What's up people?🌚✨
Yeah, I said I was going to drop an update by the weekend and well, here I am.😂😂 You guys will have to forgive me. I'm so terrible at this Author's note thing.🌚
Here you go, fam.❤
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"𝑲𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒚 𝒃𝒐𝒚, 𝒊𝒔𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒆?"
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~𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙺𝙸𝚁𝙰 𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙰 𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙺~
"You guys would be so adorable together..."
"You guys would be..."
God abeg...
"You guys would be so..."
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
It wouldn't stop ringing in my ears no matter how hard I tried to block it out. Every. Damn. Time.
I just wanted a fucking break. I twirled the mug cup in my hand and let it drop to the floor, shattering into pieces. The clicking of pumps on the tiled floor yanked me out of my reverie. Of course, Mama Heather wanted to know if everything was alright.
"Sweetheart, are you alright?" Her warm, motherly tone flowed into my ears. I felt my tensed muscles starting to relax.
"I'm fine," I answered quietly.
"Your breakfast is ready. Be quick in there so you won't be late for school." She told me and I responded with a hum. She took that as her cue to leave.
I turned to the mirror and caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror. I sighed heavily, toying with the brush that was lying on the table.
I looked so weird with my full natural hair pulled backwards in a low, neat bun, my edges neatly done. I grabbed my lip balm and added a little to my lips for moisture.
It's been over a week since the Cafe incident.
I switched my phone off and shut Chizaram out. I didn't talk to her at school and avoided her like a plague. Wouldn't say that didn't hurt, it hurt so bad.
She's the only friend I have made in a very long time and I managed to push her away. Even I would be tired of putting up with my shitty attitude so I don't blame her.
Exhaling softly, I grabbed my bag and walked out of my room.
•••••
"Hey,"
I froze in my seat for a second before raising my head. My eyes met his grey ones and I swallowed audibly.
Wait, he's in this class? I barely noticed.
Thankfully, my weird seatmate, Kaden, wasn't around. If not, it would have made the whole thing more awkward.
He didn't call me Reina today.
He didn't have that cheery smile on his lips and that annoying smirk was absent. He stood in front of me, his hands in his pocket and a blank expression on his face.
I gave him a once over and found myself nodding, impressively. So, he doesn't only look good in casuals. He slayed his uniform too. Now, I have seen cove guys in their uniforms and damn, none looked this good.
I was starting to think that I paid excessive attention to him.
His white crisp shirt and his skin created a beautiful contrast. It was like a combination of gold on white. He wasn't wearing his tie. It had me wondering if the guys were allowed to roam the school premises, looking like vogue models.
His top buttons were undone, giving me a perfect view of his collarbone, a fine shade of caramel brown. His__
Crap! What the hell was I doing? I blinked and that jolted me out of my daydream.
"Hi," I answered quietly, desperately avoiding his eyes. I turned to my note to resume what I was doing before he interrupted.
He sighed softly and continued.
"Listen, Reina, I am not asking you to be friends with me or anything. I just want you to at least reconcile with your friend. She's really worried about you," He paused, shifting uncomfortably on his feet.
"Just let her know you are okay, please." I stared at him for a moment and nodded slowly. He spared me a glance at me one last time, spun on his heels and strode to his seat.
I didn't know I had my eyes trained on his figure the whole time, watching him like a hawk. I shook my head and blinked twice like I was trying to convince myself about something.
I opened my locker and brought out my phone to text Chizaram. I sent a quick text to her and got up from my seat, heading out of the class.
I ran into her at the staircase that led to her class. She was probably headed to mine. The relief I felt was indescribable. I pulled her into a hug, sighing softly.
"I am so sorry, Zee," I whispered, rubbing her back.
"I didn't mean to blow up at you guys. I didn't mean a thing I said. Please, don't be mad." I heard her sniff lightly before pulling away.
She stared at me for a moment till her lips stretched in a warm smile, I heaved a sigh of relief.
"I should be the one apologizing. I feel so awful. I didn't know it would make you so angry. I am sorry, just don't ignore me like that again." She took a step forward and wiped my tears, making me chuckle.
"I missed you." She grinned, pulling my cheek and I let out a playful eye roll.
"Well, I missed your annoying ass too." I smiled softly at her and she cooed.
