This chapter marks the official beginning of the OLYMPIA and for the next five chapters or so, we'll see our babies from Stilling the Storm by Iyanuoluwa-Temi,, how they are going to perfectly imperfect characters and how they're going to influence them. Y'all should read STS so you won't miss out anything.
~KUNMI~
"Oh my God! If only I knew I was going to end up in the same room with Tolani, then I wouldn't have made that wish of getting paired with students of limelight." Aminah complained for the umpteenth time that night.
After we arrived at the venue for the Olympia, the first thing we did was to gather at the main Auditorium where we were briefed about how the competition was going to work, the do's and don't of the competition. It was while we were in the Auditorium that we got to know that we were going to ballot for which school to get paired with, Aminah had started praying desperately that we'd get with Limelight School just because of the fact that Kunle had told her that he and Adam knew two students from the school and now that we've gotten paired with limelight and we already retired into our room for the night, she was almost biting her head off after we got paired in the same room with Tolani.
"When I was desperately wishing that we'd get paired with limelight, I never thought I'd get paired with Tolani but now that I'm remembering the thing Sophia told us about her," She cringed and shuddered visibly and she even stopped doing what she was doing, arranging her stuffs on the bedside table. "I don't know how we're supposed to survive in the same room with her for the next one week." She concluded dramatically, her voice taking on a very bored and pained tone and I shook my head at the look of pure frustration on her face.
Trust Aminah to always be extra when it came to things like this.
"Oh come on, I don't think it can be that bad." I said, trying to convince myself than trying to convince her. I knew it must that bad, even more bad than I was thinking. I remembered how the expression of the guys from Limelight Academy changed from sweet to sour when she joined us this evening when Adam and Kunle were introducing us to their friends from Limelight. If none of them had nothing good to say about her, then it must be that bad.
Because how on earth would someone call a friendship with a girl 'something evil?'
I simply did not grab.
How possible was it for people to hate someone that much? Was she simply that bad or just grossly misunderstood?
As if on cue, the door opened without a knock and we simultaneously turned towards the door. I was expecting Elyon, our fourth roommate, Jamal's girlfriend who I had instantly taken a niceness to because of her effortlessly chic and nice personality but it was Aunty Tolani. I heard Aminah hiss under her breath.
The girl in question just entered the room, something akin to a scowl on her face. She ignored the both of us, walked to their own side of the room and she just started to arrange her stuffs as if she was the only one in the room. I exchanged a knowing look with Aminah.
Na wa oo.
"This one week is going to be one hell of a week."
"I agree." I replied Aminah as she stood up to start arranging her stuffs again. The shorts she wore hitched up as she stood up and I was quick to notice the thin black on her upper thigh.
"Oh, what's that mark?" I asked, I almost shouted even because I don't think I've seen that mark before and it looked horrible.
"Oh? This?" She asked as she bent down to pull her shorts down so it'd cover the scar again. "I don't even remember where I got it from. I don't know..." She trailed off and a thoughtful crossed her face as if she was trying to remember something. "I can't remember... I think a branch of a tree cut it or something."
"Really? I don't remember seeing it before."
"No, you've not. It's new." She replied before she turned suddenly and she entered the bathroom. I stared at the bathroom's door which must have slipped from Aminah's hands because it slammed with so much force before I looked away. Subconsciously, I turned towards Tolani's direction only to see that she was also staring at the bathroom door, a far away look in her eyes and when her eyes met mine, she looked away so hurriedly as if she was caught doing something extremely bad.
Looks like I was up to meeting more weird people.
The door opened again and my lips automatically stretched into a thin line, knowing that it'd be Elyon but when the person entered and I turned to look at her, her face was a contrast to what I had expected.
Her expression was blank but even still, I did not miss the look of anger and hurt she was trying to hide.
"Kunmi, good evening." I was surprised when she greeted me even though she did seem to be in a bad mood and I watched her with something akin to fascination as she collapsed on her bed. She was very pretty with her effortlessly flawless skin.
"Is your friend not going to come out of the bathroom?"
I continued folding the clothes, ignoring the words, not deliberately but it just never occurred to that Tolani would even talk to me.
"I need to use the bathroom and your friend is still there." She repeated, tightly and that jerked my head up. She was standing beside our bed, which happened to be beside the bathroom.
I looked at her dumbly for a moment or two, repeating her words slowly in my mind and my eyes widened when I got what she meant. Aminah hadn't come of the bathroom since she entered and that was like... I did a mental calculation, that was like an hour ago!
