Windy Friday afternoon at 15:30…

I went straight into my room after class and I found Tazi on his bed. He was alarmed by me. He seemed to have hidden something under his bums.

“Ha-ha fella, you scared the crap out of me,” Tazi laughed at himself.

“You always freak out,” I said, untying my maroon striped necktie.

“Lock the door please.”

I did. Instantly, Tazi took out something he hid under his bums. It looked like a cigarette. He glanced at me and spotted my disaarrayed face.

“You got mixed feelings. I got a dope to get you high before anyone comes in.”

“A dope?”

“Jhe, weed,” he said, lighting up his cigarette with a match stick.

“Uh, I’m okay man,” I said, “Aaah.. Bring it anyway.” I reversed my decision, taking the cigarette from his hand.

It was my first time to smoke, even worse to kick-start with Marijuana. Tazi witnessed it when I started coughing uncontrollably.

He raised up his eyebrows. “Sh**, are you okay fella? Drink some water.”

“Chill, I’ll be fine,” I said, returning the cigarette to my mouth. Nevertheless my eyes were flooding with tears and I sneezed like a dog.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Someone banged on the door. Immediately, Tazi snatched the cigarette from my mouth and extinguished it with his bare foot on the floor. He stepped closer to the door and peeped through the keyway to see who was about to catch us red handed. 

****

Tazi looked relaxed as he opened the door steadily. He stood on the door way. The knocker stayed in corridor but I could hear their conversation.

Tazi asked the guy in corridor, “Goon, what’s up?”

The guy in corridor rubbished, “You’ve got a sad guy in your room named NICK but his surname is not MINAJ?”

“Ha-ha, you’re so sick! Jhe, I got him, what about him?”

“Tell him to keep his hands off Suzie alright!?” the guy enjoined, sounding like a military commander.

Tazi paused for a minute and said, “No drama goon, he’s in here perhaps he can hear it. Isn’t it right fella?”

“I got it and who’s the guy in corridor?” I asked, standing on my feet.

“It’s our gangster Shoni, your classmate,” Tazi replied.

Directly, I pissed off shoni, “Alright Shoni, go to hell!”

“Does Shoni know that I’m sick of him chasing my crush? How stupid is he to bring up Suzie topic when I’m already disappointed with her,” I boiled in my mind.

Little did I know that Shoni’s hot temper was untamed. He cruised past the door, pushed Tazi out of the way and came straight to my face to confront me. Shoni grabbed me by my white shirt collars. Pushed me against the wall. And yelled at me savagery, “What did you say moron!?”

His hot breath felt like steam on my face. He looked poised to headbutt me but I did poorly to calm him down.

“If it’s Suzie giving you a cold shoulder every now and then, is that even my problem?” I irritated him.

WHOOSH!!!!

Shoni smacked my face and I fell down. He was preparing to rain more blows on me but Tazi stepped up quickly and held him off. My looks were 90% saved thanks to Tazi.

Tazi shouted, “Shoni what the f**!? What’s wrong with you man, punching the kid really!?”

“He better stay on his own lane, he can’t win Suzie over me as simple as that,” Shoni fumed, panting heavily.

Tazi gripped Shoni’s shoulder and muttered to his ear, “You got be crazy man, this is a straight dismissal you’re joking with. He’s a good kid, apologize to him man.”

“I can’t do that sh**” Shoni denoted, leaving the room.

Luckily for us, many fellow hostellers were at the football ground. Otherwise, that scene could have been like some sort of entertainment for ticketless fans. I groaned with pain on the floor.

Tazi raised me up, checked my mouth for blood or tooth loss like dentists normally do and said, “Sorry about that sh**, it happened so fast. Please don’t let Thugo buy the news. I’ll get Shoni’s apology.”

“I’m cool with it man, give me space.” 

“Does Lambo know his goons are fighting for his couzy?”

“I don’t know, just give me space man.”

“Alright fella. Let me fetch painkillers for you,” he said, moving out.

I sat on my bed with pain on my right side face. I put a warm face cloth on it to ease the sharp pain. Then I dropped to the bed and fell into a deep sleep with my dirty uniform on.