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**Before we spoke**
The first thing I noticed when I entered film school was how loud it was.
Not loud in the way a market was loud, or the way my house became loud whenever all my siblings were home for Christmas break. It was a different kind of noise.
People were seated, and a woman stood at the front with a microphone, speaking to everyone gathered there—or at least to those who cared to listen. I could see some people on their phones. Maybe they were doing something film-school-related. Maybe they simply weren’t interested.
The woman speaking was Miss Blessing. I had met her during the open house.
I stood at the entrance with my bag hanging from one shoulder, trying very hard not to look lost.
I probably looked lost. I checked my phone for the fourth time.
Film school—9am.
It was 11:50am.
I was late. Very late.
I had left my house as early as 5:30 a.m. to beat Lagos traffic as i was traveling from the mainland to the island but I guess life had other plans for me.
I took a breath and walked over to the reception desk, where I met Precious, one of the receptionists. I had met her during my open-house visit too.
“Good morning, Lade.” she greeted me.
“Good morning, Precious. I’m early, aren’t I?” I asked, giving her an ironic smile.
“Oh yes. You’re the first one in school today,” she said, returning the same kind of smile.
Then she handed me my ID card. “Here you go. Have a great five weeks—and, oh, welcome to Del-York Creative Academy.”
“Thank you.” I took the card and walked away.
I headed toward the place they called the Red Foyer—the same place where the open-house meeting had been held. The meeting was still going on, so I looked around and found a chair to sit on.
The moment I sat down, I looked up. Literally, all eyes were on me.
“Damn. This is why I hate front seats,” I muttered under my breath. But I guess that’s what happens when you arrive late to a gathering. Especially one where everyone has already settled in.
I put my bag down and brought out my iPad. I opened it and started tapping on the screen, pretending to be busy. Anything to make it look like I had a reason for being late.A few minutes later, we were all asked why we had chosen to come to film school and the room suddenly went quiet, I guess it was time for everyone to act like they were all serious. One by one, people stood up and introduced themselves, talking about the dreams, the kind of films they wanted to make, the actors they admired and the stories they hoped to tell. I listened quietly, occasionally looking at my iPad.
When it was finally my turn, I stood up, planning to say everything I had rehearsed while every other person was speaking. “I love acting, I want to express psychology..blablabla. But those were all stories they did not need to know so I went with the most bland answer.
“I want to act.” I said. Plain and simple. At least, that was the easiest way to explain it.
Since I was the last one to arrive, I was the last person to speak and as soon as I was finished, Miss Blessing gave us a few final instructions before she dismissed us to our various classes.
The room immediately became alive again. Chairs scraped against the floor, people picked up their bags and started calling out to one another, laughter echoed throughout the whole room as they all conversed.
I looked around, suddenly realizing that I had no idea where my class was. Apparently, being late wasn’t the only thing I had to figure out today.
I eventually found the classroom. Everyone else was already there and seated.
Luckily for me, the seat closest to the wall and also where I could see the whole class was still vacant. I walked to the seat. I put my bag on the table and then I sat.
“Hi.” A girl beside me said smiling.
“Hi.” I replied.
“Nervous?” She asked.
“Yes. Everyone looks super serious, like they know what they came here to do already.” I answered.
“Well, this is film school. Welcome to everyone pretending like they already knew what to do and only came here to squander their money.” She said, turning her chair to face our class instructor.
I shrug and bring out my iPad so i could start the day.
“The first class was not like I expected. There was no dramatic speech about becoming stars. No one told us we were the next big actors. Instead, we talked about discipline, observation, vulnerability, and how much work went into becoming believable on screen.
I wrote almost everything down. I didn’t know if I would remember it all but I just knew I wanted to.
By lunchtime, I was exhausted. I sat outside munching on my chips that I bought on my way to school.
“Found you.” Someone whisper shouted next to me.
I looked up to see the same girl who spoke to me in class and wave at her.
“Hi, I..”
“Don’t fret, I understand.” She said interrupting me.
“She’s rude.” I thought to myself.
“I didn’t catch your name the other time” she said sitting next to me without my permission.
“I’m Lade.” I said dryly.
“Oh, I’m Heaven.” She said like she was singing.
