Munachi Odumba.
[🎼Moo/nah/chee O/doom/bah🎼]

"Oh God!" I groaned out with my hands on my head, like a 90's Nollywood character who just realized they've been poisoned.

Because, what type of friends do I have exactly?

"You're so funny Munachi, like seriously!" Silvana Obidinm, one of my only two best friends exclaimed in a tone that told me I wasn't funny at all, like seriously and now I wished the ground would open up and swallow me, literally I wish it would.

But that was impossible and illogical, so I knew it was silly to wish for such. Still, a girl can dream.

"Asin.(Like)" Silvana drawled out. "We're telling you we saw him clearly and he was staring at you, with that his famous smirk, the one that's like this." Silvana paused to give a lopsided grin and I couldn't help but roll my eyes, she's always been so expressive.

I stared at Jasmine Bâ-my other best friend, for help with Silvana's madness and she stepped in... but clearly not to help me.

"I'm sure in his mind he was like, 'Hey, this babe is next on my list'. So yeah be careful." Jasmine frowned after speaking and I sighed deeply.

Her voice was extremely low with a tint of croak at the end, so most of the time she sounded like she was whispering or like she'd spent an entire week yelling and now she'd temporarily lost her voice, only that hers was kinda permanent.

"You girls are not okay." I muttered out my reply, then crossed my arms on the desk and placed my head on them.

But this felt like giving up and I hated losing. I really did.

I rose my head sharply and added, "Arthur was never staring at me and I'm sure if he did, it wouldn't be a 'love struck gaze' with a smirk plastered on his face. You guys are over analyzing whatever happened okay?"

Our new form teacher picked the perfect moment to walk in.

Totally ending our conversation once she did.

We'd just resumed a new section, so now officially we were seniors now.

After three extremely boring months at home everyone in my set returned looking completely different, guys in our class came back taller and a bit buffer and girls returned an inch or two taller but most girls returned just bustier, no height changes whatsoever.

I was not among those girls, instead I belonged to the group who only added an inch... Technically just 2.53cm, but who's counting?

Me.

Well luckily since we girls had already undergone partial puberty in 9th Grade the height difference between guys and girls weren't extremely noticeable, although, we had some girls who were still taller than most guys.

But Arthur... Arthur Dike was tall... very tall, back then in 9th Grade he wasn't that tall in fact, we were almost the same height

Slight exaggeration...

Okay, major exaggeration.

But now!

He.was.beyond.tall.

Even though it's been only two days since we resumed school everyone estimated he was almost a perfect 6 feet.

"Alright, everyone pay attention to what I'm about to say." She didn't even need to ask. The class was already stiff quiet, she was that type of teacher.

Her soft-tone British accent instantly attracted everyone in our class to her.

But, she didn't even need the accent, guys in my class were already paying attention to her body - That's what made her that type of teacher.

She was wearing a black corset over a white T-shirt tucked into a black leather pleated skirt that stopped inches below her mid thigh, paired with black leather high heel-boots.

Perfect body, bold outfit, nice voice, beautiful face... That type of teacher.

"So, I'm sure everyone knows I'm the form teacher of SS1A(Tenth grade A)"

SS1A. Plain and simple.

"And although I have everyone's name in my registrar, I'll like to get acquainted with you all. So can each of you please stand up and introduce your selves?" she was polite and her voice sounded really nice.

She pointed at Lynda sitting at the front row and smiled.

"You first. Name and age please? "

My friends and I sat at the middle row five seats behind the first column. Jasmine was benching with Silvana and I right now, she sat with Williams Anike, right behind us.

I would say he was an off and on best friend of mine, it always felt like what we were- Williams and Munachi was undefined.

Eventually it got to our turn and Jasmine was pointed at first.

"I'm Jasmine and I'm 17." Jasmine answered with a smile, seconds after she'd stood up from our seat.

"My name's Munachi and I'm 16." I smiled weakly at her and she grinned.

I'd stood up too, just like Jasmine had and Silvana did the same.

