You know the saying 'time flies when you're having fun'? Well, it does even when you're not having fun. A week has passed since the lunch incident, the girls and I getting closer each day. One would think the students would find another hubby other than bullying me but that doesn't seem to be the case. Looks like making someone cry and feel horrible was the new trend and its not tiring, well, not to them at least.
It was Saturday and after an awful week, I was one, here for it. My parents were not around, leaving my siblings and I at home. I stretched in my bed, happy my alarm clock, which was Mum truly, wasn't around to wake me up. I picked up my phone, it was 11:55am. I yawned, and opened my phone to check what was going on on social media. Normally, I didn't have time to check out people's life online, but I guess ten minutes wouldn't hurt. I was laughing at a meme I saw on twitter when I checked the time, 12:31pm.
I gasped as I dropped my phone, surprised I'd let time pass me by without noticing. Damn, social media sure was very addicting. I wiped my eyes, as I let at an awful sound while stretching. Yawning, I stood up and went to the bathroom. Putting the toothpaste on my toothbrush, I let my eyes wander across my bathroom, doing anything to avoid the mirror. I glanced at the magnets on my sink. Each of them was from my siblings. I smiled at the basket ball magnet. Dare had always loved playing basket ball. I remembered when he'd won a game back in high school, he'd been so excited he hugged everyone of us.
Then later, he'd pulled me aside and said "Because you're my littlest sister, I got this for you", he pressed the magnet onto my hand. "Its to show you that no matter what, in so far as you put your heart", he pointed at my chest, "And your head", pointed at my head, "You, Jolayemi, can achieve anything in the world, even the impossible", he finished. I teared up a bit after that. and hugged him so tight, he literally had to tear me away from him, whilst laughing. "I love you too teddy", he said.
I smiled at the memory, as I rinsed my mouth. I glanced at the next magnet and I rolled my eyes as I beamed. It was a shoe magnet, which J had given me. I smiled as I reminisced. I was in the bathroom when J knocked. She entered without my permission and trailed my annoyed voice at her lack of privacy to the bathroom. I hid my body under the foam as I glared at her. "Can't you knock? What if I was indecent?", I asked pointedly. She rolled her eyes and sat down on the soft sofa in the bathroom, crossing her leg.
"Trust me, if I see what I haven't seen before, I'd throw a dollar at it", she said. I gaped at her, thinking of a comeback. "Hey, what's that?", she asked, noticing the magnet. She picked it, and inspected it. I sighed, before delving into the story and ending it with a sigh filled with awe at how amazing Dare is. "Hmm", she said, thinking. I shrugged it off, as I looked at her pointedly.
"Uh, a little privacy, please?", I asked. She rolled her eyes before leaving me finally. The next day, when I was reading one of my novels, J stormed in, still not waiting for my "Come in", before entering. "Here", she said, handing me a something. I stared at her inquisitively before taking it. It was a shoe magnet, a red shoe which looks like one of hers and I smiled. "I gave you this, to show you that you can never have too much clothes", she beamed. I smiled at her, before nodding. "The point is, you need more clothes", she said before closing the door. I stood up, and placed the shoe magnet beside the ball magnet.
I blinked as I stared at the third one. Tears came to my eyes as I remembered. I picked the magnet to inspect it, it was a black violin, given to me by him. I kissed it, and I placed it back before leaving the bathroom. I wore my duck slippers, I was always happy with the way it sounded with every step I took as I went to J's room. I rolled my eyes at the door, glitters were sprayed there, right next to the inscription 'Jecintha's room'. Sometimes, J's personality had me worried for her, but I knew how deadly she could also be when provoked. Take for instance the man in the mall. I shivered at the memory.
"Come in", J said. I opened the door. J was, thankfully not in her closet this time. She was on her desk, on the phone with someone. "I didn't knock", I said. She rolled her eyes. "I heard you coming miles away", she said. I looked down at my slippers and smiled. "What are you doing?", I asked her. "Face timing my boyfriend", she replied breezily. "I'm sorry, what now?", I asked. She looked at me. "Boy. Friend", she emphasized. She took my shock for confusion.