I turned towards the direction of the bathroom and as if on cue, the door opened and Aminah stepped out. She paused mid door when she saw the both of us staring at her.
"What took you so long?" I asked, finally finding my voice after Tolani entered the bathroom and she banged the door with so much force that I was sure the whole building shook and even Elyon who was already dozing off on her bed woke up with a start and when she realized what happened, she glared at the door with so much disdain that I was sure that if the door was capable of shuddering, it'd have shuddered.
"Ohhh," Aminah replied casually, very casually that it was almost eerie. "I got carried away by my phone." She concluded before she resumed folding her cloth.
I bought that lie until I did not.
Because her phone had been laying down on the bed beside me all these while.
********
When I woke up the next morning, it was barely morning by the way because it was barely 6am and it was still very dark aside, the first thing I noticed was that Aminah wasn't in the room. I sat up with a start, thinking everyone in the room had gone out and they've left me behind or something like that but Elyon and Tolani were still on their bed, asleep.
I visibly relaxed, then tensed up again when I remembered Aminah was still missing. I stood up and checked the bathroom, it was empty. I walked around the room gingerly, checking the empty corners and even under the beds and careful not to wake the other girls.
Aminah was nowhere to be found.
I was about to call her number when I saw her phone laying on the bedside table. An alarm bell went off in my head as I thought of everything that could have happened.
Extreme things.
Bizzare things.
I was about to open the door so I'd go out to search for her when the door started opening, slowly, carefully as if the person opening it was doing it that way so we wouldn't wake up.
The door finally opened enough for someone to enter and Aminah entered. All my worries dissipated when I saw her but I was still low-key angry at her.
She stopped short when she saw me, more like stop dead in her tracks even though she was panting and breathing heavily as if she was extremely worn out. Her lips stretched into a smile and her face lit up when she saw me.
"Oh, Kunmi, you're awake?"
"Where are you coming from?" I asked instead and She breathed in heavily and she put her left hand over her heart as if to calm it before she sidestepped me and she walked further into the room.
"I went out to jog," She answered plainly and I knew she wasn't lying, obviously from the way she was dressed, in sport bra and joggers.
"I was unable to sleep so I decided to jog. I have to be fit for the upcoming track competition. We can't afford to lose." She concluded in her usual chirpy and extra energized voice. "I'm bringing my A game to the competition, we're winning that badge no matter what."
I stared at her, not knowing whether to buy that lie or not. After she had blatantly lied to my face last night, I did not know what to think of that. What was she doing in that bathroom that she stayed that long?
And why would she even lie that she was pressing her phone?
And what exactly was going on with her?
Deep down there, I was still scared, very scared actually that she might end up being another Tara but that wasn't possible, was it?
"Are you okay? I mean... If there's anything going on that you might... You should... You can talk about it with me."
Her reply was instantaneous.
"Of course not, there's nothing going on with me. I just went out to jog, that's all."
I searched her eyes, looking for the trace 9f anything I must have missed but she just stared at me blankly as if she couldn't even believe what I was insinuating.
"Okay..." My lips stretched into a small smile when I remembered what I wanted to tell her.
"And happy birthday in advance."
The instant beam on her face was enough to light up even the darkest room.
"Oh, you remembered?" She shrieked quietly and she even started jumping on that spot she stood. I heard one of the girls mumble something incoherent in her sleep.
"God! I can't believe you remembered and you're even the first person to wish me again..." Her eyes widened and she walked closer to where I stood. "You were the first person to wish me last year too! Oh my God! Now, see why I like you so much." She beamed again and I just smiled at how childishly excited she was just because I wished her happy birthday. But then she was Aminah, everything, even the least of things would excite her.
She made to hug me and I moved back instinctively, my brows arching up.
"Are you really going to hug me with all that sweat?"
"Ehn ehn? Can't I hug you like this? If it was Adam, would you have pulled back?"
"But you're not Adam na"
"Eehn eehn?" Her eyes widened even more. "Eeh Eeh. I go love oo. I go love oo." She chided playfully before she burst into laughter. I joined in too before she walked into the bathroom.
I stared at the closed door for a minute longer than normal, filled with awe and love.
"You guys are so adorable."
Elyon muttered in her sleep before she turned to the other side and I smiled.
I know, right?
*********
Because I waited for Aminah who I did not know why had a high time getting ready for breakfast, we ended up getting to the dinning late. She just kept looking for one thing or the other which was just weird. It was her underwear she started with. She nearly turned the wardrobe down just looking for that when she was the one that arranged them like 15 hours ago.
