After Theresa pruned out every details that had to do with Tega Peters out of me, she left me alone not before asking for his phone number.

I told her that she was not the type that ran after guys but she said Tega was an exception.

Tega? This Tega?

I almost puked when she started comparing Tega to Keith Powers and Big Sean. She even coined a nickname for him, and it sounded insane to my hearing.

Tega the Tiger...

This girl wants to make me puke.

"I can't believe they are allowed to wear long braids while hair attachments ain't allowed in our school!" Theresa complained beside me bitterly glaring at the pretty braids and faux locks the female students of Ivy League were adorning on their heads.

"School is not a fashion house T" Akorede advised from the other side of me but i think it must have came out the wrong way as she told him to shut it.

Not only were they on long braids, some of the guys actually had piercings in their ears which they were rocking boldly. If you try that in SJC, you are definitely facing the school disciplinary committee.

As if that wasn't enough, they were with phones.. Expensive looking ones. Theresa bemoaned of our sufferings in SJC and Faramade tried his best in petting her, trying to tell her not to feel bad about it.

She made a promise to herself to launch a campaign against 'no personal phones in school' policy, then also have a talk with the school board on allowing the student to express themselves however they want or seem fit, in a moderate manner of course .

We were seated on the bleachers alright and we had a good view of the field. It was right at the front middle seats, their warm ups were about to end and the match starts really soon.

"The girl you nodded in greeting at in the hallway" Theresa nodded for me to continue "you know her?"

"That is April"

Yes! Now i remember the name.

No wonder she looked familiar.

The girl bearing a name with the fourth month of the year.

Tega's crush.

"April?"

"Yeah. April Rowland... She is pretty cool and laid back" she said with a shrug.

I nodded.

"And very pretty too"

She smiled at my words.

"Yes. And very pretty too. Although she is bad at meeting new people, you know socializing or making friends making people think she is a snub not that she had great ones and also a douche for a boyfriend"

"Why do you say that? Is he-"

"No, he is not cheating on her if that's what you think. I just find him overbearing... I feel like he is obsessed with her honestly with his overprotective and jealous streak. He is an ass to everyone. As long as you are not April.. You are under him cause he sort of worship her... Their relationship is complicated"

I nodded. Tega once told me they had been betrothed from a young age but obsessed with her? Now that is new.

"Interesting.. " I mused. "and how do you know this?"

"We live in the same neighborhood and talk once in a while, i have seen them together a lot of times. What is more interesting is that they are like word and opposite, i mean he is like an oversized gorilla while the poor thing looked like a deer beside him"

It was not her comparison that got me worried, it was the person she was pointing at as the boyfriend that got me worried for my cousin.

The steroid walking human i saw a while ago was the boyfriend?!

Is Tega insane?!

Out of every single girl out there, you decided to fall in love with a girl who was already promised to someone and not just anyone. A boy that can break your backbone with one strike of his fist.

Tega has finally gone mad.

"Are you okay?"

I turn to see Korede watching me curiously.

"Yes, i am"

"You looked worked up and pale"

It is Tega that wants to kill himself o.... And i can't believe i had been egging him on all this while towards his death.

Protective and obsessed?!

Does he have a death wish?!

"I am alright" i assured him.

The game will start really soon and the bleachers was already filled up with students, we stood out like a sour thumb in a sea of green and we couldn't be more proud of it.

Almost everyone was now on their respective jersey, i watch with rapt attention when the giant boyfriend walked up to Akeju who was tying up his soccer boots.

I frowned when i watch him freeze in his presence. He stood straight but i was actually surprised when i saw a wave of fear flashed through his face at the sight of giant boy.

Cocky Akeju, seen it...

Annoyed Akeju, being there..

Angered Akeju, witnessed it...

I had seen different shades of Akeju well enough to know he was scared because i have never seen that expression on his face before so that must be the scared expression.

They spoke and i can feel the awkwardness and discomfort even from where i am seating.

The familiar sardonic smile i always see on Akeju's face appeared on the giant boy's face, God! They looked so much alike.

My heart almost stopped working when his eyes met mine. They were dark and coldness lurked around them. He stared at my direction for a while and i was almost tempted to look behind me to see if he was looking at someone else but something told me that is not the case.

I really don't want those creepy, scary eyes on me.

He looks back at Akeju giving him a look which i am sure made Akeju wither, he backs away from him, putting on his school jersey along the way which was an emerald green jersey with wine prints and white shorts.

I got even more wary when he turn around to walk towards his side of the team, the name on the jersey he was wearing rang like a siren in my head.

BALOGUN.

I gasped.

He walked towards a boy who looks like pure trouble saying something into his ear, the boy smirked giving an helpless looking Akeju a look before his eyes went towards our side of the bleachers.

'Duck! '

My subconscious mind screamed at me and i quickly did that but acted as if i wanted to pick something so that my friends won't suspect anything out of the ordinary. Trusting my instincts for once.

What was that?!

I came back up the same time Faramade started speaking.

"Who let The Rock into the field?, that boy should be inside a boxing ring not a damn soccer field" he stated with a frown.

