CHOCOLATE & MILK🍫🥛 Episode 3

PERKY'S STATUS

Being a first year student can be tough. That's why you need a class rep like mine!

Can you imagine Mr Okafor, a GS lecturer, commended my class for having the most organized class rep he had encountered in years?!

#Can your class rep ever!

NARRATOR

The journey so far had been rigorous, with meeting lecturers and printing class lists. Perky's status update was like a cup of cold water after hard work to Jude. She even left an appreciation remark in the group chat.

"Gratitude is a sweet thing," Jude thought as he replied her gratefully. Almost immediately, rolls of messages came in. They all said one encouraging remark or another:

Titi 🙃: I don't regret voting you!

Linny: Keep it up, dude!

Ebig 🤑: The best 001 so far!"

Jude thanked them all and busied myself with plans on how to perform even better.

Meanwhile, Dinah sat in her room in Eyo-ita reading. The group chat was brimming with "thank you" and "good job" all for Jude. She was happy of course. She believed that he truly deserved it. His performances these few weeks made her wonder if he had been a class rep in another university. His accuracy, his rapport with the lecturers, it was just wonderful.

"I'm not jealous," she affirmed. Still, she felt moody that her efforts were not commended.

Surprisingly, she received a message from someone. The contact name read, Nene💓. It was a very simple message; "Hey! It's a coursemate. I just want to commend you for your efforts. Go, 002!"

"Awwn! Thanks, darling. What's your name?" Dinah replied.

"Chinecherem, but call me Nene 😊."

"Saved 😁."

"One is a number," Dinah thought happily and became contented. That didn't wipe out the lonesome feeling she had. She missed her family and friends back in Akwa ibom. It would be a while before she could go and see them though.

It was weird for Dinah to be lonely. She always had a large company around her during school hours. She had also saved quite a number of contacts of her classmates and they chatted with her consistently. However, Dinah was a very picky person and thus, she was not quick to call them friends. Also, she believed her father, a pastor, would disapprove of many of them.

Regardless, she was nice to all. She ought to be; her father was counting on her to be a role model in both character and learning. Yet, everyone has a shortcoming.

Dinah forgot her brooding and chirped happily when her phone rang. It was her father.

"Hello, daddy," she said with a cute voice.

"My pretty princess!"

At the same time, in Alvan boys' hostel, a young man was soliloquizing, "Dinah is so beautiful. I have never seen a prettier gal. Swearx. Her eyes, eh! So angelic and bright. Her skin was just skinning. Her shape... Let me not near there."

He had introduced himself to her a day after she was appointed as the assistant class rep. From his short conversation with her, he had found out that she was the hard-to-get type.

He comforted himself with these words, "No wam. I know how to get that type. Shey na me, Emma? The finest boy with no pimple. Chai! Dinah nah! Dinah nah! I wanna make you my bae. Latest album. I go just walk up to am and sing. Yes. Let me practice make I no forget the song."

NENE'S JOURNAL

Is everyone in this group born in January. If no, then why does someone send a birthday picture everyday? We've celebrated like 20 birthdays so far!

Thank God for wi-fi. I would have been very angry if my data had loaded 300 plus birthday messages in two hours!

I scrolled through the messages moodily. My roomie had actually touched my bucket without my permission. I had felt so irritated but had kept a shut mouth. Bad plan. The irritation was killing my peace of mind!

My evening would have been a mess if I hadn't spotted the message that sparked the very first group chat fight.

Fabe🤪: Guy, is this a birthday group or an educational group chat?

This was replied by a couple of "swearx" and a series of complaints. The most pained was one Pre-ti. She made long bitter complaints because the assistant DOS had changed the group's profile picture to a pic of the celebrant.

Pre-ti😍😘: I don't get why @Linda💜 has to get her picture up there just because it's her birthday. Like, wtf?

I laughed. I knew why she was pained and why she fought back when some people displayed their displeasure over her messages. On her birthday, the group had been full of her studio pictures but none of them had made it to the group chat DP. Suddenly, here was Linda not as pretty or famous as her but she had her picture honoured.

"Popular girls," I muttered and laughed. The fight was getting heated. Just when the flames began to die, someone tagged Pre-ti's message and wrote, "Just because your stupid studio pics weren't used doesn't mean you should spit venom on someone else, especially on her birthday. With all due respect, stfu," and ended with a dog emoji. I knew what that meant.

"Well, Neche, this is going to be an entertaining night," I muttered and laughed when I saw "Pre-ti is typing" in flaming green.

Pre-ti's message wasn't pretty at all. She literally used her words to tear the person to shreds. On top of that, she sent a voice note.

"Ou! I wouldn't want to be in his shoes for nothing," I thought and laughed. Unfortunately, she had stepped on the tail of a lion, and it roared with equal ferocity.

WB👀: Thanks for this Precious. You just showed us the dirty garbage in that head of yours.

Pre-ti 😍😘: I actually showed you the garbage you are.

WB👀: Werey. Stupid bi**h

Linny: Guys, be cool.

Linda: @Pre-ti, you are a fool.

Pre-ti 😍😘: Thank you, darling. Happy birthday by the way. I wish you what you just wished me.

"Yay! Ooh! Yay! Ooh," was all I could say as I read the messages. I could literally feel the impact of the blows of words. I dared not butt in. I definitely wasn't looking to get torn to pieces. I'd rather be a spectator. That was more fun.

Things were moving from entertaining to deadly. I was already scared of the venomous insults I had seen. It was worse than a horror movie. And to think that these were my coursemates.

Finally, Jude came online and called for peace. I was a little disappointed the drama was over. I was also stunned by the immediate obedience of the warring parties. They didn't even oppose him.

"It's good to be 001," I thought breathlessly as I felt my respect for Jude increase.

Quietly, I said what Perky had said earlier, "Can your class rep ever?"

NARRATOR

Jude quickly put off the fire. Afterwards, he utilized the information group chat to regulate the birthday celebrations.

"It's important to celebrate among ourselves," he wrote, "but if you wish for that, you have to send your picture to me the day before the birthday. Just one picture please. Yes, you are beautiful and handsome but please, let's accommodate one another."

His decision was appreciated. Then someone asked about the DP incident. He set things straight there, "No. The DP must not be changed by any of the excos. Our wishes and messages are enough."

His decision was pleasing to everyone. That was what he thought until one of his coursemates sent him an irritating message in his DM.

"You must be sick thinking that you can order us about like we're children. I don't know about the others but I am not here to obey you. Like, wtf?"

He didn't reply. However, the message opened his eyes to see that the journey ahead was only going to get tougher.

To be continued.