(027b - I've Got Your Back Part 2)

This chapter is dedicated to Donaldprince for the new cover✨🔥.

We are on 30k Views People 🥺❤️🔥. Heuww! Thank you so much you guys. Couldn't have done it without you. If you haven't, go check out the new pictures of Sochima and Adela, as well as the new Aesthetics for all the faceclaims.

In the last author's note, I said Hilary will see another side to Simi in this new update. We have seen observant Simi, caring Simi, playful and witty Simi, insanely intelligent Simi, Positive Simi, and angry Simi. Which Simi do you think we'll get to see in this update?

You can still drop your guesses before diving into this chapter 😌.

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𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐘
(Hilary Idara Eghosa)

Tutoring Simi was... tough.

Very tough.

Today was Wednesday, the third day since we began these tutorials and on God, we haven't made any progress at all. We only had about four days till the test starts but at this pace, we'd have nothing by the end of the week. I was trying my best to mask my frustration and be patient, but Simi wasn't making it easy. He wasn't making it easy at all.

When Gigi Esho told me he gets easily impatient and frustrated when he doesn't get something fast, I didn't know what she meant till now. And gosh, it was driving me crazy. This was definitely a side to Simi I don't think I'll ever get accustomed to.

"This is hopeless," He hissed, aggressively pushing the books away from him, almost shoving them off the table to the floor. I sighed, pausing my lips, and took the books to my side.

Right now, we were in our class after school hours. Almost everyone had gone home, so it was just two of us on the block.

"Okay," I drawled, flipping through the mathematics textbook. "Maybe we just need to try another formula for the equation and..."

"No," He cut me off, adamantly refusing and I looked at him. "We have tried ten different formulas for that particular equation. Ten, Hilary!" His voice rose, causing me to flinch slightly. But that wasn't what caught me.

It was the intense frustration and anger I could hear in his tone. He hated the fact that he wasn't getting anything right.

"I can't even find one that works for me," He continued, his voice even more intense than the last. "One that I can easily remember. Everything just looks like gibberish to me. I can't keep doing this, okay? It's a complete waste of time. I'm done."

My eyes widened slightly as I watched him stand up from the chair, snatch his bag from where it was hanging on the armrest of the chair, and began to make his way to the door. I quickly stood up and went after him.

"Hey!" I called, jumping right in front of him to stop him from leaving the class. "So that's it? You are just going to give up because of some minor setbacks?" I questioned, staring right at him. He looked back at me with furrowed eyebrows

"Minor setbacks?" He asked incredulously, then chuckled humorlessly. "Hilary, we have been at this since Monday and there has not been any progress. There is no need trying to make me feel better about this thing. I'm unteachable. I'm a lost cause!" He yelled. My mouth hung open in shock.

What happened to positive Simi?

I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my own nerves because I had no idea how to handle this.

"Simi, I understand the fact that you are frustrated right now." I began, picking my words carefully and slowly so that they would sink in his mind. "It's okay to be because I understand how it feels..."

"No, you don't." Simi cut me off again, this time his voice coming out in a whisper. But the lowness didn't erase the undertone I heard in his voice. I couldn't even place it.

It sounded something akin to pain.

"Excuse me?" I backtracked, not understanding what he meant. He rose his eyes to look at me and that was when I saw it. Then, I realized I hadn't just imagined it.

It was pain.

There was a pain in his voice and his eyes.

"You don't understand how it feels like to be in my shoes, Hilary," He answered me. At that point, I was tongue-tied because I knew he was right. He continued. "You don't understand how it feels like to have everyone in the entire school know you as a dullard..."

"You are not a dullard, Simi..." I moved closer to him, trying to pacify him but he wasn't having it, as he moved back out of my reach.

"I've repeated twice." He reminded me, holding two fingers up to indicate twice, causing me to shut up. "I probably would have repeated more than that if my parents hadn't intervened. I would have been in a lower class than this, a nineteen-year-old that's supposed to be in his second year of university still struggling to finish high school. You don't know how that feels, do you?"

"Simi..." I sighed.

"You haven't been made the object of ridicule by teachers and your classmates alike," He cut me off again, his voice breaking little by little, "finding new ways to embarrass you every single time in front of the entire school just because you can't pass a simple maths test, or solve a simple equation.-

You haven't been called a failure, the dumb kid, dullard, dunce... even olodo. You haven't had to worry about all of this because you are one of the smartest people in the class, in the entire school. You don't have to read much before you come out in flying colors, which is the exact opposite for me.

So, no Hilary! You have absolutely no idea what it's like to be in my shoes!"

He finished, his voice coming out sharp and hard, but also accompanied with so much pain, sadness, and hurt that made my heartache. I wasn't even sure what to say, what to do because his words cut through my skin like a knife.

But what even shattered my heart the most was when I saw beads of tears coming out of his eyes.

