Hey, fam.✨
It's day 365 of 365, it can only be GOD.✨ Sky Daddy is amazing in so many ways.🥺
Also, it's our twentieth chapter!!😭
I wouldn't have come this far without you guys. Honestly, this means a lot. We are approaching 2k reads while on our 20th chapter.♥️ Thank you so much, fam and I wish you guys an eventful New year Eve.
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"𝑆ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑.
𝑆ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑚𝑦 𝑠𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟."
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~𝙲𝙷𝙸𝚉𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙼 𝙰𝚂𝙷𝙻𝙴𝚈 𝙹𝙾𝙷𝙽𝚂𝙾𝙽𝚂~
Shakira Niniola Malik had the worst mood swings.
Like, tell me about how her mood has been super off since yesterday. I watched her, just like I had been doing for the past thirty minutes. If she knew I was watching her like a Mother Hen, she didn't utter a word. She barely even acknowledged me nor the fact that I was in the room with her.
It was super irritating!
I clutched the pink teddy on her bed to my chest and my eyes snapped up from the ground where it had been glued to, when I heard the bathroom door creak open. My eyes settled on her towel clad body with an excessively large pink bonnet on her head.
She grabbed her body lotion and trudged into her walk-in closet to get dressed. I exhaled softly, falling back onto the bed with my eyes closed. I was going to ignore her too like she had been doing since morning but my heart couldn't take it. It was eating at me. I was so used to caring about her.
It was so obvious that something was eating her up. It was written all over her. Yes, she could be a bit detached at times, but this morning? It was so different.
First, it was how she was acting so restless at the party yesternight. I knew she was lying when she said she wanted to say hi to her brother and his friends. I'd know because they were just a few seats away from us, but when she stood up, she headed straight for the main entrance that led into the house.
She barely spent five minutes with us before rushing off to do God knows what. She was the host. Courtesy demanded that she attend to her guests. Her friends.
I found it so annoying.
I was beyond embarrassed. Even though the guys shrugged it off yesterday, I didn't miss Stefan's dampened mood. The change in his demeanour was so drastic. Though, he tried to cover it up with fake smiles, but it was so obvious that he came solely because of her. How cute because aunty ditched us before the party even started.
He was so into her.
Even a blind bat would notice.
She looked so off by the time I eventually found her yesterday. When I tried asking her what was wrong, she dismissed me and barely said a word to me throughout the night.
She was so...withdrawn.
I have never met someone with chronic mood swings like hers. I puffed out some air through my mouth and rolled my eyes. I got off the bed once I picked up on the sound of her flip flops hitting the tiled floor.
My gaze settled on her tall frame clad in an extra large white T shirt. I narrowed my eyes on the impassive-faced girl who only walked over to her dresser and settled on the swivel chair that was placed in front of her dresser, picking up her wipes.
Okay, that's it. I have had enough.
I'm DONE.
"Shakira?" I called sternly and watched as her hands tightened on the pack of pink wipes, through the mirror. Her shoulders slumped gently.
I furrowed my brows at her edgy attitude.
"Shakira," I repeated, calling her name through gritted teeth. She didn't move a muscle from where she sat nor bat an eyelash. It was as though I was speaking to an empty chair.
Are we really going to play this game right now?
"Are we back to this now?" I queried, my voice harder than I intended. She spun around in the swivel chair, looking awfully relaxed. Her balm-coated lips were pursed, one of her brows tugged up at me in a questioning manner. An extremely bored look marred her face.
I scoffed, pushing the large stuffed animal in my hands aside. I folded my arms across each other, underneath my chest, glaring intently at her.
She rolled her eyes subtly.
"Back to what, Zee?" That was like the first thing she has said to me this morning. I could detect the trails of exhaustion that hung in her tone. She brought her palm to the side of her temple and massaged it gently, exhaling softly.
She was feigning innocence and I hated it. There was nothing that pissed me off, nothing that got more on my nerves than this attitude of hers. I snapped my mouth shut and tilted my head backwards a bit, squinting my eyes at her in disbelief.
Was this babe kidding me??
I scoffed out a humorless chuckle.
