CHAPTER 63

'Miss Monica Alex," The voice of Mr. David broke through my trip down memory lane. 'You seem to have better things to think about during my class."
I snapped alert and blinked at the lecturer who now stood before me. I heard a quiet giggle from behind me and when I glanced back found the chubby, baby faced girl making doe eyes at Mr. David. The sight made me want to
puke.
'Do you have anything to say for yourself?"
He asked as he waited expectantly. I quickly thought of what to say as my eyes
round the room. I locked gazes with Victor for a brief second and he narrowed his eyes at me as if he too was waiting to hear what I would say. I looked back at Mr David and my mouth suddenly felt dry. No matter how angry I'd been just by looking at him moments ago, I couldn't speak.
'If you have nothing to say then see me after the class." He snapped and walked back to the front of the room.
Victor tossed me a disappointed look before he picked up his pen and focused on the lecture too. I licked my lips and looked down, disappointed in myself too. After class, I waited behind although every part of me wanted to walk out the door like everyone else. The chubby girl whose name I still didn't know gave me a curious look as she walked past me but I averted my gaze.
'Have a seat." Mr. David said as he sat opposite me in his office.
I did so and waited for him to speak.
'I noticed you seemed a bit absent-minded in my class today." He watched me carefully as he rolled a pen between his fingers. 'What's the reason for your behaviour?"
'I was a bit distracted."
'What were you distracted by?" He asked.
'I had a few things on my mind." I really wished he would stop asking questions because he wouldn't like what I had to say.
'Such as what?" He pushed further.
'I don't want to discuss it, sir." I clenched my teeth together to suppress the anger that built up in me.
'I take the mental state of my students very important so-"
'Okay, then." I cut in. 'What I was really thinking about is how much disgust I feel whenever I see you."
'I'm sorry, what!" He sat up in his chair.
I admit that it felt great saying that.
'Yes," I nodded emphatically. 'With all due respect, I can't stand the sight of you when I think about what you're doing to your female students."
'What're you saying?" His eyes widened. I thought about my next words quickly and said them before I lost my nerve.
'Reliable sources have narrated their encounter with you and I think it's safe to say that your private activities are not so private anymore."
'Are you threatening me?" He narrowed his eyes.
'Not at all, I'm simply saying the truth."
'Leave my office now. Get out!"
I stared at him silently and didn't get up until I was sure he got my message loud and clear. As I walked out of his office with a façade of bravado, I tried to ignore how badly my knees shook. I couldn't believe that I actually did it.
I was bursting with the need to tell somebody so when I was far away from the building, I called Tonia immediately.
'You wouldn't believe what I just did." I quickly narrated what happened to her only pausing for breath once in a while
'I'm glad you were bold but you need to be
careful, Monica." Her voice sounded hesitant and cautious.
'Someone had to do something."
'Listen, just be careful, okay?"
'I understand," I mumbled as my euphoria died down quickly.
When I thought about it, I realized I'd really taken a risk and it was one that I hoped wouldn't come back to haunt me but when
Lisa received her lab results the following day and tested positive to HIV positive, I knew I'd done the right thing. If I could stop him from doing the same to another female student, then maybe just maybe, I could stop others from suffering the same way I did. The same way Lisa was now.
'Welcome back," The doctor said as we took our seats. 'How're you feeling today?"
The question was directed at Lisa but she didn't answer. 'She's fine."
Lisa cast me a dry look which I ignored. She'd asked me to come with her for the consultation and I'd agreed.
'What can I do for you today?" I explained about how we wanted Lisa's test to be retaken just for confirmation.
'That's not a problem. In some cases, a rapid test for AIDS may be positive but when a second test is taken for confirmation, it may be negative. We'll run the tests and you'll come back in a few days."
I glanced at Lisa and she nodded.
'Thank you." I said.
I waited while she took the tests and when she came out, her face seemed drained of blood.
'All we have to do is wait." I encouraged.
'What if they come out positive a second time?" She whispered. 'I'll be well and truly dead." 'Have you considered what if they don't come
out positive?" I said. 'They might be negative.
I've been reading about this stuff and all what the doctor said is true. You might not have the virus after all."
'Alright, fine." Lisa sighed.
I noticed that despite her low voice, her eyes held a bit of hope and I desperately didn't want to see that hope vanish. Later that night, I
prayed. I prayed for Lisa, for myself, for everything that seemed to be going wrong and I prayed that I'd have the strength to endure it this time.
Lisa was a nervous wreck and it was glaringly obvious.
