The next day came faster than I wanted it to. I barely slept, every time I closed my eyes; flashes of yesterday replayed in my head.
Nicholas's glare, his voice, the way his arms felt when he caught me. Ridiculous. I shouldn't even be thinking about that. It was just an accident, a stupid, embarrassing accident.
Still, my heart did that annoying thing again, pounding against my ribs like it had something to prove. I blamed stress, or perhaps maybe exhaustion. Either way, I told myself I'd ignore him if I saw him again.
"Are you gonna get off, or do I have to push you off, huh?" Nicholas asked sarcastically, his tone dripping with irritation.
I rolled my eyes, refusing to let his lack of basic manners get to me.
"You don't have to be rude all the time, you know?" I shot back, my voice sharper than I intended.
He scoffed, the sound, sharp and dismissive, which somehow managed to irritate me more than actual words could. I pulled myself from his grip, standing upright, placing my hands firmly on my waist as if to remind myself I had some control left. I nodded, exhaling slowly, yes I still had some control.
Just as he was about to walk away, the middle-aged woman from earlier appeared, whom I presumed to be Samantha. Beside her, stood a brunette girl, probably around our age.
"Master, you called for me, I..." the woman started, but Nicholas cut her short.
"Yes, and you only think it's okay to only appear now, huh?!" he barked, startling me.
Oh, well. Drama. I already had the recordings that brought me back here, so I wasn't sticking around for this.
I walked down the stairs, staring blankly at the woman and the brunette. They didn't actually expect me to speak up for them, right? if they did, they were both being ridiculous.
I simply brushed past them, exhaling a long, frustrated sigh. It wasn't relief, not even close.
I was just tired, tired of Nicholas, tired of this project, tired of how he somehow managed to make everything so difficult.
Funny how all these clashes between us had happened in less than a week.
The memory faded as quickly as it came, I blinked, jolting myself back to reality. I smiled to myself, hearing my mom singing softly to herself in the kitchen.
I sighed, dragging myself lazily from my bed. It was another day to pretend Nicholas Carson didn't exist.
I freshened up rather too swiftly, my class was scheduled for 9am today. For the first time, I'd try to make it in time.
I was clad in a blue crop top, and black baggy jeans. Yeah, boring outfit for a boring day.
I carefully arranged my books and other essentials in my tote bag. I glanced round my room, trying to figure out if I'd left anything behind.
My eyes travelled to a cabinet beside my bed, there, my phone lay peacefully. How could I forget my phone? I mentally slapped myself, grabbed it and slid it carefully into my tote bag.
"All done now?" Mom asked the moment I had appeared in the living room.
"Yes, Mom, all done"
She eyed me closely, probably wondering why I didn't sound as bubbly as usual.
"Is something wrong? did Nicholas refuse you for the second time?" she asked, brushing a strand of hair from my face.
I only nodded, as she cupped my cheeks in her palms.
"Awn, sweetie. I'm so sorry for all this stress you have had to go through" she said, softly, as if it were a whisper.
"It's okay, Mommy. At least I have proof of his refusal. I'll go back to Professor Seth today, maybe he'll pair me up with a much more reasonable person"
She nodded, her thumbs still caressing my face. "You do just that, okay?"
"You made Jollof rice?" I asked, already sniffing the air. My mouth watered.
"Why ask the obvious?" she replied sarcastically, causing me to laugh.
I pulled out a chair, and watched as she dished out the meal for both of us.
"Here you go" she said, setting a plate of Nigeria's finest before me.
Leaning back to the chair, I picked up a spoon, and dug into the plate.
I closed my eyes, moaning in ecstasy as the taste hit my tongue. God, this was heaven!
"You like it?" she asked me, eagerly waiting to hear my response. I chewed slowly before opening my eyes again.
"Like it? I love it!" I exclaimed, and she grinned from ear to ear.
I ate quickly, knowing I didn't have much time to spare. Today I must make it to class in time.
Turning off the engine, I heaved a sigh of relief. I did make it in time for the first time.
I glanced around the school, the sky was bright, and the sun, too hot for my liking. I could already hear the buzz of the students, each one heading to their classes.
I opened the car door and stepped out. Pulling my tote bag over my shoulder, I shut the door and locked it.
Carefully, I adjusted my bag on my shoulders, as the weight of my 'Introduction to Literary Studies textbook' pressed against my side.
I dipped my hand into my bag, lifting out a little jotter. On this jotter, I had written down my schedule of classes for the week. The course I had scheduled for today, was ENGL 102. I smiled to myself, I could do this!
Just then, I saw a familiar face approaching me. I heaved a sigh of relief when I realized it was Kylie.
Kylie waved excitedly at me, running towards me like a high school kid.
"You're early? Who are you, and what have you done to my Selena?" she teased the moment she stood next to me.
I rolled my eyes, under the pretense of being offended.
"Maybe I have finally decided to be a responsible student," I replied, causing her to throw her head back in laughter.
Just as we walked towards our faculty building together, she mentioned her brother, Mike. The thought of his easy smile came to my mind, making my heart skip a little.