"You know," I began softly with my eyes fixated on her tired brown ones.
"One step forward and a million steps backwards!" I snapped at her, unable to hold back my anger. I was pissed and irritated. A deep frown clouded her tired features. She didn't look too pleased that I just snapped at her. Well, I am pissed too!
"Chizaram," She called gently. Her voice gentle yet, it held an edge to it. An edge that hinted at the fact that she was holding herself back from snapping back at me.
"Can we like...not do this now?" She arched her brow at me and I snorted in response.
"I'm worn out from all the partying yesternight. I need to rest." She told me off dismissively and I muttered a 'wow' under my breath.
I swallowed, choosing my next words carefully.
"All I'm just saying is..." I tried to reason with her but she beat me to it.
"We don't have to share everything every damn time, Chizaram Ashley Johnsons!!" She yelled at me and my eyes went wide with shock, threatening to fall out of their sockets.
Eh?
Wait... what?!
"It's exhausting, Jesus Christ!" She wasn't even done.
I just sat there, gaping like a fish in water, unable to find my voice nor process my thoughts. I was caught off guard. I was thrown off balance. I wasn't expecting what I got.
She went on.
"It's so irritating how you are all up in my business. If I haven't told you before, well, I'm telling you now that it irritates the fuck out of me! Why don't you be a good girl and mind your business. BACK THE FUCK OFF!" She screamed in my face, dumping her wipes on her dresser which sounded with a loud thud.
My gaping mouth snapped shut on its own and I chuckled. Was it just me or did she just yell at me and told me to back off? I chuckled, again. I opened my mouth to say a word but it closed back on its own accord.
I wanted to say something but I was too shocked to even breathe. I exhaled slowly and chuckled, squeezing my eyes shut. I chuckled, again and then I felt something warm drizzle down my cheek. It was until it dropped on my lips that I realized that I was crying.
I chuckled and opened my eyes, staring back at her.
"Ment or Malaria?" I queried, tilting one of my eyebrows at her, inquisitively. My voice was eerily calm. It left me stupefied at how calm my voice had gotten.
"Or, is it it both? Mentalaria?" I asked, again. I watched as a bemused look crossed her face and I scoffed.
"Ogini?"
"Ogini bu nsogbu gi?"
I pushed myself off the headrest I had been resting on earlier, sitting up to face her squarely. She opened her mouth to speak but I shut her up with my palm.
I didn't want to hear shit!
"What the fuck is your problem!" I shot at her in agitation.
"Chi___" She tried to speak but I beat her to it.
"Don't Chizaram me!" I snapped at her, trying to keep my quivering lips in place.
"If you can't converse with me without raising your voice at me, you shouldn't be termed an adult! Real, normal people try to communicate with other people without raising their voices and screaming like a Banshee!" I fired at her.
Her mouth went agape, forming an 'O' shape.
"What is peppering your body that you cannot calm down? Shakira Niniola Malik, the actual fuck is your problem?" I was so infuriated to the core and at this point, I didn't care if my words were hurting her or not.
I was past being reasonable.
Someone needed to talk sense into this babe's head and that person was me. I was done tolerating her B.S.
"You can't pass a message across without raising your voice. Won fi shey eh ni?" I quirked my brows at her in question and watched as her eyes watered, eliciting a loud hiss from me.
"I was worried about you, for____" The door creaked open and Mama Heather stepped into the room, assessing us with furrowed brows. I exhaled to catch my breath. The dark-skinned woman in her mid-fifties had a worried look marrying her features.
"Is everything okay?" She inquired and I turned to her with a smile, nodding my head.
"Everything is okay, Mama Heather." I assured her, a sweet smile plastered on my face while I glanced at a fuming Shakira through my peripheral vision. She literally had smokes oozing out of her ears but I didn't give a FUCK!
"Food is ready. Do you want me to bring it upstairs?" She asked Shakira with a small smile. The tall girl rolled her eyes, eliciting a frown from me.
"For fucks sake, just__" She didn't complete her statement when I hauled one of my bunny slides at her head. She shot me a deep glare and I glared back at her, fuming.