"I am Silvana. I'm also 16, these two girls and that dark boy behind us sitting alone are my besties.His name is Williams by the way, I love them so much, I also love your hair. The frontal extensions look so real, like if my mom didn't make wigs I won't be able to tell that it's fake because it's like it's growing out of your hair I would've thought it was a leave out you had on, but I have sharp eyes and I could spot the lace but still it's giving 'lace where?' because you melted that lace to the extreme so yeah it looks so real. It's LT hair extensions right? I so love them, like the bestest human hair I've ever seen, so soft and lush and it eats heat for breakfast, the texture is so fluid, LT also eats out a lot from my allowance but it's so worth every naira I spend on them but mom doesn't like them so much.. you know they're competition but between both of us LT has my heart, every time I go out everyone's like 'is this your natural hair' and I have to blush and be like no it's not, but you like my hair? gee thanks, just bought it because I'm Silvana and you know, I see it, I want it, I got i-"

Everyone now had started groaning or mumbling all around us, excluding Jasmine and I.

"-Okay Silvana, thank you... that's enough for now."our form teacher interrupted her with a laugh.

"Please have your seat. Seems like we have our number one, class talkative." she smiled and Silvana chuckled, before the next person stood up.

Minutes later everyone had finished introducing themselves and we were all patiently waiting for her to introduce herself.

We knew she was our form teacher but we wanted to hear her say her name- In our school on the first working day of resumption: Monday, the first teacher to walk into a class that day was that class's form teacher.

She was the first.

It was just this unspoken rule.

"It's nice to know everyone's name. Later in the day, I'll be back to elect our class captain." She smiled at us all then continued, "Now time for you all to know my name."

She paused for a minute while tapping out a beat with her fingers on the table in front of her.

"I'm Loni Laura Ogbugo."

The guys went wild...

"Hi Miss Laura." Nonso smirked...

He was that type of boy- The kind who watches porn daily and drops innuendos much too frequently.

"Nonso..." she smiled at him. Totally ignorant of the innuendo laced in his voice.

Or maybe I was the only one who heard it?

It was the way he called her name.

That makes no sense...

"Are you currently single, taken... Or married? " Philip asked and his friend beside him snickered 'Correct' 'Sharp' and so many incoherent words loudly.

"I'm taken right now, he's a doctor at Saint Joseph." she blushed and Silvana went 'Aaaw! '

"He's a lucky man." Arthur.

He just walked in, in a painfully slow and dramatic way. Arthur liked to walk like he was in the end scene of an action movie and there was a car blowing up behind him, with smug strides and his head up.

Guys started snickering at him telling him to sample Miss Loni's butt, they didn't even need to.

He stood slightly behind her and also besides her, his eyes slowly yet quickly maneuvered down her back.

"Arthur? " Miss Loni smiled and I began to wonder how she knew him.

She wasn't his form teacher, she was a new teacher but yet... She knew him, how?

"Did you get lost or something, you're not meant to be here" Jasmine asked. He turned to look at her and the way he stared at her was like they shared a secret.

His eyes lingered on her face and his eyebrow slowly raised up, or maybe I imagined that?

"Jasmine! That's very rude of you. Apologize! " Miss Loni reproached.

"Maka gini? (Why?)"Jasmine said murdering Igbo language in one sentence.

It was the way she spoke her words with that tiny voice of hers

"Maka Odi Ro Ma. (It isn't right.)"

Maybe because no one had expected her to reply back in Igbo because of her clear British accent, but the class definitely went wild.

Guys started howling and shouting and girls were clapping ... While I weakly smiled all through out wondering why teenagers made so much noise.

Miss Loni was blushing now.

In this commotion Arthur had a blank bored look on his face as he scanned my classroom with his eyes.

"Oh my God! Please be calm." she yelled while laughing.

"You heard the woman. It's enough. " Arthur's voice boomed.

My heart skipped a beat, not only did puberty make him taller, his voice added a deep bass tone.

A tone that made him sound very mature. The class suddenly went silent, he sounded bored which was a contrast to the excitement in the classroom and I guess it made everyone realize they were being childish.