Oh my goodness...

"Simi..." I breathed out softly, moving closer to him just as he seemed to realize that he was crying.

"Fuck." He muttered, pulling both his palms over his face and turning away from me so I couldn't look at him. But I had already seen him. He was crying, I wasn't blind, and the low but audible sniffles that followed proved that I wasn't just seeing things.

He was hurt.

My heart contracted in my chest and I wanted nothing more but to just gather him in my arms and hug him, plus the overwhelming urge to do everything to help him. But I wasn't even sure where to start from.

"Simi, come on..." I whispered, moving more closer till I was in the same space with him. It seemed like the only thing I could do right now was call his name. I wasn't sure what to say to him.

"I'm fine," He choked out, his voice coming out a little coarse and cracky, raw with emotions. "I'm okay," He repeated as he sniffed again, obviously trying to convince me that he was okay when in fact he wasn't.

He hadn't even turned back to look at me.

Simi was right. I had no idea what it was like to be in his shoes. I didn't understand his plight at all, didn't understand what it was like to be the object of ridicule by every single person. I keep fussing and crying over thirty percent, out of one hundred percent of my classmates badmouthing me, but Simi has literally the entire school turned on him.

How was he handling it? Or better still, was he handling it at all?

"Simi, look at me," I said, my voice calm. He seemed hesitant but he finally looked at me. His eyes were mildly bloodshot and there were tear stains on his face. His attempt to hide the obvious from me wasn't a success at all, and from the way he kept averting his gaze from mine, I could tell he was embarrassed about the situation.

Sigh.

I was trying to thread carefully with this because it was all new to me. Simi has always been the one to calm me down when I cry. This change in position was doing nothing to calm my nerves. But I wanted to help, just as he has been helping me.

I needed to help him. I promised myself I will.

"You once told me that crying is the way your heart speaks when your lips can't explain the pain you feel." I started, keeping my eyes on him while his gaze kept averting from mine. "It's totally okay if you want to..."

"I'm not supposed to cry," He cut me off, finally looking at me. His voice suddenly hardened and sharp again, but it quivered a bit and I could sense an undertone of embarrassment there. I furrowed my brows in question and peered at him.

"Why? Because you are a guy?" I asked him, but he said nothing. I chuckled slightly because that silence was the answer I needed.

"Number one, that's some stereotypical sexist BS," I told him, watching as his lips twitched a bit but he didn't smile.

"And two, Simi... you have seen - no - watched me bawl my eye out in front of you several times. You have seen me cry like heaven is about to fall, so you don't have to pretend in front of me. I'm the last person that's going to judge you. You know that." I pointed to him, my voice echoing through the classroom.

There was absolute silence for a bit after I said that, me watching Simi but Simi keeping his eyes on the tiled ground, not meeting my gaze again. His slacked shoulder told me he was exhausted, not physically but emotionally. I knew how it felt like because I've been in this position one too many times lately.

Still, I had no idea what it was like to be in his shoes.

I sighed.

"You were right," I whispered, causing him to finally look up, his eyes meeting mine. "I have no idea what it's like to be in your shoes and I'm sorry, Simi. I'm so sorry that I said I understand. The truth is that I don't understand," I paused, watching for the slightest bit of reaction from him.

He swallowed, nodding his head slowly but didn't say anything still.

"But I made a promise," I continued. "I made a promise to you, to your mum, and even Gigi that I was going to help you and I am standing by that promise. So, don't give up on yourself because I'm not giving up on you, Simisola." I stated matter-of-factly.

Simi exhaled a deep long breath and I watched as his shoulders squared back slightly... the way he visibly relaxed. He didn't say anything but his body language was answer enough.

"Are we on the same page?" I asked carefully. He hesitated a bit before nodding his head slowly.

"Yes," This was the first positive word I have heard from him all afternoon. He wasn't giving up anymore, and that was enough for me.

"Good," I sighed, grateful. "Now, let's get back to it."

I led him back to our seat, taking our former position on the chairs. While I began to open the textbook again, I felt Simi's eyes on me and looked up just to see him watching me, steadily. I couldn't read the expression on his face but I knew he wanted to say something.

And I was right.

"I'm sorry," He muttered just seconds after my thoughts. I stopped what I was doing and bobbed my head to the side, peering at him while wondering why he was apologizing.

"What are you apologizing for?" I had to ask. "You haven't done anything wrong," I told him, then went back to flipping through the pages of my maths textbook.

"For losing my cool like that," He said and I stopped again, turning to look at him. He sighed, averting his gaze from mine. "That outburst was unnecessary and I wasn't supposed to yell at you..."

"Hey, come on." I stopped him, making him look back at me. " I might not know what it's like to be in your shoes but I understand what it's like to be frustrated. You don't have to apologize for that. You don't owe me."

