#JUST_BEST_FRIENDS
Author: Sam Freddy
CHAPTER 32: CONSEQUENCES.
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One week later. Thursday.
As early as six thirty at dawn, Yomi and Candice arrived at Candice's new apartment with a big smile on their faces. Why? Because Candice's apartment had just been fully set up yesterday, and because she was finally moving in today.
Candice, in particular, stomached so much excitement that surpassed Yomi's joy, mainly because she was at the winning end without spending a dime on the house. It actually took a great deal of guts for Yomi to take cash from his business account which he eventually used to furnish Candice's crib, and that was because of Candice's constant nagging which always drove him insane and restless after he almost went broke due to the robbery he experienced last week.
Yomi knew full-well that his actions would eventually affect his business, especially when it comes to paying his workers' salaries and his shop rent, but if crossing the lines for Candice guaranteed Candice's happiness, then he was ready to face the music, fair and square.
“Wow.” Candice's eyes wandered around the apartment, noticing every single detail about the designs as she walked about. “You did a good job with this place, boo.”
“Yeah.” Yomi concurred, dropping her trolley bags beside her wardrobe. “I'm glad you like it.”
“You even added a chandelier to the ceiling!” Candice gasped, holding her chest in surprise. “No freakin' way!”
“Yes freaking way.” Yomi spread his arms out. “Anything for you, babe.”
Candice got the memo and walked up to him for a super tight hug, whilst laughing. “You just never cease to amaze me, do you?”
Yomi attempted to speak, but something unusual suddenly happened. It was as if his voice vanished and his words halted right in his throat, choking him to the point that he started coughing erratically.
Frightened, Candice broke their hug, watching as Yomi held his chest and his neck in pain. She fearfully asked him what was wrong with him but she got no comprehensible reply, so she quickly went to take a bottle of water from one of her trolley bags and gave it to him. It wasn't until Yomi sat down and drank the whole bottle that he attained pure relief. The choking and coughing miraculously ceased, much to Candice's relief as well.
“Babe, what was that all about?” Candice joined Yomi on the bed, panting heavily. “You almost killed me!”
“Baby, I'm-I am sorry.” Yomi coughed one last time, breathing fast. “I don't know what triggered that cough. I didn't mean to-to scare you, babe.”
Candice sighed, collecting the empty bottle from Yomi. “Don't worry, it's okay. At least you're fine now.”
“Yeah, babe.”
A call suddenly came through from Candice's phone. She would've snubbed whoever it was for Yomi, if only it wasn't someone bigger than him; someone like Chief Rochas.
Funnily enough, Yomi actually noticed the odd look that Candice gave him before she excused herself to answer her call outside. He suspected foul play big time, but he stayed chill despite the trillion thoughts running through his mind.
There was really no need to get himself all worked up, because he'd already plotted a plan in no time. All he had to do was wait for his significant other to return in order to execute it.
“Who called you?” Yomi demanded the very moment Candice walked back inside, gazing at her intently.
“A family member.” She closed the door, smiling. “What's up with that look?”
“Give me your phone.” Yomi stood up, approaching her, his hand wide open to her.
“Why?” Candice's smile disappeared, her face contorting sporadically.
“Just give it to me, Candice.” Yomi halted before her, his tone unbelievably chill. “I'm not asking for much, am I?”
“No, but my phone is my personal stuff.” Candice took a step back, holding her phone firmly. “Respect my privacy.”
“Babe, you use my phone all the time and I've never complained, not even for once.” Yomi stated clearly, still extending his open hand to Candice. “And I've always respected your privacy, that's why I've never ever toyed with your phone before. So why can't you just do me this one favor and hand it over to me?”
“Sorry, but I can't.” Candice insisted, headstrongly. “It's my phone, so I can decide on what to do with it. And if you truly love me, you'd respect my decision, Yomi.”
“My friend give me that phone jor!” Yomi flared up, snatching the phone from her in one swift motion.
Ordinarily, he'd expected Candice to brawl with him, but she surprisingly stayed cool with her arms crossed whilst smirking. He didn't understand why she was so calm until he clicked on her phone's screen.
“What's your password?” He looked up at her, alarmed.
“Why don't you just take a big, wild guess, Mr. Know It All?”
“I'm not playing with you, Candice.” Yomi cautioned her sternly. “What is your password?”
“My password is s-c-r-e-w-y-o-u.” Candice stated sarcastically. “Make sure it's all in caps.”
Yomi's anger doubled up as he grabbed Candice's hand with frustration, attempting to use the fingerprint method instead, but she balled her hands into fists, refusing to be subdued.