"Am i the only one that finds it strange that he also bears Balogun? How come i never noticed this?" Theresa mused.

"He also look like our resident bad boy. Do we even know Akeju?" Korede uttered watching the two with a suspicious look on his face.

I can bet on everything i have that they would be doing more digging on Akeju once we get back to SJC.

Whatever will happen, i just want the two Balogun's far away from me.

The whistle was blown sharply. The match started.

                          🎽⚽🏁
I got to find out during the course of the heated match that Saint James College and Ivy League Academy were sworn enemies at everything!

Everything!

A tussle of power...

Be it academics, sports, social life..  They were on each others neck.

Something that has to do with one feeling superior than the other one, none refused to back down and i can see and feel it even from the ongoing game.

Our school team were neat guys who played professionally and cleanly, putting the right energy but Ivy League players were ruffians, rascals (except my cousin) because they were playing rough like animals on the field hunting for blood.

"Ehyiii! "

I winced when one of the players from Ivy League collided with Bankole sending him to the ground. The referee blew the whistle, Bankole flew up from the ground with an angered look on his face.

He did it on purpose. They had been attacking our defenders, weakening our defense and i wasn't surprised that twenty one minutes into the game, Ivy League scored against us.

Their students roared in jubilation and excitement of the goal. This got us worried and it affected the cheerful air around us.

"What is wrong with our defenders? They should defend the house and leave the other players to do their job" Akorede complained with a frown on his face.

"So you know all these, yet you choose not to join the team" I got shocked by Theresa's snide remark, Korede short her a dirty look.

"Why?"

I ask him looking and sounding curious all the same, i saw the vein by the side of his head pop. Was he angry that i asked that question?

"You don't have to answer-"

"Akeju is the captain so he rather choke to death than be on the same team with him"

"Theresa... " he hissed.

"What? It's the truth."

I look at him, deciphering what Theresa said. Now i understand this. It was like a tussle of power between the two. I wondered what made them hate each other so much.

He suddenly turned to my side to see me staring at me, he gave me an infectious smile.

"I see you find my face more interesting than the game" he said winking.

I blushed hiding my face behind his shoulders, i hear him chuckle lightly.

Focus Omotolani! Focus!

----

The first half ended with a sad note. Ivy League one, Saint James College nil. It was such a sorry sight that we had to see our team walk out of the field with beat up looks on their faces.

They shouldn't look so forlorn, we still have the second half to equalize. I believe we can still beat their ass hands down no matter how beastly they were on the field.

"They should wait till the end of the second half before they start jubilating" Theresa muttered, i saw what she meant.

Contrary to the forlorn looks our football players had on their faces, theirs was full of happiness. The cheerful chants coming from their cheer team wasn't helping matters either.

Oh please...

"I will be right back" Korede said before standing up, leaving. Before we could ask him on where he was going to, he had reached the final steps of the bleachers going towards where our players went to for their fifteen minutes break.

We were entertained by Celine and friends as they had an altercation with one of the mean girls i saw with April when we got here.

It started with Becca bumping into one of the girls, they exchanged hot words with each other, one thing led to another and the next thing we saw was Zara Ahmad going physical by pulling at one of the girls long jumbo braids.

The girl clawed at her hand but she won't budge. Celine called her to order when she saw Ivy League students bringing out their phones, recording the whole scene. Zara released her immediately with a scared look on her face while the girls smirked.

Theresa face palms herself i think for the fifth time today and i can feel her pain.

Does she think she was in SJC where no phones are allowed and even our educational iPad is subjected to some serious screening whereby the school monitors what you put on the school page, twenty four seven

Funny how they didn't say anything when i got trolled and bullied over the pills incident.

This is definitely not their turf!

Zara Ahmad is a well known model on the social media so it will be a dent on her perfect image if she is caught bullying students. Of another school!

The girls who came to look for their trouble finally left them alone with accomplished looks on their faces, more like their job there was completed.

They just fell into their traps like that, and i thought they were smart girls.

"I really don't know what to make of what just happened but we need to tell our students to start treading carefully with the little time we are to spend here if we are to make it home in one piece" Faramade said thoughtfully also seeing what just happened.

He should have been one of the players but he claimed he had an injury so he didn't practice with them at all so he couldn't even sit with the benched players.

"You all thought that i was joking when i said we were entering the enemies lair" i frowned at Theresa's statement.

My head is filled up with too much drama already, i can't believe i have to sit for the next forty five to fifty minutes, watching a football match and a circus show.

Time came for the second half of the match and their players ran, matched, out like earlier and i was left in fascination like before on how the school was able to gather herds of boys this strong looking for football.

We saw Korede appear once again, climbing up the stairs of the bleachers towards our direction. I took my time to analyze Ivy League players, skipping the two creepy scary ones i saw earlier and i am not a big fan of football but one thing i realized they have is what we call team spirit.

Something our players lacked.

They have the ability to communicate with themselves on the field, physically, in words, sign languages and i won't be shocked if they made use of telepathy.

They know when to withhold the ball or pass it to another, they know when to strike or defend. They may be rough or brutal but they sure do know what they are doing.

