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Dedicated to diamond__rubies for being an avid reader and supporter from the very start. Love you plenty 😘

Chapter Sixteen

MICHAEL

I turn to Cynthia to find her already on her seat, opening her locker to bring out books probably for our next lesson and I take my seat next to her. I'm about to say something when she suddenly stops her actions, her hand freezes in her locker then she pulls out a package.

It looks like a box of something packaged in gift wrappers and I can't help being curious. 

Is it a gift from one of her admirers? Do I need to be worried about a rival?

She unwraps the box and opens it, picking a note from inside it. I immediately move closer to her and try to see what is written in the note and hopefully see who sent it. Thankfully, she's too focused on reading the content to notice that she's not the only one reading it.

Dear Cynthia,

Honestly I don't know what I'm doing or if I'm going about this the right way, but I've decided to follow my heart and commit myself to pleasing you.

Hope you like the chocolate shaped in what I have to give you and what I also want from you.

Yours truly,

John.

After reading the note, I can't help the snort that escapes me. I glance at the chocolate in the box and see that it is shaped as a heart.

But then, John? He sent this? He wants Cynthia to fall in love with him? Is this a joke or what? And why exactly is it him of all people that I have to worry about?

I glance at Cynthia and try to study her reactions, but I couldn't quite place what she's feeling because they seem too many. I could definitely see that she's pleased though, the slight smile on her face proving that.

She looks towards the side and I quickly scoot back to my seat, pretending that I didn't just invade her privacy. She ignores me and focuses on someone, the smile still on her face.

"I'll enjoy the chocolate." She says to who I presume is John and I follow her gaze to find him also smiling, looking very pleased with himself. 

I look back at Cynthia and see that she's still  smiling and without thinking, I move to her line of view so that she's looking at me instead.

I give her a wink and her smile immediately changes into a scowl then she rolls her eyes and turns towards the chocolate, her face warming up again.

She takes a bite from it and chews it, moaning appreciatively and murmuring something that sounded much like 'it's delicious'. 

"So you like it? I can get you an even bigger one tomorrow." I blurt out without thinking, only realizing what I've just said when I see the irritated look on her face.

"No, thank you." She replies without even hesitation and closes the box of chocolate then returns it into her locker.

Why did I even tell her that?

I'm about to tell her to forget what I just said when I realize we have visitors.

No, I have visitors.

I look up at the two admittedly cute girls I have never seen before in my life standing in front of me with wide smiles on their faces and I return the smile. I should be polite to them, they are my new classmates after all.

"Oh, Michael, this is like a dream come true. We finally get to meet. I'm so glad we are close to each other since I sit just behind you." One of them says in what she thinks is a sultry voice that just makes me cringe.

The other girl nods her agreement with great enthusiasm, "We are seat partners so we both sit behind you." She adds in explanation and I can't help looking at them with amusement.

What the hell am I supposed to do with that information?

"You know, if you want, my seat partner can exchange seats with you so you can sit beside me and then we could get to know each other better." The first girl continues with the same voice but I notice the protesting look on the other girl's face.

I hope this doesn't end up as a girl's fight. I've had enough of that.

"Why do I have to be the one to exchange seats with him? Why don't you exchange seats with him instead?"

"You have to exchange seats with him so I can be his seat partner and not you." The first girl replies like it is obvious. It only seems to infuriate the other girl though.

"And what if I say I won't be exchanging seats with him?" She asks and that makes the first girl annoyed too.

"You won't dare do something like that." The first girl replies threateningly, her sultry voice completely disappearing.

As expected, I'll always elicit such responses from girls just by existing. I'm not being proud, it's just how I'm created.

I decide to break off their glaring match and to set things straight, "Hey, girls. There won't be need for anyone to exchange seats because I'm perfectly comfortable with where I'm sitting." I state softly and both girls glance at me then at Cynthia.

"What's so special about where you are sitting? I'm sure it's not because of her since the only thing she has ever done is insult you." The first one says, folding her arms.