"But I do," He countered gently. " You have been trying to help me but I've been nothing but a pain, and I'm so sorry about that. I should be the one hustling for this tutorial, not the other way round." He said, and my brows furrowed.

That last statement could have been a passing statement on a normal day but the way he said it made it sound like there was more to it. So, I asked him.

"What do you mean?" I asked. His silence told me that I was indeed right that there was more to it. But him being hesitant to tell me, I felt I was prying too much and wanted to tell him not to bother.

But he spoke up before I could.

"Given my bad school records in academics, my Dad gave me an ultimatum this year," He started, looking at me. I kept quiet, a way of telling him to go on because I wasn't sure how to interpret the first statement.

"If I don't get up to average in my continuous assessments, I'll have to quit swimming for good." He revealed. My eyes widened like saucers.

"Wait, what?" I gapped, "He is making you choose between swimming and your academics?" I had to ask again, just to be sure I heard correctly. He let out a humorless chuckle and shrugged.

"I mean, that's natural parental instincts, right?" He asked rhetorically, then chuckled again. "If your parents don't see you making waves in academics, they must eliminate all distractions, right?" There was a way he said distractions like he was mimicking his Dad. I haven't met the man before but I could tell.

"That's what my dad thinks is best for me." He added, like an afterthought.

"Except it is not a distraction to you," I pointed out. Simi turned to me immediately, giving me a look that said how did you know. I exhaled, shrugging.

"I'm not blind, Simi. I've seen you in the water. " I told him. "Apart from the fact that you are a phenomenal swimmer, I've seen how happy you are... how much you enjoy what you do. Unlike many of us, it's not just a sport to you." I said.

Simi stared at me in awe, like he hadn't expected me to say all of that... like he hadn't expected me to know all of that. But I did.

"You are right. Swimming is not just a sport to me." He whispered, then let out a sigh. "It's my life."

The emotion behind his voice that followed that statement shook me to my core. Every word he said held so much might, it finally made me understand the reason behind his initial frustration.

He might not have been my friend till now but we have been on the swim team together for almost three years. Though I didn't pay much attention to him back then, I knew how great he was. But the Paragon competition was able to prove to me how much he loved and enjoyed swimming. I can still remember the big smile on his face when he came out of the pool a winner.

But his smile wasn't the smile of a winner. It was the smile of someone who loved what he is doing... someone who would still keep smiling even if he wins second place.

Simi has a passion for swimming, but I have no idea why his Dad would want to take that away from him. I can guarantee I don't love swimming as much as Simi does, but I knew how much it broke me when I was diagnosed with ASD and aquaphobia.

How much was it breaking him on the inside?

"My Dad doesn't see it that way," Simi started after moments of comfortable silence. I looked at Simi, watching him lazily straighten the folded leaves page edges of his notebook.

"He is a pro academic, the kind of person that believes you have to go to school to succeed and every other side hustle is a hobby," He chuckled, turning his face to glance at me before averting it again. "For him, he sees swimming as the one thing distracting me from passing my exams so, he feels the best thing is to permanently get rid of it."

"But that's not going to happen right?" I asked, and Simi looked at me again. "This tutorial is going to help, isn't it?" I asked. Simi let out scoff-like laughter, shaking his head slowly.

"It's not a miracle, Hilary," He stated shrewdly, looking at me. "We have just four days before the test starts. You can't get me up to average in just a short period, except you are a magician or a miracle worker. It cannot work that way."

I rolled my eyes.

"Can you try to be a little positive?" I chided him softly and he shrugged in reply, muttering something like it's just facts. "Besides, if I heard you correctly, your Dad said average in your continuous assessments, right?"

He nodded, furrowing his brow a bit as if to ask where I was going with this.

"Well, two tests comprise of the continuous assessment in Crestview and we are just going to have one next week. Your Dad can not judge you based on the result of your first test." I told him. His eyes widened slightly in the realization of what I meant, his lips twitching with a small smile.

"So, I still have second test to make up if the first test doesn't go as planned. " He took the words right out of my mouth. My lips stretched in a grin as I nodded slowly.

"Exactly," I affirmed, causing his own smile to widen a little more, a little bit of hope shining in his eyes. I exhaled softly, "You don't have to be nervous about it. You know you can be good at both academics and swimming right? This doesn't have to be an either-or situation." I told him.

"Just like you, hmmn?" He looked at me, his brows raised in question while I furrowed mine in confusion. "You are good, both at swimming and academic, yeah?"

My smile faltered a bit at that question. The question was rhetorical but I still had an answer to it. Simi seemed to notice the change in my countenance because he sat up on his seat and peered at me, his own smile faltering too. When he opened his mouth to speak, most likely I apologize for the question, I beat him to it.

I chuckled lightly, looking away from him and down to my notebook.