"Arthur, thank you. You're not on my attendance list, so please enlighten us as to why you're here. "

"Mister Adekunle sent me over to get a marker from you. He left his in his car, and I'm not walking down a hill for him. He's the form teacher of SS1B (Tenth grade B)" Arthur added the last part when she paused and placed her hand on her hip while staring upwards.

"Oh! Kunleh. SS1.. B. Here you go" she pulled out a marker pen from her hard cover notebook and passed it to him, he was turning to go-without a 'thank you' when Jasmine yelled his name.

That sound practically had bells ringing in my ear.

I could handle her low raspy voice only when she wasn't shouting because anytime she tried to speak louder it sounded like someone was scraping a chalk against a blackboard. She sounded like someone who'd recently lost their voice

"Mouse." Arthur teased her with a frown on his face.

"Try not to hit your head on the way out, since you know, you're almost taller than the door." she grinned cheekily like she was sending him signals, secret signals.

He was about to say something back but Miss Loni pushed Arthur out, but not before he stuck out his tongue childishly at Jasmine.

Very childishly.

•°•

We had less than ten minutes till break time and we've skipped over hours without a single teacher entering into our class-other than Miss Lonin. Blossom was now our assistant class captain and Elizzy Mohammed was our class captain, she was expected to meet Miss Loni five minutes before break to get our time table.

"Muna, are you even listening?!"Jasmine suddenly yelled-whispered besides me and I sighed as my brain cells vibrated with her voice.

She really needs to never raise her voice ever!

"Jasmine." I muttered quietly as a reply. William had replaced Silvana in her sitting position for now because she was sitting with her crush.

Nonso. That perv.

I do not know how that happened but she liked him.

I do not know why either.. But here we are.

I had no problems with him, no one had problems with Nonso, he was funny, outspoken and usually made jokes at teachers expenses.

I just didn't understand her crush on him.

They were exact polar opposites of each other. Other than the outspoken part.

She was like princess, sunflowers, rainbow, books, books, fashion, fashion and he was like porn, porn, porn, pornography, crude jokes, more porn.

I guess opposites really do attract

But why does it have to be their opposites?

"You're not even listening. " Jasmine palmed her forehead.

"Yeah sorry. I was thinking about something." I lied and she rolled her eyes.

I wasn't thinking of anything, I was trying to not listen to her voice.

"We were talking about Arthur and you" Williams winked at me.

"But, there's not an 'Arthur and me' to talk about, nothing's going on between us." I said as calmly as I could because these two were beginning to piss me off.

"Not yet there isn't." Jasmine smirked.

"And I doubt there's ever going to be one. I'm not ready to date again..." I paused and whispered out the last part,

"I still miss Rooney"

"And how are you so sure he misses you back? He's not here anymore, he travelled overseas, left you in Nigeria Naija (9-ja). I'm sure he's dating an American girl by now, or two. The idiot was a big time player." Jasmine said and I held back my tongue to stop my self from correcting her.

Rooney isn't an idiot.

He wasn't even a player!

... Again!

"Yeah, my guy was handsome. Half caste guy now, all the girls in Sacramento Miami must be dying now-" I just had to interrupt him.

"-Sacramento California... Miami is a totally different place from California. Sacramento is the capital city of California." I held back a smirk while correcting him.

He groaned then attempted to push me off my own seat.

His whole sentence was wrong, Rooney wasn't even biracial.

"I spent this holiday in Florida and it's a lot like Cali okay? Same thing. Florida Miami California Sacramento. Same thing. Similar weather, both coastal states, palm trees as landmarks, they both have beaches and they're both vacation hubs. Same thing! Anyway! As I was saying." Williams drawled out his last word then continued,

"C'mon girlfriend. Before Rooney left, you guys were hot together, but he's gone now. Time for you to be hot again.... With Arthur."

"Yeah hot with his ex best friend. I mean imagine his ex dating his ex. Totally not possible!" I exclaimed.

"They weren't besties, they weren't totally that close. They both were just handsome and knew how to break dance very well." Williams was wrong again.

I turned as dramatically as Munachi Odumba could and gave him the most confused look he's seen all day.

God is really saving him because I'm not an outspoken person.

