"Wow" I breathed as I came down from the car.
Victoria's house was huge. It was even bigger and more beautiful than I previously imagined it to be. The car park was filled with about a dozen or more cars. By the left corner, there was a swimming pool and there was a garden by the right side.
Victoria squealed when she saw me from inside. She rushed out to meet me.
"You're here!" she jumped up and down.
"Your house looks great" I managed to say.
"You don't seem too happy to be here. What's wrong?"
I am obviously still annoyed at my mother for all the horrible things she has done. The annoyance is coupled with worry. Now, I have to put the pieces of my dad's disappearance together, hopefully, with the help of my friends.
"I had a fight with my mom. I'll tell you all about it later"
"Well, you are going to have so much fun that you'll forget all about your problems. Come with me"
She linked her arm in mine and ushered me inside.
"The others are in their respective rooms. Lover boy is here too. He's upstairs"
"Ahem" someone cleared their throat.
I looked forward to see a woman in a maid's uniform. I guess she's one of the workers.
"Alright, Nadia" Victoria whined with a sigh "What's it gonna take for you to keep your mouth shut? 80k?"
"Nothing will make me keep quiet about this" the woman put her hand on her hip "Your parents left you in my care"
"100k?"
"No"
"120K?"
"Victoria!"
I looked back and forth between them in confusion. I thought Victoria already had everything settled before asking us to come here.
"Fine" Victoria whined "150k plus you can pick two heels and a bag of your choice from my closet"
Nadia's face lit up.
"I didn't see a thing" she said "In fact, I wasn't even here"
"Perfect" Victoria opened the door for her "See you on Monday"
Immediately Nadia left, Victoria slammed the door.
"Greedy little bitch" I heard her mumble under her breath.
She went to the corridor and screamed for everyone to hear.
"Everyone, living room now" she screamed "Let's get high and make some noise"
This weekend looked promising. What could possibly go wrong?
*
I like the way I'm feeling now
No come use your reggae spoil my blues and rhythm now
Oh oh oh oh oh
I like the way I'm chilling now
Buju's voice sounded through the living room while I stared at the ceiling. I could swear that I saw a fairy flying around up there. It felt as if I was on cloud nine.
Everyone was paired up on different couches; Chen and Mike, Me and Justin and Yinka and Victoria. The only solo person was Choi. He didn't seem to mind though. He's currently smoking a blunt with his hoodie up. He blew smoke rings in the air, pretty impressive.
Victoria had a cigarette in her hand. The sweet smell of nicotine filled the room. Everywhere was blurry because of it. I never knew how much I would enjoy the aroma of cigarettes until now. It was weirdly pleasing.
There was a bottle of Hennessy on the centre table. Everyone was either high or drunk or even both. I'd never tasted alcohol until now. I even popped a pill after taking it. I don't see the hype about drinking alcohol anyway. It's not as sweet as I thought it would be.
So, I step out,
All white, can't stain
What you want? Rose? Champagne?
I felt as if I was floating, in a good way. I kept laughing for absolutely no reason. I wanted to sleep but at the same time, I wanted to do something fun or......freaky? I can't describe this feeling. It's something I have never felt before. I might not know how to behave but what I do know is that I don't want it so stop.
Justin nibbled on my ear. I laughed at the ticklish feeling. I forgot to add the part that I was seated on Justin's lap. As he tickled me, I kept squirming on his lap trying to get free. He groaned deeply.
"If you know what's good for you, you better stop moving baby" he whispered seductively in my ear.
I gulped.
Across from us, I made eye contact with Yinka. I felt his eyes on me the whole time we were here. He took a long drag of his blunt and stared at me deeply.
I averted my eyes from his gaze. It'll wrong to make eye contact with another guy while Justin's here. Even though there's nothing going on between us, it still feels wrong.
It feels as if I am doing something I shouldn't be doing. To get rid of all these thoughts in my head, I faced Justin and kissed him. Not because I really wanted to but because I had to at that moment. I hope this sends a message to Yinka. Even as I kissed Justin, I could still feel Yinka's eyes on me.
When I pulled away, our breathing was heavy.
"That was...intense" Justin said.
I giggled. Our kisses just kept on getting better and better.
"Alright lovebirds" Victoria spoke up "Enough kissing"
I don't think Mike and Chen got the memo. They were acting as if they were going to eat off each other's faces any moment from now if we don't stop them. Choi threw a pillow at them which successfully broke them apart.
"Hey" Mike exclaimed.
"Dude, that's my sister"
"Okay" Victoria clapped her hands "Let's talk about something...anything....as long as I don't have to see you guys kiss again"
"You don't have to be so jealous, love" Yinka kissed her cheek "You've got me"
"She doesn't even know you" Mike scoffed.
Chen hit his chest.
"Don't be mean" she warned.