"We'll be downstairs in five, ma." I smiled softly at her and she nodded before proceeding to walk out of the room, closing the door behind her, leaving us alone.
"Don't speak to me like that," She warned me and I scoffed.
"You don't want me to speak to you like that then act like someone that has sense! Stop acting so uncouth!" I fired at her and she got up from her chair, wanting to walk out of the room.
"If you move an inch out of this room, Shakira, delete my number." I said coldly and she halted in her steps, turning to meet my eyes with an impassive expression.
"Get back here this INSTANT. We are not done talking, so don't you walk out on me!" I ordered audaciously.
Her frown deepened, even more.
"Shakira Malik, you are rude. You are really rude. If you don't know, I'm telling you now, because if others won't tell you the truth, I will. You are my best friend and I won't lie to you." I knew I struck a nerve with the way she had her eyes set dead on me.
Girl, please.
"Please, tell Mama Heather to bring my own food upstairs on your way out." I waved my hand dismissively in the air without sparing her a glance. I grabbed the teddy bear and pulled the covers over me, picking up my phone to Netflix.
Make everybody dey move mad.
The room was awfully quiet. The only thing I heard were her occasional sniffs. Then, her footsteps got closer till she plopped her weight down on the other side of the bed, snuggling close to me under the covers.
I exhaled and dropped my phone, engulfing her in a hug.
"I slept with Ola..." She whispered and my body went cold in her arms.
Ehn??
I pulled the duvet off my head gently and sat up to face her directly, my brows furrowed, unsure of what I had just heard.
"You did what!" I whisper-yelled.
"You slept with your brother's best friend that's obsessed with you?!" I asked, again. My voice had gotten an octave higher this time around and I couldn't care less. I was yelling now.
"I'm sorry..." She whispered, her voice cracked and quivering. She shot her head up, staring back at me with glassy brown eyes that were clouded heavily with tears she was struggling to hold back.
"Shakira, what on earth were you thinking?" I cried out in frustration, throwing my hands up in the air.
"I wasn't thinking!" She shot back at me.
"I feel so horrible right now,"
"While you were looking for me yesternight, I was in here, with Ola. I am so disgusted with myself. I can barely even stand the sight of myself in the mirror. So, by all means, Go ahead and tell me how much of a whore I am. How I didn't think it through and how stupid I am to have slept with my brother's best friend!" She screamed at me, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
I didn't know what to say to her.
I was at a loss for words. Sure, I expected a lot of things, but this caught me off guard. I didn't see this coming. I opened my mouth to say a word, but it was as if air was being sucked right out of my throat. Words and phrases weren't enough to convey my thoughts.
She went on.
"My brother's best friend who claims to be in love with me. Whom I know full well I do not have any ounce of feelings for, yet I seduced him into sleeping with me." Her voice reduced to a barely audible whisper at the end of her statement, breaking each passing second.
"God, I'm so screwed." She sobbed, burying her head in her palms. Her loud sobs and hiccups filled the entire room, giving me no chance to think straight.
"Shakira, hey..hey, look at me." I scooted over to her side, gathering her in my hands and cupping her face gently. The tears in her eyes gnawed at my heart, breaking it into a gazillion pieces.
"Babe, look at me," I urged.
"Breathe. Just breathe."
"I'm here. We'll find a way around it. Just listen to me." I uttered softly, running my palms up and down her back soothingly, in an attempt to calm her down.
"I can't even look at Khalil and not want to die of guilt. Ola is even worse. He has been blowing up my phone all night with calls. I don't know what to say to him." She sniffed.
"I'm a horrible person, Zee. A mean, cold and manipulative bitch!" She cried burying her face in the crook of my neck. I tried not to blink, in an attempt to hold back my tears but I failed miserably at it.
"No, that's not true, Kira." I debunked gently.
"We have all made mistakes and we have had to live with it. You making a mistake doesn't make you a horrible person. The fact that you have even acknowledged that you were wrong. That's enough." I said softly.
"We are all guilty of making bad decisions at times, but you calling yourself a horrible person and a monster? Hell no." I spoke, shaking my head sideways.
