Chapter 6

Two days later, Richard was having a practical lesson in one of the computer labs in their department. The lab was big enough to be occupied by three hundred students. The practicals had been taking place for about 2 hours, and there is still an hour more. As the practical was going on, someone took an excuse from the lecturer delivering the lectures from the back door. Everyone turned to see whom the person was and noticed that it was Janet. 

“How may I help you?” the lecturer queried.

“I have been unwell, sir, I have just been released from the hospital,” Janet explained. 

“Do you expect me to believe this?” the lecture doubted, but before he could say more words, the rest of the students in the hall confirmed that she was telling the truth. 

“Alright, you can come in and have a seat,” the lecturer instructed and Janet walked into the lab. As she was walking, Richard who was sitting in the front kept looking at her. 

As she got to the centre of the hall, he quickly stopped looking at her after she had caught him looking at her. She got a seat beside one of her friends and sat. 

About an hour later, the students started leaving the lab after the lecturer had signified that the practical was over. Janet remained  on her seat position while some of the students, her friends and some people that know her walked to her and asked how she was doing.

Richard remained behind watching as everyone talked to her asking her about her health. He waited until after everyone had left, leaving her with her friends before he approached them.

“Hey Janet, I hope you are okay now?” Richard said when he got to where they were sitting. Immediately Janet turned and noticed that it was Richard, she quickly stood and headed out of the hall.

“I am sorry Janet, I didn’t know what I said will hurt you this much,” Richard apologized, but she didn’t even look back. Her friend ran after her and left the lab.

Richard walked out of the lab and met Paul sitting with some of their colleagues on a bench under a tree at the entrance of their department. 

As soon as Paul saw him, he stood up and walked to him. 

“Hey, where are you heading to?” Paul asked. “I am going to the cafeteria, I want to eat before our next lecture,” Richard announced.

“Then we should go together because I am seriously hungry,” Paul said. 

“Don’t even think about it, I only have the money that can feed only me,” Richard responded. 

“Come on, don’t be like that bro,” Paul said as he laughed. 

“I am serious Paul, you are not going to eat my food,” Richard said, pretending to serious. They walked together to the cafeteria. 

“Good afternoon mama,” Richard greeted the elderly woman sited at the entrance of the cafeteria.

“Good afternoon my boys, how are you doing?” Mama Toyin asked.

“We are doing okay ma'am,” Richard and Paul answered as they walked into the cafeteria.

They sat at the first table which they found to be empty. As soon as they sat down, the waiter walked to them and asked for what they want. 

“Two plates of pounded yam please,” Paul quickly ordered before Richard could utter a word. 

“Give me a moment please,” the waiter smiled and headed towards the kitchen of the cafeteria.

“Have you seen Janet? She returned when we were having our practicals," Paul announced. 

“Yes I have even tried to talk to her, but she refused to talk to me,” Richard answered. 

“I am not surprised at all, I doubt if she will ever talk to you again,” Paul said.

“Well, I don’t blame her, is like I have been cursed lately when it comes to a relationship with girls,” Richard responded. 

“How can a person like you say so? Girls talk about you when they come here to eat,” replied the waiter as he brought their foods on the plates. 

“Perhaps, you heard them insulting me,” Richard replied. 

“Why on the earth would they ever do that?” The waiter asked. 

Before Richard could answer, another customer asked for the waiter’s attention from the table next to them. 

“I forgot to ask how your lesson went with Prof. Grace’s daughter,” Paul asked as they started eating. 

“It was a mess,” Richard replied, and he continued to tell Paul about what happened.

“It looks like you have been cursed when it comes to girls,” Paul said.

“It seems so."

After they were done eating, they stood up and walked out of the cafeteria.

They walked to a small tree at the entrance of their faculty and sat on a small bench waiting for the time of their next lecture to arrive. About 15 minutes later, they stood up to go to their next lectures. The lecture was to take place in a theatre outside their faculty. When they entered the theatre, they found Janet with her friends talking to some boys at the front sits. 

As soon as their eyes met, they both quickly looked away. Richard and Paul walked to the raw behind them and sat down. After they had sat down, Janet ’s friends turned and looked at them and started laughing. 

“Looks like they are talking about you,” Paul said to Richard.

“Yes it looks so,” Richard responded. “I think you should go and apologize to her if not, they will continue to hate you,” Paul said.