"I know, right?" I reply with a smile and turn to look at the said girl who seems to be paying no attention to all.

She gives me an irritated look, "What?"

I shrug, pretending to be fascinated by her but she ignores me and flips the pages of the books in front of her.

I smile slightly at myself. If only she knew I didn't come here to be ignored.

"Thank you." I say again to start a conversation between us. I don't even know why I said thank you but I just want to get her attention and it works because she is now giving me a suspicious look.

"For what?"

I quickly think of a befitting response and my mind goes to what had happened at the police station.

"For... not giving me a ride at the police station." I reply with a smile so she will know that I'm not annoyed at her but she looks at me skeptically.

"You are not welcome." She replies lightly and I can't help chuckling.

This girl.

"Hello, Michael." Another group of girls come into view, giggling amongst themselves and I raise my head to the girls, discovering surprisingly that the other girls aren't gone yet and there are now three others.

"My name is Tomi and these are my friends, Mercy and Liz." One of the new girls says and gestures to the other two girls beside her. The two waves with a dazed look and I smile at the tsk-ing sound Cynthia is making.

"Oh, hi." I reply out of courtesy and they all beam.

"We just want to let you know that we are very happy to share the same class with you and if there is anything you need, I mean anything, we can always be of help." She says with a sensual smile, twisting a finger around some of her braids and I know immediately that she isn't referring to anything related to school work.

"Sure. I'll let you know whenever I need your help."

But I doubt I'll really need their help. The only person that can help me will be this aggressive lady over here.

I notice the grimace on her face when I turn to her and smile. I wonder what she is thinking.

"What subject are we having now?" I ask curiously. I might be trying to get into a conversation with her but I do need to know the subject we will be having now.

She looks at me with a raised eyebrow and I blink at her before quickly defending myself, "I'm a new science student. You don't expect me to know all that already, do you?"

She reluctantly points to the timetable that is written on a smaller board on the wall and I smile gratefully at her. It isn't until I hear retreating footsteps and grumblings that I realize that the girls were still standing beside me until now.

Should I have said something like 'you are dismissed' so they would know they were meant to have gone?

I bring out my bag from my locker and then a jotter to write down the timetable, realizing that for a while that this might be my new normal. Coming down to this class instead of going up to my friends, getting to meet new people and the best part, getting to know Cynthia. 

Why am I feeling so excited?

I hear a groan from Cynthia and turn to see an annoyed expression on her face. Is she really that opposed to sitting next to me?

I turn to her with an amused smile, "Do you like sitting with me that much?"

"I like it so much that I won't mind if you actually exchange seats with one of those annoying girls." She replies sarcastically and I can't help chuckling at her attitude.

I watch her intently, noticing how she's had a permanent scowl since she has finished reading the note that her admirer, Mr. John, had sent to her.

It's probably a warning sign she had put up for me, 'don't annoy me or I'm going to bite you'.

Literally.

Does she like John? If she does, I bet it's because she doesn't know half of the things he is capable of. Would she like me instead if she finds out that I was actually the one who saved her at the party and not Mr. John? 

"How did you meet John?"

She glances at me with a confused expression, probably wondering why I'm suddenly curious about that but doesn't look like she's about to say anything. And just when I'm about to say something else, a teacher enters into the class, successfully putting an end to an investigation that hasn't even begun.

I discover that the man is the Further Mathematics teacher after he writes the subject on the board and the topic Differential Calculus which sounds like a foreign language to me.

What the hell is Differential Calculus supposed to mean?

I stare at the Greek-like words that he is writing on the board and notice the constant repetition of dy and dx. He seems to be a good teacher though, I might have understood better if I had begun the lesson with them since it turns out he is just revising last term's work.

I glance at Cynthia and see that she's so concentrated on what the man is saying and she is also taking notes down in her book. She seems to be a very serious student and if I'm to survive in this class, I'll need her help.

I ask the first question that comes to mind, "What's dy?"

She ignores me yet again, giving no sign that she heard what I said and I smile to myself. If her plan is to ignore me and pretend I don't exist, I'm going to make it very difficult for her.

