10 CH. 10— THE FIRST FIGHT.
With the end of the Easter break, the streets of JMU were lively again. Most students had resumed while the stubborn ones were still enjoying themselves at home. However, the everyday bustle and hustle had resumed.
Restaurants, which was one of the thriving businesses around JMU, were all open. The cybercafé stores had also resumed.
Being a Monday morning everyone was on their feet trying to get to one place or the other. As usual school shuttles were scarce like every other Monday.
Maliah had left for classes earlier because she had a morning lecture while Angela didn't. When Angela finally got up from the bed, she brushed her teeth and went to fix something for breakfast. However, she found the bread and egg Maliah had left for her. She checked the flask and there was hot water ready for her to make coffee.
One of the reasons Angela loved Maliah was how thoughtful she was. She showed Angela so much care as if Angela was her younger sister even though they were age mates. Angela figured it could be because Maliah was the first born with siblings to take care of.
Following the events of the Easter break, Angela and Maliah left that day not waiting around to find out what the problem was. Angela didn't want to witness another episode of "argument" between her parents so she decided to leave before her dad got home.
She had also told Maliah that she didn't wanna talk about it and she trusted Liah not to say a word to anyone, even David.
*****
After she finished eating, Angela did her chores and prepared for class. She had a class by 12 PM and by 11:30 AM she was already locking her door when she heard someone call her name. She turned to see David waving at her. She walked up to him.
"Hey, shouldn't you be in class now? This is 11:33 AM." David said.
"Yea, I don't have a morning lecture. My class is by 12 PM so I decided to stay back and do other things instead." Angela explained.
"Okay, but you need to be in class almost always as a freshman. Some of these wicked lecturers come to class suddenly and give impromptu quizzes. Also, even if you have nothing to do in class, you could always read in the library or socialize with people."
As he was giving this long sermon, Angela was wondering what he was doing at home instead of being in class but to avoid more conversation she didn't ask him.
"Thanks for your advice, mister. If there's nothing more, I'll like to get going so I can make it on time sir." Angela said feigning seriousness.
"Off you go lad." David played along.
*****
By 12:10 PM, Angela was seated in the lecture hall when the lecturer walked in.
After 2 hours of long and boring lecture, Dr. George left the hall.
While waiting for the next lecture, Angela logged into her WhatsApp to see a message from David.
"Hope you got there on time?" he asked.
"Yes, I did." She replied.
"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about, Angel." David said
"Shoot." Angela replied.
"I noticed that even though we've been friends for a while now, you're still quite uneasy or uncomfortable around me. It's as if you're scared of something. You try to hide it but I still see it and I try my best to be as free as possible with you just to show you that you can be free with me too."
Angela tries to be honest as much as she can. She is also one not to shy away from things or feelings. Other girls might think that voicing their feelings makes them vulnerable or cowards, but to Angela, it's one of her strong suits— honesty.
"Dave, thing is you're right when you say I feel nervous around you but it's not because I'm scared or anything. I just don't know why. Good thing is that it has greatly reduced since I got to know you better. I mean, you're my friend aren't you? What's there to be scared of?" replied Angela.
The next lecturer entered the class and Angela put her phone on silent mode.
"Alright. Thanks for being honest with me. What can I do to help with the nervousness?" David replied.
"Don't do anything Dave, you don't need to. We'll talk later, yeah? There's a lecturer in class now." Angela said.
"Okay, I'll see you later in the lodge. Bye." David ended the conversation.
*****
After the day's lectures at around 4 PM, Angela went to the library to return a novel and pick up another one. She also wanted to do the physics assignment that was given to them. By 6:45 PM when she still couldn't solve the questions, she decided to take it back to the lodge and find someone to help her do it. Since the library would be closing by 7 PM, she decided to go home.
On coming out of the library, she met Amanda who was also stepping out.
"Hey Angela, what's up? How are you?" Amanda asked.
"I'm fine dear, just tired. You're going home?" Angela replied.
"Yes I am. Have you done the physics assignment? Amanda asked.
Angela shook her head and sighed. They started walking home. Amanda's lodge was just before Angela's. Close to Amanda's lodge, they met Maliah who was rushing back to the lodge with a plastic bag in her hand. They asked her why the rush and she said she was cooking and then ran off.