“I don’t care if they hate me, I have already done my part, but she ignored me instead,” Richard responded. 

“If you continue with this behaviour, you will never get a girlfriend,” Paul advised.

“Let it be that way,” Richard responded. 

They were in the middle of talking when they saw the rest of the students rushing into the theatre which indicated the arrival of the lecturer. After all the students had sat down, the lecturer walked into the theatre. He walked to the stage of the theatre and stood watching the students.

Without saying a word, the theatre became silent. It was the first time  the lecturer was going to lecture them, and they have heard about his strictness from their predecessors.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,” the lecture greeted. 

“Good afternoon sir,” the theatre echoed.

“I suppose most of you here know me, but for the sake of those who don’t know me, I will introduce myself."

“I am Prof. L.A Mark, and I will be taking your algorithm and model of computing for this semester. I believe I am dealing with adults, so I expect everyone to be of his or her best behaviour.

I don’t give a make up test for my continuous assessments, and if you don’t have up to 70 per cent attendance of my lectures at the end of the semester, don’t even think of writing my exams,” Prof. Mark cautioned.

He started his lectures immediately he finished giving the student the outline of the course. In the middle of his lectures, a student’s phone started ringing. 

“I forgot to warn you, I seriously don’t tolerate phones ringing in my lectures. If any student’s phone rings again, I swear to God you will never see me until your exams. Even the Vice-Chancellor cannot force me to teach you if that happens, and if you think I don’t mean my words, let a phone ring again,” he warned.

He continued with his lecture and lectured for about 30 minutes more. Suddenly, another phone started ringing. And this time, it was Janet's phone that was ringing. The whole theatre glared at her, and the lecturer quietly packed the books he came with and headed out of the theatre. Some of the students quickly stood up and after him, but it was of no use. He went to his car that was parked close to the theatre and drove away. Everyone became extremely angry at Janet.

“I'm very sorry, I didn’t know how that happened. I thought I put the phone on silent,” Janet tried to apologize.

“You are a completely a wicked fellow. If you are not serious about your life, you should at least bear it alone without you dragging us into your mess,” one of the students who happened to be an elderly man said furiously to Janet .

“Please forgive me, I made a very big mistake,” Janet pleaded as she started crying. The students stopped talking to her as soon as they noticed her crying.

Richard remained on his seat in the theatre after everyone had left, leaving only him and Janet. He was busy with his book and didn’t notice it when everyone was leaving. After he was done writing, he stood up and was about to leave when saw Janet sitting alone. He decided to leave without talking to her, but he when got to the door of the theatre, he turned and saw her looking at him angrily. He walked out of the theatre and suddenly had a change of mind. He turned and walked back into the theatre to Janet. The moment she saw him coming into the theatre, she quickly took a book and pretended to be reading it. He walked straight to her and stood before her. 

“Janet,” He called her name. 

She kept her eyes on the book without looking up or saying a word. 

“Please talk to me,” Richard pleaded. But she still refused to talk to him or looked at him. 

“I am really sorry about the mean things I said to you the other day, I was so angry and couldn’t control the words that came out of me,” Richard explained.

He walked out of the theatre when he noticed that she didn’t want to talk to him. As soon as he got out, he saw Paul approaching one of the halls in their department. Richard called out his name and turned immediately and headed toward him. 

“Where have you been?” Paul asked.

“I was still in the theatre, I never left,” Richard responded. “That’s great, I want you to accompany somewhere,” Paul requested.

“I hope we are not meeting a new girl again,” Richard asked. 

“Absolutely not,” Paul laughed. 

“Okay, where do you want me to accompany you to?” Richard asked.

“You will know when we get there,” Paul responded.

They walked out of their faculty, and Paul headed towards a car parked in the parking space.

“Wait, whose car is this?" Richard asked. “One of my friend’s,” Paul responded.

The only thing Richard hate about Paul is the fact that he is ostentatious. He wished he could tell him how much he hated that.

“Where do you intend on going with an expensive car like that?” Richard asked. “Come on, stop asking silly questions and let’s go have some fun,” Paul said when he opened the door of the car.

“Come on in,” he added. “Richard entered the car reluctantly, and Paul drove out of the school. They drove for about 20 minutes before arriving at the most dangerous clubs in the city. Paul drove the car to parking space made for the guest of the club and parked the car there. 