"You are hands down one of the sweetest humans I have ever met. Sure, you might be a little cold and detached on the outside but deep down, you are such a softie with a big heart. You are not perfect and that's okay. No one is." I exhaled, pressing a kiss on her forehead.
"Yeah," She snorted.
"A bad decision that I clearly should have controlled. Zee, you don't understand. You weren't there yesternight when he told me he loves me and what did I do? I seduced him into sleeping with me." She spat out her words in disdain, self-loathing evident in her voice.
"God, Khalil will hang his head on a spike, if he gets to know." She groaned, sniffing into my shirt.
"Well, the problem isn't going to solve itself with you sitting here and bawling your eyes out. We'll figure this out, I promise. Just stop crying." I said softly, pulling away from the hug and wiping her tears.
"Maybe if I had stayed with you guys yesternight, all these wouldn't have happened. I'm such an idiot." She uttered remorsefully.
"Shak___
"Chizaram, just stop. Please." She sighed tiredly and got off the bed. I furrowed my brows at her in question.
"Stop trying to make me feel better!" She said in exasperation, throwing her hands up in the air.
"I'm just telling you not to push me away and let's deal with this together. Just don't shut me out..." My voice had reduced to a whisper at the end of my statement.
"BECAUSE, THIS ISN'T YOUR PROBLEM TO FIX!!" She fired at me, irritation seeping out of her words.
I exhaled.
"This is all on me. Allow me to deal with it the way I want to. You don't get to try to make me feel better. It's all my fault, so let me fix it myself. At my own pace. For Christ's sake, just stop! You can't always fix everything, Chizaram. You can't..." She muttered a 'God' under her breath and sank her weight onto the bed, dropping her head into her palms.
She was falling apart and wouldn't even let me help in any way I could.
"Shakira__
"Get out, Zee. Please." She croaked and my eyes widened where I sat.
"Kira___
"Get the fuck out of my room. NOW!" She ordered audaciously, her voice firm and cold, giving no room for arguments.
"Of course," I whispered and grabbed my phone, sauntering out of the room and shutting the door behind me.
So much for being best friends.
•••••
~𝚂𝚃𝙴𝙵𝙰𝙽 𝙱𝙸𝙱𝙸𝚃𝙰𝚈𝙾 𝙾𝙻𝚄𝚈𝙸𝙳𝙴~
I was stalling.
I knew I was. I would pick anything over cleaning this room today. I rolled my eyes and proceeded to pat my face with my face-towel. Once I was done, I applied my face cream and picked up my phone that was on the sink, trudging out of the bathroom.
A deep frown marred my face, once I stumbled into my overly messy room.
It was a mess.
School activities during the week gave me no chance to clean up. I wake up really early in the morning, go to school and come back late in the evening. It was a tiring routine. I'd be so tired by the time I get back, unable to do shit.
But, you'll always make out time to watch horror movies.
Oh, please. Horror movies were my baby.
The only reason I was still breathing, the one reason I was still in one piece was because mom has been so occupied during the week to even set a foot in my room. The only run-ins we had was at the dining table. She had this interior decor contract that has been absorbing all her time, leaving none. It's a good thing it has ended though. I missed my mom and I knew she'd make it up to me.
And her homemade cookies too...
Guy, abeg...
An hostile hiss escaped my lips, my face contorted in a glare, in a bid to threaten the heap of clothes that stared back at me like it was mocking me. Somehow, I wish I had superpowers. I'd just direct the clothes to the laundry room itself.
That way, everybody gets what they want. Clothes washed and I get to rest for the day.
Easier said than done.
It was Saturday and Saturday automatically meant cleaning. It was like it was specifically designed for cleaning in every Nigerian house. How I hate doing my laundry. Mom won't even allow me to give the maids. She was so strict when it came to doing certain things yourself. Certain things like cleaning my room and doing my laundry.
I groaned in distaste and plopped down on the bed, settling my head into the pillow and pulling the covers over my head.
Those damned clothes can wait.
