Chapter Nine

MICHAEL

Does she really think I'm here to take my revenge?

She clears her throat and squares her shoulders, a determined look on her face as she starts to speak, "Look here, don't even think of trying anything funny or...

I stifle a smile, finding the whole situation hilarious then raise an eyebrow in question when she stops talking.

I smile, "Or what?"

She breaks her gaze from mine and refuses to look me in the eye, "Or you're going to regret it. If you think the slap I gave you in the cafeteria was shocking then you haven't seen anything because I can even do worse than that so-

"I'm actually here to apologize." I announce to stop her rambling.

"-don't you dare think you can-

She continues, not getting what I just said then suddenly stops, her eyes widening after processing the meaning of my proclamation.

Saying she looks stunned is an understatement.

After recovering from the shock, she gives me a wary look, "Are you for real?"

I watch her intently, wondering if she's being doubtful about my apology because of excitement or because she feels I'm being insincere.

I start to talk but she beats me to it, "I just find it hard to believe that you are actually here to ask for my forgiveness after what I had done to you in the cafeteria."

It's because she thinks it's insincere.

I try to look very remorseful and make my voice sound sincere, "I deserved it, what you did to me in the cafeteria." She blinks once then twice, confusion written all over her face and I continue. "I embarrassed you in front of the whole school and you only did what you thought was right by slapping me. When you slapped me, I realized how bad you must have felt and that was why I decided that I must get you to forgive me because everything that happened yesterday was entirely fault." I end quietly.

A lot of students have now gathered around us and they immediately begin to murmur among themselves as soon as I'm done talking.

Was that too much?

Cynthia doesn't say anything. She folds her hand and watches me keenly, like she is trying to find some answers on my face.

She stays like that for a while and I begin to get impatient. I just want to know if the apology worked or not.

I watch her lips rise slowly into a smile and I smile too, a triumphant feeling bubbling inside me.

Of course, it would work. I'm Michael Bankole after all.

But my smile freeze on my face when her own smile widens into a grin and she breaks out into a chuckle.

I watch with uncertainty as she laughs, wondering what is going on in her mind. Did she see through my lie?

Her expression suddenly goes rigid and she gives me a hard glare. I almost take a step back to put some distance in between us because of how quick her expression changed.

"You think I'm a fool?" She asks, her voice sending chills down my spine. "Oh, I know what you were thinking. You probably thought I would swoon at your apology and get swept off my feet with some sweet words you would say after."

My mouth almost falls open with shock at the accuracy of her words.

Is she a mind reader? Was that what she was doing when she was staring at me with concentration?

She sneers, "Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Michael but your apology isn't accepted. I find your apology to be very suspicious and I consider all what you are doing here a show, a drama, something to satisfy your worshippers with."

I should probably stop looking like at her like a fool and say something to defend my actions.

"No-" I start to explain but she cuts through me, not even giving me a chance to talk.

"So let's not waste our time because I'm not buying your apology and honestly, I don't need it." She continues and my face falls, realizing I really underestimated her. "Let's just call it even. You embarrassed me in front of the whole school and I slapped you in front of the whole school. No need to complicate things further with an apology. Let's just end it at that."

'No!' I scream mentally. I won't allow things end this way. I won't even be able to face Femi and the rest if she flings my apology in my face like this.

I decide to try again.

"Believe me, this isn't a show. I just really feel bad for what happened and I am apologizing, I don't want people having bad feelings towards me and that's why I am asking for your forgiveness. Can't you be generous enough to accept my apology?" I ask pleadingly.

She groans and gives me an appalled look, "Are you deaf? Do you not understand basic English?" She asks like she's addressing a dumb person and I hear a few snickers from the students. "I'm telling you I don't need your apology so fucking leave me alone!"

If someone had told me sometime before Monday that I was going to be humiliated by a girl two times consecutively, I'd have punched that person right in the eye.

But that's what is happening right now and even worse, I put myself up for the second humiliation.

"I don't know what she might have said to you to make you look like that but I apologize on her behalf."

A feminine voice suddenly says and I look down, recognizing the owner of the voice as Grace, her friend who had pulled her out of the cafeteria yesterday and is now standing in between both of us.

"Grace, what are you saying?" Cynthia hits her on the back but she turns back to look at her with a glare.