Maybe I should just use this chance to find out once and for all if she is really immune to my charms and antics.

I shift closer to her, pretending to glance at what is written in her note, "What's dx?" I ask again and look up to see her giving me an appalled look.

"I have to continue writing and you are making that difficult." She states monotonously and tries to scoot as far away from me as possible but I only scoot nearer, covering the space she has left between us.

She suddenly turns towards me, her nose brushing my cheek lightly, surprisingly jolting me and increasing my sense of awareness. That's when I realize we are extremely close, like very close. I can perceive that familiar scent of vanilla from her and it takes all of my willpower to not bring my nose closer to her to sniff her.

Guy, get a grip.

I pretend not to notice the slight contact of our skin and continue to peer into her note even though I understand none of the things that are written in them. But I do notice that she has leaned away from me.

Do I affect her?

I turn to look at her just then, bringing our faces even closer with our noses almost touching. She sucks in a startled breath and glances down at my lips before quickly looking away and leaning back from me. But she can only rest her head on the wall as her body is already against the wall and it does only little to widen the space between us. I only have to dip my head a little and our lips will be touching.

I glance at her natural rosy and soft lips and I find myself willing to actually kiss her.

Should I?

I look back at her face to see that she has an undecipherable expression but I can hear the hammering in her chest and with a small smile, I realize that I really do have an effect on her.

She gives me an irritated look and clears her throat, "What do you think you are doing?"

I shrug, pretending to be clueless, "It isn't my fault that I don't understand what he is teaching."

"That's because of your dumb decision to become a science student when you've always been a business student." She replies harshly and my smile widens.

We are still so close to each other and it is really taking all of my willpower to not cover her lips with mine. That and the fact that I know doing that will cause an uproar in the class with the teacher present. I watch her glance nervously at the teacher and sigh with relief when she sees that he is still busy solving a question on the board but she still keeps glancing around, like she is scared we are gaining the students' attention which I'm very sure we are.

"Will you be nice enough to explain what the man is teaching because I really do not understand." I say pleadingly to get back her attention. When she is looking at me, I make sure to blink my eyes repeatedly with a pout so I can maybe win her over.

For a moment, I feel she is really about to say yes but that's until she shoves me away from her with so much strength that I almost fall from the chair and have to grab unto it to prevent myself from falling.

I look at her with surprise, "What was that for? You could have just said no, there was no need to push me."

She is now sitting properly on her seat, her eyes glued on the board, "Can you please not talk to me till school ends for today?"

Of course not.

But it can be an opportunity for me to get her to meet the guys.

"Sure." I reply and she turns to me surprised, like she wasn't expecting me to say yes. I see her visibly start to relax so I smile and quickly add, "But only if you allow me walk you to the school gate after school closes."

I hear her groan and say nothing as if she's weighing the pros and cons. "Fine."

Well, to think I was planning to make her say yes some other ways if she had refused to.

I place my head on the table and begin to watch her. I did that so I can make her uncomfortable under my stare but watching her side profile like this and seeing the discomfort on her face just seems... cute.

After a while of staring at her, she turns to look at me with a pissed expression, "Isn't there any other thing you can do apart from watching me?"

I'm about to reply her when I remember the deal we had made, I'm not to talk to her.

I shake my head instead and she gives me a frustrated look, "I'm seriously not comfortable with you watching me."

I zip my mouth, a gesture to remind her that she asked me not to talk to her and she huffs, using her palms to cover her face and I hide a smile.

With a resigned expression, she continues to write in her note and I continue to watch her.

But that's until I fall asleep.

***

CYNTHIA

If someone had told me this morning that Michael Bankole, the most popular boy in school, a Senator's son, will be sitting next to me in my class even after I had slapped him, thrown his apology at him and told him how much I disgust him, I would have told the person to get mental treatment as soon as possible.

But here he is, acting all friendly to those stupid female classmates and asking me where the class timetable is. Watching him bring out his bag and then a jotter to write down the timetable, the reality of the situation really hits me.