"Nah, he's just jealous" Yinka told her "She doesn't have to know me too well, bro. People can fuck just on the first day of meeting each other"
Mike gave him a killer glare.
"So, how did you all meet?" Justin asked us "Since you want something to talk about"
"Uh...."
There was a slight moment of panic. We have to quickly think of a lie.
"We're all family friends" Choi answered.
"Yeah..." the rest of us chorused.
Yinka shook his head, chuckled then dragged his blunt.
"You're all family friends?" Justin asked in confusion.
"Yeah" I answered "Our parents all work together. That's how we know each other"
Well, it wasn't entirely a lie. We just left out the part where we're killer spies who work for the most top-secret agency of all time on missions so secret that even the government might not know about it.
"Oh, okay" he nodded in understanding "Cool"
"Let's talk about boys!" Chen squealed excitedly.
"Oh no" all the guys groaned.
"What kind of boys?" Victoria joined in "I'm so done with the dating scene, for now anyway"
"Why?" I questioned.
"Breakfast!" Yinka sang.
We all laughed.
"Especially from the Yoruba demons" Chen said.
"Yoruba what?" Justin sounded confused.
"That's what they call Yoruba guys who are players" I explained "Yoruba demons"
"Why do they call them that?"
"Because...They really are demons" Victoria started "They'll spend their money on you, care for you, spoil you, take you out to the nicest places, only for you to find out that they're married with kids then when you confront them about it, they'll say 'if I met you first, I wouldn't have married my wife'. Also, the worst demons you can ever imagine are the ones named 'Femi'. Other honourable mentions are; Kunle and Shola"
There was a loud silence after her speech.
"Now, that sounds personal" Mike joked.
"It is. Fuck, I need another drink"
She poured herself a tall glass of Hennessy and gulped it all at once.
"What has a Femi or a Shola ever done to you?" Chen asked her.
"Oh" I started "Don't forget about the ones named Yinka"
All eyes were on me at this point. I had no idea why I said that. Maybe it's because I've had too much to drink or maybe it's because I've constantly been remembering our moment at the library.
Yinka smirked.
"Just teasing" I played it off with a laugh "Cause you know, Yinka behaves like a demon and he's Yoruba"
Everyone laughed awkwardly. I took a sip of the glass of alcohol in my hand.
"I think you've had enough of that" Justin took the glass away from me and dropped it on the table beside us.
"As I was saying....."Victoria slurred "Yoruba boys will give you breakfast, breakfast I tell you"
"Kini gbogbo lamaje breakfast" Mike teased.
"Oooooouuu. That's so sexy" Chen looked at him "I never knew you could speak Yoruba"
"There's a lotta things you don't know about me baby girl" he winked.
"Oh, sexy and mysterious"
"I hate it here" Choi cried out then tightened the hood of his hoodie by the straps.
Once again, Yinka and I made eye contact. We stared at each other for what seemed like forever. Everything going on around us didn't even matter.
"What are you looking at?" Justin's voice brought me out of my thoughts.
I flinched a little out of shock before breaking off eye contact with Yinka.
"Uh...nothing"
Victoria turned up the music louder then took a long gulp of alcohol
"Time to get this party started!"
-
"I had so much fun" Justin said as he collapsed beside me on the bed.
By now, all the couples had to sleep together. Sometimes, I felt sorry for Choi. He has to sleep all alone. I wish he could bring a girlfriend or someone he liked.
I've never been alone with a boy in a classroom until today. This is all so new to me. I couldn't stop the excitement running through me. We could literally do anything we wanted. No parents. No rules. No consequences.
"Me too"
We danced for hours, vibed to music, laughed and drank till we were exhausted. After we were done, we watched an interesting rom-com. There was so much food, we couldn't even eat it all. When the movie was over, we got ready for bed.
"I still can't believe this is happening" I said "The whole sleep over and all seems too good to be true. I thought things like this only happened in movies"
"And young adult books. Well, it's real and it's happening"
"Yes, it is"
"I bet your mom thinks you're at an all-girls' party"
"Yes" I giggled.
"Yet here you are, in bed with a boy. You bad child"
"Oh, shut up"
"Oh, shut up" he mocked.
"I do not sound like that"
"Yeah, you do"
We stared at the ceiling. Justin intertwined our hands and kissed mine softly. I sighed in satisfaction. I needed to feel at peace for some time in my life especially after all the madness that happened previously at home.
"When I asked you to come here, you said you'd ask your mom. How come you never talk about your dad?"
Justin's once smiling face turned into a plain expression. It's obvious that it's a touchy subject for him. I have no idea why I even asked him that.
"We aren't close"
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it"
"No, I want to. I-I" he took in a deep breath "I don't want us to hide things from each other. This is going so well. There should be no secrets with you"
There should be no secrets with you.
Meanwhile, I'm keeping a whole lot of things from him.
