The Externals Reloaded - Chapter Twentytwo

 "No..that can't be true!" Dare peeped into the answer booklet before he could believe Quinn who mocked him further.

"You're next", Quinn turned to Zach who was previously typing on his phone.

"Okay, bring it on", Zach took a deep breath.

"You need to pick a question, buddy", Quinn informed him.

"One.." Zach made his choice nervously.

"Taken", Quinn replied devilishly.

"Five", Zach picked another number, thinking his troubles were over.

"Gone", Quinn smirked.

"Twenty-Eight!" Zach replied frustratingly.

Quinn looked for the number in the book before him and read it out, "The equilibrium position of a firm is attained

A. when MC = AR

B. when MC = PC

C. when MC = MR

D. when AC = AR

E. when AR = MR

Zach now wished he was calm when picking the number after Quinn finally read the question.

"You only have ten seconds more", Quinn reminded Zach who refused to answer the question after twenty seconds had passed.

One.

Two..

Three...

Four....

Five.....

Zach was going to give up but Omma gave him a look which depicted, "Do you want to disappoint Lily so he sat properly.

"C", Zach finally responded, hoping Lily would understand he tried his best if he misses the question.

Quinn hesitated a bit before saying, "You weren't unlucky dude. You got the answer correctly".

"Yes!" Zach was proud of himself. Immediately, he reached for the pizza box, put a slice in a plate, added a fork and gave Lily.

"Thanks", Lily replied despite feeling uncomfortable with what he was doing.

"All this for one person. God, am I a potato?" Omma commented.

Quinn delibratedly talked so Omma would stop talking about the situation, "Mary, you're next".

"Question six", Mary answered without much thought. She wasn't fully into the game.

Despite not being so interested in the game, Mary answered the question correctly and won Quinn a pizza slice. Although, he couldn't do the same for her. She felt it was deliberate and promised to get back at him regardless of how much she tried explaining to him. The next game they played was "Like me much?" in which each partner had to state what they like about the other partner. No matter how bad the person is, they have to find a green light.

"I like Kenny because he has genuine love for Aminat but her shakara is too much. I'm here when you finally get over her", Mary spoke first.

"Awwn", Their classmates chorused while Aminat rolled her eyes.

"Kenny don finally see babe oo", John shouted.

"I like Timmy because he's kind and easy to talk to", Adaora commented during her turn.

Another round of Awwn.

"I like Quinn because he's the cutest boy in our midst", Fatty acid said.

"..or because you just want to follow him to America", Dare made fun of her.

"You're just jealous because there's nobody to love you", Fatty acid fought back.

"Dare is actually a cool person. He has once paid for my lunch when I didn't bring any money to school", Kaira confessed.

Dare stocked his tongue out at Fatty acid. Although, he didn't initially want the information revealed so he won't be seen as soft.

The next activity they had was a cooking competition. In this case, each of them had to pick pieces of paper to determine if they will be in group A or B and both groups were to make banana bread and cookies. Only Fatty acid and Quinn weren't part of them since they were the judges. As they were talking, she engaged Quinn in a deep conversation about the United States because she had never such an opportunity. Despite the fact that his replies were slow because he kept looking at Lily's direction, she didn't stop talking to him!

Lily took charge of things in her group because she wanted to impress Quinn. Since he already told her his preference, they added chunks of groundnut. Still, she went out of her way to make in love shapes and add some color. As for the other group, they made theirs in star shapes and added chocolate. For banana bread, Lily's team added cream cheese and shredded carrots while the other team went for berries and pineapple.

Who were the members of Lily's team? They included Mary, Aminat, Jessica and Dare. The members of the other team led by Martha included Adaora, Kaira, Kenny, and John. These individuals were mostly concerned about taking pictures and helping with mixing, adding or bringing ingredients or while the leaders worked hard to impress the guy they had been seeing since the first day of resumption. Still, working together, gisting and sharing the first sample was fun for them.

"You all have worked hard. Well done", Quinn said after they presented their creations.

"But only one team is going home with the crown", Fatty acid smirked, especially because of Lily.

"You guys can go on with other things while we decide the winner", Quinn spoke again and they returned to the kitchen to clean up.

"You guys better judge that thing well or you go collect", Dare said as they walked back. Lily was actually glad he was a member of the team.

"You will collect too if you do anyhow", Kenny responded and fake sprayed bullets on him with an imaginary gun.

Dare does the same which makes the girls laugh.

"Guys are just silly", Mary remarked and was for once grateful Quinn came into their lives.

Lily wanted Quinn to be the one to announce the result of the contest but Fatty acid did it in his stead, "Okay. Both teams tried but team B is the winner of this contest"

The members of team B rejoiced.

"No. How can that be?" Mary said despite the fact that her twin was in the other group.

"I'm sorry. Your group is still going to get a gift though", Quinn replied.

"Okay, thanks", Lily sighed. She didn't want to make a fuss about it because of him so Fatty acid doesn't get what she wants - A misunderstanding between them.

Apparently, Quinn could end the class feud but never stop the girls from rivaling over their feelings for him.

