If you've ever made me smile during the course of this book, then this chapter is for you. I love you so much ❤️❤️❤️
So this chapter had to be divided into two. I wanted to make it a double update but that would mean delaying the updates till Monday or Tuesday and I really don't think y'all would have wanted that. So enjoy ❤️
Last Days at Crescent High
KUNMI
What happens when you've spent the last 72 hours in the company of the William cousins?
You become crazy, like totally crazy.
I couldn't start to say all the crazy things they've made me do.
I couldn't even believe that I was capable of doing every thing they've made me do.
We've been together since a day to the Variety Night making it even three days now and well...
Sophia Williams and Gabriella Williams had made me into a crazy girl.
They made me do a lap dance.
On a chair.
While screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs as if we were in the middle of some strip show.
Sophia had asked Gab to show us how she grinded on Alex during the Variety Night.
That one too had been so eager to comply and guess what Sophia did?
She asked me to watch keenly so I'd use it for future purposes.
I was supposed to hiss and look away, probably bury my head in my phone or something but guess what I did?
I sat back and watched with keen eyes.
And even when Sophia suggested that I practice what Gab just did.
I did it without the slightest bit of hesitation.
Like I said, the Williams Cousins have turned me into some sort of crazy and weird girl and daring girl.
I did not even believe I could believe I could do the things they've made me do.
I did not believe that I could be that daring and bold and....
I didn't even know.
Now, it was just an hour to Prom and we were all dressed up in our gowns and I don't see any reason why we weren't leaving yet but Sophia had insisted that we still wait so that we'll get there fashionably late.
Fashionably late.
Her make up artistes had spent hours, no, decades on our faces that my neck and shoulder were hurting so badly all in the name of getting makeup done.
If this is what models and media personalities have to endure everyday all in the name of making up, then I wasn't envious of the profession at all again.
Now, we were done and I was sitting in front of Sophia's vanity and staring at myself in the mirror.
And I couldn't stop staring.
At my own face in the mirror.
Ironic, isn't it?
Funny how just few months ago, I couldn't bear to look at myself in the mirror, couldn't even risk seeing myself in the mirror but now, I was staring at my own face and body in the mirror and I wasn't feeling the least bit repulsed about anything.
I was loving it, I realized.
I was starting to love my own body.
Rolls, fats, plump hands, chubby face and all.
I was starting to love them all.
You know, contrary to the expectations you have about coming out to get counselled on self love, there is no counselor or therapist or psychologist in the world that will teach you how to love yourself. We can only counsel you on making a conscious decision to love yourself.
That was what Adesua had told during one of our chats.
Self love is a conscious decision. It's a decision to sit with yourself on your loneliest and darkest days. On the days when the voices in your head tell you over and over again that you're worthless and ugly and ridiculous and unloveable, it's a conscious decision to brave it and tell yourself that you're none of those things.
Self love is loving all your perceived perfections, it's loving all your perceived flaws.
I felt my eyes cloud over when I remembered the number of years I had spent hating and harming my own body and I really wished I had met Adesua earlier.
I knew everything that had happened this past few months happened for a reason, that I probably wouldn't start embracing and loving myself if those things hadn't happened.
But I still couldn't help but wish that they didn't happen at Aminah's expense.
I wished she was here with us, enjoying our last days at Crescent High. She'd be the most enthusiastic, the happiest and I knew she'd be jumping from one place to another.
I missed her. I've really really missed her.
I realized just as that terrible wave of sadness overtook my entire body again.
Don't think about that. Think about her being in a better place now.
Yes, I knew that but I still couldn't help it. I wasn't in control of my emotions.
And it made me remember when Mayowa drove me to Aminah's house so I'd return her diary and the gym membership card.
The house had been so quiet, so eerily quiet, so devoid of Aminah's laughter and shrill voice. I wanted to drop the items in the sitting room but forces beyond my control had propelled me to climb the stairs and walk to her room.
Her room had looked lived in, the bed was well made, there was an open book on her reading desk, a pair of slip on directly beside her bed and the TV was turned on and tuned to Nickelodeon, her favourite channel and her bathroom's door has been slightly opened to show her mom cleaning it vigorously.
I needed no soothsayer to tell me that the woman was suffering from the worst kind of delusion and hallucination ever.
"Hmm hmmm, Baby Kay, you've been staring at the mirror for almost 30 minutes now, ehn? Leave all the ogling and checking out to your pretty boy. Trust me, he is going to have all night to stare at your face and body."
Sophia's high pitched voice jolted me out of my reverie and I looked up to see her walking towards me.
"Hmm. I'm so jealous. Look at all these beauties for just one person. God when?" She whined, making puppy eyes at me before she cupped her face.
"God when what? You're easily the prettiest person here." I told her and Gab blanched from where she was sitting down on the sofa.