"What did you do now?" Grace questions, sounding like she is on the verge of tears. I can hear the frustration in her voice.

Cynthia rolls her eyes and pulls at her sleeve, "Let's just go."

She turns to look at me again, rubbing both of her palms together frantically, "Please, she is still a small girl and she doesn't really know what she is doing." She glances back at Cynthia again and whispers, "Tell me what you did now so I can apologize to him proper- humph!"

Cynthia covers her mouth and pulls her away from me, both of them walking down the corridor and leaving me to watch them walk away.

A wave of annoyance washes over me as I recall everything that had happened between the both of us just now.

She had made a fool of me. Again.

She had humiliated me in front of the students. Again.

Fuck! I feel like screaming and hitting something.

My mind goes to Peter.

Peter is definitely going to make fun of me if he finds out about this. He and even Femi and Wole, especially Wole.

I refuse to believe this is the same girl I rescued two nights ago.

"Michael." I hear one of the girls in the crowd call and I turn to look at her. She shrinks back as soon as my glare lands on her, "I- I just wanted to ask if you were okay."

I ignore her and turn around, heading for the 'out-of-bounds' stairs. I storm pass everyone, ignoring all their chats and greetings. Anyone who tries to make contact with me is shrugged off roughly and I do so until I get to the floor for the staffs.

I avoid the pointed stares from the teachers I run into and hurry into our classroom which is thankfully empty. The others are probably in the cafeteria having their lunch and that realization does nothing to sooth me.

I should also be in the cafeteria eating lunch now but instead, I'm here silently licking my wounds by myself.

And I sit there that way until the bell for lunch over rings.

CYNTHIA

"What the hell is your problem?!"

I shout at Grace as soon as we are both at a reasonable distance from Michael and she gives me an offended look.

"What do you mean what is my problem? I was helping you do damage control."

"I had it under control."

"It didn't look like that to me. Both of you were having a stare-down."

"Yeah, he was apologizing to me and I was making it clear to him that I don't need his apology."

She doesn't reply right away and looks like she is contemplating what I said, "Wait. Repeat what you just said."

I give her a confused look but comply, "That I was telling him that I don't-

She waves her hand frantically, "No, no, not that one. The one before that."

"He was apologizing to me-

"Stop!" She screams and I flinch, glaring at her like she has grown two heads. She ignores my glare and stares at me with disbelief, "So you are trying to say that Michael Bankole apologized to you?"

I nod unsurely, watching her warily as her hand flies to her mouth.

"Oh My God." She breathes.

"Stop acting this way, you are being weird."

"No, you don't understand." She murmurs. "Michael never apologizes to anyone. Not even to the principal and she is the head of the school."

I scrunch my face in distaste at her words, "Of course. What would you expect from someone as stuck-up as him?"

She shakes her head. "You still don't understand. He doesn't apologize to anyone but apologized to you."

"So?"

"So?! This is a big deal! He practically put aside his self-esteem to apologize to you!"

"Which makes it all the more suspicious. Why would he put aside his self-esteem to apologize to someone who slapped him?"

"I don't know, he might just really feel sorry and realize that he made a mistake."

I give her a look of disbelief, "Are you serious?!"

She doesn't seem to have heard me as she is busy staring into space.

"Whatever it is, I don't want to get involved with him or any of his schemes and I already told him an apology isn't necessary."

Her head suddenly jerks up and she is looking at me with astonishment, "So you are not going to forgive him?"

"Yes, I'm not forgiving him."

She opens her mouth to say something again but gets interrupted as someone clears their throat very loudly.

We both turn simultaneously to see who the uninvited guest is and standing in front of me is the least person I'd expect.

Seeing her stand there, accompanied by her two friends all of them emerging out of nowhere, reminds me of JSS2 all over again.

Back then, she had always appeared in front of me with her friends like this and such appearance had always spelt doom.

I doubt her appearance now holds any difference.

"What do you want?" Grace is quick to ask, her eyes blazing with annoyance and Dorcas responds with a sly smile.

"Still the ever loyal dog, aren't you? I can't believe you chose her over me. I bet you're regretting that decision now."

Grace chuckles bitterly, "I'd choose to be a loyal dog to her a million times over being one of these rats that scurry after you."

One of the said rats leans towards Grace with a murderous glare, "I'd watch my tongue if I were you."