“Leave me alone!” She complained, struggling with him. “Yomi I will scream o!”
“Open your damn phone for me!” Yomi vented, gripping her tightly. “You can scream your lungs out for all I care!”
“Oh, oh, really? Is that so?” Candice accepted his challenge, warming up for a little dramatic session. “Somebody help! Help me!”
“Stop screaming!”
“Help! Somebody please help me!” Candice screamed louder. “This man wants to rape me! Help me please!”
Yomi quickly freed her, stepping away in shock. “Keep your mouth shut, for God's sake!”
Candice cracked up at that, especially at the horrified look on Yomi's face. “Look at your face! Priceless!”
“Have you lost your damn mind, Candice?” Yomi spewed venomously. “Why were you screaming like a mad woman? Are you mad?”
“I haven't even started anything sef.” Candice stretched her hand to Yomi, panting. “Give me my phone now unless you want me to perform more drama here.”
Yomi stood still, petrified. He was between a rock and a hard place.
Firstly, if he gives Candice her phone back, she'd probably feel superior over him, knowing full-well that she could always have her way in any situation with him. Also, if he refuses to adhere to her will, she'd definitely scream her lungs out and land him in trouble, and trouble was the last thing Yomi needed today.
Either way, it was a win-win for Candice, so Yomi swallowed his pride and returned her phone quietly.
“Good boy.” Candice purred, walking majestically to the door, her bag in her hand. “Catch ya later.”
“So you are just gonna leave, huh?”
“Yup. I'm a grown-ass woman. I can do whatever I want.” Candice said sultrily, wearing her sunshades. “On that note, I'll deal with you later, darlin'. Right now, I have someone way less important to deal with.”
__________
8:33 AM.
Slowly, Tayo parked his car by the side of the road, right in front of Isioma's faculty — the Faculty of Arts. It was a full car, consisting of Idara, Anastasia, Isioma, Jordan and Tayo himself.
Every one of them had no lectures today, except for Isioma, and she hated the fact that she was going to miss out on their trip to the arcade at Ikoyi.
“How come you are all going to have fun today without me?” Isioma grumbled, pouting. “It's not fair o.”
Idara laughed from the passenger seat, where she sat beside Tayo. “Life sucks. We know.”
“Look who's talking.” Isioma hissed at Idara. “You're busy holding hands with Mr. Handsome over there and talking like you know anything about stress. If I reason you ehn.”
Everyone laughed in unison, as Idara countered with, “Am I the cause of your misfortune?”
“I swear I will come over there and slap your head if you say one more word.”
“Isioma, leave my baby alone, please.” Tayo kissed the back of Idara's hand, offering her a cool wink. “She's all I've got.”
Idara's eyelashes fluttered, a lovely blush sweeping across her face. She felt special… loved.
“What about me?” Anastasia fired. “I suddenly don't mean anything to you? Mom is a joke to you, too?”
“You know I didn't mean it that way, Ana.” Tayo gave his sister a side grin. “You and Mom are family, so is Idara, dear.”
“Super story.” Anastasia rolled her eyes, scoffing.
“Shouldn't we get going already?” Jordan asked, impatiently.
“Why're you in such a hurry, though?” Isioma elbowed Jordan, who was glued between she and Anastasia. “Got a separate date with your boyfriend or something?”
Jordan sighed. “Girl, please.”
Isioma giggled. “Speaking of boyfriends, where on Earth is Steve, your precious boo-boo?”
“He's busy at home.”
“Oh, I see. So he's too busy to chill with you, right?” Isioma taunted Jordan, sticking her tongue out. “When I said you should date me, you didn't listen. You see your life now?”
Jordan laughed, shaking his head at that. “Somebody please kick this girl out for me. I'm tired.”
“Meh. No need for that. I'm leaving.” Isioma opened the car door, laughing. “Y'all have fun.”
On that note, everyone wished Isioma good luck before Tayo zoomed off. Happily and purposefully, Isioma strode into her faculty and up to her department but stopped abruptly when she saw some students gathered outside, arguing amongst themselves. She instantly got the memo and rushed forward to check the test results on the notice board, but she saw nothing there.
Frightened but determined, Isioma entered her class and met her class governor, who then handed her script to her after she asked for it.
Sincerely, the shock that struck Isioma was indescribable on seeing her script. How could this be? These were simple questions that she could ace even in her sleep, yet she got only one over twenty on it. Something wasn't right at all.
“Sir, there's something wrong with my script.” Isioma announced to her class governor, panicking.
“What's wrong with it?” He asked, concerned.