"I'm prettier than Sophia." She boasted casually "And I remember when Sophia used to cry and run around with a runny noise because I was prettier than her. Dourh." She stuck out her tongue at Sophia and the latter just looked at her as if she wanted to gag her.
I honestly believed Gab and I couldn't help but picture young Sophia crying and whining about Gab being prettier than her.
Such a drama queen.
"Anyway, baby Kay. I think another necklace will look good on you rather than this one that's hugging your neck. You need a dangling one."
"No, I honestly think this is..."
She did not even wait for me to finish before she produced a chain with a sleek pendant and she was quick to help me put it on.
"See, it's so fine and perfect." She announced to me, beaming as if she had actually done something so perfect.
The chain was absolutely perfect, with the way it was shimmering and shining against the light but the pendant, the straight pendant stopped right on my cleavage.
Highlighting it.
Making it even more pronounced.
I was already feeling somewhat conscious about showing this much cleavage.
And now, Sophia was telling me to wear a chain with a pendant that'd draw even more attention to my cleavage.
I can't do that.
"I can't wear this, it's making my cleavage so obvious." I told her, then started to reach for the hook.
She slapped my hands away.
"Of course, that's the idea. To draw more attention to your cleavage so Adam won't be able to look away. Amazing, isn't it?"
Oh God!
She intentionally made me wear this just to make my cleavage more obvious and because of Adam?
I didn't want to but still, there was that tiny voice in my head, telling me to go along with it.
I bet you'd love to see Adam's expression when he sees you...
Oh God! Stop.
"I agree with Sophia," Gab announced, drawing my attention to her once again, "I mean, his eyes is going to be fixed on your cleavage quite alright but then, he could use a little help to help him focus."
What??
"Honestly, just look at Kunmi's breasts. I want breasts like that too, not this morsels on my chest." She wailed while staring at her chest with a look of mock disgust.
I was laughing before I could stop myself.
"Morsels? I think you mean cherries, coz."
"Cherries are way way bigger, these..." She pointed to her breasts again, "...are not even as big as morsels self. I feel so sorry for my future husband." She complained while making puppy and teary faces at me through the mirror.
I had initially concluded that I wasn't going to get surprised by whatever comes out of Sophia's mouth again but then, her weirdness was never going to make that possible.
"Anyway, Baby Kay, wear this chain now, you need to help Adam focus."
As if helping him focus on my cleavage was something good to do.
But I still couldn't help but to wonder...
Couldn't help but to want to actually use the chain...
Strangely enough, I was liking how the chain looks on my neck.
Especially the pendant.
"You like it, don't you?" I was interrupted by Sophia's smug voice and I looked up to see her grinning at me through the mirror.
Witch.
One of her numerous nicknames.
"Of course, you like it! It's so obvious you like it even though it's solely because of just one reason." She said in a sing song voice before she started to dance off towards where Gab was.
This Sophia ehn.
It made me remember this afternoon, just a few hours before Adam dad's trial, his mom's interview got published and when Sophia read it, she had been beyond surprised.
And even terrified at herself that her so called best friend had been going through that much for years now and she really had no idea.
"I wished he could have at least told someone instead of keeping all these to himself."
I found myself quietly telling her that he told me and her eyes had widened in what, at that moment, I had assumed to be mild anger and hurt before she heaved a relieved sigh.
"See the reason why I'm glad you guys met each other. I'm glad you were able to confide in him and make him feel seen and understood. No wonder he stopped being on his periods so much after he met you."
She told me sincerely before she went ahead to bombarding Adam's dm with a thousand love emojis.
And weird stickers.
And I knew at that moment that just like her weirdness would never stop amusing me, her angelic personality would also never stop surprising me.
"Hey, Stephanie is calling." Sophia beamed and almost immediately, I heard the loudest and shrillest and highest pitched voice ever.
"WE FINALLY KISSED!" She screamed, shouted that I was sure that my eardrums had shattered.
"We kissed, we kissed, we finally kissed." She was still screaming on the phone and I really just had to pause.
Kiss who?
Was she not supposed to be in India, on an hospital bed, getting treated for a terminal disease but what?
She was getting kissed?
"Really? How did you do it? How did it happen?" Sophia asked, sounding even more overly excited than her sister and I just had to shake my head.
Is there even a single sane person in the Williams family?
No. Definitely No.
"Okay, okay, lemme calm down to explain. Well, I just sort of tricked him by lying that I was feeling some sort of pain in my throat, he leaned closer and that was when I made my move."
Oh wow! She was talking about her doctor? She kissed her doctor?
"Wow! How was it? Did you enjoy it? Did he kiss you back?"
"Of course, he did. He kissed me like his life depended on it before he pulled back and went all ballistic on me for trivialising pain just to get what I want, as if it was a one sided kiss. Dourh."