"I don't think I can consider myself being great at something I am suddenly scared of," I muttered, more to myself than to him but he heard anyway. I wasn't looking at him but I could feel it in the way he shifted in his seat, his gaze burning to the side of my head.

"The Panic Attacks." He chipped in. My head jerked right back to its position and my shocked eyes met his. I wasn't sure how he figured it out because he didn't even know the details of the accident, or the reason I had panic attacks those two times he found me.

"I put two and two together," He answered my unasked question, then continued, picking his words carefully.

"The first time you had a panic attack and fainted, I still remember vividly the way you had looked at the pool. You were scared. And the second time I found you, you were outside the pool again. Now, both scenarios make perfect sense." He explained.

I was surprised at how fast he was able to remember the details of those days and how he had connected the dots so accurately. I didn't have to open my mouth to tell him. He already figured everything out. Well, except for one thing. The reason why one of the best female swimmers on the team suddenly has a phobia for water.

And from the way he was looking at me, I could tell that exact question was also running through his mind. Just like I've said before, Simi is pretty much an open book like me.

"You can ask," I told him, a reassuring smile playing on my lips. His lips quirked a bit, a smile tugging at the corners.

"How do you know I want to ask a question?" He queried teasingly and I chuckled.

"Because it's written all over your face," I answered him, and his brows quirked in amusement, obviously not expecting that kind of answer. "Come on, you can ask." I urged him on.

"Okay. How come you are suddenly scared of water?" He asked, just as I had predicted. I was about to answer his question the best way I knew how to without dropping too many details, but his next question made me reconsider.

"Does it have anything to do with the accident?" He questioned.

I shut my mouth, wondering how he had easily deduced that it had something to do with the accident. But then again, a lot of lapses I've been having this past month have been tied to the accident. Simi stated that simple fact on Monday, so it wasn't difficult for him to figure out. Yet, he surprised me how fast he was becoming vast with how my life is operating.

How quick he was beginning to know me in... different ways.

"If you don't want to talk about it, I understand..." He began to say when I wasn't answering but I quickly shook my head.

"No, it's fine. My therapist made me understand that talking about it will make things easy, so..." I trailed off, chuckling to myself while Simi still kept peering at me. "And yes, it has everything to do with the accident," I added in a heartbeat.

I wasn't sure why I didn't feel hesitant to tell him, just feeling the urge to lay it all out for him. Besides, what's the essence of hiding it anyway?

"I'm all ears," Simi whispered as a way to urge me on, his hand propping his head up against the table as he kept his gaze on me. I exhaled, getting prepared.

Chidera, you had better be right about this.

"A lot of people don't know the details of the accident," I started, glancing at Simi who as he said, was paying rapt attention to me. "So many people have no idea that I was in the car as well with my brother when the accident happened," I paused when I saw the slight shock on Simi's face, making me realize that he was one of those many people.

Well now, he will finally know the details.

"The car veered off the road and broke through the barricades on the bridge we were driving on," I revealed, watching Simi's eyes widen in complete horror as I took a deep calming breath.

"The impact at which the car used to plunge into the river was very devastating, my brother became unconscious immediately. The difference between the both of us was that I had my seatbelt on and he didn't, so I was still very much conscious. But not for long, because I watched as water filled up the car... till I was drowning."

"Hilary..." Simi muttered softly, moving closer to me with his expression filled with emotions, strong emotions like hurt, pain, agony... like he could feel every bit of my story.

When I felt something wet drop on my hand, I knew I was crying. I quickly reached my hand to my face and cleaned the tears, trying to smile. The weight was lifting but the memory and the pain accompanied by it were still there.

"Simi," I called him and he sat upright immediately, answering me. "Have you ever been so far underwater, you are conscious of what is going on, but you just can't get out?" I asked him, but he had no answer. It was kinda rhetorical anyway, so I nodded.

"That's how it felt, till I finally lost consciousness," I concluded, mustering a tight-lipped smile as I wiped the tears on my face again.

There was silence for a bit. Simi wasn't saying anything and even though it was kinda weird, I was also glad he didn't say I'm sorry or accept my condolences. I've heard enough of that to last a lifetime. And, Chidera was right. Talking about it made me feel a whole lot better.

"So you were diagnosed with aquaphobia," He stated after moments of silence. I nodded, glancing at him.

"Actually, I was diagnosed with ASD. Aquaphobia is like a byproduct." I explained.

"ASD, like Acute Stress Disorder," Simi inquired and I confirmed with a nod, amused that he knew what ASD was even though it wasn't a common disorder. He shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. "I've read on it before," He told me and I hummed, smiling back.

"I have noticed that about you," I said, and he quirked his brows as if to ask me what I have noticed about him. "From the way you speak, I can tell you read different kinds of books on different situations or stuff in general. Besides, I've seen you read some books in class." I pointed out. Simi chuckled and shrugged.