I could only imagine a scene where I jumped on him, slapping him while yelling "Stop saying nonsense" but sadly,

I could only imagine.

So I squinted my eyes to drive in the judgy gaze further.

When Rooney was still here, he was inseparable from Arthur... They were practically five and six.

"Muna na.. " Jasmine drew out her 'na'

"It's not like you're going to be single forever, move on." Jasmine added.

"I'm aware. But I'm still tied to Rooney in a way. We had lots of video calls this holiday, see he still makes me laugh thousands of miles away-"

"-Now you're making me laugh barely a mile away." Williams smirked and I hit him on his arm.

"Muna, give him a chance now.. Please." Jasmine frowned.

"Give him a chance to do what? I thought you wanted me to 'be careful' before?" I quoted.

"Yes, but only because Silva was here. She'll start talking one long talk about what the heart wants and what not, disadvantages of getting into unrequited relationships, how to focus solely on books and not boys..etcetera etcetera. "

"I'm not interested. Yes Arthur is fine but Rooney is handsome, yes Arthur is hot but Rooney is to die for-"

"-Oh so you're differentiating between their physical looks huh? Well, if you ask me; I think Arthur is hotter than Rooney by far." Williams interrupted me.

I guess this is why Williams and Munachi was undefined because unlike my friendship with Silvana and Jasmine mine with him had a lot of ridges and bumps and I just.. it felt hard relating with him.

I sighed and continued talking like he'd not interrupted me, "I've known Rooney since KG3, and Arthur just 8th Grade. Rooney is light skinned with pink lips, Arthur is a bit dark skinned with red lips. Pink is my favorite color"

"Nope. Black is." Silvana suddenly said and we all looked up at her, she sat right behind us on Williams and Jasmine seat before leaning forward with her two elbows on the desk.

"So why are we comparing Rooney to Arthur? I'm team Rooney by the way.."

"Jasmine and Williams wants me to 'accept' Arthur, when he hasn't asked me out cause neither of us are interested in each other."

"Only one of you isn't interested sha.." William whispered extremely lowly that I almost didn't catch that

"Jasmine ... Williams?" Silvana drew out their names slowly.

"What?! They fit now!" Williams suddenly yelled.

I think Silvana intimidates him a lot.

Everyone in our class paused to stare at us.

"Which people fit?" Philip asked.

"Your brain and your skull. Breaking news, your brain lost interest in your skull the day you were born, kinda explains why you're like this. So dull, so mind your business." Jasmine replied with a toothy grin and his friends yelled loudly, some whispered and some patted his back telling him sorry.

She was the 'savage' one in our small clique, sassy and always ready to attack, a trait she shared with William that made them mix like rice and beans.

"What did that mouse say?" he asked but we knew he'd heard her.

"What Jasmine meant to say is, Arthur and Muna, they don't match shay(Right)? I mean yeah they might look cute together thanks to her height but really in reality do they look like they're gonna be a perfect couple?" Silvana said from nowhere and I fought the urge to groan and hide in the ground, but sadly that was still impossible.

Wait, what's wrong with my height?

"Hey! She's blushing oh." Ayo teased me and laughed

I shook my head.

"No, they don't match." Elizzy said rather too sharply.

"I think they do. They fit, they're cute.." Tessa said and then eventually everyone in class contributed their opinions, even those that I didn't talk to on daily basis.

Majority of the class voted yes

Surprise surprise, why am I not surprised?

Most girls shouted no, a major con of being official with the sexiest boy in our set for a whole session was that most girls you weren't friends with either hated you or pretended to like you, no in between and if you'd dated one sexy boy already you had no rights wanting to date another sexy bo-

"-Don't you guys think I have a choice in this? "

Everyone froze at the sound of his voice and I felt a serious wave of Deja Vu go through me as I looked towards the door to find Arthur leaning against the door frame.

"Guy I swear, who you epp(How useful are you?)" Nonso asked and Arthur fully walked into our class.

I saw the charm in the tall teenager, he had natural efizzy (Swag) his steps were slow and his new 'senior sleeves' were rolled up his arm, folded neatly on his elbow with his school shirt tucked out giving him that bad boy look.. like I get it, I see what makes Arthur the Arthur Dike.