What did I say about the Williams again?
"He's such a coward."
"Nah, he's not. He's just torn between his ethical practices and his love for me but don't worry, I'm going to seduce the hell out of him before I leave this place."
Hmmmmmm.
"I'm rooting for you."
"Scratch that, we're rooting for you." Gab echoed and she stood up to join Sophia in the video call.
"Stephen did something similar last week too. You won't believe he followed me to my interview only to end up making out with the show's anchor. Thank God I even caught them in the dressing room, if not, I'd have become an Aunty by now."
What did I say about the Williams again?
"Really? He was making out with Zainab? Have they met each other before then?"
"Apparently no and guess what, when we were driving back home, I asked him why he was kissing her and he asked me how I knew what they were doing was kissing? As if I'm a two year old."
I just had to burst into laughter at that, a laughter I was quick to stifle because Sophia glared at me.
"Ehn? How would you know what a kiss is? You're supposed to be an innocent 17 year old."
"Innocent my foot. I'm graduating Secondary School in two days time and tonight is my prom. I'm all grown, sis."
"And still, you're going to your prom without a date and..." I started hearing shuffles, quick shuffles, "Your future brother in law is here so I have to go now. You guys should have fun tonight and your Baby Kay must win Prom Queen."
And she cut the call and I smiled, knowing fully well that Sophia must have bombarded her with all the informations about me.
And yes, Sophia said no to Kunle.
I mean, she turned his prom-posal down.
And just when he pulled her back again, it started raining just like Ezekiel had predicted.
It just had to start raining at that moment.
So bollywoodish.
"Sophia, you're really serious about not going to prom with Kunle? I mean, he has been your best friend since forever. You shouldn't graduate from secondary school without straightening things out."
"We can straighten things out without going to Prom together."
"And how will you do that when you're not even interested in a conversation? The first step is to go to prom together so you'll have time to talk."
"See ehn," She sat down on her bed with a loud thud, "I just keep feeling guilty and the least I can do to respect Aminah's memory is not to hook up with Kunle. We're graduating High school in two days. He's probably travelling out of the country and I'm taking a year off to focus on my career and foundation. We shouldn't..."
"Aminah wanted the both of you to be together," I found myself saying and they both turned to me, "I read it in her diary. She felt guilty for stealing Kunle from you and causing you so much distress so she wanted to make things right by setting you guys up."
"It still doesn't change a thing." Sophia replied me with a dismissive tone and Gab shrugged before walking closer to the mirror to look at herself.
"You mentioned a foundation earlier, are you finally setting up a foundation for Cancer patients?" I asked her because I knew that she had been keen on setting up a foundation for cancer patients because of her sister but what I got as a reply from her was just a shrug.
"No, I changed my mind. I'm setting up an anti-fat phobic and anti diet culture foundation."
Oh wow.
"I mean, it's so rotten but no one pays that much attention to it so I'm just hoping to change something through the foundation."
Oh wow.
"Baby Kay, you'll have to be our columnist when we officially starts. The foundation is mainly focused on teens and you have first hand knowledge on how horrible growing up in a fat-phobic community is."
Oh wow.
"You don't have to do it if you don't want to. I mean, it might be too much to..."
"I want to." I interrupted her and I really wanted to. I wanted to help young girls like me that have always felt imprisoned in their own body, that have always hated their own body. If documenting my struggles and how I'm finally overcoming it was the way I'd help them, then I'd gladly do it.
And popular teen model, Sophia Williams was offering me a platform to do just that.
And she even ditched setting up a foundation in her sister's honor just because of Aminah and I, just how awesome can she get?
"I know, I'm a spec, right?"
Witch.
"Wouldn't it be hard to work together if Kunmi is travelling out of the country to further her education?"
"Well..."
"I'm not travelling out of the country," I announced, "I plan on schooling right here in Nigeria. I mean, I'd love to attend Coven School of Art."
The rate at which Gab shot of her the chair she had gone to sit on to sit beside me in front of the vanity almost made me fall off.
"Really? Wow! That's so nice. I've always loved the school, always loved everything about it. Heard it's one of the finest schools in Africa, heard it's one of the best Art schools in the world. Their hostels are like mini condos, right? And don't even get me started on the fine and interesting art courses they have to offer. God! The pictures of the school that I've seen online turns me on so much."
Aah!
What did I say about the Williams again?
"But isn't it incredibly hard to get into the school if you don't attend their secondary school or live in their estate?"
"It is but... I'm just going to try my luck, I guess."
She made puppy faces and teary faces at me.
"I feel so sorry for my dear life. I already know I'm going to end up in a boring school like Harvard or John Hopkin's University."
