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"You said you were going to open a business for me as soon as I resign from my job."

" Yes. So?"

" You are yet to fulfil your promise."

" I don't have any money to send to you. "

" What about the money you borrowed from me? Isn't it enough to start up the business idea I chose for my self."

" What money? Did I ask you to lend me money? Am I not your husband? Why would you be demanding me to pay back the money that we both spend in this house?"

" What are you talking about... "

"Hey. I've had it enough with you. You and your constant nagging is getting on my nerves."

A click and he was gone.

__________________________________________________

"10 more minutes to go o." She shouted. "Please start submitting your papers. I don't have that time. If I get to the state office late, your paper is cancelled."

Trust the students, No one paid attention to her. They used the opportunity when she wasn't paying attention to the students to cheat. Students before and behind me would ask in fierce whispers. Excitedly spilling teas behind me while being on the look out for Mrs Sharp Eyes. I would silently look at them before answering. It was surprising that they talked to me for the first time since I rewrote the exam. They hardly talked to me while we were still in classes preparing for the exam. No one paid me any attention. And I stood alone except for my few repeating classmates. When the woman slammed on her table and packed her things to leave, desperate students swarmed to her with their fluttering papers pleading unto her to take them. I had submitted and was casually head bent on my desk, just staring at my polished shoes. Hey, shoes. How good looking you are today, with my fake accent I try to summon you. I chortled lowly admist the chaos mixed with Sharp Eye's thunderous screech.

The second exam was physics practical exam for science students. I loathed physics because of too much maths formulas ever invented. The teacher would bore you with sloggish solvings on the board that the board suffers from being cleaned every 15 minutes. The formulas alone found in textbooks could swirl the living daylights out of the poor students' brain. I thanked God I wasn't part of the science students. Their subjects were quiet tough tackling. Most of them would ridicule us Art students when we complained how hard our core subject was and a fierce debate would break out from both Art and Science students on how their course looked hard to tackle and their preference saves the world meaning that their course saves lives in both ways. I had a lot of points I would have made to defend my group. The art and science clan had a hand to the lives of the world all together. Just as Art cannot do without Science so is Science lifeless without the humour of Art. Ever seen a doctor richer than a renowned celebrity? I wouldn't engage in these debates because well, what do I know?

I was studying under the cashew tree by the school Exam Hall while making sneak peak drawings at the end of any empty spaces on my note book to calm my bulging nerves. The cashew leaves fell on me, yellowed by weather and dried by wind. They would sound crispy when you crush it and good source to make a fire when thoroughly dried. I was too engrossed watching the yellow cashew leaf and didn't notice some one was standing over me.

"Are you reading?"

I looked up, turning my neck to gaze at who came to the cashew shade. It was Kenechi, my one time crush. His steps crushed the dried cashew leaves as he approached me. I was still stuck fantasizing about him. He came to talk to me? Did he really come to read with me? "Kenechi." I managed to breath out. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" He chuckled as he steadied his stool beside me and settled to read, "This is a school. I can come anywhere to read."

He was right. I turned my face away to hide the silent laughter that threatened to break me. He was sitting beside me! My crush!

"What are you reading? You have no exams for today, do you?"

"And so are you." I replied him rather curtly. I used to mind my business and endured being bullied by his minions in our earlier set. He had to repeat his exams with me now. Seemed like he was the only one who wished to study. "Why did you suddenly branch here?"

"I saw the wind caressing the cashew tree as they fell on you like flowers. I loved the scene and came to sit here."

Touché. His way of approaching a girl was old fashioned and funny to me. "So you decided to come and enjoy the rain of cashew leaves." I barely smiled; focusing my entire energy on the book I scribbled drawings on. I remembered SIA's popular song «Unstoppable» and I suddenly became confident to look into his eyes. It was like time froze. His eyes was deep and mesmerizing. He had deep black eyes that I felt my brown eyes were shit to his. He had a way of laughing that looked girlish to me. I thought it was cute and then his laugh was stuck in my head.

"What exam do we have tomorrow again?" He asked.

"You didn't get the timetable? As usual." I scoffed, Secretly turning the end of my jotter book for the page I copied the time table from the school notice board. Agricultural practical and Catering craft, the exams we were going to have tomorrow. I flipped through the pages to my past questions booklet. "The Exam is well posted at the school notice board. You can go there and take a picture of it. You have your phone, don't you?"

"Where's yours?"

"I don't have one." I replied shamefully.

"Oh. Such a shame. I get it. Your parents are waiting till you merit your exam, right? Typical Nigerian parents." He chuckled.