This might be how we will sit till we graduate from secondary school.

I can't help the groan that escapes from my throat at that thought.

"Do you like sitting with me that much?" He asks with an amused smile, knowing very well that it is actually the opposite.

"I like it so much that I won't mind if you actually exchange seats with one of those annoying girls." I reply bitterly and he chuckles.

He stays silent after that as if he is thinking until he suddenly asks, "How did you meet John?"

I look up at him, wondering why he is suddenly interested in knowing how I met John and if I should just straight up tell him that it's none of his business.

I don't get to do that though as our Further Mathematics teacher enters the class then. After exchanging greeting, he begins to teach and I quickly bring out my book to write down what he says and solves.

He's teaching us Differential Calculus and although it is a difficult topic, our teacher has a way of explaining so it is easy for us to understand. That and the fact that we've done it when we were in SS2 so it's more of a revision and it'll be quite easy for any of us to comprehend.

On the other hand, it takes only one glance at Michael for me to realize that he doesn't understand anything the teacher is saying.

What is he thinking switching from their private Business class to an ordinary Science class in the first place? The subjects taught in both classes are totally different except for the core subjects like English and Mathematics. He must have been crazy to change during the last year for that matter.

"What's dy?" He suddenly asks, his face scrunched up in confusion but I ignore him. I wasn't the one who asked him to join our class and I'm not going to be responsible for him.

"What's dx?" He asks again, shifting closer to see the calculations that are written in my notebook. I can't help but notice that our shoulders are touching and I can smell his cologne. It's an exotic smell of fruits, like a mixture of different fruity smell and it's kind of alluring.

I guess the least he can do is to smell nice even with his foul behaviour.

I notice that he is still looking down at my book and decide to tell him to move away, "I have to continue writing and you are making that difficult." I try to scoot as far away from him as possible but he only scoots nearer. I turn to tell him to stop only to be surprised by our close proximity.

My nose brushes his cheek lightly and I suck in a breath, startled by the contact. I find myself glancing at his lips and quickly look away. I immediately lean back, trying to calm my heart that is beating so fast and blaming my reaction on surprise as I wasn't expecting him to be so close.

I don't think he noticed as he is still busy scrutinizing what I have written even though he has no idea what it means. Suddenly, he turns towards me, his chocolate-brown eyes boring into mine, there's practically little space within us and I discover that I'm already leaning against the wall so I can't widen the space. He glances at my lips in an almost seductive way and I start to feel my already calming heart begin to thud a bit fast in my chest again.

Not liking how my body is reacting to his, I snatch my book from the table, giving him an unimpressed look to mask my bothered one.

"What do you think you are doing?" I ask with irritation, not liking in the slightest that he is affecting me more than I would have thought.

"It isn't my fault that I don't understand what he is teaching." He shrugs.

"That's because of your dumb decision to become a science student when you've always been a business student." I say harshly and he smiles, not moving from his position.

We are still so close to each other that he only has to dip his head for his lips to touch mine. I glance nervously at the teacher and sigh with relief when I see that he is still busy solving a question on the board. I just hope we aren't drawing the attention of the other students.

"Will you be nice enough to explain what the man is teaching because I really do not understand." He says, diverting my attention from the students and I see him with a pout and a pleading look. He blinks his eyes repeatedly, looking all cute and I find myself actually wanting to say yes.

Annoyed with him and myself for thinking that way, I shove him away with all my might.

He looks taken aback as he grabs the back of the chair to prevent himself from falling and then turns to me with a surprised look.

"You could have just said no, there was no need to push me." He says with surprise. He is right, I could have just said no but pushing him was an impulsive thing to do and I honestly prefer when he's not invading my space.

"Can you please not talk to me till school ends for today?" I ask without looking at him.

"Sure." He replies, surprising me. I don't expect him to agree so quickly and for once, I allow myself to relax.

"But only if you allow me walk you to the school gate after school closes." He adds and I groan.

I know it was too good to be true. But then, not speaking to me for the next few hours sounds better than the few minutes he would use in escorting me.

