CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: GETTING TO KNOW MY SEAT PARTNERS
"It turns out you were right! Daniel was up to something," Victoria said, trying hard to hold back her laughter. Before I knew it, she burst into a full-blown giggle.
"Victoria! It isn't funny!" I said furiously, crossing my arms.
"Well, to me, it is kind of funny," Victoria continued, still laughing. "The same guy you once loved is still trying to play you. Again."
Morayo shook her head with a smile. "To me, he's a jerk. I say we should give him a piece of our mind right now."
"You know what? Let's go now! I will show him exactly the kind of girl he shouldn't be messing with!" I said, jumping into action as I looked around for my slippers.
As soon as I found them, I slipped them on and turned to leave with Morayo. Suddenly, Victoria's voice rang out behind us.
"Wait!" she shouted. "You girls shouldn't go rushing out there and causing a scene. Let's find a smarter way to counter him…"
I choked on my words. "We… can't… just… let him keep doing this to me," I stammered, my voice breaking slightly as the frustration and hurt welled up inside me. Tears threatened to fall. Before I could even process it, Victoria came over and hugged me tightly, her arms comforting and strong.
I looked up, realizing that our little scene had drawn the attention of a few passersby, which made me feel both embarrassed and self-conscious. Morayo waved and tried to redirect their attention, and thankfully, most of them moved on, leaving us in some privacy.
Victoria released me from the hug and gave me a reassuring look. "You see, I promised John that I wouldn't tell anyone. It's a secret between Daniel and his co-conspirators. That's why I don't want you to just attack him blindly."
I took a deep breath, calming myself. "Okay, then… what do you think we should do?" I asked, feeling somewhat convinced by her reasoning.
"I think you should tell him yes and play along," Victoria advised, her eyes sharp and calculating as she watched my reaction. "But know this—don't let him win the bet. Take the money he's offering and make sure you gain from it. When the time is right, we'll teach him a lesson he won't forget."
I nodded slowly. "Okay, let's do it. But… I want to know if Ayo is also in on the bet with Daniel and the others," I said, curiosity evident in my voice.
Victoria hesitated for a moment, squeezing her face as if trying to remember or hide something. "Partially… yes and no," she said cryptically.
I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"
"They're actually forcing him with money to play along," Victoria explained. "It's stupid, but that's what's happening."
I let out a breath of relief. "Okay… I see now. So they're not really cousins?"
"Yeah… he lied about that too," Victoria confirmed with a small smirk.
"That crook! But… I guess I'll just have to play along for now," I said, feeling a little more confident as I looked at Victoria, who smiled warmly back at me.
A little later, I headed out to meet Daniel to give him my answer. Luckily, I found him on the field, and I called him aside privately. I plastered a happy smile on my face, though internally, I was still furious at him.
I told him I accepted his request. His face lit up with excitement. He said I should start on Monday and shared a few other things that I quickly realized were probably lies.
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Monday arrived faster than I expected. After completing our morning duties, Victoria, Morayo, and I walked into class together. Just as we were settling into our seats, we heard the usual shout from some of the girls.
"Boys are coming!"
Immediately, girls wearing only their wrappers or underwear jumped out of the windows in panic, afraid the boys would see them. Others sleeping on the floor grabbed blankets or wrappers and ran out of the classroom as quickly as possible. I just sat down, shaking my head and observing the chaos.
Ayo entered last, wearing a singlet and uniform shorts, his shirt slung over his shoulder. His hair was messy, sticking up in odd angles, as though he hadn't brushed it at all. He carried his bag casually in one hand. Behind him, his friend followed, and then, to my surprise, Daniel appeared. Who would have guessed Daniel would come to our class this early?
Ayo shook his head, scanning the girls scrambling in panic. "The girls are as foolish as ever," he commented with mild annoyance, though there was an almost amused smile on his face.
"Yeah… as if it's a bad thing to wear a wrapper," his friend said, laughing.
"That's even one reason I love boys," Ayo said, grinning proudly, as if being a boy automatically made him superior.
Morayo, clearly tired of their antics, crossed her arms. "And you three must have forgotten that we're listening to every word of your nonsense."
"Oh, you girls were listening?" Ayo asked, suddenly appearing oblivious to the fact.
"Mhm! We weren't listening. We were just… playing," Morayo teased, trying to shun his silly question.
His friend straightened, looking serious. "Come on, isn't it obvious that what those girls did was silly and meaningless?"
"As if you guys are any better!" a girl from the backseat called out, raising her broom as she spoke.
The boys turned to glare at her.
Daniel, unable to resist, muttered bluntly, "Even if all animals are talking, are snails supposed to talk?" His comment was met with a mixture of groans and stifled laughs from the classroom.
I couldn't help but roll my eyes. This was going to be a long year getting to know my new seat partners. But at least now, I had a plan—and Victoria and Morayo by my side—to handle Daniel and his ridiculous schemes.