"And I'd get the fuck out of my face if I were you." Grace retorts.

"Now, now, Cat." Dorcas calls, pulling the girl back. "Don't get too excited."

Grace snorts and I stifle a laugh at her name, "Seriously? Cat? Who the heck names their child Cat?" She questions mockingly.

"It's short for Catherine." The second rat that followed Dorcas says defensively and I blink in realization.

Oh.

Grace chortles, ignoring her explanation. "And what are you? Chicken?"

"It's Chika." She replies and Grace bursts out into loud laughter.

"Same difference if you ask me."

"Okay, that's enough." Dorcas declares in a stern voice, an irritated look on her face. "I didn't come here to discuss names. I came here to give our dear orphan here a warning."

The smile on my face vanishes at the mention of that name. That very stupid name that had been given to me unwillingly. That name I had been forced to bear almost throughout my second year in school.

She smirks, clearly enjoying the look on my face. "Why? Did you remember what it felt like to hear that name?"

I tell myself to stay calm and to not do something I am going to regret.

"Repeat that word again and you're going to be sorry for it." I warn in a calm voice.

She raises an eyebrow, a smile playing on her face, "Oh, I'm so scared."

I take menacing steps towards her and continue until there are just few inches between us, "You should be, Dorcas. I'm itching to remind you of what had gone down four years ago."

At the mention of what had happened four years ago and by that I mean the day I had finally set myself free from all of them, the day I had finally put the taekwondo moves Nanny had forced me to learn into use, I see something akin to fear flash in her eyes but she quickly hides it. She looks like she is trying her best to stay comported.

"I guess you do remember what had happened." I mock, folding my arms. "But then it was something memorable so it would be hard to forget." I add with a smirk.

She looks like she is looking for what to say in response and when she seems to have finally gotten something she huffs, a belittling look on her face, "You think you're invincible now that you know some karate moves, is that it?"

I see looks of disappointments on both the Cat and Chicken's faces and I chuckle lightly. Even the both of them know her response was a sad one.

I raise an eyebrow in question, "Really? That was the best you could come up with?"

"Look here." She starts, ignoring my taunt. "I came here to warn you to never ever raise your hands on Michael again."

I look at her with amusement, finding her words ridiculous. "And who are you to tell me that?"

"I'm his girlfriend." She announces proudly.

I raise an eyebrow. Really?

I eye her from head to toe, wondering what's so special about her. She is beautiful I admit, and has a nice figure but that seems to be all there is to her. He had declared for everyone to hear that I am not his type only for me to find out now that Dorcas is his girlfriend?

So he is into the dense ones? The ones with no thinking strength?

"And I don't want trash like you touching my boyfriend." She continues haughtily. "If I were you, I would have gone to apologize to him already and never cross paths with him again."

I blink out of my thoughts at her words, laughing at the irony of them and she watches me skeptically, probably wondering why I'm laughing.

"What's funny?"

"Well, it's just what you said. By any chance, did you give your boyfriend the same advice?"

She gives me a disgusted look, "What's she saying now?" She mutters with annoyance.

"Your boyfriend came to apologize to me."

Her eyes widen with shock at my announcement and while the Chicken girl looks stunned, the Cat girl only watches me doubtfully.

"I still can't believe he actually apologized." Grace adds with a distant voice.

"You- You're saying Michael came to apologize to you?" She questions with a faltering voice and I nod enthusiastically, enjoying how things are now playing out.

"But did you know what I did when he apologized?" I ask with a smug smile, liking how troubled she looks and wanting to make her even more troubled.

She nods, looking very curious.

"I flung his apology in his face."

I twist my head to the side, watching satisfactorily as she stays silent, still reeling in astonishment from what I had said and that's until the Cat girl speaks.

"I don't believe this bitch." She says, staring at me intently, her eyes giving me this eerie feeling. "Michael will never, ever apologize to you, not when you hit him in the face."

Dorcas nods enthusiastically like she is taking in what she just said. "Yeah, she's telling lies. Everything she said right now is made up and probably didn't happen. Michael never apologizes to anyone and he definitely won't apologize to you." She says more to herself than to anyone, sounding almost like she is convincing herself.

I watch her pitifully, "Why not go ask him yourself?"