I wanted to tell her everything but it just felt stuck in my throat. It was like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find my voice.
I wanted to open up and that was a first in months. It wasn't something I loved talking about but with her? I wanted to leave no stone unturned.
I was so tired and I wanted so badly to speak to someone about it but it just hurts to think about it not to talk about sharing it with someone else, it hurts so much.
"We'll take it at your pace. Whenever you are ready to talk, I am always here." She said softly like she could read my mind and pulled me into a hug.
If this was what real friendship felt like, then, I didn't want to lose it.
•••••
~𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙵𝙰𝙽 𝙱𝙸𝙱𝙸𝚃𝙰𝚈𝙾 𝙾𝙻𝚄𝚈𝙸𝙳𝙴~
"Fuck off and don't you fucking touch me again!"
She looked so terrified.
Those words affected me more than they should. Heck, if they didn't, why was I was unable to get any ounce of sleep? I was restless. It was as if the look on her face was imprinted in my mind. I couldn't get it out of my head no matter how hard I tried.
I couldn't shake it off.
The emptiness in those brown orbs scared me. It was like it haunted me every day, every time I tried to close my eyes.
That cold exterior just had to falter and that was all it took, to see the broken girl behind the facade she put up as a barricade around herself.
Those walls were her coping mechanism.
I just knew it. I felt it in my guts from the first day I saw her, that there was more to it than meets the eye regarding her. She was so cold, detached and nearly emotionless.
It all made sense now. It made so much sense. It troubled me so much and didn't sit well with me. It sounded almost absurd to feel this way, I barely even knew her.
I sighed softly and tossed in my sleep.
Sitting up, I reached for my phone on the nightstand and checked the time, it was just 12:05. I slid my feet in my slides and walked out of the room.
I almost freaked out, seeing my mom at the dining table. She was still up.
She was clad in her white nightie and a large black bonnet, securing her hair neatly. She had her reading glasses perched on her nose, typing away on the laptop Infront of her and constantly taking notes.
"Stop watching horror movies, no,"
"Now, you can't sleep." She mocked not taking her eyes off the screen for a second, eliciting a chuckle from me. I walked toward her and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"I'm just getting water, mom." I lied smoothly and she rolled her light brown eyes.
"Baby? I came up to your room not quite long. You were tossing and turning in your sleep." She said, staring at me from the corner of her eyes. I rubbed my nape lightly and groaned.
I shouldn't have lied.
"Do you want to talk about it, baby?" Her light-skinned face scrunched in worry and I almost giggled at how cute she looked.
At forty-three, mom could pass for a woman In her early thirties with her light skin and beautiful light brown eyes. She had the warmest smile with a lithe frame.
I sighed softly and took a seat beside her. I knew she wasn't going to let me off the hook.
"Really. I'm fine mom." She glared at me and tweaked my nose. I winced out in pain.
"Ouch. Mom, that hurts. I'm just worried about a friend, that's all." I said, raising my hands in surrender and she wiggled her brows at me. She wasn't going to back down.
"My son is finally acting his age. I thought I would never get to hear this, again,"
"You like someone! " She teased with a smile on her lips and my eyes widened.
"Mom!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
"I didn't even tell you the gender of the person. Wait, what? Mom, I don't like anyone." I facepalmed myself and she giggled, shutting her laptop close.
"Oh please, like I wasn't a teenager before,"
"Stefan, abeg no dey scope me. Tell me, is she pretty?" She asked, grinning like a Cheshire cat and I groaned.
"She is beautiful, mom. Shebi that's what you wanted to hear na. Mommy, are we doing this? It's almost one in the morning. Mommy nau," I whined.
"Bibitayo, we are not going to leave this place o. I can wait all night, you know?" She adjusted her glasses on the bridge of her nose.
Her wide grin had me giving in after a while.
"It's all so complicated and for the nth time, I don't like her,"
"She probably even hates my guts." I scrunch my nose up in annoyance and she rolled her eyes.
"So they say, So they say. Tell me about it." She said stretching her hands and I sighed.
"She's so closed off and barely even talks. She has a lot she's dealing with I guess,"
"Oh, and she hates my face." I sulked like a little kid and mom chuckled.
"Have you tried being her friend?"She asked out of the blue and I raised one of my brows at her. She stared at me for a moment and nodded.