"Believe it or not, I'm a bibliophile," He shrugged again and I laughed.

"Oh trust me, I believe it," I answered and he chuckled again. I smiled, watching him.

It was the way we could easily transcend conversations for me. One minute, we would be having heartfelt and deep discussions that can shake even the most difficult person, then in another minute, it's all normal, playful, and fun conversations. No awkwardness, no weirdness, just ease. This was a kind of flow I didn't even have with my friends.

I wasn't sure how to feel about that, but I sure as hell wasn't feeling bad.

"Let's make a deal," Simi spoke, jerking me out of my reverie. I sat up, indicating that I was listening. "I'll do everything I can to pass this test." He said and I smiled.

"I promise to be attentive during all tutorials. If I don't understand anything, I'll let you know. I'll try to be patient and learn everything you have to offer. I'm not going to lose my cool or get frustrated. I'll be on deck with everything." He promised and I waited, wanting to hear the deal.

"And if I improve in my continuous assessments, I'll help you face your fear."

My eyes widened.

He didn't just say what I think he said.

"Wait, What?!" I exclaimed.

"I'll help you swim again," He repeated, elaborating this time, his eyes telling me he wasn't playing at all. I swallowed, not knowing what to say or do. It no longer felt like he was making a deal. Rather, it was like he wanted to really help me... like, even if he passes or not, he will help me swim again.

He was promising me.

I stared back at him, letting my uneasiness and uncertainty about his request show. He saw it and his lips quirked in a small but reassuring smile.

"But, only if you want it," He added as a way to ease me. I exhaled deeply.

I wasn't sure what I wanted, but I knew for a fact that I have missed being in the water.

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"Collins, come and share the test books." Our Mathematics teacher, Toseen, a corper that joined the school late last session called to Collins, who stood up to collect our maths test notes and shared it with the rest of the class.

It was the Friday of test week but tests ended on Wednesday. Thursday and Friday were for collecting already marked tests. Maths was the only subject we haven't collected, but now we were.

"I can't believe I was given a sixteen over twenty." Semeeha lamented after she had snatched her test note from Collins and opened it, who chuckled at her reaction and went on to give me mine before going on to the next table.

"You were given or that's what you got?" I queried teasingly, before opening my book to check my own score.

Eighteen over Twenty. I mused, smiling to myself. I didn't expect anything less. I wasn't the very best in maths but I knew how good I was.

"You even got more than me," Semeeha whined and I looked at her with raised brows.

"I'm better than you at maths, Semeeha," I reminded her because it was true. "The only subject you can actually beat me at is English Language," I stated matter-of-factly. She rolled her eyes at me, shoving her note into her locker.

"You are proud," She mumbled and I chuckled.

"Coming from you, I take that as a compliment," I answered and she scoffed, muttering some incoherent words to herself.

Involuntarily, my head turned to where Simi's seat was located, just in time to see Collins give him his test note. I watched him shove the book into his locker without opening it to check his score and I chuckled. That's how he has been doing it since yesterday anytime he gets his test notes back.

Like he knew I was looking at him, his head turned and his eyes met mine, his eyebrows quirking in question as he slouched back on his seat. I inaudibly asked for his test score but he shook his head, drawing an invisible zip over his mouth, and threw away the key. I rolled my eyes comically at him while his lips stretched in a small smile.

He has been keeping his test scores from me, saying he wasn't going to show me till he gets all his scripts. Thankfully, this was the last one. Let's know how the tutorial played out.

"Most of you did very well," Corper Toseen started when Collins was done sharing the test notes. "I was however disappointed when some of you couldn't solve these simple equations, especially when two of the questions came from the last assignment I gave you guys,"

There was pin-drop silence.

"Jidenna," He suddenly called, and immediately, everyone turned in the direction of Jidenna's seat. Well, everyone except me. I kept my eyes ahead. Even Semeeha turned around.

"Sir?" I heard his voice. There was a little bit of quiver in his tone that made me want to turn around and see his face. But I stopped myself.

"What's going on?" Corper Toseen asked, looking confused and upset at the same time. "You completely flopped your test and that's a shock!" He added. My eyes widened slightly in shock.

He did what?

That was a big bombshell to everyone as it was to me because murmurs began to ring through the entire class. This time, I willed myself to glance at Jidenna and when I turned my head, I saw it. He was trying to keep a straight, nonchalant expression but I could see it flattering by the second.

Something was going on with him, but whatever it was, wasn't any business of mine so I looked away and faced ahead.

"So, Jidenna can fail a test?" Semeeha asked a somewhat mocking undertone to her voice. I shrugged in reply.

"Apparently so," I answered monotonously, watching as Corper Toseen chided Jidenna, telling him to get rid of whatever was distracting him and sit up in his next test. That means his score was probably very bad.

Still, not my business.

