CHOCOLATE & MILK 🍫🥛 Episode 7: After the Anonymous Night

On Monday evening, Diana sent pictures of the After-matric party to the group chat. It had been a success. The people that didn't attend could finally see what they had missed.

Nene watched a video among the pictures and knew she had missed so much fun. She didn't mind anyway. The few things she had heard that happened at the party (which had been told in whispers) had been too much for her scrupulous conscience to bear.
While her attention was on the cool night party, everyone was commenting on a certain picture of Jude and Dinah. It had been taken when they were unaware. In it, Jude held on to Dinah's arm while she seemed to be pulling away from him. They were smiling at each other. One could easily feel the affection they had for each other.

Natasha 🌹: Aren't they so cute?

Melisa xx💋: They're obviously in love.

Titi 🙃: The finest couple in the den.

Josh 😎: Jude, let go of my babe.

Dinah: @Josh😎, wetin? 🙄

Lola 💕: Josh, you don't want Jude to collect your term paper 😂😂😂

Perky 🤓: Junah2023 😌

Xi ⚫⚪: I think you mean Dude2023

This message caused a lot of laughter.
Lin 025 was excited. First, Perky had posted a picture of the two holding hands while returning from Mr Okafor's office. It had caused a buzz and Dinah had replied several people in her DM, "We are not dating!"
That reply wouldn't be enough anymore. The picture made it clear that there were sparks flying between Jude and Dinah.

PERKY'S STATUS
The after matric party was 🔥 The Anonymous night was even 🔥🔥 The lesson is Natasha has many admirers (why not? She is drop dead cute😏) and I have to change my wig 😂 Just when Lin 025 was having fun, someone sent a very heartless message that gave me the chills. Is Jude in danger or is he?

# Whodunnit?

NARRATOR
"Islam began in... Prophet Mohammed declared... A vision from Allah. The pillars of Islam..."

Dinah stopped and looked at Jude who gazed absentmindedly at the quadrangle pillar. She called, "Jude. Jude! Shouldn't you be rehearsing for your presentation?"

He sighed and took the class list from Dinah's bag. "Are you done confirming the payments?" he asked.

"Yes."

Jude nodded and rubbed his forehead thoughtfully. Dinah asked, "Is Mrs Udenni still on your neck about the public address system?"

"No. I plan to buy it tomorrow anyway. I'll go with Dave. I just hope the class dues will be enough. The prices of things are terrible. If I had known the elections would be 'ineced' I would have bought this thing before the election break."

Dinah chuckled and continued reading her GSP 207 textbook.
Jude reached for her book and closed it to look at the wise men that leaned towards baby Jesus with their gifts.

Then he closed Dinah's page.

"Ah-ah, what?" Dinah asked.

"This doesn't matter in heaven. It's all a waste of time," Jude said in a mischievous note and Dinah smiled. She opened her book but Jude collected it. They had a playful struggle before Jude released the book.

They sat quietly until Dinah asked, "You were thinking about the anonymous message, weren't you?"

Jude sighed deeply. Dinah continued, "I don't know why there's so much hate in our class."

"There's hate everywhere. My relief is that the message was directed at me, not you," Jude said.

Dinah turned to look at him. He looked at her too. They stared at each other until Dinah smiled and looked away. She felt her heart beat strangely. "Worldly," she thought angrily and scolded herself in her mind.
She turned sharply and looked at Jude's hand as it held her hand. He said, "Come, let's go back to the classroom." She looked at him and at the dark hand that held her fair wrist. At last, she stood up and followed him.

NENE'S JOURNAL
Presentation today was surprising for me and pretty much everyone. Coursemates I never knew had talent in anything awed us and left our lecturer, Mrs Udenni nodding like a lizard. I felt shocked, belittled and motivated. They deserved the applauses they got and I pictured myself receiving my applause. I can do it. I know I can.
In spite of my bitterness, I have to admit that Jude and Dinah's presentations were two of my favourites. Dinah had presented on Islam in Africa while Jude had presented on the dreaded Fallacies in Logic.
Dinah's presentation was flawless, from her "Good afternoon, everyone," to her "Thank you." Her voice was very audible (or was it because the class gave her rapt attention?) She had chosen a narrative form of presentation. She simplified the topic and presented her research like a story. I could literally imagine Mohammed marrying Khadija and waging a war against the infidels that rejected his teachings. To be honest, I felt unhappy when she left her fellow presenter to carry on.
As for Jude, I had only to change his voice and his face in my mind and he was worth falling in love with.
"Argument," he said, "is a quest for truth. Fallacy is a flaw in argument. It pretends to be true. That is why Plato called fallacies pretenders."
Having established his intent, he drilled the class on the various types of fallacies with the help of his team mate, Victor. To do this, they pretended to be arguing.
"God exists. It is an undeniable fact," Jude said.
"You say that because you are a pastor," Victor countered in a dramatic voice.
"That," he said emphatically looking at his audience, "is argumentum ad hominem circumstantial. If you all noticed, he used the circumstance of me being a pastor to counter the argument. That is a fallacy."

There was applause.

"Victor! You killed your mother..."