Few minutes later, everyone had already forgotten about the competition and we're already immersed in a comic movie. At the same time, Quinn took Lily outside the house to a mini space he prepared for them. There, he positioned a telescope which they used for viewing the stars. As Lily was doing that, he read her a poem which went thus:

In the vast cosmic sea, you shine afar, A radiant beacon, my guiding star.

Through the night's embrace, your light shines so bright, A constant presence, a celestial delight.

In the tapestry of time, our fates align, You're the constellation where dreams entwine.

With each twinkle, a story unfolds, A love story written in stardust, untold.

You illuminate my darkest hours, A celestial symphony, a constellation of powers.

Your brilliance paints the canvas of my heart, In the vastness of space, we'll never part.

Like a lone star, steadfast and true, You navigate my sky, a cosmic view.

In the cosmic dance, we find our place, Forever bound in an infinite embrace.

"Thank you so much", Lily hugged him really tight when he finished. Her eyes were close to shedding tears.

"What's wrong?" Quinn was scared he did or said anything that must have upset her.

"I'm fine. They are tears of joy", Lily smiled as he wiped the tears from the corner of her eye. Meanwhile, she had been thinking of him as the harvest moon which only shows up in the sky occasionally.

An moment of silence which was dedicated to admiring each other's facial features passed.

"I also prepared a bedtime story titled Lily the star", Quinn said a minute after the last speech.

"Is your mission to make me cry tonight?" Lily covered her eyes shyly.

"You got that", Quinn winked at her when her eyes were once naked again. 

The story was about the experiences Lily had already been through and a premonition of what would happen to her. Lily loved it, only that it didn't include what will happen to them. Quinn didn't give a hint! Although, it wasn't because he didn't want to be with her. He was a young lad who hadn't completely figured out his life and didn't want her dragged into his mess. When he finished his story, he led them back into the house whereby most of their mates had slept.

Lily protested severally yet Quinn insisted on her sleeping on his bed for comfort instead of joining the other girls in the twins' room while he slept on the floor. However, they didn't sleep throughout. Sometimes, they would get up to check on each other as it was hard to believe they would be in the same place overnight. As for the other guys who were supposed to be in Quinn's bedroom, they slept either on the living room chairs or the floor.

Come morning, Quinn woke Lily with the aroma of pancakes and fried eggs, "Wakey wakey".

"Thank you so much. I'm sorry for making you go through that stress", Lily said as she sat up and rested her back on the headboard.

"I was happy doing it", Quinn replied while praying hard that she enjoys it.

"I'll be right back. I need to get my brush", Lily got up from the bed.

"Ohh..yeah", Quinn remembered Nigerians are used to brushing before eating in the morning.

"Don't worry. I have a new toothbrush here", he quickly added before she could reach the door.

"How many babies did the couple of the year make overnight", Dare teased when they finally came out.

"Shut up dude!" A shy Quinn threw a mini pillow at him and ran into the kitchen to escape further embarrassment.

"There are lots of baby mamas in America, aren't they? Americans don't care about raising families as much as we do", Fatty acid said to hurt Lily.

"We have them here too in Nigeria, don't we?" Fatima fired back.

"And na these people wey dey always firm holy holy dey do nonsense pass", Mary supported her.

"So, guys, can we talk about how to make the campaign work", Quinn returned from the kitchen purposely to put an end to the ongoing needless conversation.

Even as they were putting portions of jollof rice with fried meat and plantain in their mouth at intervals, they could still make meaningful contributions to Quinn's project. They agreed to have a rally the following Saturday and Quinn promised to make tee-shirts for those who make themselves available. He also asked for volunteers who could create content for the cause and many raise their hands after he promised them anonymity. With so much support from creative minds, Quinn was confident his goals will be achieved.

Everyone wished things would remain the way they are but they had to assist the children of the house in cleaning the house once they finished breakfast and head to their houses with a promise never to forget the memories they made. As weird as it was even for him, Quinn refused to change the bedsheet Lily slept on for the next two days so he could keep perceiving her scent which brings a smile on his face and immediately slept  after she left.

"Even me that has been living in his house for how weeks, he wouldn't let me do that kind of thing", Martha complained later in the evening.

"But it was your bedroom before he came", Mary raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"Well, the feeling is different since he started using it", Martha replied.

"He clearly doesn't like you. Better move on before it's too late. I don't even know why I'm still having this stupid conversation with you", Mary hissed as she walked out of their bedroom.

"You're so mean", Martha cried.

Quinn knew organizing a campaign wasn't enough. He needed to know who he was dealing with so he gathered every detail he could about the minister for education. Actually, he initially couldn't go further when he saw his picture because it was familiar with an old picture he had with him. Therefore, he had to make comparison to be sure he wasn't making assumptions. Lo, and behold, his speculation was true. The same man he was going going to go against was his flesh and blood.

AUTHOR'S NOTE
Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it☺️ If you're team Quily, kindly indicate..lol. What would you have done in Quinn's shoes? Please don't forget to drop your comments!

Yours faithfully,
Eniola Oluwamuyiwa.