"Only straight A students will call Harvard and John Hopkin's boring but see people like us, won ti e bi wa da."
She only snorted in reply to Sophia's words before she stood up and walked back to her seat with a slight change in her mood.
I wasn't sure I'd be able to gain admission into a University like Coven School of Art because it takes just limited numbers of students making it extremely competitive.
But still, I really really wanted to get it.
"Girls, our ride is here ooo."
"Now, let's go and storm our Prom."
Gabriella screamed before she sashayed her way out of the room.
*************
There are perks to being a popular teen model.
There are massive perks to being one of the most popular teen models.
Okay, scratch that, there are tumultuous perks to being one of the most popular teen models in the world.
And one of those perks have to be this heaven and haven in form of a car.
Oh my God!
This feels surreal.
The bouncers holding the door for us, the comfortable seats, the spacious space in the car, the cool feel, the sheer exquisiteness of just being in the car, it smelt splendour and exquisiteness.
This feels like a best life.
Someone's best life.
Sophia wouldn't stop talking our pictures and updating her fans who were eager to know what she was up to. They were so obsessive that I was sure that they would be interested in watching her use the toilet.
And don't even get me started on Sophia's gown, she decided to ditch the popular long gown and wear something shorter for prom but it had no idea it was going to be something this short. It could even pass as a top because it was barely covering her ass but it still couldn't deny that it looked so hot on her.
It was only Sophia Williams that could pull off wearing something like this to prom. It was a golden-cream colored body hugging short gown with a V neck and back that dipped very low, that showed a ample size of her morsel-breasts and with two flares each as sleeves that started the shoulder and around her elbow.
Queen Weirdo's look for prom😍😍😍
Sophia Williams and showing off too much skin.
Gab wouldn't stop gushing about how the night was going to turn to be the night of our life, how she was sure she and Alex would win the best and most popular couple.
Gab decided to be sort of unique so she was dressed up in that normal ball gown style without sleeves but the front of her dress was cut out in a way that I was afraid her breasts would spill out with the amount of cleavage it was exposing. Heck, Alex was in for deep shit together.
And the most unique thing about Gab's gown, it was made from Ankara print.
Gab's look 🔥🔥😭😭😭
And yes, I couldn't stop feeling euphoric and giddy in anticipation of how tonight will play out.
**********
ADAM
I've lost track of the number of times Alex had called me that stupidly weird name in the last 24 hours.
Hyung. Brother. Hyung. Brother. Hyung. Hyung. Hyung. Hyung.
I legit felt like I'd have to gag him or punch him in the face.
Anything, just anything to shut him up.
But I still had it better, that chingu thing he was calling Kunle was even more annoying and I was sure that my best friend had lost his hearing a couple of time since we got to his house.
I thought I'd be the only one sleeping over at Kunle's place until Alex arrived with all his weirdness.
I've not had a single peace since then.
And I've actually contemplated strangulating him or just doing anything to shut him up.
God!
Alex fucking Chatta.
A pain in the ass.
Then Mom's interview got published and while some people were quick to praise her for her bravery and courage for coming out and speaking up on her abusive marriage, some still had the nerve to post mean things about her.
It's after she cheated on her husband that she can come out to spurt lies like this.
I don't even all the things she's saying. Coming out and playing the victim card after duping the man of his hard earned money. Bloody har***
I fear who doesn't fear women!
All those left a painful twitch in my gut but I just realised that they all didn't matter at all.
Especially after I testified against dad. Yeah. I had to testify against dad on the grounds of abuse against mom.
And even though the odds didn't look like they were in our favour, we won and dad got sentenced to to 6 years imprisonment.
I think that's all that matters.
"HYUNG!" Alex called out again, jolting me out of my reverie and shattering my eardrums in the process.
I'm so going to kill this boy.
I turned back from the mirror where, yeah, I had been checking myself out, wondering how a face could look that flawless and perfect and pretty and awesome.
No wonder Kunmi was smitten with my face.
I turned back to see Alex still in his briefs and nothing more even though we were supposed to leave for prom in less than an hour now.
Alex had been hoarding whatever he wanted to wear to prom to himself without letting even his chingu see it and now I was beyond convinced that this dude was going to show up in something as ridiculous as what Ezekiel wore last night.
An outfit I still couldn't get over.
An outfit I'd never get over.
"Hyung!"
God.
"You look breathtaking. Now, I'm tempted to pull a fast one on you and steal this coat..."
Then he attempted to touch my white jacket and I shrunk back immediately.
"Don't you dare touch my coat with your hands." I warned sternly and the guy just shrugged casually.
"You wouldn't be shrinking away if it was Kunmi, it's your own gender that's always the problem, hyung."
And he had to punctuate his already weird sentence with that stupid weird name.
I turned away from him with the intention of ignoring him completely. If I stopped replying him, he'd leave me alone and just get dressed.