'Can you sit still for a moment?" Alison whispered to her after while we looked for seats in the hall.
When we finally found some, I noticed that we could see where the lecturers were seated from where we were. Mr. David's eyes darted around and when he saw us, his face tightened and his mouth twisted slightly as he frowned.
Lisa's breath hitched and her eyes looked everywhere else but at him. Discreetly, I grabbed her hand and squeezed to reassure her. She glanced at me and smiled briefly before looking straight ahead at the podium.
Once we had, we were asked to prepare to leave the school the following day on a field trip.
'Finally, there's something to look forward to." Lisa said as we made our way out of the hall.
'I know right." I smiled.
'You guys are so lucky. Why don't Political Science students go on field trips? 'Alison sighed while Stacy rolled her eyes.
Lisa and I laughed at them but my laughter came to an abrupt end when I bumped shoulders with someone on the way out. I looked up into a pair of eyes that were painfully familiar.
'Hey, be careful." He said as he grabbed my shoulders to steady me.
I shrugged out of his hold and pulled away like I'd stepped on hot coals.
'What's up with your weird behavior around Ryan?" Alison asked as she glanced back at him.
'It's nothing." I mumbled.
'No, it's not. He keeps staring at you for some reason and your face always tells how much he bothers you."
I fought the urge to look back and kept walking instead. I made a mental note to try to control my facial expressions more often.
'Just forget about it." I said as I increased my pace.
I was glad that they decided to drop it like I'd requested. That night I packed for the three days we would spend off campus and fell asleep almost immediately afterwards. I had the most disturbing dreams in which I saw flashes of the near-accident we'd had when I first came to University of London.
When I woke up, I wondered if it had been a sort of omen to the challenges
I'd faced so far or if it was a warning of things yet to come.
◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾◾
It was with a sigh of relief that I got off the bus when we arrived at the hotel, however it was unfortunate that we were to stay at the same hotel my parents and I lodged in. I squinted at the building in the bright afternoon sun and noticed that there were no improvements whatsoever and the signboard still had a few letters missing.
'Finally!" Lisa threw her hands in the air. 'The smell of freedom."
'Sorry to burst your bubble but I think that's the smell of cigarettes," I said.
'Oh shut up, don't ruin the moment for me." She stuck her tongue out at me.
'Gather round everyone." One of the coordinators said to draw our attention. 'You'll be shared into groups of four, partner up so that we can assign you all to your rooms and remember to be on your best behavior."
Lisa and I teamed up with two other girls named Sarah and Jane. I smiled politely at the girls but didn't bother to make any conversation with them, instead, I let Lisa do the talking. We walked into the reception and I couldn't say that I was surprised to see the same lady from my previous visit seated at the front desk. I did notice that she seemed weak somehow but she didn't seem to remember me, not that I expected her to. The night was uneventful as we simply settled in after we had dinner. The girls decided to watch a movie but I fell asleep halfway through. I was up earlier than the girls but I didn't make the same mistake of leaving the room by myself at such an early hour of the day, instead, I took my time in taking a bath and getting dressed. It was 8am when we set out with the rest of the teams.
'Listen up," Our coordinator, Mr. John, said when we arrived. 'Today, we'll start out with a simple activity since it's likely to be your first time doing something like this. Our first location would be where we would explore the area, take pictures of the environment and make our observations.
We were given jotters for our observations and as we trekked through the streets, I made a few notes on the scenery.
I broke away from the others but when Lisa noticed, she called out for me to be careful.
'I will." I waved a hand in the air as if I could brush away her concerns.
Their voices faded a bit in the background as I went farther from the group. I diligently wrote down names of the various species of plants and animals I could identify while I took pictures I thought might be useful.
As I peered at my phone screen, I thought I saw movement to my left. I lowered the phone and looked around carefully. Dead leaves rustled somewhere nearby and I took a step backwards, suddenly regretting wandering so far from the group.
A low hissing sound became more audible, I turned behind me to find the source. A sharp scream pierced the air and it took me a moment to realize that I was the one screaming. I'd stepped too close to a python that was now uncoiling itself to spring at me. At that moment, I was frozen and it seemed like all common sense had deserted me.
It all happened so fast that I didn't see it coming. The snake sprang towards me and I threw my hands up across my face in defense but the strike never came. Slowly, I lowered my hands and looked to find it dead at my feet, a large stone smashed its head into a bloody pulp. My eyes followed a pair of feet encased in black leather sandals all the way up the long, muscular legs to a broad chest and finally, my gaze met that of the stranger who stood before me.
