"Wait, what?" Was all Rebecca could  manage to say.

"I'm not joking Rebecca. You have until this afternoon to prepare" Mr Abioye her English teacher said

"Okay sir" she said.

"If you miss it or I catch you playing with those N.F.As (used to refer to people with no future ambition) who are always late to the co-curricullar activities, you will wash the girls toilet for a week" Mr Abioye said.

"Okay sir"

Today, Rebecca had been picked by a teacher to teacher to represent her class in the impromptu inter-class debate this afternoon. She was to support this motion:

Public schools are better than private schools.

Rebecca walked back to the class. She was the chief speaker and unfortunately the second speaker representing their class was Mabel. She was probably already telling everyone about it. Mabel could do whatever she wanted, Rebecca didn't really care at this point.
     There was something else bothering her. This person was much more important than Mabel. It was Tom. After listening to the conversation he had had with Daniel yesterday,. Rebecca wanted to know what they had been talking about. Unfortunately she couldn't ask him because they still weren't talking to each other. Which explains her shock when she opened her locker and found a note saying,

We need to talk. Meet me in the library about thirty minutes before the debate starts.
-Tom.

"Gabriella" She said. Gabriella who was sitting behind her and reading a particular book in the dork diary series looked up at her

"Yes, you can see that I'm..."

"Read this" Rebecca said giving her the note. Gabriella read it and looked back at Rebecca.

"Are you sure that he's the one that wrote it?" She asked.

"It's not his handwriting. Maybe he asked someone to help him write it" Rebecca said.

"You should go and at least see what's going on" Gabriella advised.

"Okay" Rebecca said. She was elated. She has really missed hanging out with Tom all the time. It has been fun. Maybe this could work out after all.

***

Tom waited patiently for Rebecca. He didn't mind having to wait. If he didn't get to the school hall on time the worse he would get was a scolding. The teachers didn't pay too much attention to students who missed the co-curricular activities because there was no time to. Prefects caught and punished them instead. He knew that he was safe in the library. But he was worried about Rebecca. Mabel has gone around telling everyone that she and Rebecca would be participating in the debate. For her own sake, she should hurry up.
     Finally, Rebecca arrived. She was panting. She had probably ran the whole way here. I couldn't wait to hear what she is to say.

"Hi Tom, you said you wanted to meet me here" she said

"What?" Was all he could manage as he looked around frantically for the librarian. Then I remembered that she had left a while ago with Betty saying that she would be back soon.

Betty, Sarah's best friend and member of the prank group.

"Get out now!" He said. She clearly didn't realize that this was a set up because she  glared at me.

"First you give me a note telling me to meet you there and now that I'm here you tell me to leave. What is wrong with you?"

There was no use explaning. I brought the letter that I had found under my locker out of my pocket and have it to her. She read it.

We really need to talk. Meet me in the library thirty minutes before the debate starts.
-Rebecca.

Rebecca finally got the message. But it was too late. Someone had pushed away the stone that was used to keep the faulty door open and slammed the door. Rebecca rushed to the door but there was nothing she could do. The door only had one handle... And it was outside.

Sarah walked towards the window and looked in. Rebecca and Tom could hear her laughing with Betty.

"Let me out!" Rebecca shrieked banging on the door

"No one's going anywhere until the debate is over" Sarah said with a sneer.

"Where's the librarian?" Tom asked

"Mr Caleb who is not in school today asked her to see him. He said not to leave the school until she sees him" Betty said with a smirk

"You lied to her! Are you stupid?" Rebecca shouted

"Don't bother shouting because no one is going to hear you. All the perfect are in the hall now" Sarah said. Tom had lunged for ward to the window trying to strangle Sarah and it took ALL of Rebecca's strength to hold him back. From the window Sarah stuck out her tongue at him.

"You know what Rebecca" Tom said

"What?" Rebecca asked

"I owe you an apology. I really didn't know who Sarah really was and what she was capable of. I also should have told you about the prank..."

"It doesn't matter now. It was my overreacting that got us into this. I should have just left the prank group alone"

Sarah began to scowl from the window. This wasn't what she had wanted at all. They weren't supposed to be getting along, they were supposed to be seemed arguing.

"So we're friends again?" Tom asked

"I never said that you weren't my friend. I just said that we needed a break" Rebecca replied

Tom lifted his left eyebrow

"Okay, fine. For clarification we are officially friends again" Rebecca said. "So since we are friends again, I wanted to ask you something"

"Shoot"

"After I confronted the prank group and humiliated Sarah, what were you and Daniel talking about outside?"

Tom scratched the back of his neck suddenly looking uneasy.

"I can't tell you" Tom said.

"Why not?"

"It's complicated"

"How is it complicated?"

"You don't know how annoying you're being right now"

"Just tell me"

Tom took a deep breath before answering.

"I'll tell you when the time is right" he said calmly

"Okay, but it has better be soon.."

"Oh, thank God I found you!" Said a voice.

"Gabriella!" Rebecca exclaimed.

Sarah walked towards Gabriella. She was already annoyed that Tom and Rebecca were friends again. Now Gabriella was going to ruin her plan.

"Get out!" She said.

"No! The debate starts in ten minutes. Let them out" Gabriella said defiantly.

"You'll have to get past us first" Betty said blocking the door.

"Maybe I won't have to" Gabriella said. Then she shouted.

"Senior Anjola, two students are running past the library!"

"Mumu, she will come for you too" Sarah said looking up to see Anjola, the head girl of the school running through the corridors on the second floor, coming right  for them.

"Actually, she sent me here to look for Rebecca" Gabriella said opening the door to the library.

Rebecca gives Gabriella a quick hug before running off. Tom gives her a thumbs up and does the same.

"Oh and Betty, the librarian wants to talk to you before first period tomorrow" Gabriella added before Sarah and Betty ran away. Not too long after they had left, Anjola came running down the stairs.

"Oh! I wanted to punish somebody" She said. Gabriella laughed.

"I know their names. Just ask for Sarah and Betty from SS2B" Gabriella said.

"Thank you. Finally, I have seen people I can use as scapegoats" She said as she hurried off to the hall. Gabriella followed her, feeling very happy with herself.

After the debate, her lucky appearance at the library was all She could take about.

"If I hadn't raised my hand when she was looking for someone who knew you, you would have been a junior cleaner by now" Gabriella said.

"For the umpteenth time" Rebecca said "Thank you Gabriella"

"You're welcome but I guess Sarah and Betty helped in a way. If not for them you two wouldn't have made up so easily" Gabriella said.

"I guess you're right" Tom said.

They had been one of the first few to leave. Most of the students were still in the hall talking about how Rebecca and Mabel has won the debate or just hanging around till closing time came.

When they got to the class, they couldn't believe what they saw.

Richard was kissing Hannah at the back of the class. He had his hands under her blue shirt and she had her hands in his hair. Gabriella turned and ran in the other direction but Rebecca couldn't run. She stood there with Tom, glued to the spot.

----
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