She looks up at me at that and I shrug before turning to walk away. I'm tired of talking with them and I think I lost some brain cells with the short conversation we had.

I've only taken two steps when soft hands wrap around my arm and pull me back.

"Wait, we aren't done talking yet." Dorcas says as she turns me to face her and I snatch my hands from her, sending hard glares at her.

"I'm done talking to you and I'd say you take your advice and never cross paths with me again, you'll only have yourself to blame if you do." I say and stare pointedly at her arms. "And if you lay those filthy things on me, I'll go all karate on you."

She recoils at my words and I give her one look of disgust before turning to go away. This time, no one dares to pull me back.

"Ugh! She irritates me and just gets on my nerves." I hear Grace say from beside me with a shudder and I smile, the annoyance in me totally evaporating.

I can only stay angry for seconds whenever I'm with her, she really is my aura of happiness.

We haven't gone far when we hear someone shriek and we glance back to see that it's Dorcas. She and her friends haven't moved an inch from where we left them and both her friends seem to be trying to calm her.

I shake my head pitifully at them and turn forward to continue my walk.

"I'll be really mad if I end up missing lunch because of those stupid girls." Grace comments irritably and I suddenly stop in my track.

Lunch.

Why didn't I think of the fact that John will probably be waiting for us now at the cafeteria? And if I'm not careful, what happened yesterday might happen again. I might end up bumping into someone again because I want to get away from him.

Grace who has been walking ahead of me, not realizing that I'm not following her finally does and halts, turning around to give me a questioning look.

"Why are you just standing there?" She calls out and then walks back to me. "What are you doing? We will miss lunch." She says when she gets to me.

"Yeah, you can go without me. I'm going back to the class." I respond and start to turn around but she holds my hand and comes to stand in front of me.

"Don't tell me this is because of John." She says in a demanding voice and I only stare at her, not responding. "Are you really going to continue avoiding him? Until when are you going to?" She continues

"I don't know! I really don't want to break his heart, okay? I like him but I just feel he isn't the one for me. That doesn't mean I should willingly hurt him though."

She gives me a disbelieving and an almost irritated look, "Then date him!"

"What?!"

"If you can't tell him no because you don't want to hurt him then date him since it would make him happy." I stare at her confused, wondering if she's being sarcastic or she really meant what she said.

"But you know how I feel... he isn't my soulmate."

"Oh, just shut it about these soulmates stuff you've been going on about. I'm tired of listening to it."

"Grace." I warn.

"What?" She gives me a defiant look and soon we are having a staredown. She breaks eye contact first then sighs, "Look here, girlfriend. I'm not saying you have to date someone by force, it's your life and you can do whatever you want. What's annoying is just the fact that you seriously believe that you will end up with your soulmate and you are using that as an excuse to turn every guy down? How are you going to know your soulmate when you see him?"

I think about her question and realise that I really don't know. What if I've already met him?

"Why do you insist on finding your soulmate so much?" She asks almost resignedly. "Why can't you just date someone you have feelings for?"

"Because feelings can change, Grace. I want my own Prince Charming, my knight in shining armour, someone who will have eyes just for me. Is it too much to ask?"

"Then haven't you come across him then?" She questions and I stare at her, not understanding what she's saying. "Wasn't John your knight in shining armour? He saved you from getting raped two years ago when you don't even know each other, and if that isn't fate or those ridiculous things you believe in then I don't know what is."

She pauses and takes in a deep breath, "My point is stop looking for your soulmate from afar. Who knows, you might realise he is your soulmate if you let him in. And there's also something else."

I raise an eyebrow in question and ask quietly, "What?"

"You can end up falling in love with someone that isn't your soulmate. It is not a universe rule or something. Since you're such a kdrama freak, I believe you should have at least learnt that much from Boys Before Flower."

She grabs my hand and starts to pull me towards the cafeteria, "No more running. If you still feel you can't be in a relationship with him, just tell him no and get it over with. But if you feel like you might want to give him a chance, the sooner he knows, the better." She ends with an encouraging smile and continues to pull me to the cafeteria.

She is right. No more running. I should tell him what I want him to know and not what he wants to hear.

And based on what Grace just said, I think I might have reached a certain decision.

***

What do you think is Cynthia's decision?

And what do you think about Cynthia's encounter with Dorcas?

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