Then she started looking for her blazer all over again.
And as if that wasn't enough, while I was talking with Elyon after I noticed something was on her mind and I was trying to get her into a good mood, Aminah had asked if I knew where her charger was when she was the one that plucked it in the socket beside her bed like 20 minutes prior to that time.
I did not even know how and why she became that absent minded in the space of what? A couple of hours?
In all, we ended up getting to the dinning very late. Skye, Venesssa, Sophia and Gab who came down to call us for breakfast even ended up leaving us behind.
The dinning chairs and tables were arranged from fives to twenties and while some students were quick sat in fives, obviously to show off their cliques or something like that, some sat in tens and twenties. My eyes briefed scanned the whole dinning for Adam and the rest. They were sitting in something akin to the center of the dining and they weren't sitting alone, they were sitting with the guys from Limelight High.
As we walked further into the dinning to join the guys, I did not, I could not, even if I wanted to miss the cat calls that were obviously from the students of Atlantic Hall. The guys from that school simply lacked manners and courtesy.
"You guys are finally here. What took you so long? Breakfast is almost over." Skye said to us immediately we took our seats, mine beside Adam who I did not miss how his expression changed when he saw me and his eyes seemed to roam over me appreciatively and I couldn't decipher the other expression. It was an expression I wasn't used to but could get used to. I also did not miss how his eyes seemed to linger on my legs. Suddenly feeling bold majorly because of Elyon's comment about my legs this morning, I smiled mischievously to myself.
"Good Morning," He finally croaked out, his voice sounding gruff and on edged as if something was wrong with him.
Something was definitely wrong with him and it was only the both that knew what's up with him. I smiled to myself and I drew even closer to him.
I heard his sharp intake of breath.
Across the table, there were series of hi's and hello's. The guy whom I had gotten his name to be Khalil, the one whom Sophia had actually talked to, laughed with and even giggled to, much to the bewilderment of all of us was also with us. I'd also noticed that the guys from Limelight did not really seem to like him. It did not appear like they hated him like they hated Tolani, it rather seemed like something of a more peculiar and complicated relationship. A relationship that shouldn't be any of my business but then what was Sophia doing with him? Taking to him like that? It only took the guy to introduce himself before Sophia started talking to him as if they've been best friends since forever.
Unbelievable!
The Sophia I knew would have found it difficult to even mutter hi in reply to him or simply ignore him altogether but she just did the exact opposite of that.
I don't even know if I was supposed to like the Khalil guy or not but I was definitely going for the later with the way he was looking at all the girls here, as if they were slaughtered rams and that was how he was staring at Sophia right now. Sophia was sitting directly opposite him and he was staring at her, his lower lips in between his teeth. He must have sensed that someone was looking at him because he turned towards my direction so fast that I was unable to look away and when his eyes met mine, his lips curved up into a smirk and I hurriedly looked away while muttering profanities under my breath.
What's his deal?
"Honestly guys, who do think is going to go home with the badges? Our school or your school?"
"Should that even be a question, Skye?" The guy who was introduced as Somadina replied instantly, some sort of lazy and prideful undertone in his voice. "I'm not sure about Sports but we're definitely winning academics." He concluded with a smug undertone that made me smile.
I don't think this guy had heard of Gabriella Williams.
I subconsciously turned towards the girl in question. His comment must have piqued her interest because she was looking at him, eye brows raised and then she scoffed or smiled or did the both together before she turned back to her food.
"Soma, you've started. Just don't jinx this thing, abeg." Mateo chided in a tone that made his girlfriend that was sitting beside him to smile. I looked at the two, utterly mesmerised by them. Out of all the three couples, they were easily my favourite and I had no idea why.
"Guys, wait," Kunle started saying and that drew our attention to him. "do you guys honestly think you stand a chance of winning this thing?"
"Obviously, like I said earlier, we're definitely winning the academic..."
"Soma, shut up!" That was Mateo again and we all laughed excluding the Soma himself who looked like he honestly did not understand why we were laughing, Jamal who kept glancing at Elyon from time to time, Khalil and Alex.
At this point, I don't think there'd be anything that'd faze Alex. That girl was always unmoved and untouched by things.
"You guys should just give up on this winning. You can win second place and do whatever you want with it but that first place? Just dead it. Why do I feel like we're even going to win all the sports category self?"