"She can't stand me, mom. How in the world am I supposed to be friends with her if she hates my face?" I said, throwing my hands up in the air for emphasis.
"Mom, this girl doesn't like me. Scratch that, she hates me." I corrected, emphasizing my words so she could get my point. How was I supposed to be friends with someone that hates me? It doesn't make any sense.
Her brown eyes crinkled with softness, and her smile didn't falter for a second as she stared back at me.
"Maybe, you are going about it in the wrong way. Just be nice to her, I just have this weird feeling that you guys are going to be great friends,"
"Call it a gut feeling baby."She added to buttress her point, propping her face on her elbow and I sighed.
"Mom, I don't know. I'd love to be her friend too but sincerely speaking, she doesn't make it easy to do that." I responded with a tight frown and she chuckled.
"Just take baby steps okay?"
"Alright, mom. I will. Thank you." I smiled softly at her and she reached for her laptop, planting a kiss on my cheek as she headed upstairs.
"Don't stay up late, honey!" She hollered and I grinned while picking up the remote. I couldn't go back to sleep anymore, I'd just watch some horror movies.
The way I had it all laid out in my head made me grin widely. I slid my feet out of my slides and curled into a ball on the couch before playing the movie.
•••••
I watched as Jeremy fiddled with his fork whilst typing on his phone with the other hand. He had a little smile on his lips, occasionally glancing at the seat at the rear end of the cafeteria.
It might sound surprising, but the light-skinned extra chirpy Zee has him wrapped around her fingers.
The dude's so whipped.
My eyes skimmed our table till they dropped on Abasi, who looked so relaxed and laid back in his chair with a comic in his hand. He was casually throwing the bottle in his hand up and down like a toy.
This break should end already, abeg.
"You know you can talk to us about anything."
I shot my head up instantly, my eyes now fixed on the brown-skinned boy who stared back at me with a light smile dancing on his lips.
"You think I haven't been sparing you a few glances here and there? I'm chatting, not blind, Stefan." He rolled his eyes and I scoffed.
Abasi dumped his book on the table and propped his face on his elbow, staring at us, thoroughly amused.
Abasi was always in for the bickering.
"There's nothing wrong, I'm just tired and I can't wait to get out of here," I responded and shot them a look, eliciting a loud snicker from Abasi.
They knew I was lying.
"You are so terrible at lying. Do you want us to start reminding you how much of a bad liar you are?" He quirked one of his brows at me and I let out a deep sigh.
"If you wanted to leave you would have done so but you didn't, something is holding you back," Jeremy said with a light smirk on his lips and I groaned. He shared a lingering look with Abasi who grinned in return, before shifting his attention back to me.
They stared at me like they knew something I didn't.
Why do I have friends again?
"Seconded," Abasi added with a mouthful of rice.
"Guys, relax. I'm fine." I said curtly and they shared a glance again, making me scrunch my nose slightly.
They stared at me for a moment and nodded simultaneously. The way they acted like evil twins at times was beyond me. I rolled my eyes and tore my gaze off the duo.
I ran my hands through my hair which was starting to get bushy. I knew I had to get a haircut soon. Then, my eyes accidentally met hers in the process. It felt as though she had been staring at me.
I could have sworn I saw something flicker in those brown orbs, I had strangely seen at their worst. We held gazes for what seemed like forever, my eyes patiently scanning every inch of her smooth brown face.
I watched as she bit her lower lip gently. I swallowed and my eyes dropped to her lips before I managed to look away, exhaling softly.
Now, how do you befriend an ice witch?
A/N
Heh heh🌚🌚🌚
Stefan wants to befriend the ice witch. His words, not mine.😂 We'll see how that turns out.🌚 But, do you guys think mama Stefan's right about them ending up being good friends?
Given how Shakira has been coming for his head in the previous chapters?😂 Omo, me I doubt it o🌚
Shakira and Chizaram are so adorable.🥺❤ Demmm.🥺
Friends like Jeremy and Abasi though😂💔 It's how Stefan keeps lying when he knows they'll get him for me sha.
So, what do you guys think about mama Stefan?🌚 I want to hear everything in the comments section. Flood it, as usual.
Do well to vote, comment and share.
Adiós✨
Love, Didi.❤