"Why do you say that?"

"Look at Ndi Ocha. They have sense o. Their high school students use smartphones in school. Can you imagine a kid of 12-15 years already have an Android? Is not this village behaviours Nigerian parents are emitting every now and then." He complained like it was the only problem we were having.

"That's the reason why they have much perverts than the normal ones."

" What's normal?"

"I guess you know the answer to that question. Or you meant who is normal?"

"No body is normal in this world sef. Everything don turn to cruise. Internet stuff."

I was curious. He had successfully averted my focus to him. Although my eyes were still stuck to the booklet, the written lines looked like unscripted lines to me but my left ear was eager to listen to all of his stories; no matter how boring they were. "Facebook?"

"Facebook is old. You can log into Facebook with just these little Nokia torches." He stated and I snorted." Check internet popular apps like Twitter, Instagram, VPN, Whatsapp, Snapchat..."

"They are quite popular. Are you in all of them?"

"Why not?" He gave a cranky smile that made me turn my face away in sheer annoyance. He was too dashing for my liking. But I couldn't seem to hate him either.

"Are you sure you came here to study? You're boring me now. Go or keep quiet and study."

"You're boring amazing, Miss Nebechi Osita."

"And you're persistently annoying, Master Kenechi Okoye." I replied him curtly again. Silence ensued. He glared at me then flipped through his booklets lazily. Well what do you know? With his phone, he doesn't need to read. He could just get straight A's if he wanted to. It is Nigerian education system for us.

The second paper was done at 4:30PM and students swarmed out of the exam Hall with frowning faces while some had a manageable smile on their faces. It was a chaos of mixed reactions. The Mrs Sharp Eyes had hurried out with the Waec imprinted envelope of submitted papers. I watched her call her okada rider. He came in minutes later and carried her out of the school. The rest of the school students were long gone. Students who were leaving the school were exams students. I still remained under the Cashew tree examining my past question booklets for a wrap with Kenechi staring at my drawings from my jotter book.

"You're literally a talented artist, do you know that?"

I glanced at him. His face showed admiration and eagerness. I knew he was bored sitting with me like that and kept trying to engage me into conversations while I shunned him ruthlessly. "T..thanks though. You should be going home. What are you still doing here by the way?"

"I don't want to go home yet. What about you? Every day since two years I've known you, you're always under this cashew tree, reading or drawing or writing. Ehen. That reminds me." He turned fully to me in a swoop and my heart skipped a bit. He was now staring fully at me, his knees pointing at me. "I heard your novels are quiet superb. Would you mind if I ask to have one of the best erotica you wrote."

"How...did you..."

He laughed. "it's the talk of the hall though. The rumours that you being an old virgin is being questioned." He lowered his voice to my hearing.

" What?" I yelled. My body trembled slowly in anger. Those bitches. I did a favour by giving them my novels and they had to use my name for their ridiculous gossips. And here I thought I was minding my own business and being ignored. "Are you serious?"

"You don't know what these people have being saying about you." He guffawed, holding his stomach at my innocent curious face.

We spent the entire next hour while students were leaving, talking about the rumours surrounding me. It was pretty crazier than I thought. I didn't even know what was happening around me. These people are goddamn actors. I guess I didn't pay too much attention to those nonsense and they decided to bully me as they liked. It didn't bother that much. I wouldn't control them for anything. I just didn't want to get into trouble.

"It's getting late sef." I rushed to pack my books and leave before the Gate man would lock us in and leave.

"Wait." He grabbed my hand immediately and hurled me to his arms in a swift motion that I thought I was one character in a Disney movie.

"What are you doing?" If I wasn't dark, my face would've been the tomato colour.

"What do you think I was doing when I stayed with you after school?"

I looked up and glared at him. Was he kidding? It was getting to the time the gate man would lock the gates and go home.

Him staring at my face made me wish I had gone home. As a writer with no romantic experience, I would describe how butterflies would flutter at the pit of bellies of every woman in love but at that moment, I realized what that adage meant. To me it was.... Exciting, thrilling, tempting and quite painful too.

"Nebe. I've been meaning to tell you this since two years." He began." I really like you, Nebechi. Will you be my friend?"

I parted my lips to say something but I didn't know if he found it tempting that he swooped down and clasped his thick lips to mine. My first kiss. The first kiss that happened in an awkward manner I was never bound to forget anytime soon.

Under the cashew tree after exams, The school was empty. Only him and I remained, staring at each other....