But Alex just propped down on Alex's bed as if e had all the time in the world.
As if he wasn't supposed to be showing up for prom in less than 45 minutes.
"Hey guys, are you..." The door opened and Kunle strolled in only to stop mid sentence on seeing that Alex was still very much undressed and wasn't even doing anything to get dressed.
"Alex, what's up? Are you not going for prom?"
Should be 'are you stupid?' because I simply didn't understand Alex.
At all.
"If you guys are ready, I am too." He replied casually and I had to look at him again.
He was still in only his briefs.
"Dressed like that? In only your briefs?"
Alex actually had to look down on his body and I watched as surprise filled his eyes.
He was surprised that he was still undressed?
"Oh shit!" He muttered and he stood up with a start, "I've forgotten that I'm still undressed, just give me a minute..." And he dashed into Kunle's mini closest.
I almost had an heart attack.
What kind of weirdness is this for goodness sake?
"So, you're really going to prom alone?"
I asked Kunle who was now leaning against his wall with his eyes solely fixed on his phone.
"No," He replied instantly and my interest was piqued immediately.
"No? You've gotten a date?"
That made him look up from his phone and he shrugged ever so casually, "Yes and No. I mean, I'm still going with Sophia. I'm just going to have to convince her before the program starts... That is if she doesn't show up like 3 hours into the program."
I actually chuckled at that. He knew Sophia so well. They'd have made the perfect couple but shit happened and now, I wasn't even sure if there was hope for the both of them.
"So, are you..."
"You're making me jealous and insecure, dude, how can you make casual look so hot?" He interrupted, eyeing me, eyeing how I was dressed and I couldn't help the small smile that tugged at my lips.
I didn't want to dress up, wasn't even the type to dress up so I just opted for black trousers, white turtle neck, white jacket and white sneakers.
The pretty boy's look for Prom 😍😍
But Kunle decided to dress up, infact he was the type to dress up and he couldn't look more perfect and mysterious in this complete black tux.
Kunle's look 😪😪🔥🔥
But Alex, he was still in that closet, dressing up and I beyond convinced that he was going to come out dressed in a completely ridiculous outfit but Alex just decided to completely surprise us when he walked out and my mouth dropped open.
He wasn't dressed in a tuxedo.
Or a shirt and trouser.
Or shorts and top.
Or any ridiculous outfit.
Alex Chatta decided to show up for Prom in an Agbada.
Agbada.
He was dressed in orange Agbada with a walking stick in his hands and he proceeded to complete his outfits with two beads on his neck, a white and orange one and an orange traditional cap.
King Weirdo's look for the night😩😩😩😩
Oh wow.
"Oh wow, just look at the twist. An Agbada to Prom. That's a classic move, chingu." Kunle was quick to hype him up and the dude just kept feeling himself and he kept folding and unfolding the agbada's sleeves and smiling and posing as if he was in front of the camera.
I didn't want to admit it to him but well, he looked too good and hot in it and damn, it was so unique, I mean dressing up in an Agbada for prom.
"Hyung, Ootte? How do I look?"
I frowned, ooo what? What's up with this dude and extremely weird words?
"Ootte means how is it." He explained to me and my frown just deepened.
"Okay, can we at least leave now?"
I started to walk away but Alex grabbed me by my wrist.
"Of course not, not before taking pictures."
"We can always take pictures..."
He shushed me and that was how we ended up wasting our time snapping pictures that were mostly Alex's pictures.
And I couldn't deny that I enjoyed it.
**************
Sophia's sleek limousine drove right to the entrance of the hall and my heart actually did a double flip.
I was nervous.
And I really couldn't explain why.
I have a feeling that I was really going to embarrass myself in front of Kunmi today.
And I just couldn't shake that feeling off.
I just knew it that I was bound to make a fool of myself.
When we got to the main hall that we were to use for prom, our classmates were all gathered around, taking pictures, laughing and shouting at the top of their voices.
They were dressed up, looking all chic and elegant and when I saw Ezekiel, omoh, my Jaws actually dropped to the floor and I had to pick it up from the floor.
Ezekiel and being exceptional exception.
He was dressed up.
Excellently.
Ezekiel's look for the night.
And he wouldn't stop jumping around us, wouldn't stop hyping us up, wouldn't stop complimenting how good we looked and in the end, he ended up staining my white coat with the stupid fanice ice cream he had been religiously sucking.
I couldn't even get angry at him if I wanted to.
One look at his ever smiling and grinning face was all it took for my anger to dissipate.
Now, Sophia's limousine was already parked at the entrance and honestly, my heart wouldn't stop pounding.
It's official, I become something else whenever I was about to see Kunmi or whenever I was with her.
I've just got it really really bad for her.