"Hey!" we exclaimed.

"Settle down. It's just a drama," Mrs Udenni said sharply. Jude and Victor smiled. I smiled too. The strategy had been very effective. He had gained rapt attention.

He continued, "You killed your mother and are to be sentenced to death by hanging. Why did you kill her?"

Victor's voice changed to one of plea, "Please, I am a poor man with twenty hungry children."

"That..." Jude couldn't resist the urge to laugh like the rest of us. "That is argumentum ad misericordia. It is an appeal to pity. It is a fallacy."

"Yes!" Mrs Udenni said excitedly and we cheered.

I loved the last example. Jude had said, "Victor, why are you sad?"

Victor feigned weeping and said, "I'll never love again. I gave Dinah all my love..." laughter, "... but she dumped me for you." More laughter. My ribs were already aching. Victor finished his role with this final line, "All women are heart breakers."
"That is the fallacy of hasty generalization. Victor's heart was broken..."
"By Dinah," someone from the crowd cut in and everyone laughed. Even Mrs Udenni laughed.

Jude cleared his throat and continued, "Yes. His heart was broken by one woman." 

Someone cried, Dinah, why?

"However, saying that all women are heart breakers is called hasty generalization. It is a..."

"Fallacy!" we all completed.

"Thank you all."

We roared with applause. Mrs Udenni smiled brighter than ever and raised her ten fingers in the air. We cheered even louder.

As Mrs Udenni commented on the excellence of their performance, I saw Dinah smile at Jude. This smile was different. It was more angelic than ever. It made me thoughtful. Jude caught her eyes and for a moment, they beamed at each other.
If eyes were cameras, I would have taken a shot of that moment. I would keep it and post it in the group the moment Jude and Dinah denied there was anything between them. Perky might even post it on her status and cause more speculations on Junah2023 or Dude2023. I preferred Dude, by the way.

Well, I felt very happy for them, but that didn't make me forget what they had done. I wanted to forgive but I just couldn't. I can't.

PERKY'S STATUS
As if INEC destroying the democracy of the country wasn't enough, Jude suddenly announces that we are to pay an additional three hundred naira to our class dues. Did he consider the other dues holding our necks like the GS handbook fee, the GS dues and the department dues? What of the term papers we have to print for multiple courses?
# Why the bills, Jude?

NARRATOR
Perky's post seemed to be the detonator that brought chaos into Lin 025. There had already been mumbles of disagreement but with Perky's intervention, it became a full blown war.
This was the first group chat fight since they returned officially from the election break. It was as if Tinubu's victory had sown discord in the group and Jude's move had fanned the flames of their anger.

Pre-ti 😍😘: Have you guys seen the class rep you voted for?

Sally: Swearx!

WB 👀: Shut it, Precious!

Titi: WB, if something is wrong with what she said, point it out and don't talk to her like that.

Xi ⚫⚪: Titi, your statement is very disappointing. I actually thought you had sense. I was naive, I guess.

Emma: What's the fuss about?

Pre-ti 😍😘: Awwn, poor WB 😂

Lola 💕: Y'all are fools. What does she mean by the class rep we voted for? Who tf is she?

Natasha 🌹: I'm angry about the dues too but a rational approach to this would be better.

Emma: Yes, Natasha. You are totally right.

Dennis🌟: Emma 😂 It's obvious you are her admirer from the anonymous night. I can't believe you tagged her number though 😂

Perky 🤓: Yeah 😂 I thought he was all out for Dinah. Do you remember the song he wrote her?

Nobody 💀: Damn you, Jude and Dinah! Just extorting us.

It was violent. Even people who had never sent a message to the group chipped in their opinions. Jude sat in his room with an angry countenance as he read the messages. Dinah in Eyo-ita sighed and wondered how Jude was taking it.
The two were tagged multiple times but Jude had not the patience to answer a question, and Dinah had not the answers.

"Usher," Jenny called as she entered Dinah's room. She found Dinah sitting moodily on her bed. Beside her, her phone vibrated as more messages entered.

Dinah didn't say a word to Jenny who sat beside her. Jenny then tugged her cheeks and smiled at her. Dinah responded positively. She smiled back at Jenny's message, "You are not alone in this."

"You all should calm down. This is very wrong. If you disagree about something, voice it out properly. We are communicators for crying out loud. Positive communicators, not destructive. No matter the sins of your class rep, never go to the point of tainting his image before outsiders, especially you Perky. Did you have to expose your class issues like that?

"We are linguists! Our department is being looked up to as one of the most powerful in the faculty. What do you think they'll say when you wash your dirty linen before them?" Dave, the 024 senior and friend of the freshers intervened. He had had enough of their rambling (800+ messages) and was disappointed at their lack of unity.

Jude was grateful for his intervention. They, his course mates, respected him so they would listen to him and save Jude's reputation and data.

The messages reduced and the few stubborn arguers tried to convince Dave of Jude's impudence.

"I don't want to hear it. The fact that you speak so disrespectfully of him tells me volumes about you."
Somehow, that stopped the fire, and the group chat grew silent, dead silent. Jude sighed in relief but knew the peace wouldn't last long.

To be continued.