking his suggestion.