Mateo chuckled at Kunle's words. "Why do I feel like, with all these bluffing, you guys are going to end up winning third place or fourth place?"
Kunle's expression mirrored mock disbelief. "Are you talking about Crescent High or Limelight High?"
"We're winning basketball," Khalil chipped in from nowhere and that made all of us to look at him. Jamal looked at him with a blank expression before he turned back to look at Elyon who I noticed was trying hard to act nonchalant to the fact that he was sitting beside her and he on the other hand looked torn between striking a conversation up with her and something else. Mateo rolled his eyes and muttered something that sounded so much like 'Who called this one to this conversation?' Skye hissed underneath her breath while both Vanessa and Soma acted like they did not hear anyone speak.
"Are you sure about that?" Kunle asked and it was his voice rather than his words than surprised me. His voice livid and filled with suppressed malice and hatred and I don't know if I was the only one that noticed but he was looking at Khalil with his lips curved up in a sardonic smile with the dislike in his eyes as clear as day.
That surprised me because we just got here less than 24 hours ago so what could have possibly transpired between them to make him dislike him that much?
From the corners of my eyes, I could see Aminah that was sitting beside me looking at Kunle who was sitting opposite her, eyes wide as saucers and something akin to fear in her eyes. When I turned sideways to look at her properly, her eyes were now fixed on her plates as if she wasn't the one looking at Kunle like that less than a second ago.
She just kept staring at her food and twirling her spoon in it when I noticed it! Aminah's plate! Her plate was still full. Infact, it looked like she had not eaten a grain of rice from it.
I doubled up in shock because Aminah wasn't the type to ignore food like this.
"Aminah," I muttered quietly and that jerked her head towards me. "You're not eating."
She stared at me blankly for a minute as if I just spoke gibberish to her before she turned to her food and she turned to me again, "Oh, I don't like the food."
Ehn?
In which world and universe would Aminah not like a food? I don't like the food? Color me surprise. I'd buy any lie from her but I'd never buy that particular one.
"Aminah, there's nothing..."
The bell went off then, signifying the end of breakfast. We were meant to start going to the main Auditorium where the academic competition will take place and Sophia was the first person to leave the dinning, Khalil hot on her trails.
It was while I was watching their retreating back that I realized she did not speak a single word during breakfast.
We started to walk out of the dining too and I noticed Kunle staring at their retreating back, the livid hate back in his eyes.
I stopped in my tracks!
Wait, what on earth was going on?
Was he... Did he dislike Khalil because Khalil was flirting with Sophia? Or what? Or what? Or what?
My thoughts started spiralling into a million direction as my brain tried to come up with a logical explanation for what's going on?
I subconsciously turned to look at Aminah, wondering if, for the first time she had noticed something off with her boyfriend and that was why it was getting to her and affecting her but she was walking with Gab and they were talking in low tones, obviously oblivious to what's going on.
I turned back to look at Kunle but it was Alex's expression that got me. He was looking at Kunle look at the duo walking in front of us, a calm, yet seething look on his face.
Someone please tell me what's going on again?
**********
"Welcome to the Lagos State Interschool competition: The Olympia." The facilitator's voice boomed, loud and clear and everyone in the hall cheered.
We were kick starting the competition with the academic section. The first round was going to used to determine who was going to make it to the finals and now that it was time, I was nervous as hell.
What if I go up there and I say something wrong?
What if I forgot the answer?
What if my anxiety overrides my thought and I lose concentration?
"God! I'm so nervous!" I said, my voice shaking and my heartbeats accelerating in my chest. I could feel my body trembling, threatening to fall apart. "Why don't you just go in my place instead?" I continued to Adam who was standing beside me. He was supposed to be the third person representing the school for Arts but reasons best known to the facilitators of The Olympia back in school, they had Alex replace him.
"Just go instead. I think I'm going to make a mistake." I complained, my voice sounding just as nervous and as urgent as I felt.
"You look beautiful." He said out of nowhere and I turned to look at him, confused as hell and wondering what we were even saying that led to that.
"You're pretty." He continued, turning sideways so he'd be able to look at me properly. I snorted and I eyed him warily.
"How's that supposed to make me feel better?"
"But it did not make you feel bad either." He replied and I hissed underneath my breath even though my insides were warming up and I could feel my lips starting to stretch out into a smile.
"You see," He continued, bending down to my level so he'd see my down turned face. I bit my lips to keep my smile from deepening. "It did put you in a better mood."
"Yes, it did but it won't get rid of my stage fright or nervousness."
