CHAPTER 5: LUNCH

Alicia fell back to the bed as her tummy grumbled,out of excitement today she'd failed to take her breakfast along with the family and now she was hungry.

She glanced at the bag containing her provisions and she shook her head as the heaviest snack there was buscuit and flakes and she was sure even if she ate them all today,she still wouldn't be satisfied because she was a foodie.

Her face curved into a sad frown as she clutched her tummy,it was only her first day in school and she was already bothering about what to eat all because of finance.

Alicia almost teared up as the thought of if only her father was still with them crossed her mind, things wouldn't be so hard for them then. For a minute,she thought about going to the cafeteria Tammy had directed her to but damn! This was such an expensive school and surely,their foods must be costly as well and she only got a few dollars as her allowance money for the month.

She laid on her bed for a while thinking about what to do but when the clock hit 3:00 pm and she couldn't contain the hunger anymore,she stood up,picked up her phone and purse and headed out of the room,she pulled her hoodie up covering almost half of her face before she stepped out.

The hallway was now busy, bustling with girls talking with themselves, bringing their luggages up,washing, sweeping and cleaning up their rooms. Alicia carefully made her way downstairs being careful not to bump into anyone.

As soon as she arrived downstairs,she could see that the crowd in the school had thripled and she couldn't help but gaze at the sight of so many people but nevertheless she started to move as she made her way through.

Alicia was caught up in the whirlwind of energy,her heart racing with the thrill of being surrounded by so many new faces and possibilities,the sheer diversity of her coursemates was a revelation itself,a tapestry of cultures and experiences that beckoned her to explore more,the air itself seemed to crackle with the potentials as if the very walls of the university pulsed with the ambition and passion of those who walked within them.

Correctly following the description, Alicia soon reached the cafeteria and upon entering the place, Alicia so wanted to go back because of the sheer grandness and exquisiteness of the place,it looked like a luxury mini bar. Looking at the place alone , Alicia already felt so intimidated,what if she couldn't afford anything in here?.

She looked around and zeroed her eyes into the plates of everyone and no one here seemed to be having a small amount of food or even a light snack,they all were eating real foods that looked like they worth a lot.

Something kept telling Alicia to go back but then her body ignored it and started to walk towards the counter as though she were being controlled. Upon getting to the counter,she smiled greeting the lady after which she was given a menu,her heart skipped a bit the moment she started seeing the huge prices of food here and her body trembled.

Alicia couldn't hide the shock in her eyes and gladly the lady couldn't see it because of her hoodie, turning to the last page,she found the light snack menu but the cheapest thing she could find there was apple juice and cookies which was about 57 dollars, almost half of her allowance money and it wouldn't even satisfy her.

After a while, the lady at the counter cleared her throat loudly indicating that she was wasting time,it was then Alicia realized that there were two people right behind her waiting in a line.

Out of shame and fear of not buying anything after looking at the menu, Alicia ordered for the Apple juice and cookies and another lady immediately moved to arrange her order.

While Alicia waited,she was asked to move to the other section where she would collect her meal so they could attend to the next person in line which was a tall lean and handsome boy claded in loose baggy jean trousers and a handless plain white shirt.

As Alicia waited for her order, her spirit was down and she felt like crying,how was she gonna cope after spending so much money only on the first day,home was very far away,was she going to starve,this was only lunch now and she wasn't even sure if she would get to have something good and satisfying for dinner. Just then,in the middle of her thoughts she heard the lady say..

"That would be 300 dollars". And Alicia's heart stopped beating as she looked up at the lady from underneath her hood but she was immediately relieved when she realized the lady wasn't even talking to her but to that handsome guy. She sighed before she looked away deep in thoughts and worry when she heard the lady again say. " Oh plus that,that would be 357 dollars then". Alicia's eyes almost bulged out as she took a quick look at the boy, ' what the hell did he buy' she wondered.

Just then,two ladies came holding trays,one for her and one for the other boy,the first tray was given to the boy and as the second tray was about to be given to her, Alicia knew it was time to let go of her precious 57 dollars.

She was just about to dip her hands in her pockets when the lady at the counter stopped her. " There's no need for you to pay,he already paid for you " she said pointing her hands towards the boy as they handed her the tray.

Collecting the tray, Alicia's head whipped towards the boy and she saw him placing his debit card in a machine which beeped twice indicating that the transaction was successful. Alicia was speechless,who was he and why did he pay for her,was this a miracle?