One of Sophia's bouncers pulled the door opened and one of the girls stepped out.
One of the girls stepped out in a flurry of mustard yellow furs, covering the entire length of her lower body and my gaze kept trailing upward and upward till my eyes zeroed in on the upper part of the gown, the opened cleavage that dipped even lower and was made more pronounced by that pendant and when my eyes finally met that of the girl,
I almost lost my footing.
No, I actually lost my footing and I tripped on nothing and I'd have provably landed face down on the floor if Kunle wasn't quick to grab me by my wrist.
"Take it easy oo, Adam." He told me, the tease and taunt in his voice but I wasn't even listening to him.
I wasn't capable of listening to him.
I wasn't capable of hearing him.
I wasn't even capable of doing any other thing, except staring at Kunmi.
Except staring at Kunmi.
God.
Kunmi's look for the night😩😩😩😭😭
"Oh Gawd, look at my comrade." Alex drawled beside me and that sentence was swiftly followed by a whistle.
A whistle I was capable of hearing.
And that jerked my eyes towards him only to see him openly gawking at my own girlfriend.
"Dude," I called out while glaring him but guess what, the nigga did not even spare a glance at my direction. He was more interested in checking my girlfriend out.
Before I could think twice, my hands were reaching out and covering his face and even pushing him backwards my pushing his forehead.
"Stop. Checking. My. Girlfriend. Out."
"She was my comrade before she became your girlfriend." He replied me casually and I really had to resist the urge to give him a brain resetting knock.
"Well, Mr Boyfriend, if you're done claiming territories and embarrassing yourself, will you please go and get your girlfriend?"
Oh shit. I was supposed to be getting her and walking her to the hall and not just standing here and being stupid.
Kunle asked me to stop embarrassing myself but I guessed, I just started with the embarrassment.
I was supposed to walk casually to her but guess what I did?
I ran.
I broke into a small sprint even though she was just standing a few feet away from us and it was only when I was in front of her that I realised how stupid that was.
Why did I run?
Why did I have to run? God!
You've only just started.
My subconscious teased me and I actually groaned.
I just knew it. I was going to make a complete fool of myself today.
"Uhmmmm Uhmmmm," Kunmi cleared her throat and that jerked me out of my reverie.
Another dick move.
I've been looking at her instead of saying something, anything...
"Uhhh... I... Hi... I..."
God! And now, I was suddenly a stammerer because Kunmi.
I suddenly can't say a single sentence.
Kunmi's reaction was to smile, an almost taunting smile that drew my attention to her mouth, her lips, perfect lips in nude colour.
Lips I'd do anything to kiss.
Oh God! Am I really keen on totally embarrassing myself?
"Okay, so I got you a flower," I finally got my voice back and the first thing I actually said was that??
And even though I knew I was being totally ridiculous right now, that still didn't deter me from reaching into my pocket and bringing out the Rose flower I had plucked this evening.
I was going to use it to tease on her never ending demands for flowers but now, I was the one making a complete fool out of myself.
"I thought you'd need a flower but I just realised that you're already a flower."
Oh shit! I did not just say that.
I did not just...
Oh God.
Kunmi burst into laughter, her shoulders quaking uncontrollably and I groaned again.
I really did say it.
I was really officially a fool tonight.
"I thought you only draw, I didn't realise you were a poet too." Kunmi told me, the laughter still evident in her voice. "I've forgotten that there's nothing my boyfriend can't do." She teased, referring to what I told her last night and honestly, I was still feeling so ridiculous.
"Will you people please carry your poetic verses about flowers and allow Alex to come and fall down at my feet?" Gab yelled from somewhere in the car and that was quickly punctuated by a rich laughter from Sophia.
"Oh come on, leave our flower boy alone na. Adam, the flower boy."
What? Flower what?
"Nooo, I'm the only person that has the right to call him a flower boy," Kunmi interrupted, her voice still richly coated with that laughter and she promptly wrapped her hands around my elbow so we'll start walking towards the hall.
"Right, Adam, you're my flower boy, ain't you?"
She asked me teasingly and she proceeded to collect the flower from me and she sniffed it.
"Uhmm, smells nice and it's so pretty too, but but not as pretty as you, my flower boy."
I smiled. My lips stretched into a full blown smile even though she was calling me a flower boy.
But it was Kunmi, she could call me anything and it'd still make me so happy.
I dared another glance at her as we walked past Alex who was already walking to go and get Gab and my heart actually skipped beats.
Her face... Kunmi's face... Perfectly sculpted face, her eyes, her nose, her mouth...
Even her forehead.
Oh God!
I just kept confirming how much I loved her.
*************
If I thought Alex stopped functioning when he saw Gab last night, then that much be an understatement of the year because what he did tonight...