"Was that meant to be funny? Try again." Arthur replied dryly with a smug smirk and Nyerovwo giggled.

"Arthur but seriously. Waitin' you want (What'd you want?)" Ola asked.

"I wonder, guy since morning you've just been missing road(wandering around)." Jasmine said and for a second their eyes met and he froze...

They definitely shared some secrets alright.

But what?

"Freedom of movement, right? " he smirked at her.

"No loitering rule." I stared at his eyes as I spoke and he stared back.

"Yes, but that rule doesn't apply during break time." he answered then finally broke eye contact with me, finally because it felt like we stared at each other for an hour in pure silence with the way he looked at me.

"Men. Break time don reach? (Dude, is it break time?)" Ola asked.

"No oh, Your watch dey your wrist for fancy ba (No, your watch's on your wrist for fancy)" Kenelum Orji said after walking in.

He was also in Ss1B, he was tall but not as tall as Arthur... Maybe he was behind Arthur with an inch or two.

"Boring." Bami commented after laughing. We had a lot of weird people In my class and a lot of savages and fresh people in Arthur's class, the class Rooney was meant to be in if he still attended this school.

"Break time? When did the bell go off?" Elizzy asked no one in particular but Arthur replied,

"Five minutes ago." He said staring at his diamond encrusted watch, or at least it looked like diamonds, because it certainly wasn't gold- gold had a yellow tint to it, his seemed to be glittering.

"Oh my God, I'm late. Miss Loni would be so mad." she raced out of the class.

"Decide oh, Arthur. Would you and Muna be cute together? I vote yes." Blossom smiled at him then me.

Eh?

"Yeah it's true, what do you think?" Alexis asked.

"Well.. I think we would be cute together,
but it's totally up to her. I'm currently single right now but.." he trailed staring at Jasmine.

"... But she isn't." he stared out the door.

"She is. Rooney don leave now(is gone), so she's open too." Nonso grinned smugly at me.

What did that even mean?

"She's not, she's currently hooked up on my man Rooney." Arthur said and I nodded at him.

"Yeah right. Um... " he scratched his head awkwardly then smirked after and I'm sure Jasmine would describe this as his 'babe is next on my list' look.

But I knew this look, months of being one of his closest friends gave me that insider knowledge and this was his "I'd rather be anywhere but here" look, I saw it a lot when he was around girls who he'd had something with.

Especially girls he'd forgotten he'd started something with until they cornered him to ask him the famous "What are we" question.

"Can I talk to you about something? " Arthur asked while looking at me.

I nodded.

"Okay." he replied and walked out, I stood up slowly, feeling like everyone's eyes were directly on me.

Because unfortunately, they were.

I had just one obstacle in my way right now, Kenelum Orji.

I didn't like him, feeling was mutual.

And he was standing in front of the door.

"Girl, you're shameless. Homie hopping is a lowest of low even for you." Kenelum bent low to whisper into my ear as I walked past him, Orji had a thick voice that typically would be considered scary and he was, but I've been unfortunate to know him too as an insider so him and his voice didn't scare me.

I expected such a feedback from him.

Made it easy to ignore him and walk out the door. Arthur was soon hovering high above my head.

"Tall boy."

"Walk with me, short girl." he teased and I scowled at him.

"I'm taller than you, you know right?" I smirked as we walked towards the stairs.

"Yeah, seven years ago you were. But now I'm a Big boy" he smiled down at me and I laughed at the way he drew out the 'big boy'. He sounded so childish.

"Seven years ago, more like seven minutes ago. I'm taller right now." I grinned at him after noticing we'd stopped walking.

He kept staring at me before he began to slowly scratch his head.

His 'look' was back, his awkward nervous annoyed messy confusion was in full display.

Okay?

"I like you Munachi. I really really like you." he said abruptly and I instantly removed my eyes from his searching ones.

How did he just drop the bomb on me like that?

"Uh?"

"Yes. I've liked you since 8th Grade second term. Fine I might have disliked you just a tiny bit first term, I also remember you disliked me too." he turned around nervously.

