Solomon and I were rivals when it came to academics, but our competition was a healthy one all through junior high school. He was really good in mathematics, and that gave him an edge over me during the examination.
We studied together, and I often visited him to learn mathematics. Despite our rivalry in class, Solomon never held anything back whenever we are studying mathematics. He was so confident about still beating me during the exams and wouldn't stop bragging about it.
"We have a new student in our class, but he looks older." Solomon gave me an update on everything that happened in class since I didn't attend that day because of a fever.
"What's his name?" I asked.
"Olawale, he is even taller than us and has a huge body," Solomon replied while making hand gestures to describe Wale.
"I will see him tomorrow," I replied, and we continued chatting about the other activities that happened at school before he left my place that evening.
I didn't feel better the next day and had to continue my medication even though I insisted on going to school.
I resumed school on the third day, which was on a Wednesday, and luckily arrived a few minutes before the morning assembly.
"George, how are you feeling now?" My class teacher asked immediately I greeted him at the school gate.
"Fine sir," I replied and rushed the class to drop my bag.
My classmates were excited to see me, especially Solomon.
He rushed to my seat and was smiling so much as we chatted.
"You didn't come yesterday as promised."
"I was still running a temperature, so Mom insisted I recovered fully before coming," I replied as we readjusted the chairs to create more space for myself.
We heard the assembly bell and left the classroom immediately. Upon getting to the assembly ground, I went to join the band boys only for a stranger to be carrying my drum.
He looks older truly, and I figured out he was the Wale that Solomon talked about. I stood there staring, expecting him to pass the drum to me, but he didn't.
Wale played the drum and did it a lot better than me. I wasn't happy knowing that even the teachers would prefer him to me during fellowships.
Around 10 am that morning, we observed physical education, and since we were preparing for inter-house sports, we practiced and competed in races. I didn't join them because of my health, I just watched and wasn't surprised to see Wale emerging as the best runner that day.
He was so good that every housemaster wanted him, and they had to do a blind selection just to fix him in a house.
Wale's performance during PE was on every student's lips, and somehow I didn't feel comfortable with him, and when I shared my thoughts with Solomon, he said I was only jealous because Wale took the spotlight at the inter-house sports preparation.
His response was unusual, so I decided not to speak about Wale to anyone. As days passed, I noticed my classmate's attachment to Wale was growing too fast, and it didn't feel natural to me. I never spoke to him and just watched him from a distance except we had joint work, most especially practicals.
One lunch break, I saw him giving out cookies to some of my classmates, and they were all excited.
"George, come and take one, or don't you like cookies?" Wale asked.
"No, thanks. I brought my food from home," I replied, and almost everyone burst into laughter.
Mummy's pet! Solomon muttered, and they all laughed again.
Wale called me the baby of the class, and it became a trend among my classmates. Only a few of them didn't refer to me as that. Solomon stopped studying with me, and he started spending more time with Wale, both in school and after school.
I went to Solomon's house one Saturday to study, and he wasn't around.
"Solomon said he was going to your place," his mom replied.
"I haven't seen him today," I replied.
"Probably you missed each other on the road," she replied, and I went back home but didn't see Solomon.
My mom became worried, and we went back to his house together just to notify his parents that he never showed up at my place.
We started checking other students' houses, but Solomon was nowhere to be found. He returned home later and claimed he went to another classmate's house, not mine. As we went back home, I told my mom about the changes in Solomon, and she warned me to be very careful.
One Monday morning, I overheard our math teacher scolding Solomon because of how badly his grades had dropped, and it wasn't long before other teachers started complaining as well during lectures.
Solomon! I called him during the lunch break as he was about to leave the class with Wale and some male students.
Baby! Wale replied, and I just ignored him.
Solomon followed me, and we went downstairs together.
"I heard Master Ade earlier, let's start studying again together. It would help us," I said to Solomon.
"Okay," Solomon replied, and he was about to leave when he rolled his sleeve up.
"Look at this," he said, showing me a locally drawn tattoo on his arm.
What! I screamed, staring at the block symbol with the letter S on the box.
"How did you get it?" I stuttered.
"Wale did it for all of us," he replied, smiling.
I was lost in thought and knew Wale was there to mislead not just Solomon but other classmates, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I kept trying to steal Solomon away from the new cliq, but my effort was futile.
The examination timetable was pasted, and Solomon didn't talk to me about the usual revision we always observed before exam. My mom asked questions when Solomon didn't come over, and I didn't visit him as well, so I narrated everything to her.
We started the examination, and after every paper, Solomon went out with Wale to play on the school field. I stopped bothering about him and just joined other students to revise even though I felt his absence due to my struggles with math.
About a week after the examination, we got our report sheets, and for the first time in five terms, I beat Solomon.
"I came first so you must be the second, right?" I asked out of excitement, but Solomon acted dumb holding his report sheet firmly.
I was persuading him to tell me when his new cliq came around and that was the end of our chat.
"George, I took second." Anuoluwapo, one of the girls we studied together, told me immediately after I returned to the classroom.
"Really?" She was talking to me, but I was lost in thought because I expected Solomon to be the second.
Another student got the third, and I was more curious about Solomon's position. Upon arriving home that day, I told my mom what happened.
"It was expected, and that should make him sit tight next term," Mom replied.
"I didn't know it would be this bad," I replied to her.
"When there is smoke, there is fire, so this shouldn't surprise you. Just continue to be well-behaved and face your studies," she advised...
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