"Come on Jola. A boy who's your friend, only in this case, you kiss and do stuff", she explained. "I'm not dumb", I said. Now, I might be inexperienced but I was definitely not daft, so I got what she meant by 'stuff'. You might be surprised at my shock, I mean, after all, J was 18. But I was surprised because I didn't know she had a boyfriend, surprisingly it didn't even come to my mind. J was very beautiful, so it shouldn't come as a shock.
Someone laughed from the screen, I peered at it. The boy was hot to say the least and looked like Dare's age mate. "Hi, I'm David", he smiled at me. " Jola", I said, politely. "Its nice to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you", he said, teeth shining. "I haven't heard about you. I wonder why", I looked at J pointedly. She shrugged. David cleared his throat, looking awkward. "I'm sorry, David. Its not like I don't like you, I mean you look hot", I paused. "J!", J screamed. David laughed. "Its just that, I'm hurt she didn't tell me she has a boyfriend", I finished.
"I'm sorry about that", David apologized. "Its my fault, I should come meet you and introduce myself properly", he said. I nodded, pushing J out of the way, and taking a seat. "So, David, tell me, since when have you been dating my sister?", I asked. "8 months, 2 weeks, 1 day, 22 hours, 54 minutes, 2 seconds and counting", he piqued. I blinked. Then blinked again as I stared at him. "Okay, that was a bit detailed but at least, he told me", I stared at J who blushed.
"When you're in love with someone, and you keep asking yourself how you get so lucky, you get to keep track of things to show you just how lucky you are, to spend every second with them, cause every second counts", he said. To say I was speechless would be an understatement. I was ashamed to admit that I was envious of J. She had a guy who loved her so much and obviously thought the world of her.
I cleared my throat. "How old are you?", I asked. "21", he replied. "Are you in college?", I asked. "Yes", he replied. "What year", I asked. "Second", he replied. "What are you studying?", he asked. "Medicine", he answered. "Mm", I replied. He scratched his head. I folded my arms as I looked at him. "I'm gonna ask you some questions about J, okay", I asked.
"What's her middle name?"
"Rose"
"How old is she?"
"18"
"What are her fears?"
"Bugs, spiders, darkness, and abandonment"
I glanced at J.
"What's her favorite show?"
"Vampire Diaries"
"How tall is she?"
"5'11"
"What do you love about her?"
"Absolutely everything. Her eyes, her smell, her goofiness, how messy her room is", he laughed.
"What do you hate about her?"
"The thought of her leaving me"
I stared at him, he stared back, not intimidated as his eyes were full of sincerity and seriousness. I stood up, and looked at J. "I love him", I told her. "Yes!", David whooped at the background. He was doing a silly dance and he seemed happy like a child on Christmas. I smiled at his antics, and J hugged me. "Really?", she asked. I gaped at her. "Of course, really. I completely accept him", I said. She hugged me again, and I beamed hugging her back.
"I love you", she quipped. "I love you too", I answered. "Besides, if he can love how messy you are, then keep him. Plus, he's hot", I emphasized that last part. She rolled her eyes and shooed me out of the room. I smiled as I sought after my other sibling. 'Don't enter unless invited', the sign read. I rolled my eyes and knocked. Dare's soft 'come in' urged me in. He was lying down on his bed, glancing at his phone.
I moved to sit beside him on the bed, but he put his leg, just as I was about to position my butt on the bed. "Ah ah, you know the rules", he said, pointing at the chair. The good mood I'd brought from J's room vanished into vapour as I stared at this young man I called my brother. "Really? Dare, really?", I asked him. His hand remained unmoving as he pointed at the chair. "Really", he said. I sighed before going to where he pointed.