Kylie stared at me with an amused look, before saying, "Don't tell me you're thinking about Mike again."
I felt a sudden rush of embarrassment, making me look away.
"No", I lied. She laughed, and linked her arms through mine.
"You know he likes you, right?" she continued, causing me to groan. "Drop it," I muttered as we stepped into the hallway.
The lecture hall seemed too quiet for my liking, it was as if it were a graveyard.
Despite Kylie's pleas that we sat at the last row, I turned a deaf ear by choosing the middle row.
The professor for the course walked in almost immediately after we sat down. She titled the day's lecture "Narrative Voice and Point of View."
Although the class was a little boring, I listened and jotted down quite a few things. She spoke about different writers, one of which included the Nigerian writer, Chinua Achebe.
Just then, I heard my phone buzz quietly in my tote bag. Kylie shot a glance at me, probably wondering who would be texting me at such "ungodly hours", and by "ungodly hours", she means time meant for our classes alone.
Quietly, I snuck out my phone underneath the desk. I had gotten a strange text from an unknown number. It read: "Library tomorrow, 2 p.m. Don't be late."
My heart raced, my pulse quickened. Who could this be?
Nicholas? How in the world did he get my number?
Kylie stared at me, her eyes were filled with concern. Her thumb drew circles on the back of my hand, "You okay?", she asked, and I only nodded. I wasn't going to tell her things which would only get her more worried than she already is.
After the class, Kylie kept nudging me, asking if I was okay. Of course, I'd lie to her.
"Yes, I'm okay. Wanna go grab some coffee?" I asked, in an attempt to divert her attention from the text.
"Nah, I'd rather not" Kylie politely declined my offer.
Sensing that she was upset about me hiding what was wrong from her, I explained everything to her, including my plans to meet Professor Seth.
Kylie groaned dramatically, before asking "Why do you even bother? Why not partner with someone sane?" I eyed her carefully, wondering if she wasn't the same person who had had a crush on Nicholas?, all of a sudden she regarded him as someone who wasn't sane.
"If I didn't know you, I'd think you hated Nicholas" I teased. She simply rolled her eyes sarcastically.
"You know, Professor Seth doesn't bend that easily. Let's see how it goes" she replied, patting me gently. I only nodded my head, smiling softly.
Again, I stood in front of Professor Seth's office. My heart raced as a dozen of "what ifs" filled my mind.
I took a deep breath, before lifting my hands to knock.
Gently, I knocked on his door, as I waited patiently to hear his approval for me to come in.
"Come on in," I heard him say, just like the last time.
"Oh, you again! What brings you here?" he asked, his eyebrows arched weirdly.
I breathed in and out slowly, before explaining everything to him. Again.
Suddenly, he laughed. This made me stare at him in bewilderment, wondering which part of what I had said was funny.
"You know what's funny? Nicholas was here earlier. He apologized, and said he was ready to work together with you now."
I blinked in disbelief. Nicholas Carson was here, and he apologized?
That jerk barely knew how to say a "hello".
"He's your partner, make it work." Professor Seth said, his voice final.
My mind went blank, and without knowing what else to say, I thanked him quietly, and exited his office in frustration.
Just as I had exited his office, I spotted Nicholas leaning against a wall, casually talking to the blondie from two days ago. He looked completely at ease, something I'd never seen before, especially around me.
Our eyes met, and a smirk appeared instantly on his face. I scoffed, rolling my eyes at him. I thought that would annoy him, and cause him to leave me the hell alone, but clearly I was wrong.
Instead, he called out to me, saying, "Hey, Freshman. Professor Seth says, we're good now."
"Yeah, I heard. Congrats on your... character development," I said with so much sarcasm.
He chuckled, his eyes travelling from my body back to my eyes. "Library tomorrow, 2 p.m. Don't be late."
My gut had been right all along, he was the one behind that ridiculous text.
"Wouldn't even dream of it" I muttered, and walked away.
I was so upset at everything, and everyone. It was driving me completely nuts. Arghhhh!
As I stepped outside my faculty, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. Mike?
I turned to look at him, he was casually leaning against his car. That smirk of his plastered on his face.
"Do you perhaps need a ride home, beautiful?", he asked. For a moment, I thought about saying "yes", just like before. Instead, I shook my head in the negative.
"I came with my car today, sorry" I said to him.
"Oh, look at you. Miss independent!" he teased, I waved him off, as I headed towards my car.
Just as I unlocked the door, I caught my reflection in the window of my car. I desperately wished I could say that my thoughts were clear, but they weren't. Because despite everything, one stubborn face still lingers on my mind. Nicholas Carson.
The moment I had gotten to my room, I fell right onto my bed, replaying my entire day.
My class, Professor Seth's insistence, Mike's smile, Nicholas' text and apology.
Again, my phone buzzes. Bringing it up to my face, my eyes remained glued to the screen.
Nicholas had texted. Again.
This time, his text read, "Don't make me regret being civil." That made me scoff, who the hell does he think he is? Huh?
I dropped my phone on my bed, exhaling sharply.
"Too late for that, Nicholas" I muttered before closing my eyes.