"You murdered my friend!" I just had to yell.

"Why didn't I go to jail then? And that was before we officially met. Look..." I rolled my eyes and let him continue.

"Watching you dance alone in the auditorium...it turned on a flame in me, you had strong talent and that was what attracted me to you. Mumu(Stupid) girl you shook it like you had it, even back then when you were a bag of flat bones." I almost smiled, he was trying to ease off the tension that was thick in the air right now.

And I was never a bag of flat bones.

I was just very slim, at least slimmer than most girls our age.

So I didn't smile.

"But then, I made a mistake. I engaged in self denial. I didn't choose you, I refused to choose you." he said and I nodded slowly.

He continued staring at me while I continued nodding, until I realized that I was meant to say something.

Oh.

This is going to hurt both of us...

Suddenly it felt like one of those times where I watched him scratch his hair while staring at another one of his forgotten weekend conquests as he answered her "What are we" question.

But this time around he was in the position he'd always put other girls in and... I was him, saying the same line that always answered their questions.

Regrettably so,

"Arthur, I see you as just a friend-"

"-The friend zone." he interrupted me and I looked up to see his eyes were shut.

I awkwardly continued, "And... I don't like you, that way at least. You're my ex's bestfr-"

"-Exactly, ex. Muna, ex. It's over between you both." he interrupted and paused then continued but not before taking a deep breath in.

"Wow, shit, you just killed me, I'd expected that to be your reply but hearing you say it... " his eyes were still shut but now his left hand was on his chest.

"But hearing you say it, makes the inevitable rejection real." He repeated again but this time he completed it. "So Jasmine and Williams failed then?" he grinned as his eyes suddenly snapped open.

His smile was fake. He was even blinking back tears.

Woah?

So that was the secret he shared with Jasmine?

I guess Williams was right, only one of us wasn't interested.

"Sorry." I looked down.

"It's okay. Mrs. Elohor wants all dancers to meet at the auditorium, we need to practice for the school welcome back party at 7." then he left, in two long slow strides he was gone and I was alone.

I walked back to a pretty much empty classroom, almost every one was out admiring each others new senior uniform or purchasing something from the school's tuck shop.

"Gist us oh!" Silvana yelled barely seconds after I'd walked in.

"You said yes right?" William smirked.

I walked back to my seat while trying hard not to roll my eyes at their annoying assumptions.

"Finally! That guy has been in love since eh." Jasmine smiled with a certainty in good news that I wondered why me and Arthur becoming an item was such a good thing anyways.

A girlfriend moving on to his best friend was not a good thing.

Williams started speaking, "I swear, guy has been love struck since 20-" I just had to interrupt him.

"-I said nothing. He didn't ask me out, told me he likes me. Liked me since 8th grade."

"Don't worry, he'll ask you out soon enough. So what did you say after he told you that." Jasmine shrieked. She sounded so excited and entitled to good news. Too bad I came back with bad news instead.

"I told him that I didn't feel the same way. I apologized and he told me we had rehearsals by 4, then he disappeared. The end." I whispered

Williams and Jasmine screamed on cue.

"No oooh!" Williams hit his hand extra dramatically on the desk. Jasmine hissed and Silvana nodded.

"You did the right thing my friend. It would had been unfair if you lied to him. Take all the time you need to get over Rooney before dating or liking anyone again. A full session is not something that can be forgotten easily. Three terms is a huge deal so huge it's never happened before in our set. Heal first so he wouldn't have to be in an unrequited relationship." Silvana advised.

As expected.

"You did not try at all Munachi! At all!" Jasmine yelled and I saw tears at the corner of her eyes.

Why?????

"Asin(Like) eh. He's been in love since 8th grade. Since Saturday we've been coaching him on how to tell you. How to calm down his breath and how to maintain eye contact! He didn't even want to confess we forced him to" Williams exclaimed with his hands dragging on his hair.

Jasmine agreed, "I swear, it's all in vain-"

"-Coaching him keh (Huh?)You guys have started keeping secrets from me. Eh Jasmine, eh Williams?" Silvana interrupted with a serious tone but it didn't take two minutes before the three of them started laughing.