I grinned and unlocked my phone, my fingers moving straight to Whatsapp, so I could check my messages. I browsed through the messages I had and let out a subtle eye roll when I saw that they weren't important.
I checked the class group chat and saw that they were moving mad. I moved on to my status. Chizaram's status was the first one I saw. I chuckled softly and clic__
Maybe, I shouldn't have.
My breath hitched softly at the masterpiece that graced the screen of my phone. My mouth hung lightly in the air, an airy chuckle escaping my lips. There she was, the very girl who has managed to crawl into my thoughts, occupying every bit of it without having to bat even her eyelash. The very girl whose presence in my life has slowly begun to matter so much.
Reina...
How she manages to carry this dominance and poise around with her, regardless what she did, wore or said was what I didn't understand. I couldn't wrap my head around it. Somehow, she knew how badass she could be at times and owned it. She owned it without fear. Without buts.
The straight kinky weave on her hair was super full and lush by the looks of it. Her baby hairs were perfectly laid, done moderately. Her face was neatly made-up in the lightest makeup. It was her signature look anytime she was on makeup. Though, she went bare face most times. It didn't make her any less stunning. She knew she was beautiful and knew how to flaunt it.
Those dark brown eyes swam with warmth. They were subtle, sparkling and gleamed with softness. Eyes that spoke before she even opened her lips to utter a word. They basically tell you everything you need to know about her.
Shakira hot meal!!😂🔥♥️
Or, it was just that way with me...
I was beginning to think I paid excessive attention to her. To everything she did.
My fingers hung in the air, grazing the screen on my phone. The corner of my lips twitched, a Cheshire grin creeping into my face. One I couldn't control.
And then yesterday, Shakira Niniola Malik strutted in like the Queen she was, leaving me a rattling mess. A huge part of me was hoping I'd get to spend time with her through the night. But then, the basin couldn't control my shock when she left us hanging.
When she left me hanging.
I felt my heart shatter into a million pieces when she rushed off, claiming she had to find her brother. She wouldn't even look at me. I didn't know for others, but when she brought up that excuse, I was able to tell that she was lying. It was so obvious. For me. I could see right through her. I didn't understand how or why, but she was pretty easy to read for me.
So easy.
The distress oozed right out of her.
She looked and acted like she didn't want to spend one more second around me yesternight and I'd be the world's biggest liar if I said that didn't hurt.
It hurt like a bitch.
Do I make her uncomfortable?
I couldn't stomach the thought of it. I didn't want to. It left this searing pang in my heart. One I could barely contain, that threatened to consume me and swallow me_____
"Babe!" My mom's excited scream pierced through my thoughts and yanked me out of my head, jerking me back to reality. I groaned softly and fell back onto the bed, heaving a sigh.
My ears perked up again and I sat up.
Wait...Babe?
You've got to be kidding me.
My dad is back?!
I didn't get the chance to process my thoughts any longer. I didn't even count up to five seconds in my head when I jolted upwards from my bed, I slipped my legs into my slides and dashed out of the room, racing downstairs like a maniac.
My sight was graced with the huge shirt-cladded back-view that belonged to my dad. His huge frame had towered completely over my mom's petite one. I was frozen in my spot. Not in shock but in utter happiness. I wanted to relish in the view in front of me. I wanted to get as much as I could salvage out of that moment.
My parents were so beautiful to watch.
It was heart-warming and nearly had me teary-eyed.
"I missed you, Imelda." My dad voice was low. I could almost liken it to a whisper. Filled with warmth, and pure adoration. Mom's child-like giggles filled the air, echoing through the walls of my ears.
"I missed you too, babe. So much." Came mom's response.
I turned crimson, unconsciously blushing on dad's behalf. Mom's adorable brown eyes strayed over to my figure that was glued to a spot with a giant smile on my face. Her lips widened, a stunning smile graced her face.
Then, my dad spun around.
Architect Jayden Omobolaji Oluyide stared back at me with a huge grin, approaching with long confident strides that spoke a lot about him, with just a glance. I met him halfway, engulfing him in a bone-crushing hug. His deep chuckles flowed into my ears, reverberating across the massive living room.