'You should be more careful." His voice was deep and calm like a soothing baritone.
I nodded stupidly as I stared at the snake again.
'Pythons are very common in this area," He said before he glanced in the distance. 'Are you by any chance part of the students ahead?"
I nodded again. He didn't seem much older than me and I guessed he studied in one of the universities nearby or maybe he was a recent graduate.
'Well," He glanced at my ID card. 'Monica, you need to keep your eyes open."
'I will, thank you."
His smile was brief but it reached his eyes and when he turned around to walk away, I noticed he had a slight limp although I didn't notice any deformity in his legs.
'Are you hurt?" The words came out of my mouth before I could reign them back in.
'Oh, you mean this?" He gestured to the side of his abdomen. 'This happened quite some time ago, I've had worse."
'Wait," I called out. 'May I at least know the name of the person who saved me?"
'Didn't anyone warn you about talking to strangers?" He smirked as he folded his arms across his chest.
'You know my name but I don't know yours." I shrugged.
'Fair enough," He said. 'I'm Charles."
'Thank you, Charles." I smiled and as I did so, I wondered why it felt so natural to smile at a complete stranger.
He simply stared at me in silence until the sound of voices interrupted. I distinctively recognized one of the voices to be Lisa's. I guess I'd been gone too long. I looked around to guess the direction of the voice and then turned back to face him.
'I need to…" I trailed off and looked around me in confusion when I discovered that he was gone.
I shook it off and returned to the rest of the group.
'Where were you girl?" Lisa nudged me.
'I was just checking out some interesting stuff." I said, deciding not to mention the encounter I had.
Lisa was most likely to ask me questions I might not be able to answer.
'Well, come on, we're heading to a different area before it gets late and we have to head back to the hotel."
'Sure," I said and followed her. I turned to glance back one more time just in case but there was no one behind me.
I was glad that there was no traffic.
The journey was smooth and quick.
'Do you want anything?"
I looked behind me to see a guy who I recognized from campus but rarely spoke to.
'No, thanks."
His expression dropped slightly and he looked like he was stalling for time.
'Umm, Monica, what do you think about the trip so far?"
'It's alright," I replied simply.
I realized I didn't know his name but he knew mine. He licked his lips nervously and cleared his throat.
'I don't think I've introduced myself." He said, " I'm Joseph."
'Nice to meet you Joseph." I smiled lightly.
It seemed that was all the encouragement he needed because he rambled on and on for the duration of the trip. The driver stopped at a small restaurant so we could stretch our legs and get refreshed before we continue. When I felt like I couldn't take any more of Joseph's ramblings and was only a second away from snapping at him, I firmly excused myself and went to the restroom. It was the only place I was sure he couldn't come in to start a conversation.
'Looks like you've made yourself a new friend."
I looked behind me to see Lisa grinning mischievously.
'It seems so."
'So why aren't you more excited about it?" She frowned.
'He speaks at the rate of a thousand words per minute."
'While you say nothing at all."
'Don't tell me you planned this?" I raised an eyebrow at her. She raised her hands innocently.
'Why don't I believe you?"
'Honestly, I had nothing to do with it." She said. 'This should make you realise something."
'Realize what?"
'People are interested in getting to know you, in talking to you and being friends with you but you always push them away, why?"
I shrugged, not knowing what to say.
'You need to work on that."
'Why're you so interested?" I asked.
'What if I just want to live vicariously through you?"
Although her smile was broad, I could tell that there was a deeper meaning to her words.
'Lisa, don't be like that. You still have your own life to live."
'I'm not so sure about that." She sighed.
'Don't give up already, wait until the test results come out, okay?"
'Fine," She nodded. 'Anyway, this isn't about me. It's about you coming out of your shell and getting to know people. Do you really plan to go through four years without a single solid friendship or anything close?"
'You aren't going to quit this are you?"
'No, not until you realize that I'm trying to help you. You're always trying to fade into the background and disappear." She took in a deep breath before she continued. 'Listen, I may or may not have long to live but at least I know I got to know some awesome people and I got to do some things I've always wanted to do. Of course, not every decision I made was wise otherwise I wouldn't even be in this position in the first place but at least I lived a little you know."
Her words struck me and I realized how it must feel for her to be uncertain about her health while she watched me live a healthy one. She felt I wasn't using the opportunity I had.
'Lisa, I can't be someone I'm not."