"Fine." I agree reluctantly and he grins.

He then places his head on his table and begin to watch me. I decide that he will soon get tired and will stop watching me but after some uncomfortable minutes, I can't take it and turn to him.

"Isn't there any other thing you can do apart from watching me?" I question frustratingly and he just shakes his head, still looking at me.

"I'm seriously not comfortable with you watching me." I repeat again and he zips his mouth, a gesture to remind me that I asked him not to talk to me.

I huff and cover my face with my palms, sighing heavily.

This is going to be the worse year of secondary school for me.

***

The bell signaling the closing of school finally rings and the Biology teacher leaves the classroom, not without leaving some exercises for us to do. I finish copying the last word on the board in my book and drop my pen in it before closing it. I open my locker to bring out my bag when I hear Michael talk. He had fallen asleep during the Further Mathematics lesson and had woken up just after the Biology teacher came into the class. Surprisingly, he listened to the lesson and even took notes.

"Can I speak to you now?"

"What if I say no?" 

"Our deal was till when school closes so I can definitely talk to you now." He replies as he brings out his bag from his locker. "And don't forget that I get to walk you to the school entrance."

I give him a wary expression, "Do you really have to?"

"Yes." He answers with a smile. "My friends have been dying to be introduced to you especially after our encounters and that's why I have to walk you to the entrance". He adds, managing to catch my attention but I pretend to be uninterested by rolling my eyes.

I have to admit that I really want to meet Michael's friend and get to talk to them, especially Peter. I bet Grace will be very ecstatic when she finds out that we are meeting with them.

I'm packing the last of my books into my bag when I notice Tobi, my former seat partner stand from his seat and start to make his way out of the classroom.

I haven't been able to talk to him since this morning because of the police station issue but I believe I deserve an explanation as to why I was suddenly ditched for the corner of the classroom. The only reason I'm stuck as Michael's seat partner.

I stand from my seat and hurry to stand in front of him just as he is about to exit the class. His eyes widens upon seeing me and darts everywhere except my face, he begins to squirm and looks like he is going to faint any minute. I watch him warily, wondering why he is behaving like that but deciding that I'm getting my answers no matter what.

"Why did you change seats all of a sudden?" I ask him but he refuses to look at me. His lips never move to form a word and I can see a thin line of sweat on his forehead even with the air-conditioners in class.

"What's wrong with you? Why do you look so anxious because you are in front of me? It's not like you would get hit by talking to me, or is it?" I ask with suspicion and he whimpers, startling me.

"Let him go." Michael says all of a sudden. I turn to find him leaning against the desk in front of us and watching us closely.

"This has nothing to do with you." I reply sharply to him and turn to Tobi but before I can say anything, he pushes me enough to make me lose my balance and runs quickly out of the class.

I hold on to the wall to keep myself from falling and wonder with confusion as to why he just acted like that. I turn to Michael who is now wearing an amused smile and then everything clicks into place.

"YOU!" I point at him and his smile vanishes at once. "What did you do to him?"

He gives me a clueless look and I give him a dead one, "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. Why didn't I realize this all along? It was your doing, wasn't it?"

"I should have known it wasn't just coincidence that he stopped being my seat partner the same day you joined our class. And you probably threatened him to leave, didn't you?" I ask with annoyance but he doesn't respond. He only stares at me intently.

"You won't even deny it?"

He shakes his head slowly.

"Why would you go to the extent of quitting your exclusive business class and threatening my former seat partner just to sit next to me? What do you want to gain by doing all this?"

His face suddenly turns serious and his lips lift into a smirk.

"To prove you wrong." 

What?!

"And to make you remember."

***

Cynthia is in for a very long ride and she doesn't even know it

I want to know the number of people that hates Michael, if you do, signify by raising up your hand. I have a feeling I will be surprised by the response 😂😂😂.

Who else thought John's letter was romantic? 😩. You might not like him but admit that the letter was sweet 😌🤭

Until next update.

I love you guys ❣️.