"Simisola," Corper Toseen called out, alerting me. On impulse, I sat up as if it was my name that had been called. Glancing at Simi, I saw the way he had shifted on his chair. He was still slouching but he seemed more alert than before.

"Simisola Jordan," The corper called again, looking around the class for Simi. At this point, everyone had turned their heads to Simi's direction, just as he was raising his hand to signify.

"Yes sir," Simi answered.

There was silence for a bit after that, Corper Toseen looking at Simi through squinted eyes, as if to access him. I glanced at Simi again and saw that his expression was rather plain... like he was expecting the worst. Given that he didn't check his script to know his score, he was just as oblivious as I was to his improvement.

If only Corper Toseen will just spea...

"You improved," His voice interrupted my thoughts. My eyes lit up and my lips involuntarily stretched in a big smile.

The revelation of Simi's improvement caused an uproar throughout the class. Why wouldn't it? It was a first of its kind. I looked at Simi and saw that his expression was still plain, but I didn't miss the ghost of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

"Although," Corper Toseen continued, silencing the class. "There were some equations you didn't use the right formula for, even though you arrived at the right answer. I pardoned it but please, for the sake of your external exams, use the right formula for the equations. Do you understand?"

"Okay sir," Simi answered, nodding curtly. I, on the other hand, had not stopped smiling so hard. I could feel Semeeha's gaze drilling holes to the side of my head, probably wondering what was wrong with me.

The bell went off for change of period and Corper Toseen left the class. Since it was Test week and we were done with all tests, it was free period for everyone, so the class was thrown into a frenzy of noise making. I even caught a glimpse of Jidenna leaving the class from my peripheral vision.

Semeeha opened her mouth to speak, probably to continue ranting about how she scored sixteen over twenty in the test, but I quickly cut her off.

"I'll be right back," I said, didn't wait for her to answer before standing up and walking over to Simi's table. The guy had wasted no time in shutting off the entire class by wearing his headphones and resting his head on the table.

I chuckled lightly, tapping him.

"I knew it was just a matter of time before you disturb my peace and quiet." He let out an exaggerated groan as he rose his head up, turning his head to look at me. I rolled my eyes at him and lightly slapped his shoulder, before dragging an empty chair beside him to sit on.

"You know why I'm here," I stated in a business-like manner and he cocked his head to the side, peering at me with an amused smirk playing on his lips. I couldn't keep up the act, so I faltered and chuckled. "Come on, Simi. Let's check your scores," I whined.

His smile faltered a bit, and he sighed. I could sense the hesitation.

"I'm actually nervous to check them," He confessed before I could even ask him, looking at me with a forlorn look, his fingers drumming on the table nervously.

"It's okay for you to be," I whispered, giving him a reassuring smile as I placed my hand on his to stop his fingers from drumming on the table. He looked at my hand on his before looking back at me.

"Besides, Maths is already canceled out since Corper Toseen said you improved. That's a good sign," I added, optimistic but Simi's expression didn't change.

"That's just one out of eight subjects, Hilary." He pointed out, stating true facts. "What's if the rest are terrible?" He asked.

"You are pretty much average in English, and Civic Education is your strong point. That cancels them out too. Plus, I'm sure you did well in the rest." I told him, trying to encourage him. He exhaled, repeatedly and that told me he wasn't calm yet. I sighed as well.

"Simi," I called softly and he looked at me. "Have faith," I whispered, squeezing his hand gently. He exhaled again, taking in a long and deep calming breath then nodded.

He didn't say anything else but proceeded to open his locker, bringing out each test note for every subject and laying them on the table.

"So," I drawled, my eyes scheming through all the laid-out books on the table before looking at Simi. "Which one do we open first?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Probably the ones I know I might have likely flopped in," He answered and I looked at him chidingly. He shrugged again, picking up both his Physics and Chemistry test notes. I didn't stop him when he opened it and checked, willing myself not to look at it except he showed me.

"I said it," He muttered, his crestfallen expression telling me everything I needed to know before he even showed me the books. He dropped both books back on the table and I looked at them.

Simi scored eight over twenty in Physics and six over twenty in Chemistry.

I sighed.

"They are your weakest points," I muttered, a way of trying to make him feel better without actually saying the usual I'm sorry. He nodded and shrugged again.

"Yeah. I kinda saw these two coming anyway." His voice had a lesser tone of disappointment in it, and it made me glad that he was handling it better. Though, I inwardly prayed that these two were the only bad scores.

"Besides," Simi continued, a small smile gracing the corner of his lips as he looked at me. "I used to get a zero or two in both subjects so six and eight is an improvement," He chuckled and a wide smile spread across my lips.

He was becoming optimistic and it's making me really happy.

"At least you are smiling," I whispered and his smile widened, averting his gaze from me for a bit before looking back at me, clear amber irises trained on me. I looked away, looking back at the test notes.