“Who gives their child that name?” I thought to myself.
“Ni..nice name.” I said, forcing a smile.
“Thank you. So why did you come late today?” She asked like she was some teacher or something.
“I got lost.” I replied coldly.
“How did that happen?” She asked. But I was not listening to her anymore. My attention had wandered somewhere else.
Across the compound, a boy walked past. He was wearing a jacket. That was the first thing I noticed. He wasn’t doing anything particularly interesting, he was going outside with four girls next to him, three of them laughing at what one of the girls said that they found funny. I bet it wasn’t even all that funny.
I looked back at Heaven, she was still talking. I had no idea what she’d said.
“Sorry. What?”
She rolled her eyes but repeated herself anyways “I said this five weeks is going to be a blast.”
“Yeah..” I laughed and forgot about the boy. At least, I thought I did.
The rest of the week moved faster than I expected. By the second day, the corridors didn’t feel quite as unfamiliar. By the third, I knew where to get water without asking someone. By the fourth, I had already developed opinions about some of the people in my class.
There was the girl who spoke like an animation character. There was the guy who loved to argue with our class instructor. There was the girl who always got all our morning riddles wrong. There was the guy who was always talking.
There was Heaven popularly known as the class representative and there was me. Still trying to figure where I fit but I was already talking to some people, only in my own class.
I liked watching people. Maybe too much.
I noticed the way people changed when instructors walked into the room. I noticed who became louder around their friends and who became quieter. I noticed who was confident and who only pretended to be.
Maybe that was why I kept noticing him too. The boy always in jacket. I saw him again on Wednesday. He was sitting in the cafeteria with the same four girls. They all laughed while he just sat and watched something on his phone. This time I noticed his face—not enough to describe it because I didn’t care enough but just enough to recognize him.
I looked up just before he could look up which was ridiculous because he hadn’t been looking at me. I didn’t know his name, I didn’t know if he was nice or annoying but I sure knew his friends were and he too when he was with them because of their noise. I knew he always wore a jacket and I knew he was in directing class though—Heaven told me, she knew everyone in school already.
Friday came quickly and it was time to film our first monologues as actors. We were all paired into groups, with directors, editors, producers and cinematographers.
I was nervous but one of the jacket boy friends was my director so she thought me my character build and how I should act. I studied her very well, she was rude—not to me though but she was rude.
When my name was called, I stood up. I looked at the room and at everyone watching me and then I started. I wasn’t perfect but at least I didn’t miss a line.
When I finished, my director turned to me “Good work.” She said.
I sat back down.
“You survived.” Heaven whispered to me.
“Barely.” I smiled. But inside something felt different, maybe this was where I was meant to be. I wasn’t perfect yet but I knew I could figure it all out.
After we all had presented, everyone began packing their bags to leave. I stood outside waiting for my ride. My bag hung loosely from my shoulder and I was exhausted in the way only a long week could make you.
I was about to check my phone again when, suddenly, someone pushed me from behind. I lost my balance.
Before I could even figure out what was happening, I stumbled forward and fell straight into one of the shallow pits beside the walkway. My bag slipped from my shoulder. My phone nearly flew out of my hand.
“Ah!” I screamed. For a few seconds, I just sat there, stunned.
I heard someone laugh behind me and ignored it. I pushed myself up, dusting my clothes as I climbed out of the pit. My knees hurt and my whole body was covered in dirt. Everyone stared like they were in a cinema.
“What’s wrong with people in this school?” I muttered.
I reached down to pick my bag and that’s when I noticed my wrist. My wristwatch was gone.
I looked down and saw it just on the bag, the whole glass, shattered. I froze. I stared at it for a few seconds, unable to believe what I was seeing.
My sister had given me that as my birthday present few days before she left.
“Seriously?” I bent down to pick it and that’s when I felt a pair of eyes on me. I looked up. It was him—the boy in the damn jacket.
He stood staring at me, not with concern or regret or guilt. Just strangely.
His eyes moved from my face to the broken watch on my hands, he eyed me, then shifts his gaze to the watch, eyed it too and then walked off.
I watched him leave then I look down at my broken watch again.
That was my first real encounter with the boy in jacket. He hadn’t even said a word to me and I hated him so much already.
