CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: MY LANGUAGE
After eating, we all got up from our chairs and walked out of the dining hall.
"Isn't that your brother, Floral?" Morayo asked, pointing subtly.
I turned to look and, yes, it was him—my brother talking casually to a junior student near the corridor.
"I don't feel like talking to him," I muttered, looking away.
"Wow, I didn't know that was your brother. You guys don't look alike at all," Vanessa said, peering at him with curiosity.
"Yes, he's my brother. And I get a lot of those comments—people always say we don't look alike," I replied, turning back to glance at Vanessa.
"Now that I see him, I guess you guys do look a little alike," she said, nodding as she observed both of us carefully.
I shrugged. "I don't know what to say about that."
"Let's go before we get punished for being late to assembly," Victoria said as she took the lead, walking briskly.
We followed her silently, the morning sun warming our faces as we headed toward the assembly ground.
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After assembly, I got to class and, for the first time since arriving at this school, John was already seated before me.
"Good morning, John," I said, setting my school bag on the floor beside the desk and sitting down.
"When did we start talking casually?" he asked, flipping a page in his Basic Science textbook without looking up.
"Since now," I said, resting my head on the desk and facing him.
He didn't respond immediately, just scanned the page in front of him. I smiled quietly. "I'm glad I get to see your quiet side."
"Whatever, and don't stare at me like that, or you'll fall for me," he said casually, still focused on his textbook.
"Gosh!" I immediately raised my head and sat upright. "Don't even think about that—I am not going to fall for you," I said, laughing lightly.
"Then don't stare," he said, still not looking at me.
By now, curiosity got the better of me. "By the way, were you lying about Sunshine being your girlfriend?" I asked, propping my head on my hand.
"What? Why are you asking? I thought you said you weren't interested—are you suddenly interested?" He glanced at me briefly, then back at his textbook, clearly pretending to read.
"For heaven's sake, can you talk to me as a normal friend and not like I'm your crush?" I asked, frowning.
He raised an eyebrow. "By the way, why did you ask?"
"I'm just curious," I said carefully. "Because there's someone who likes you."
"You? Then you don't even have a chance with me," he replied rudely, not even looking at me.
"What is wrong with you? I said someone, not me!" I said calmly, trying not to let frustration show.
"Well… Sunshine and I are very close childhood friends. Anyone crushing on me shouldn't even think about dating me," he said, finally looking at me with a slightly awkward expression.
"Oh… I even wonder why anyone would crush on you with this behavior of yours," I said honestly.
"There are many," he shrugged.
"Then, tell them off," I said, raising my head and sitting properly.
"How can I?" he asked, glancing at his textbook again.
"You are impossible," I said, shaking my head. I grabbed my bag from the floor, dusted it lightly, and put it on my lap.
"To be honest, it depends on the kind of person who falls for me. I have my standards when it comes to girls," he said casually, flipping another page of his textbook.
"And that kind of girl shouldn't be me," I said firmly, unzipping my bag to bring out the notebook for our next subject, now that the Basic Science teacher had entered.
"Jeez, you can't even be part. When I say you're not part, I mean you're not even in my top one million list," he said, unzipping his own bag to get ready.
"If you knew how glad I am that I'm not part, you would say congratulations to me," I said, dropping my bag back to its normal position.
"Good morning, class," the Basic Science teacher greeted, dropping her textbooks on the front table.
"Good morning, ma! We are happy to see you ma! God bless you and your family, ma! Amen, ma!" the whole class chorused as we stood up.
"Thank you, you may all sit down," she said, opening her textbook and then pointing at the board. "Can someone come clean the board?"
A male student quickly stepped forward, erasing the chalk marks.
After three consecutive subjects, the bell finally rang, signaling break time. I woke from dozing lightly in class, stretching and blinking at the sunlight streaming through the windows.
"When next are you having me as class captain?" the Yoruba teacher asked, packing his books under his arm.
"Sir, we'll be having you this Friday," the class captain replied respectfully.
"Okay, till then," the Yoruba teacher said before turning to the class. "Ẹ ma gbàbé lati kọ assignment yii o!" (Don't forget to write this assignment, o!) He informed us in Yoruba before walking out.
Yoruba can sometimes be boring to learn, but it is also fun to speak, especially when used to tease or insult—pardon me!
Even in pidgin spoken by Nigerians, certain words are almost unavoidable: abi, sha, shebi. Hearing them often makes you laugh without realizing it. It's a rhythm, a flavor of language that only a Nigerian school can teach you properly.