~Oyinade~

As I stepped out of our crooked black gate, I adjusted my uniform, smoothing the stubborn creases on my navy blue high-waist plaid skirt. I closed the gate behind me and walked toward the adjacent black, silver-coated gate, catching the scent of fresh paint.

Of course, it had been painted again. It looked smooth and shiny, unlike ours. Probably the fourth time that gate had been repainted this year, and it wasn't even March yet. I knocked briskly twice and waited. I pulled out my comb and ran it through my short black hair. Still no response. I knocked again, this time with more effort.

The door finally opened, and a head peeked out.

"Oh... it's you," Ade said. "Come in."

I knew he wasn't ready yet. I was getting impatient. I didn't want to be late for school again. Yesterday's punishment was still fresh in my mind. I shook my head slowly.

"Okay, wait. I'll be done soon," he said with a small smile.

"No! You do this every single day. You're already dressed—let's go! Why do you still have to go in?" I said, my frustration spilling out.

He grinned and headed back inside.

"Ade!" I yelled.

He moved quickly, and I followed him in.

"Let's go!" I groaned. "I'll leave you behind."

I stopped at the front door of his house, my hand on the doorknob. At that moment, he reappeared, stepping out with his black leather bag and a hairbrush in hand. He brushed his hair gently, looking utterly unbothered, which only fueled my frustration. His neatly ironed white shirt and navy-blue trousers mirrored the perfection of his grooming.

"Are you going to keep brushing your hair, or are we going to school?" I fumed.

"I can do both," he replied, flashing a smug smile.

"Arrgh, you're so annoying!" I turned and stormed out of his father's compound, my footsteps quick.

"Are you angry?" I heard his voice behind me.

He caught up with me easily. Was he seriously asking that? Yes! I was furious. Yesterday, I had to clean the female toilet, all thanks to Ade. I hated grime and mess, and the school toilets were always the worst.

Yet somehow, I hadn't been mad at him by the time we walked home together that evening. Now, the anger that had been simmering was ready to boil over.

"Yes! If it's not obvious enough. It's almost 7:30, and we're still on our street," I shot him a glare.

"Don't worry. We'll make it on time," he said, still smiling.

"On time? How? We're practically late."

"Can you stop fretting? It's too early. Relax!"

I wanted to slap him. He was pushing my buttons on purpose, that much was clear. I glanced over at him and noticed the mischievous smile playing on his lips. Suddenly, I remembered our bet.

We'd made a deal: the first one to lose their temper before the week ended had to run around the stadium at Unilag's sports center.

I tried to act as though I hadn't recalled it, but Ade caught the glint of realization in my eyes. Immediately, he said, "I won. You lost. I won and you lost," he repeated gleefully, celebrating as if he had won a lottery. He jogged ahead, walking backward to face me, still taunting.

I bit my lip in anger, my eyes boring into him. If looks could kill, Ade would be gone.

I knew I'd lost, but I wasn't ready to admit defeat. So, I played the victim. I glanced down at my forearm, pretending to just notice the bruises there.

"Oh, this is going to leave a scar," I muttered.

Ade rushed over and grabbed my arm to inspect it, walking beside me.

"Who did this to you? When?" he asked, his brows furrowed with concern.

"It was because of the toilet cleaning yesterday. One of the girls, Stephanie, scratched me by accident," I explained with a sad expression.

We were nearing the end of the street, just by the expressway.

"What's her name?"

"It was a mistake," I repeated.

"I heard you. Just tell me her name," he said stubbornly.

"Stephanie," I sighed.

He nodded, as if making a mental note to deal with her later. Then, he glanced around like he was planning something.

"Ade, don't do anything stupid," I warned. He had always been this way—treating me like his little sister.

"What? You know I never break school rules," he said innocently.

Yeah, right. Ade loved breaking the rules and often dragged me along.

I checked my wristwatch—7:20 a.m. By now, even if we ran, we'd still be late. Our school was a thirty-minute walk from our street, twenty minutes by bus, and ten by bike. We usually walked to save money, though sometimes we took the bus when running late. Bikes were out of the question—too expensive, especially for me with my measly pocket money.

Ade could afford it, but he always insisted on walking with me. He once offered to pay my fare, but I refused. I hated being dependent on anyone. So, because of me, buses and bikes became rare options for us.

"We're so in trouble," I sighed.

Ade flagged down a bike. He told the rider our destination, then hopped on, grabbing my bag and motioning for me to join him.

I grinned and hopped on too. There was no way I was washing toilets again.

Ade placed his bag between him and the rider, my bag on his thigh. I held on to him as the bike sped off, the ride thankfully smooth and quick with little traffic.

***

Assembly was over, and I walked into the class toward my seat. I glanced over at Ade, who was chatting with his best friend, Paul. They were laughing, and I watched in awe. For some reason, Ade looked different today. I couldn't pinpoint why.

As I sat down, a smile crept across my face, realizing I wouldn't be scrubbing toilets today. I looked up again, and Ade was staring right at me. He gave me a warm smile, and I turned away quickly, my face heating up.

Oops. Awkward.

"Hey," my seatmate, Bisi, said, sitting beside me with an exhausted sigh.

"Morning, Bisi. Why were you late?" I asked, patting her back.

"It's nothing. I barely did any work," she smiled, revealing her dimples.

"Speaking of fine, have you seen Ade today? That boy is fiiine," she said, glancing his way. "Puberty really did wonders on him. You don't know how lucky you are to be around him every day."

She gushed on about his eyes, his jawline, his height. I rolled my eyes.

"Ew, gross. Bisi, stop!" I said, disgusted. "We're childhood friends. Why are you like this?"

"Well, he's not my brother," she teased. "And I have talked to him."

"Good," I said, though the thought of her confessing to Ade made me feel uneasy. But why should it? He's just my friend, right?

"Have you done your literature assignment?" I quickly changed the subject.

"No, I don't understand it," she admitted.

I helped her through the assignment, though she still couldn't resist adding, "But I'd rather write about Ade than Oliver Twist."

"Unserious girl," I muttered, shaking my head.

Soon, the teacher walked in, and we stood to greet him. The lesson went by quickly, but I couldn't shake my wandering thoughts. History class ended, and the bell rang for lunch.

I stood to head to the staff room, remembering that I had to see Mr. Bada. Just as I was about to leave, Ade intercepted me.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Staff room," I replied.

"I'll walk you there," he offered.

"No, it's fine," I insisted, already anticipating how embarrassing the meeting with Mr. Bada could be.

"I insist," he said, falling into step beside me.

"No! I can handle it," I snapped, trying to mask my frustration.

He shrugged, then smiled mischievously. "Well, I have something to tell you."

My eyes brightened. "Really?"

"No," he grinned. "I don't."

I swatted at him with my notebook, but he dodged and walked away, leaving me to face whatever awaited me in the staffroom.

***********
This brings us to the end of this chapter.
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