Sigh

"If we told you, you would've told us what you just said 'A full session is not nothing' what the heart wants and what not" Jasmine said, she'd attempted to bass up her voice but failed miserably.

"Who held an umbrella up for you on that school trip to Las Touris when rain was falling while Rooney sat in the school bus." Williams asked.

"Yeah, who made you laugh when you were vexing (Angry) because C. C. A 1 teacher didn't mark your assignment?" Jasmine said.

"I was never vexing(Angry)." I said and the three of them looked at me like I was lying.

Which I was.

"Yeah right." Silvana smirked at me.

"Okay. You were not vexing. Who gave you their food when Rooney poured yours in anger? " Williams asked and I groaned.

"Not in anger.... Directed at me. He was on his edgy days and he didn't know my plate was next to his hand." I backed up.

"Edgy days."Jasmine mimicked me. And I gasped.

Why would she try to imitate my voice when she knew she sounded like that!?

I definitely did not sound like whatever she sounded like right now. I refuse to hear my words in that voice!

"That guy was weird, like a werewolf sometimes. Some days he'll vex and almost kill people and some days he'll make everyone laugh in a minute. You were dating a hormonal pregnant lady. " Williams smirked at me and I just finally realized something.

He really didn't know Rooney at all. Rooney didn't make people laugh neither did he vex. He ignored.

He ignored a lot of people.

"Um. Hormonal? Yes, I guess?" Jasmine frowned at Williams and I'm sure we both realized the same things.

But I didn't blame Williams either, he was a new student who'd joined us last session.

"I'm surprised the only thing he stole was your first kiss. " Silvana quickly changed topic and gave me a lopsided grin.

"Or maybe.. He stole something more, like... " She wriggled her eyebrows at me.

"I'm 16. I'm still a virgin and I'm staying that way till I'm married. " I laughed.

"To Arthur" It was Jasmine turn to wiggle her brows at me.

"Yes!" Williams yelled. I almost rolled my eyes to the back of my head.

"Oya (Okay)fine, he's done many good things for Munachi, but because he was her boyfriend's bestie ... He was meant to do them. Bro code?" Silvana said.

"Bro code? Girlfriend whatcha(What are you) talking about?
I've never watched an episode on MTV talking about shit like that. No, he did them because he is. Scratch that. He was, he was in love. Rooney stole his chance. Forget this bad guy act he's doing. He's actually a really shy guy when it comes to Muna, he's been building up confidence to tell her since tey tey(A long time ago)" Jasmine said.

Silvana groaned. "Why tell her after Rooney left our school? To show you he has ulterior motives "

"Duuurh! 'Cause it's like the perfect time, he knows he's not going to cause trouble in their relationship and besides his major competition is now gone.
He played his cards Muna, but you set them on fire and stomped all over them. " Williams exaggerated and I stared at him like he was crazy, he's a typical example of what happens to guys when they watch lots of Telemundo and Zee world with a mixture of American chick flicks and absorbed themselves in romance novels.

He was feminine and I loved that about him. It was the one trait he shared with Silvana that made him blend into our trio.

I was still yet to find what we shared in common but I guess there's a lifetime to figure that part out.

"You didn't do well at all Muna. Williams come let's go and look for Arthur, I'm sure he's probably crying somewhere." Jasmine said exiting the class with Williams closely behind her.

"But sha(Well) it's true Muna. The one thing guys fear in this world is rejection, worst is if it's from a girl they really like and I guess he truly likes you. In fact it's even worst cause I don't think someone like Arthur has ever experienced rejection before so you've probably also wounded his ego, but more importantly you hurt his feelings." Silvana said in this strange adult voice before resting her head on our desk and I noticed the huge hard cover book in between her laps.

Definitely fiction.

I sat besides her and also placed my head on my desk, but not to read a romance novel like she was doing.

But to think things through, everything was way too complicated now.

When did Arthur start crushing on me? And how did I not notice?

•••

"Silence.

Tears on my pillow.

Bleeding heart."