"Champ,"
"Dad. God, I missed you. So much." I was practically whining like a kid in his arms but I couldn't care less. I hadn't seen my dad in months. I felt his absence. A lot.
I sighed, easing into his embrace.
I pulled away shortly, not wanting to suffocate him with my tight grip. My eyes met his warm grey ones that caught me off guard a bit. Looking at my dad, it was just like staring at myself back in the mirror. We shared a striking resemblance. It could be unnerving at times. He was just an older version of me. More muscles and well, definitely hotter.
Not gon say that to his face though.
My dad could pass for a man in his mid- thirties at forty-six. The man was such a fine specimen. Sure, I had seen his pictures when he was about my age. But then, he must have been a sight to behold in his twenties. No doubts. He still is.
Unlike me, Dad kept a neat Afro. That was his signature hairstyle. His beards were neatly trimmed to the minimum. His clean shave made his eyes more prominent. He was clad in a crisp white shirt that could literally hold my reflection in it with how clean it was, tucked neatly in plaid slacks. His suit jacket was hanging on my beaming mom's arm.
Omo, bossman was dripping hard!
"Ahn ahn!" I shouted, doing a little leg move. He rolled his eyes, chuckling softly because he knew what I was about to do. Dad knew me too well.
This man was my ride or die.
He was my number one fan till the end.
"Daddy, this your drip ehn!" I drew my words softly, smirking at him.
"London did you fine, abeg."
"Ugh, you two." Mom rolled her eyes and linked her arm gently with that of her husband's, pulling him towards the staircase.
"Jay, you need to rest." She said firmly.
"Dad, we'll talk later." I told him, smiling.
"Definitely, champ. Definitely. I missed you!" He hollered at me. Mom was already dragging him upstairs.
"So glad to have you back, daddy!" I shot back at him in excitement, grinning. I slipped into the nearest couch, grabbing the remote that laid on the centre table.
"Get upstairs and go do your laundry, BIBITAYO!" Mom's thick flip flops met the back of my head and I winced out in pain. It was so unexpected. I rubbed the affected area, grumbling under my breath.
"Bibitayo, don't let me meet you downstairs I get back!" She snapped at me. I turned around on the chair, my eyes meeting her pissed ones. I thought she was going upstairs with her husband. How did she get here again? I exhaled, fighting the urge to roll my eyes at her.
I wouldn't dare because I knew I wouldn't hear the end of it.
"Mommy nau," I whined.
"Bibitayo, upstairs, NOW!" She ordered and I got up immediately, massaging my nape and peering at her beneath my lashes.
"Babe," My dad's soft voice interrupted us. Mom snapped her head toward his direction. I watched as mom exhaled and adjusted her bonnet on her head, she whisked her head in my direction and shot me an adorable glare.
I chuckled.
"He'll do it. Come on," He urged. She seemed reluctant but she finally yielded. Her shoulders slumped in defeat and she trudged upstairs slowly, stepping into the arms of the huge man.
I grinned and settled back onto the couch.
"Besides," Dad spoke and my ears perked up. His voice was loud.
"If he doesn't, I can always seize the key to his baby."
Nibooo?
I'd rather wash all the clothes in this house.
I got off the chair immediately and raced past them like a breeze, dashing into my room to get my clothes.
Long time, no threats.
A/N
*Clears throat and sips from a coffee mug*
Well, I think this chapter is quite clear on what happened between Ola and Shakira in the last chapter.🌚
It's Chizaram's blowup for me, abeg. You guys understand that kinda anger where you don't even care if you are speaking in English or your native dialect.🤣
Anger is not a respecter of language.😂
Wahala blinking fine shade of red.😂
Okayyy, we have met Stefan's Dad. Man is a hot cake abeg.😭🔥 Imelda Oyindasola Oluyide carry eyes go market!!😂 You guys should tell me what you think about him.🌚
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Guess we have all seen why Stef is an hopeless romantic.🌚
Alright, guys. The comments section is open for all your thoughts about this chapter.
Do not forget to vote, comment and share.
Adiós ✨
Love, Didi.♥️