"Let's check the rest," I muttered and he nodded.

Simi started opening all the notes up, staring with English Language.

"Twelve!" I exclaimed, grinning as I looked at Simi who was sharing a bigger smile. "I told you, your English is good!" I added and he laughed softly, obviously feeling more and more relaxed.

We opened Civic Education next, and as expected, it was his highest so far, fourteen over twenty. Civic was his strong point. Sincerely speaking, if he wasn't already in Science class, I'm sure Art class would have been the best for him. Between notes and calculations, he was better at reading and writing notes.

Every other subject was also good. He had twelve over twenty and ten over twenty in Economics and Maths respectively. Judging by his excitement, I could tell that compared to other scores that he was already used to getting, this was a major improvement, which means the tutorial was working.

I couldn't be any more proud.

"In as much as there is a clear-cut difference between my old scores and these new ones, I won't be surprised if my Dad doesn't think this is improvement enough," Simi stated, and my brows furrowed in a slight frown.

This is honestly an improvement to me. What more can his Dad want?

"Well, it is an improvement, Simi. We both know that." I answered. "Besides, we still have a few weeks to second test. That's enough time to tutor and work together." I told him. He sighed and nodded.

"You're right." He agreed, nodding and I flashed him a small smile. I glanced behind me to my seat and saw that Dawn was already there.

"I should get back to my seat," I said and he nodded again, mustering a small smile at me. I stood up and returned the chair I was sitting on back to its corner.

Just as I was about to make my way back to my seat, Simi grabbed my hand, stopping me.

"Hilary, wait." He said, his hand still holding on to mine. I turned around to look at him, allowing my eyes to meet his. I was expecting him to let my hand go, now that he had my attention, but he didn't.

He held on to it.

"Yeah?" I whispered, answering him.

He didn't say anything for a bit, just stared at me, still holding my hand. I stared back, not caring for once that some of my classmates were still in class and probably looking at us right now, coming up with some obnoxious speculations in their minds. I didn't care. I just kept my eyes on Simi, just as he held my gaze.

Then, his lips stretched in a smile. The widest, most contagious smile I've ever seen on him, causing me to smile right back. Not just his lips, but his entire face lit up, his eyes literally dancing. He was happy. Genuinely Happy.

"Thank you," He whispered, and I laughed softly, shaking my head at him.

"Friends don't say thank you, remember?" I reminded him. It was now his turn to laugh, shaking his head slowly and muttering something that sound like you.

His laughter subsided and his lips stretched back in that wide smile. He held my gaze again for another bit before squeezing my hand gently and finally letting it go.

"I'll talk to you later," He whispered, making it sound like he was promising me. I nodded, low-key looking forward to it. I flashed him one last smile before making my way back to my seat.

"About time you came back!" Semeeha legit shouted as soon as I got to them. I rolled my eyes at her melodramatic-ness and went to sit down. Dawn was sitting on the table, swinging her legs back and forth over the edge.

"You and Simi seem to be getting close," Dawn chipped, a teasing smile playing on her lips as she nodded towards Simi's seat. I chuckled and shook my head.

"I'm his friend but I'm also his tutor," I reminded her, and she bobbed her head to the side, her brows quirked. "I'm supposed to be close to him," I added for emphasis, but she gave me a look I couldn't decipher, accompanied with that same teasing smile.

Then in a nanosecond, it was gone, replaced with an expression that looked like she just remembered something

"Speaking of being his tutor," She started, changing the topic. "How is the tutorial going? Has it started working?" She asked, seeming very interested. When Semeeha was now on her phone, probably not listening to us.

I looked back at Dawn and smiled before nodding.

"He's improving," I told her and she smiled back.

"That's a good thing." She chipped, looking genuinely happy for Simi. "I'm just glad, at least someone is giving him a shot at being better. I'm all for growth and improvement." She said.

Semeeha scoffed, indicating she has been listening to our conversation. Either that, or she saw something that annoyed her on her phone. But either way, I knew she was about to say something mean.

"I still think it's a complete waste of..." She began, but I quickly cut her off.

"Semeeha, if you want to say something mean about Simi, or how the tutorial is a waste of time, Please don't. No negative comments here," I told her, sounding as stern as possible. She snorted out a peal of short, humorless laughter.

"I was just going to state facts." She dissed.

"Facts are not always the truth Semeeha," Dawn chipped. The darker girl snorted again but said nothing. I sighed, already exhausted by Semeeha's behavior.

I didn't know if it was just me, but it seemed like she had gotten meaner. Whatever it was, I wasn't liking it at all.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

"Hilary, what have I told you about putting your phone in the kitchen?" Mum queried, and I threw a glance at her over my shoulder. She picked up my phone from where it was on the marble counter and waved it at me, a frown creases over her forehead. I couldn't even defend myself before she started speaking again.