SJC players finally made their appearance and the look more energized than earlier, with rigour and calmness all on their faces. I hope they really know what they are doing this time.

Things started looking up when we equalized ten minutes into the game. Akeju actually made the winning shot, Evans knocked the ball into the net.

Goooooaaallll!!!

I shot off my seat also screaming the word goal like a manic, jumping alongside Theresa like a rabbit high on hemp.

SJC students screamed into the air with wild jubilation and i won't be surprised if we shook the foundations of the school.

"Yes! That is how we do in SJC you motherfuckers!" Theresa literally screamed down at the shock faced Ivy League players who find it hard to believe we scored a goal against them and i won't be surprised if they hear her over the noise because i saw those closer to our side looking in our direction for the culprit.

I quickly pulled her to sit down.

I swear you would think she swallowed a microphone and speaker a times.

The game started getting more intense as it seemed like everyone was under pressure, the two coaches were screaming instructions at their players like an anthem, the two cheer leading team were on their feet giving their best to hype the players morale.

The giant boy, was roaring at his teammates. He was the captain. I shuddered on my seat thinking about how my cousin was faring with him being the captain, he had a bloody crush on that thing girlfriend!...

It was getting to the end of the game and nobody had scored and we were all thinking that it will be a draw until something happened.

I gasped as Akeju was sent roughly into the ground after colliding with the giant boy but i can bet it with everything in me that the boy ran into him on purpose.

"What the fuck is wrong with that dude!?" Faramade shouted in annoyance as everyone stood up when Akeju didn't get up from the floor, with his face down, he laid still like a rock while the giant boy stood over him like a conqueror.

The referee blew his whistle, rushing over to the two, the players stopped playing when they realized one of them was laying still on the ground.

Evans and some of the players ran over to see what was going on while i shook in my seat, fear coursing through my veins due to what i just saw, i need to unsee that!

"Was i the only one who saw that?" Akorede asked but we heard him clearly.

The giant boy ran into him alright but i saw what he did during the course of running into him, he sent a sharp kick to his kneecap acting like he wanted to kick the ball but if you watched closely, he knew what he was doing.

After reviving a shock induced Akeju, he sat still pointing at his knees, the medical team rushed to the field and everywhere went haywire.

I watch the giant boy walk away not even looking a bit remorseful and when my stupid cousin tried talking to him about something which looks like he was berating him, he bumped his shoulder into his making Tega stumble a bit.

He regained his balance watching him walk away like he owned the place before shaking his head in what i see as frustration and annoyance.

At the end of everything, Akeju could not finish the game because it seemed like he was in serious pain.

If the referee was blind, we weren't! Everyone saw what happened and this match will be a joke if that beast isn't given the proper punishment.

The whole SJC student body present at the field started booing the referee and Ivy League students when they saw that they won't do anything about it.

Akeju was later helped out of the field because he was practically limping on one leg, he may be a certified asshole but he is a good player, this is not good for our team.

His crestfallen look was everything. He looked defeated. I would have been happy if it was another scene.

The coach flew in to action, replacing him with one of the benched players who i learnt is equally good.

It was at the final lapse of the game when one of our players stepped on the leg of one of theirs, the boy fell and started screaming like a bitch.

"Bullshit! He didn't even step on you that hard" Korede raked glaring at the boy rolling on the floor, the referee ran towards the two as our player kept raising his hands up in surrender, explaining to him what happened.

The referee didn't listen to him as he kept asking the guy on the ground questions.

The referee seems partial if you would ask me.

The next thing we knew, he blew the whistle gesturing widely with his hands with what seems like a box before pointing straight ahead. Bitter complaints started rising from those who understood the game of football and i became worried when some of our players place their hands on their heads.

"What is going on?" Theresa asked equally looking confused like me.

"Ivy League has been given a penalty" Faramade finally said, his voice sounding small and pained.

"What?!" Theresa screeched while my mouth hanged wide open.

"Bu-but it was just a mistake" i complained.

"It was a costly mistake Shetemi. The defender stepped on his leg when he was already inside the box" he explained while pointing at the box drawn on the floor.

I shook my head in confusion.

"I still don't understand"

He took his time in explaining. The player had a good chance in scoring a goal but one of our defenders had stopped it by stepping on his leg which was a foul.

I can never understand the game of football.

The penalty was issued and guess who played it? Yes... You guessed right.

Giant boy.

I am going to overlook the fact that he high fived the dude who was rolling on the floor a while ago but who now looks okay and free from any form of pain after being issued a penalty.

Who could have ever thought that boys could get really petty?

The game ended with giant boy scoring a penalty against us but one thing i was able to deduced from this game was that, this was not a friendly match.

It was a war!

And Ivy League won....

Ivy League Academy won o!!!!

Who saw that coming?

Who is giant boy or should i call him steroid walking human?

Who is he to Akeju? And he is also bearing Balogun?! 😱😱...just make a guess...

It looks like Akeju is scared of him, and he intentionally injured Akeju. His eye contact with Omotolani nko?

I left so many clues in this chapter. I can't wait for you people to figure it all out 😁😅