'I'm not asking you to be. I'm just saying you shouldn't waste the life you were given." She gave me a final look before she walked away.
I turned to face the mirror and splashed some water on my face before I patted it dry with a disposable face towel.
I need something to cool me down. No one understood tha I didn't feel like this but then i didn't feel like telling the story of my life to anyone.
They were deep scars that were yet to heal and ripping them open now wasn't going to help the situation. I returned to the bus with everyone else but Lisa was noticeably quiet for the rest of the day.
When we returned to the hotel, she went to bed earlier than everyone else after declining Sarah's offer for a movie night in the hotel lodge. If we were lucky, we would be the only ones there, after all, there weren't many guests at the hotel.
'Are you sure she's okay Sarah asked me quietly.
I nodded but I don't think it was very convincing.
'Aren't you girls close?'' Jane said.
'We're…" I trailed off not sure what to say.
'I don't mean to pry but we know how Lisa usually is and she isn't acting like her usual self these days."
'We just want to be sure she's okay."
I didn't know whether they were seeking gossip or genuinely interested so I decided to play it down.
'Lisa's just having a rough time, she's alright."
Their faces dropped slightly in disappointment and when they exchanged glances I knew I had made the right decision.
'That's fine then," Sarah said.
Not long after, I also left the lounge and went to the bedroom to get some sleep.
On the final day of the trip, it became glaringly obvious that Lisa was determined to prove her point by giving me the silent treatment.
'So you're just gonna ignore me right?" I asked just as the bus pulled up to the campus gates.
She glanced at me but didn't say a word.
'Okay, I don't mean that. What I mean to say is that you need to respect the fact that we're different types of individuals."
Her face softened and I could see her loosening up.
'It's not that I don't respect that. I just don't want you to always try to live life in the background or you'll wake up one day and realize your whole life has passed you by."
I didn't notice the bus was already emptying out until the coordinator made an announcement.
'Alright everyone, we're glad you could come on this trip with us and we hope you had a great time while learning!"
I got off the bus alongside Lisa who was more approachable than before. Joseph smiled as he walked past us and I returned it which seemed to make his smile even brighter while Sarah and Jane waved in our direction.
'Come on." Lisa smiled and I decided that I prefer the happy side of her to her other side.
When we walked into the room, we found Stacy and Alison seated on Stacy's bed and they were deep in conversation. They turned to us and welcomed us with smiles but something didn't feel right.
'What's wrong?" Lisa asked with a frown on her face.
'Nothing." Alison twirled her braids around one finger.
'Something's up," Lisa said as she crossed her arms and dared them with her eyes to say it.
'You guys should get settled in first okay?" Ada said.
'No, tell us here and now."
'Okay, listen up." Stacy began. 'There's a rumor spreading around the campus that you were seen at the medical Centre and frankly, people think you've got something to hide."
News sure travels fast, I thought.
'Is it true?" Alison asked Lisa.
'So what?" Lisa scoffed. 'Is that such an unusual behavior?"
'Not at all, unless people think you're pregnant."
Lisa's jaw dropped in surprise and I think I felt mine drop too.
'What!"
'Hey, calm down. We didn't start the rumors."
'Why on earth would people think that?"
'It's mostly because Sarah said she saw you and Alison follow Mr David to his house on the night of the Fresher's party." Stacy shrugged.
I knew it! All she had shown earlier was fake concern for Lisa. It really was gossip she was after, just gathering information to dish out.
'So why am I the one being accused of pregnancy?"
Alison looked like she was trying hard to hold back her words but Lisa turned to her and asked her to spit it out.
'So I'm the one who's capable of that kind of behavior?" Lisa's face was filled with disbelief. 'Wow, it's nice to finally know what people really think about me."
With that, she spun around and slammed the door so hard that the frame rattled on her way out.
'Well, that went well," Stacy said, her voice was laced full of sarcasm.
'You guys, we need to find a way to clear this up," I said.
'We already tried but gossip like that spreads like wildfire and you can't quench it easily." Alison shrugged.
'Look, Monica is right, we need to stand up for her. She may have her flaws but even I don't believe she would do a thing like that."
'So what do we do?" Alison shrugged.
'We need to shut down the rumors from the source." I began, 'And since we already know the source, it shouldn't be too hard."
'You're right," Stacy got up from her bed and walked towards me. 'Let's do this."
They may not know the full story behind what happened that night but knowing the fragile state of Lisa's mind, I was worried that she might do something she'll regret if this doesn't clear up as soon as possible...