“What are we doing here?” Richard asked somehow terrified.

“To have some fun. Since the day I first met you, I have never seen you doing anything other than studying. I thought coming here will entertain you,” Paul replied. 

“What exactly are we going to do here?” Richard questioned again. Paul walked out of the car without replying to Richard’s question.

They walked to the gate of the club and were allowed in after Paul showed the security guard his pass. In the club, a loud noise of music was coming from a big hall. When they got closer to the hall, Richard noticed that it was a party taking place in the hall. Immediately he noticed that he stopped walking. 

“Why do you stop walking?” Paul asked.

“You know I don’t come to places like this, right?” Richard responded. 

“Come on Richard, you will never get a girl if you keep behaving like this,” Paul said. 

“I will have one when the time comes,” Richard answered.

“Please take me back to school,” Richard requested. 

“I will take you back, but first let me go in and look for someone,” Paul said. 

“Alright, I’ll be waiting for you,” Richard replied.

Paul walked into the hall while Richard sat on a chair at the entrance of the hotel waiting for Paul to come out. About 30 minutes later, Richard noticed Janet coming into the club. He became totally surprised upon seeing her. She was wearing a short black dress with blue trouser, and her hair was packed behind her back. The way she dressed disclosed that she had really prepared for the party. The fact that she looked beautiful, Richard could not stop staring at her. 

As she turned to talk to one of her friends, she caught Richard staring at her. He immediately looked away pretending to be looking at something else. Janet and her friends walked into the hall where the party was taking place and entered.

Richard remained sited in position going through his phone waiting for Paul to come out. About ten minutes later, he couldn’t help but being curious about what was happening in the party the fact that Janet had gone in. He decided to satisfy his curiosity by going into the party. His heart was beating faster because it was the first time he was attending a party of that nature. The hall was filled with music with boys and girls dancing all over. Some of them were smoking and taking drugs while some were taking beers. It was indeed the type of party Richard feared. But what surprised was why Paul brought him to a place like that. He looked around the hall searching for Paul but noticed Janet instead. She was standing at the extreme end of the hall with her arms folded watching as everyone was dancing.

Immediately his eyes met hers, they both quickly looked away. Richard brought out his phone and started going through it. And when he looked in the direction of Janet again, he caught her staring at him. She immediately looked away and headed toward an empty seat and sat down. She looked up and caught Richard staring at her. And this time, they both refused to look away. About 7 seconds later, Janet smiled and looked down.

At that moment, Richard felt like he was hallucinating. It was something he never expected from Janet. And the more he stared at her, the prettier she got. About a minute later, she looked up again and Richard was still staring at her.

Richard suddenly felt like she was yelling out his name through her eyes. As far as he could remember, no girl had ever looked at him that way in his entire life. He instantly became overwhelmed by the desire to talk to her. He started making his way to her, and when she noticed that he was walking to her; she quickly took her phone and pretended to be going through it. 

But before Richard could get to where she was, she was approached by someone else. When Richard noticed that, he decided to go back to where he was standing. As he was going, he turned and noticed that the man was pulling Janet ’s hand trying to force her to stand up. Without hesitation, Richard quickly ran to them.

“Is it by force? I said I am not going to dance with you” Janet shouted. At this point, those around them stopped dancing and started looking at them.

The man was huge and bigger than almost anyone present at the party. He wore a white armless shirt with a Short that barely exceeded his knees. By his appearance, it was oblivious to everyone that he was a thug. 

For that reason, nobody could speak to him. He kept trying to pull her up until Richard finally spoke to him. “She said she doesn’t like you, why don’t you leave her alone?” Richard asked trying to defend her. 

“Do you know who I am?” the man asked after letting go of Janet’s hand. 

“I don’t know who you are, but I won’t let you abuse her the way you want,” Richard responded.

The man moved closer to Richard with a smile on his face. Unexpectedly, he brought out a gun and pointed it at Richard. Suddenly, Richard's heart started beating faster. It was something he used to see in the movies and could not believe it was actually happening him."Let me tell you something boy, it seems like you are new here. I can kill you right here and nothing is going to happen," the man said. At that time, everyone was watching what was happening. 

Richard began to tremble, wondering what would happen if he got shot. He was clearly warned by his sister not get himself in any trouble. Richard wanted to plead, but before he could say something, a boy ran in shouting. "Run everyone, the police are here," the boy yelled.