Maliah was more athletic than Angela. This gave her a better shape plus her sexy long legs. Sometimes Angela wonders why David is not interested in Maliah as he is in her.
On getting to Amanda's junction, they bade each other goodbye before Angela continued walking to her destination— Royal lodge.
At the lodge gate, Angela saw David and some other guys on their balcony arguing about something with loud voices. She wondered if he was ever in class.
In her room, Maliah was arranging the kitchen she had scattered while cooking spaghetti. Angela asked her what she had gone out to get and Maliah said she went to buy juice since there was none in the fridge.
"We need to go shopping." Angela said.
"I agree." Maliah concurred.
Angela asked her if there was still jollof rice in the fridge and she said yes.
"Why did you cook spaghetti when there was rice that you could have just microwaved?" Angela asked.
"Well, I wanted to eat spaghetti and I didn't want to buy it." Maliah explained.
"Oh okay."
Coming from a rich home, Maliah had enough to live lavishly on campus. If she wasn't the first born, she would have turned out to be an over pampered brat.
Angela took her bath. Afterwards, she ate while Maliah went to freshen up.
While she was combing her hair, Angela heard a knock on the door and when she asked who it was, he said he was a kidnapper.
"David." Angela said, shaking her head.
She opened the door and saw him smiling at her.
"Kidnapper, go on, kidnap me." She said laughing at him.
"Can I come in?" He asked.
"Yea, sure." She answered.
David entered and sat on the bed while she continued combing her hair. After combing, she packed it in a ponytail and wore her hair net.
Angela climbed onto the bed and covered herself up since the AC was on. David asked her how her day had gone and what she did. She told him everything plus the physics assignment she couldn't solve and he offered to help. Just then, the shower started running and Angela remembered that Maliah was taking her bath.
"Shit!" she said.
There was no way Maliah was going to dress up in front of David and she didn't want to tell him to leave. An idea struck her and she decided to take the clothes Maliah had brought out to her in the bathroom.
When Angela opened the bathroom door, what she saw shocked her to her bones. Maliah was in the bathtub, her eyes closed— she didn't even notice that Angela had come in. Angela stood there perplexed not only by the beauty of Maliah's body but also by what she was doing.
"Maliah!" She called Maliah's name in full.
Maliah opened her eyes, shocked and embarrassed.
"What are you doing here Angela?" she screeched— her eyes were bloodshot, heavy with desire and emotions.
"Uhm, David is in the room and I know you wouldn't like to dress up in front of him. So I brought your clothes." Angela explained.
"You couldn't just ask him to leave? Anyway, thanks. Hang them on the line there." Maliah said.
Angela hung the clothes and left. She was still trying to wrap her head around what she'd just witnessed when David asked her if everything was alright.
"Huh? Yes, everything's fine. I just took Liah's clothes to her since you're here."
"Oh-oh, I'm sorry. You should have just told me to leave." He said.
"That wouldn't have been so 'gentle-womanly' of me now, would it?" she said, trying to ease up the situation.
David laughed at her use of English.
When Maliah came out from the bathroom, she joined in their conversation while rubbing cream on her body as if nothing had happened. However, Angela noticed that Maliah was shy in front of David.
When they were through, Angela told David that they needed to go to the class to read.
"Alright, let me go get my books so I can join you and help you with that assignment of yours." He said.
*****
Angela and Maliah waited for David at the lodge gate while he got ready. Maliah wasn't speaking to Angela and after studying her for some time, Angela decided to ask her if she did anything to offend her but Maliah didn't respond.
"C'mon Liah, talk to me. Wait, are you in love with David? Please tell me the truth." Angela kept on probing.
Maliah looked down before answering.
"No, I'm not in love with him."
"Why then were you shy back in the room?" Angela pressed on.
"What did you expect me to do while rubbing body cream in front of a handsome guy I..." Maliah paused before she continued talking. "You know what Angela, never ask me that question again. I'm off to class, you can wait for him." She said and left angrily.
Angela was hurt but she waved it off. She knew Maliah was angry for her to call her full name— Angela. This was actually their first fight and it bothered her a lot. Just then David returned.
"Hey, where's Liah?" He asked.
"Uhm, she had to leave."