No way, Gab thought he was going to fall down at her feet but he actually dropped dead at her feet.
Figuratively.
I've never seen a more priceless expression. He couldn't complete a single sentence yesterday? Today, he couldn't even say a single alphabet.
He just kept staring at her and I was sure his brain had shut down completely because he simply couldn't say a single thing.
Even now, that we were standing in front of the mural and taking pictures, he still haven't said a single word, he just kept staring at her at intervals.
"Funny how we didn't even plan it but we ended up wearing traditional attires," Gab was telling him but the nigga wasn't even listening to her. His whole attention was focused instead on the movement of her lips.
He looked like someone that was dying to kiss her.
And that's what he did.
He kissed her deep and long and she responded back with equal intensity without either of them caring if they were in the public or not.
"Gross." Sophia shouted at the same time they pulled away and looked at each other as if there were stars in their eyes.
For the umpteenth time, I concluded that I was never going to understand these two.
I turned away from them to look at Sophia, who, by the way, I still couldn't believe what she was wearing. She did not stick to normal style of wearing long gowns to prom, instead, she wore this short that put the whole of her legs in display and well, she was undoubtedly the center of attention.
Not only the guys were openly checking her out, the girls were obviously staring at her too, probably feeling jealous of her.
"Okay Guys, let's enter the hall now, the program is about to start. We'll close the door oo." Someone yelled from the entrance of the hall and immediately, people started filing in.
Alex and Gab were already walking in front of us and Kunmi was already latching unto my elbow so we'll start walking towards the entrance too.
I turned back to check if Kunle and Sophia were right behind us but well, they were nowhere to be found.
************
SOPHIA
"What are you doing?" I asked him at that same second he decided to let go of my hands.
Immediately, whoever yelled that we should enter the hall yelled, Kunle had grabbed my hands and pulled me where.
More like I had followed him because there had been no form of force whatsoever.
"Trying to talk to you." He answered me, then moved closer so he was standing directly beside me and almost facing me while I leaned against the railings.
We were at the back of the hall but we could still hear the excited noises of all the students inside. I was longing to be inside the hall.
But I was also longing to talk everything out with him.
Because, honestly, I didn't want to admit it but I've really missed him.
I've missed my best friend.
"You could have just excused me that you wanted to talk to me instead of dragging me here." I told him, my voice sounding plain even though it wasn't my intention.
"Ohhh," He sounded totally unsure and he even shifted uncomfortably beside me, "I'm sorry, I just... I thought you wouldn't want to talk to me."
"Why wouldn't I want to talk to you?" I fired back, intentionally trying to tease him because I could see that he was feeling guilty and it was probably eating him raw.
Well. Pay back time.
He actually scratched his head his little and he dared a glance at me before he looked away.
"For being a jerk?" I couldn't decipher if that was an answer or a question but I was quick to answer any ways.
"You were a really big jerk."
"I know... I know... And I'm..." He trailed off, dared another glance at me and even though I expected him to look away almost immediately, his eyes remained on me. "I'm sorry."
Oh wow. Pigs are flying and snails are running.
But seriously, Kunle just apologised?
"When everything happened, I was just in a very shitty place. I was badly hurt and I... It's really no excuse. I shouldn't have taken it out on you. You've been nothing but a really good friend and..."
"I'm sorry too," I interrupted him, "I mean, I should have really said something back then, If I had, this wouldn't have deteriorated that badly, not with your relationship with Aminah and definitely not with her too."
"Do you still blame yourself for everything that happened?" I couldn't miss his concerned tone even if I wanted to and made me sigh.
"Not exactly but there are times when I wish I had done a lot of things differently. If I had, then things would have definitely turned out differently. But you know what?" My voice suddenly picked up and I could feel the sadness I had been initially feeling was away, "We can't undo the past no matter how much we regret, the only thing we can influence is the present and the future."
"I know," He answered me solemnly, "We really can't undo the past."
The words I wanted to say died in my throat, I couldn't say anything again when I saw his expression, the sadness, the pain, the anguish. I'd never underestimate what they shared no matter how messed up the whole thing had been, even though I was in the picture, I knew he genuinely liked her.
He genuinely liked her company.
Heck, he was the closest person to her, he must have blamed himself for not noticing those things about her.
"And what about you? How are you holding up?"
"Pretty fine. I really wish things had really unfolded differently. I'm so torn between what I'm supposed to feel. Guilt, hurt, betrayal, sheer pain. It's really an excruciating circle but I'm getting better. I can't keep moping around when she's in a much more better place."
"Uhmmmm." I muttered, underneath my breath. It didn't mean that he was completely over her death.
We would probably never completely get over her death but that hole and emptiness was going to get smaller with time, if we focused on it.
"It'll get better with time." I told him and he nodded before he launched fully into another topic and that was how we started talking about everything and nothing.