"I can kiss it away if you want." He said again and he leaned even closer.
"I'll slap you now. You're not even helping matters." I said chidingly or I tried to sound chiding but my voice came out teasingly instead and we both burst into laughter at that horrible attempt.
"Don't worry, you're going to ace it. I trust you."
"The representatives for The Arts departments from each school should come to the podium now." That was the facilitator again and I watched as other students started walking to the podium. I sighted Alex and Tolase waiting for me right at before the stairs that leads to the podium.
"I have to go now." I said and I could feel my heartbeats accelerating even more and my palms becoming more and more sweaty.
"Yes," He grabbed my two hands, looked at me for a minute longer than usual before he squeezed them. "You should go, go and show them what you're made of."
He let go of my hands and I nodded at him before I turned back and I started walking towards the podium. There was something like an impatient scowl on Tolase's face as I approached them and that usual blank expression on Alex's face and when the three of us started walking up to the podium together, he did mutter something that sounded so much like,
"Maybe you and Adam should just merge together."
I smiled, feeling fly. Maybe, just maybe but for now, we have a competition to win.
************
~ADAM~
Kunmi did well.
Amazingly well, remarkably well.
She kept answering the questions and most times, she'd would be the first person to press the buzzer and to answer the question whenever it was thrown at Crescent High. I just kept smiling to myself and the feeling fly as if I was the one answering the questions.
And to think she was feeling nervous and anxious, to think she would go up there and fuck up, to think she thought she wouldn't be able to pull it off when she was born for this.
She only needed cheers and supports and pushes.
Maybe that's all she had ever needed.
We made it to the final round, cutting out both Atlantic Hall and. And it was just us against limelight High. I watched the science students on the podium, Gab, Sophia and Kunle and then, Soma, Skye and other another girl whose face I couldn't place.
Someone sat down on the seat beside me then, on the seat where Kunmi sat before she left and I turned to see Kunmi, staring at me, her face aglow with excitement and happiness.
"God! I can't believe I did that well." She voiced out, her voice matching her expression.
"But you did, extraordinarily well at that."
She smiled her reply, subconsciously taking in her lower lips in between her teeth. My eyes followed that movement, my senses heightening and I knew without a doubt that I'd have kissed her if we weren't in the hall.
My eyes trailed down to her legs, her exposed thighs and I gulped, audibly.
"Adam, concentrate." She said out of nowhere, jolting me out of my reverie and for a minute, I just stared at her blankly, my train of thoughts blank at that moment.
"Concentrate, Adam" She continued, teasingly with a small smile tugging on her lips. "You're already missing out the important parts of the competition by getting distracted."
Oh oh.
"So you knew I was getting distracted?" I asked, my voice becoming lower, husker and deeper and I moved even closer to her. She stilled for a moment and I could see her eye lids fluttering rapidly.
"God!" She breathed, more like exhaled before she turned to me. "Just concentrate, hmm?" That she muttered something that sounded so much like 'just imagine this boy' before she turned fully away.
I looked at her for a minute longer than necessary, my lips stretching into a smile before I turned to look at the podium again.
We were already at a tie with Limelight High and one representative from each school was chosen to answer the question. It was Gab from our school and Soma from limelight.
The whole hall was quiet as the question was the tie breaker, the question that was going to determine who was going to who was going to go home with the academic trophy. If a pin should drop during the period the question was read out, I was pretty sure we'd all here.
"What are the support reactions for a uniform beam inclined at angle 30 to the horizontal when two people hold it ? One at the right extreme end . The other holds it at 60 percent of the length. Mass of beam is 5kg."
"62.5N, -12.5N." Gab answered immediately and the other guy, Soma just stared at her, a look of shocked disbelief on his face. He was stunned, we all were and the silence that followed was even louder than earlier.
"Correct!"
And the whole crowd, more like the students of Crescent High went wild with loud cheers, applauses and in no time, they were circled around Gab on the podium.
That was how we won The Academic trophy of The Olympia.
But then, The Olympia was just getting started.
Omoh, the Olympia and drama like 5 and 6🤝🤝 and yes, it's just getting started oo.
Combining school with wattpad is harder than I thought oo 😩😩😩💔💔
Kunmi and iranu like 5&5.1 😂😂😂💔💔
I'm dying to hear your thoughts oo:
What do you think is wrong with Aminah?
What's the deal with Kunle and Alex?
And now, Sophia is acting unusual again?
What do y'all think is going on? Fill me in!!!
See you when I see you ♥️♥️