CHAPTER NINETY-ONE: MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS
My eyes shifted from Daniel to Victoria.
Then to Morayo.
Finally, back to Daniel.
"What do you mean the rumour wasn't about Gift?"
Daniel shrugged carelessly.
"I heard the boys talking during lunch."
"Which boys?" Victoria asked immediately.
"Does it matter?"
"Yes, it does."
Daniel laughed.
"You girls sha."
Morayo folded her arms.
"Answer the question."
"I heard it from Emmanuel and Tobi."
I frowned.
"They were discussing it behind the classroom block. They said everybody has been mentioning the wrong person's name."
My stomach tightened.
"So... who was it?"
Daniel scratched the back of his neck.
"That's the problem."
"They don't know."
Victoria hissed loudly.
"Then why are you saying the rumour wasn't about Gift?"
"Because according to them, Samuel himself denied that it was Gift."
The four of us became quiet.
That was new.
Very new.
Victoria broke the silence first.
"So people have been dragging that girl's name for nothing?"
Daniel nodded.
"Looks like it."
Morayo sighed.
"Boarding school students can destroy somebody's reputation with gossip."
"They almost already did," I murmured without thinking.
The others looked at me.
I quickly lowered my head and pretended to arrange my books.
Truthfully, I felt relieved.
Not because I disliked Gift.
But because I knew how difficult it must have been for her to hear people whispering each time she walked past them.
Daniel suddenly stood up.
"Forget all these rumours jare. I'm going to the canteen."
"You and food," Victoria muttered.
He laughed.
"Food has never disappointed me."
"Unlike girls?" Morayo teased.
Daniel pointed at her dramatically.
"You people are the problem."
We all laughed.
As he walked away, Victoria leaned closer to me.
"So..."
I already knew that tone.
"What?"
"You look relieved."
"I don't."
"You do."
"I don't."
Morayo smiled knowingly.
"You were scared the rumour was true."
"I wasn't."
"Liar."
I rolled my eyes.
"Can all of you leave me alone?"
Victoria chuckled.
"We'll leave you alone when you finally admit the truth."
"There is no truth to admit."
"If you say so."
Thankfully, the bell rang before the conversation could continue.
...
The remaining lessons passed slowly.
The weather remained hot despite the clouds gathering in the distance.
Even our teachers looked exhausted.
By the last period, everybody was counting down the minutes until the closing bell.
As soon as it rang, students immediately began packing their bags.
Some rushed towards the dining hall.
Others hurried to their hostels.
I remained seated for a moment, arranging my books properly.
Samuel was doing the same beside me.
Neither of us spoke.
The classroom gradually emptied until only a few students remained.
Then Samuel broke the silence.
"Can I ask you something?"
I looked at him.
"You've already asked plenty."
"This one is different."
I raised an eyebrow.
"I'm listening."
He rested his elbow on the desk before turning slightly towards me.
"Why were you asking about that rumour yesterday?"
There it was again.
The same question.
Only this time, there was no note.
No teacher.
No interruption.
Just the two of us.
"I told you already."
"You said curiosity."
"Yes."
"And I said you were lying."
I looked away.
"Maybe I wasn't."
He smiled.
"I've known you since JSS."
I swallowed.
"So?"
"I know when you're hiding something."
Those words made my heartbeat quicken.
He wasn't wrong.
He knew me far better than most people in our class.
Long before we became seat partners.
Long before senior secondary school.
Back when we were still children arguing over who copied whose notes.
"You don't know everything," I replied quietly.
"No."
He nodded.
"I don't."
For a brief moment, neither of us spoke.
The classroom had become almost empty now.
Only two boys remained at the back, sweeping the floor as punishment.
Outside, students were already making their way towards the dining hall.
Samuel picked up his bag.
"So..."
"So?"
"You still didn't answer."
I smiled.
"You ask too many questions."
"I learnt from you."
I laughed despite myself.
"You wish."
"I know."
He stood up.
"So you're not going to answer?"
"No."
He sighed dramatically.
"I'll find out one day."
"You won't."
"We'll see."
Before I could respond, Daniel appeared at the classroom door.
"Floral!"
I turned.
"Hurry up! If we're late for the dining hall, they'll finish the meat."
I laughed.
"I'm coming."
Daniel looked at Samuel.
"You too, are you planning to sleep inside the classroom?"
Samuel chuckled as he slung his bag over his shoulder.
"No."
The three of us walked out together.
As we crossed the corridor, several students greeted Samuel.
He responded politely to each of them.
I couldn't help noticing how easily people approached him.
Boys.
Girls.
Juniors.
Even some seniors.
He had a way of making people comfortable around him.
Maybe that was why so many girls misunderstood his kindness.
Or...
Maybe I was simply trying to convince myself of that.
As we approached the dining hall, Daniel suddenly remembered something.
"Ah!"
"What?" I asked.
"I forgot my Mathematics notebook in class."
"You and forgetting."
"I'll be back."
Without waiting for another word, he turned and ran back towards the classroom.
I shook my head.
"He'll never change."
Samuel laughed softly.
"I doubt he wants to."
For a moment, we stood outside the dining hall waiting for Daniel.
Students walked past us in groups.
Some were laughing loudly.
Others were complaining about the afternoon heat.
Then, unexpectedly, Samuel spoke.
"You know..."
I looked at him.
"I wasn't lying."
"About what?"
"When I said nobody had asked me out."
I frowned.
"But yesterday you said 'sort of'."
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"I said that because I didn't know whether to call it asking me out or not."
"What happened then?"
He hesitated.
For the first time since I'd known him, Samuel actually looked unsure of himself.
"A girl sent somebody to tell me she liked me."
I blinked.
"Then?"
"I thanked her."
"And?"
"I told the person I wasn't interested."
I stared at him quietly.
"So that was the rumour."
He nodded.
"It wasn't as dramatic as people made it sound."
I smiled faintly.
"It never is."
Boarding school rumours always grew bigger than the truth.
He looked at me for a few seconds before asking,
"Are you satisfied now?"
I quickly looked away.
"Maybe."
He laughed.
"Maybe?"
"I said maybe."
Just then, Daniel came running back, waving his notebook in the air.
"I found it!"
I laughed.
"Congratulations."
"You people have been talking without me."
Samuel shrugged.
"You were chasing your notebook."
Daniel narrowed his eyes playfully.
"Hmm..."
I suddenly had the feeling that he was about to tease us again.
And judging by the grin spreading across his face...
I was right.