That was one thing about talking with Kunle, the ease at which the conversation flowed. I could truly feel and be at ease with him. He brought that out in me.
That was one of the reason why I started liking him in the first place.
The reason why I liked him.
"So what are you plans after we graduate? Are you still keen on not getting a college degree?"
"Yes and No," Then I proceeded to tell him about my plans for the foundation that I wanted to focus on for a year, before proceeding to study Psychology. Truth was, I've always felt college degrees were overrated, especially in a country like Nigeria. I still feel that way but with everything I've learnt this past year, I've just developed an insane love for psychology.
"And you? I'm sure you're getting into NBA and kick starting your basketball career." I asked him excitedly because I knew just how much he loved the sport, just how much he wanted to become a professional.
"Actually no," He told me and my heart just sank, "I didn't apply for NBA this year. I'm just going to focus on playing for my current local team. There's a competition coming up and I guess, my team winning will... I mean, it's going to be a major boost into getting into MBA next year."
"Ohhh. I'm pretty sure you'd have gotten in this year with all your current accolades."
"Ehn ehn?" He asked rhetorically, his eyes glistening with tease, "Are you trying to inflate my ego?"
"Maybe I'm trying to inflate it just to get it to burst." I replied and he just burst into laughter, a laughter that was so contagious that I found myself joining in and it made me feel so relieved.
It's been long this happened.
It's been long I laughed this much with my best friend.
It's been long I laughed or even chatted so much with the guy I used to like.
Yeah, the guy I used to like.
Somewhere along the line, some time during everything that had gone, my feelings for him had dwindled.
I had realized my feelings for him had actually been detrimental to me.
I had put him first, prioritize his feelings over mine and made really fucked up decisions.
I was sure I wouldn't have treated Aminah as badly as I had treated her if I wasn't so obsessed with Kunle.
And yes, I knew I wasn't completely over him. There was still that tiny spark but I wasn't going to focus on it at all.
"So, about us... I mean, thinking back now, I've realised that I was just really blind then. I should have known you... Uhmm.. Had feelings for me and I... Well, liked you too probably even more than I liked Aminah. Even right now, I probably still do but..." He trailed off and he exhaled loudly and yeah, because I've always been able to read him like a opened book, I knew just what he wanted to say.
And it was exactly what I was feeling too.
"I know, I know. We're really good friends and..."
"And we really can't say what the future is going to be like but right now, it's doesn't feel right. Uhmm?" He asked, probed, his eyes boring holes into mine and I just nodded.
I wasn't even feeling bad at all.
"Nice ball gown." He commented and I actually chuckled at his sarcasm.
"It's obviously not a ball gown."
"Yeah, it's a top-gown. Sophia, did you really come to prom with the intention of having all guys fall off their seats?"
I shrugged nonchalantly, "Maybe that was the intention." I joked and he was quick to react to my joke with a shoulders' quaking chuckle.
There was nothing awkward about our conversation at all and I was honestly glad for that. We've been really good friends for six years and it'd have been really horrible if we were graduating on a sour note because of whatever romantic feelings we had for each other.
I mean, we are just seventeen, we still have our whole lives to live.
"Oh God! I can't believe we've spent almost 2 hours here. God! The programme must be ending soon." I exclaimed when I dared a glance at my wrist watch.
"That because we've been trying to have all the conversations we should have had for the past 7 months but I guess we should really go now, we still have how many years of to catch up?"
"A lifelong of friendship?" I answered him cheekily, feeling so giddy and happy.
I guessed this is what Prom was supposed to feel like. Happiness and euphoric feeling all around.
"Okay, okay... We really have to go now."
"Yes, but on just one condition." I told him and his brows furrowed in confusion.
"What's that?"
"If only you'll be my prom date."
His reply was a full blown, shoulder quaking and ribs cracking laughter.
Any reasonable guy will be thanking their stars that a whole Sophia Williams was asking them out to prom,
But well, my best friend was far from being reasonable.
Well, I guess a ship for this two isn't sailing. Honestly, it couldn't even have sailed. They both need time to focus on their individual growth but then, they have a whole year to spend together so we really can't say if well 🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️
Gab and Sophia has turned Kunmi into something else oo 😂😂😂😂😭😭😭😭 God! The pendant is going to do its work like mad in the second part of this chapter.
Iyanuoluwa-Temi, that was how you got three kisses instead oo 😍😍🚶♀️🚶♀️🚶♀️
And Adam has turned himself into a flower boy because of girl 😂😂😂😂😭😭😭. That line cracked me up, made me even tear up for him 😂😂😂😭😭😭💔💔💔
So who's the best dressed for you?
Among the girls?
The boys?
The second part of their prom will he updated soon, hopefully and well, just anticipate!