“It's my score. I did so well on this test, yet I failed it. How could this be?” Isioma handed her paper to him, worried.
The class governor skimmed through it before saying, “I'm afraid you're right, Isioma. Although everyone's questions are different, I can relate with yours. You really did a good job with the breakdown of your topic, and your diction and punctuation are spot on. I just don't understand why Mr. Rochas would fail you for such an exceptional work.”
“I don't understand why, either.” Isioma croaked. “That's why I'm letting you know. Maybe you could help me, Mr. Josh.”
Mr. Josh sighed, standing up from his seat. “God knows that I'd love to help you, Isioma, but I have to meet Mrs. Amy in her office before she comes here to lecture us. She actually summoned me earlier, and I was about to leave when you came.”
Isioma sighed, restless. “So what do I do now?”
“Well, as you can see, my assistant is absent today. I would've told him to help you if he was here.” Mr. Josh returned Isioma's script, feeling sorry for her. “But I'll advise you to hurry to Mr. Rochas' office right away. I'm very sure he's around, as we speak.”
“Oh, thank you, sir!” Isioma started rushing off. “God bless you.”
“Amen, and you're welcome.”
In no time at all, Isioma arrived at her lecturer's office and knocked on his door. She then entered after being granted permission, and guess who she saw with him? Nobody else but Candice, her sworn enemy.
Sighting Candice in her lecturer's office — of all places — was the second shocker Isioma was receiving today. Interestingly, not only was Candice present in Mr. Rochas' office, but she was also sitting on his laps, smooching him.
In her state of shock, Isioma turned around to leave, but Mr. Rochas ordered her to stay, while he continued kissing Candice. They smooched as if she wasn't even there, until they'd had enough of it.
“What brings you here, young woman?” Mr. Rochas asked eventually, as Candice got off of his laps.
“This, sir.” Isioma raised her script, walking towards him, ignoring Candice who was shamelessly applying make-up on the couch.
The most shocking part of this entire thing was that Mr. Rochas was somebody's husband, for goodness' sake! Isioma could tell that from the ring on his finger, and she assumed that he probably had kids too, yet he was busy misbehaving with a wayward campus girl who had no fear of God and regard for married men.
In actuality, Isioma wasn't too surprised, though, as long as it was Candice in action. Candice had buried her conscience a long time ago, and that was no longer news to behold.
“Stop there.” Mr. Rochas commanded, instilling fear in Isioma. “I didn't say you should come to me,” he added sternly. “Or did I?”
“No, sir. You didn't.”
“Good. Now, come forward.”
Isioma obeyed.
“So, you were saying?”
“Sir, um, please have a look at my paper.” Isioma held it out to him. “I think there must've been some sort of mistake on my grade, because I did quite well on it.”
With a thick frown, Mr. Rochas collected Isioma's paper and did the unthinkable right there and then. Before her very eyes, he tore the paper ruthlessly and rolled it into a ball before tossing it into his dustbin.
“You want to know what I think, right?” He remarked, pointing at his dustbin. “There you go. It's trash.”
Candice burst into laughter, deliberately mocking Isioma who was in grave shock, because her lecturer's sudden action was too much for her to take in.
“You can leave my office now.” Mr. Rochas said to Isioma, a blunt look in place.
“But, sir, you just tore my entire work!” Isioma's voice cracked, as she was on the verge of crying. “I just can't lose twenty marks for nothing!”
“I said, leave my office, now!”
“But, sir, this is not fair!” Isioma complained, raising her voice. “This is injustice! It's inhumane! Do you realize how badly this could affect my grades on this course?”
“Does that look like my problem?” Mr. Rochas slammed the table furiously. “You better leave here before I call security on you, young lady!”
“God will judge you.” Isioma stormed out aggressively after adding, “God will judge you both!”
Scarcely had she taken a step away when Candice popped out of the office, smiling triumphantly.
“Candice, what did I ever do to deserve this from you?” Isioma demanded, her eyes soaking up with tears. “Why would you go to this length to hurt me?”
Candice laughed, deriving pleasure from Isioma's pain. “Remember the day you slapped me?”
Isioma froze, as it swiftly occurred to her. “Is that what this is all about?”
“When I told you I would deal with you, you thought I was bluffing, right?” Candice boasted, eyeing Isioma up and down. “Next time, in your next life, you'd never mess with me, b!tch.”
And with that, Candice brushed past Isioma and left the hallway after hissing loudly at her.
In truth, Isioma wasn't one to cry anyhow, but this particular situation was truly beyond her.
Broken and weary, Isioma plopped down on a wooden bench behind her and burst into tears, regretting the day she ever met Candice.