After taking care of some club executive stuff, my friends and I exited the Science building, heading straight for the Sports Complex.
We had roughly an hour before the events for day two started and I knew I had to get to the pool soon to prepare. But right now, all I wanted was to spend some time with my girl.
My girl.
Whilst Felix, Deladem and Nadia walked ahead of us, yapping on about the new season of the Umbrella Academy, Shola and I lingered at the back, fingers intertwined and strolling at leisurely pace. I relished the feeling of her hand in mine, so much so that the thought of letting her go stung my heart.
"So..." I gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "What do you have planned for tonight?"
"Argh work," Shola released a deep sigh. "Now that Mawuli has been demoted, we have a lot of paperwork to handle. We have to inform the Science department and the entire university about the new development as well as the changes we've made in the club, and Dr. Kankam wants it all finished by tomorrow morning so we can get the word out."
"Oh yeah, did he drop any hints about what's going to happen Mawuli?"
"No, but honestly, things are looking pretty bad for him. There's a high chance that he might get expelled."
"For sabotaging a robot?" I quizzed in full amusement.
"It's not just that," she replied. "After today's meeting was adjourned, Dr. Kankam said Chad came to tell him that Mawuli has been pilfering money from the club's treasury account."
"Really?" My eyebrows flew up.
"Yeah." A worrisome look touched her features. "Chad said at first, he didn't want to say anything because Mawuli was his friend, but after seeing how far he had gone just to get what he wanted, he decided to spill the beans."
"Wow." I stared ahead of us, picking up on the sounds of loud, incessant chatter, coming from the Sports Complex. "I knew Mawuli was a jerk, but I didn't think he was capable of stealing."
"Neither did I," Shola added. "He always liked to brag about how rich his parents were and the connections they had in the job sector, so this piece of info came as a real shock to me."
"You guys are still going to look into it, right?" I steered as both in the direction of the entrance. Students loitered around in their numbers.
"Absolutely. Dr. Kankam said he was going to handle it personally with a little help from the police. I just hope for Mawuli's sake, that they don't find anything incriminating cuz if they do, he can kiss his university certificate goodbye."
"Four years of academic hardship gone down the drain." I shook my head.
Following Felix and the rest into the building, we'd just made it past the sliding doors when a familiar voice caught my attention.
"If it isn't the sweetest lovebirds." Akunna walked up to us with a smug smile. Seeing him here meant Deon wasn't far behind and I was proven right when Nadia ran to trap her boyfriend in a hug.
"Well, it's good to see you guys finally talked things out." My roommate hooked his thumbs behind the handles of his backpack. "Akwasi was on the verge of crying when he saw that message you sent this morning."
"That-That is not true!" I felt my face heat up. "Yeah, I was a bit worried, but I wasn't going to cry."
"Aww, you look so cute when you're embarrassed," Shola cooed and I struggled not to blush. Felix, Deladem, Deon and Nadia joined our little circle.
"Good morning Penfield!" The cherry greeting from the PA sound system reverberated throughout the entire building, signalling the start of the competition.
"I should probably get going," I said, hooking my sports bag over my shoulder.
"Wishing you all the best out there, pal." Akunna captured my free hand in a bro handshake. "Go knock them dead like you did yesterday."
"Yeah we'll be rooting for you all the way!" Felix shouted, then blew a plastic horn in my face, making everyone laugh.
"We know this is just day two," Shola started once the laughter had died off. "But we're pretty sure you've got this in the bag, so all you have to do, is to take it."
My heart felt like it was minutes away from exploding. I remembered coming to Penfield and thinking that I wasn't going to make any friends. But here stood five people and a girlfriend! All their support and faith filled me with a strong sense of determination. I was ready to win this thing, by any means necessary. Even if it was beyond my reach, I would stretch and push to get it for not just me, but for all of us. "Thanks guys," I sent each of them a grateful smile. "I really appreciate the support."
Shola's grin expanded, then she let go of my hand to cup my face, placing a dainty, but passionate kiss on my lips.
"Oooh," our friends chortled out and Shola and I had to break apart because they wouldn't stop teasing and poking fun at us.