"My dad is a control freak" he started "He's controlled everything in my life from the sports I partake in to my friends, my clothes and the things I do in my spare time. The worst part is, if I ever go against his will, he'll....."
He closed his eyes as if he was trying not to think about the things that happened. My heart broke at the sight of him. I never knew Justin went through something so traumatizing. It was so hard for him to even tell me.
"He's beat you?"
"Yeah...brutally"
"Is he Nigerian?"
"Yes"
Well, that explains it.
"I'm not in support of him but it's normal for Nigerians to beat their kids. It's part of discipline. Hell, my mom hits me sometimes"
He shook his head.
"Ada, this isn't discipline. It was something else entirely. It's as if he wanted to own me, to use me. Going against his will, even in the slightest way would trigger him to go bezerk. I remember the day I told him I didn't want to play tennis anymore. He lost it. He beat me badly then threw me against the glass sliding door. It broke from the impact. I was on the floor with the shattered pieces of glass piercing all parts of my body. Even while I was on the floor, he insulted me continuously, telling me how much of an ungrateful bastard I was. There was so much blood, Ada. I fainted at the sight of it. I was just thirteen"
I gasped in horror. That's the worst thing a child could endure from a parent. I have no idea why anyone would want to hurt their child in such manner. I felt so bad for him. I can't even imagine how damaged he must be.
"I'm sorry that happened to you" I whispered "Did your mom do anything about the abuse?"
"She couldn't do anything. He'd beat her too"
I'm sure if I was standing up, my knees would have given up out of shock. It's bad enough that he had to go through such abuse but he had to watch his mother get violated too. Oh, Justin.
"I'm sorry"
I meant those words with every bit of my heart. No one deserves to go through this.
"It's fine. He lives in another state due to his job so we barely see him"
"Why won't she get a divorce?"
"Same thing I asked her. Apparently, he's the one who made her who she is today so she has a feeling of debt to him. He practically owns her and he never fails to remind her"
I didn't have anything else to say so I let me actions do the talking for me. I kissed his lips softly.
"You're safe now" I kissed the bridge of his nose "That's all that matters"
He nodded.
I felt bad. He told me such an important part of his life yet I can't tell him who I really am.
"Do you believe in time travel?" I asked him.
"Yes, why?"
"Why do you think it exists?"
"Come on, Adaeze. We live in a world where we have eight planets in our solar system. Our solar system consists of hundreds of undiscovered planets with millions of stars then we have a multiverse which consists of multiple universes then we have an omniverse which consists of multiple multiverses yet you want to believe time travel doesn't exist and that we're on the only planet where life exists? Even God isn't that boring"
I chuckled.
"See, I believe in everything and anything" he continued "I've read enough books to know that there is an atom of truth in every fairy tale, myth or folkore. There is no original thought. Therefore, no one can ever fabricate an entire concept without ideas from another one. Also, I believe there are about a zillion things that the elites are hiding from us"
This is the same thing my dad thinks. He always told me about these things growing up. I have a feeling that if my dad was here, he and Justin would get along on the same intellectual level.
"Do you think it's possible for someone to come back from the past?"
"Very possible. Why are you asking me this?"
"No reason. I just thought of it and decided to ask your opinion"
I noticed how Justin's eyes were struggling to stay open. I giggled at the sight of him. He looks so cute when he's sleepy. He must be exhausted.
"Good night, Justin"
"Goodnight angel" his voice was barely audible.
He managed to wrap his arms around me before he fell asleep.
I on the other hand, tossed and turned for what seemed like decades yet I was still unable to fall asleep. Later, I decided to go outside to receive fresh air. Maybe if I watch the stars for a bit, I could fall asleep. It always gave me some sort of peaceful feeling.
I silently got away from Justin's grip before tiptoeing my way outside the room and all the way downstairs. To my surprise, the main door was unlocked which means someone was probably outside. I remember vividly when Victoria locked the door after our movie.
I stepped out into the cool breeze. I sighed as my bare feet connected with the interlocking stones. The wind blowing formed goosebumps on my skin. The night was truly beautiful.
"What are you doing up by this time?'' a voice sounded.
I flinched in surprise. I turned to my right to see Yinka on the rocking chair.
"What are you doing here?" I asked him.
"I asked first"
I cleared my throat.
"I couldn't sleep" I answered.
"Same here"
"Why not"
"Sleep requires peace, darling. Sadly, that's not something I have the luxury of having. Every time I close my eyes, I'm reminded of the bad things I have done"
That was a deep thing to say. I didn't have a proper response to his statement so I decided to say something else.
"You watch the stars too, huh?"
"Yeah. It makes me feel calm"
"Me too"
He shifted then patted the empty space on the chair.
"Come sit with me"
I sat beside him and looked up at the sky.
"What a beautiful view" Yinka sighed.
"I know right" I replied "The stars are beautiful"
He chuckled.
"I wasn't talking about the stars, Adaeze. I was talking about you"