"You know, I read it somewhere that if you put your phone close to a gas cooker, you can set the entire house on fire. Do you want to set the house on fire?!" She shrieked, and I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes.

Mummy. I sighed, rinsing my hands from foam lather.

"Mum," I drawled, turning around to look at her clearly, leaning my back against the sink. "You really need to stop reading those Whatsapp broadcast messages. Most of them are lies." I told her and she clicked her teeth, dismissing me.

"You want to be used as an experiment before you believe them?" She questioned adamantly and I chuckled, shaking my head. She went on "I even watched a video about it. One girl was picking a call close to the gas cooker and that's how she caught fire. Can you ima..."

Her words caught in her throat when on cue, my phone began to ring in her hands. She quickly dropped it back on the counter like it had burnt on hand.

"Get this phone out of my kitchen, Idara!" She screamed. I laughed, but did as she said, picked my phone, and walked out of the kitchen. The phone had stopped ringing but it started ringing again immediately. I checked the caller ID and smiled when I saw who it was.

Simi.

"Hey," I said as soon as I picked the call.

"Hi. How are you? I'm so sorry I called you without prior notice." He shot out in one breath, not giving me room to even answer his first question. I chuckled.

"Number one, I'm fine," I answered and I heard a short laugh from his end. "Two, it's okay that you called. I've been trying to get an excuse to leave the kitchen sef." I told him and he laughed again.

"I heard that!" Mum hollered from the kitchen and I laughed

This woman!

"I actually called to give you an update of my Dad's reaction to the test scores." He told me and I hummed, a way of telling him to go on. "Just as I predicted, he wasn't exactly impressed with my test scores." He said and I sighed, shaking my head.

"That's not what I was expecting," I mused in disappointment, walking to the living room to sit down on one of the sofas. Simi chuckled and I realized he didn't sound half as disappointed as I did.

"Well, that's not all," He said and I sat up, noticing the slight chirpiness in his voice. "Though he wasn't impressed, he acknowledged the fact that I have improved, so he is giving me one last shot at second test." He recounted and I smiled again.

"So you are still on the team?"

"Yes, I'm still on the team."

"Yes!" I screamed in excitement, jumping from the sofa. Simi's laughter rang out from his end. A booming, hearty, and contagious laugh that echoed out from my phone and resonated through my living room because my phone was on speaker.

"Now, that's some good news!" I chirped in excitement, sitting back on the sofa.

"God knows, I've been smiling since he told me. I've been smiling so hard, my cheeks hurt. I'm so excited, Hilary."

His voice was clear, genuine happiness filled in his tone. It was so unmatched, I could legit feel so much joy radiating from the phone speaker. I began to wish I could see his face right... see how happy he was.

"I can hear it in your voice, Simi. I'm so happy for you." I cooed.

"This is all you, Hilary. All you. I couldn't have done this without you." He said and my lips stretched in a smile. A big, satisfied smile.

"Thank you for not giving up on me." He continued, "And before you use my words against me and tell me friends don't say thank you, just know that I have to thank you for this one. You have no idea what you have done for me."

There was so much appreciation in his voice that moved me to tears. He was thanking me like I had saved his life.

Swimming is my life.

His voice from last Wednesday reminded me and I sighed, finally understanding.

"You'll do the same for me, Simi," I told him, and there was silence on his end, except the sound of his intense breathing. "I've got your back, always." I reminded him.

There was no reply from him but I knew he was smiling. I could feel it. And I smiled too, reminding myself that I'd do whatever it takes to help him, just like he has been helping me.

"The offer still stands, you know." He whispered and I knew what he meant. "I'll help you get over your fear." He added and I exhaled deeply.

"I'll think about it," I answered and I heard him hume in response.

The doorbell went off, followed by Mum's call for me to answer the door.

"I have to go now, Simi," I said. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

"Of course." Was his simple, yet promising reply. I smiled and hung up. While I walked to the door to answer whoever was behind it, the smile was still playing on my lips. But when I opened the door, my eyes meeting that of the person behind it-

-my smile turned upside down immediately.

𝐀/𝐍

Who do you guys think was at the door? Guesses people! Stat!

I asked y'all in the last update that what side of Simi are we going to be seeing in this chapter and no one gave me the right answer. Someone even said Insanely Smart Simi and I was like, What has Hilary been seeing all these while if not Insanely Smart Simi🤣.

I rushed some parts in this chapter. I'm sure it might not be obvious, but I couldn't describe in detail some things I wanted to describe. And there was no way I could cut some parts off. Anyway, how was it?

Not sure when the next update is coming, but luckily the school I'm teaching in is going on vacation next week, so I'll be home for Christmas. Expect at least three more updates before the end of this month 😌.

In the meantime, don't forget to VOTE! COMMENT!! SHARE!!! I'll see you when I see you.