He returned to his phone, and I gaped at him. Does he have a girlfriend? Seeing as J had one, it was a probability he had too. Nah, that was very unlikely. I don't think any girl could keep up with his OCD. If he has though, I'd love for her to give me some pointers of just how in the world she was able to mange him, or even touch him. "You're staring", Dare called. "Do you have a girlfriend?", I asked suddenly. Dare blinked. Once. Twice. He stared at me, not saying a word and I giggled at his expression.
"What?", he asked. "Do you have a girlfriend", I asked again, not that I needed to, since he heard me perfectly well the first time. "Why are you asking me that?", he asked, eyeing me. I shrugged. "No reason", I replied. "So, do you?", I asked, again. He sighed. "Not that its any of your business, but no, I don't. Happy?", he asked. "I wonder why that is", I said sarcastically.
He looked hurt. "And what's that supposed to mean?", he asked. "You don't like human contact, and last I heard, relationships are based on human contact. You know, kissing and stuff", I said, quoting J. What would I know about being in a relationship, since I'd never been in one. Dare stared at me. "And how would you know?", he eyed me. "Have guys been touching you?", he stood up, looking angry.
"No", I said. He moved closer. "If I see any guy come near you flirt with you, or even talk to you, Jola I swear, I'm going to knock some sense into him", he threatened. Now I know there wasn't going to be any need for him knocking sense into guys, since well, they all hated me, but he didn't need to know that. "That's so unfair, why can't I have a boyfriend?", I asked. He scoffed. "Because you're a child, that's why", he said.
I was so offended. "C-ch-, child?!", I asked. "I'm 16", I scoffed. "You're 15", he quipped. "16 by December. How dare you call me a child?", I asked. He scoffed, yet again. "You're 15. And even if you were 27, you'll always be a child to me. You are my littlest sister, so there's no way a guy is gonna come here, telling me you guys are dating", he said. I couldn't believe what he was saying.
"So, J can have a boyfriend but I can't?", I asked. He sighed, pinched his nose before looking at me. "J has a boyfriend?", he asked. Uh-oh. I'd ratted on J, I hoped she wouldn't get mad. "Forget that, you're special, and you are different, because you're still young. J's 18, so I'll cut her some slack. You're 15. There's absolutely no way, I'm gonna allow a guy break your heart, cause he won't live to regret it", he said. "I kissed a boy, and I'd do it again", I lied, wanting to get back at him. "I'm sorry, you what?", he yelled.
I turned, sat on his bed, and just to spite him more, rolled across his bed, to get my 'germs' on it before I got up and finally left the room as he watched me in horror. I slammed my door and I collapsed on my bed. Who does he think he is? I mean, he had no cause for alarm cause I don't think anyone would ever love or even date me, but even at that, he had no right to tell me I couldn't have a boyfriend.
And what, he called me a child?! A CHILD?! If anything, I was a full grown adult and he called me a child. I seethed as I laid down, and my eyes drifted off. "Jola", a voice called. I opened my eyes. Gabriel stared back at me. I blinked. "Jola", Dare said, fixing those warm brown eyes on me. I looked at him, as I adjusted my posture.
"I'm sorry", he apologized, looking sorry. I sighed. "I'm sorry, too", I said. We stared at each other for moments before he grabbed my hands and smiled. "You know what? Let's go play basketball", he said. I groaned. "You know I'm bad at basketball", I said. He laughed. "Come on", he said. I groaned but I followed him downstairs, past the swimming pool, the game room and into the yard. He took the ball and took a shot. Net. I sighed, he was that good.
"Tell you what, I shoot net from here, and you tell me what's really going on with you, okay?", he asked. I nodded. He took a shot. Net. I sighed as I peered at him. I took the ball and took a shot, it didn't even reach the net. Dare smiled and I glared at him. I took the ball again, moved closer to the net, before taking a shot, it shot past it. Dare chuckled. I ignored it. Third time's the charm, right? I moved closer yet again, if I missed it this time, then I'm sure as hell a lost hope.
I took a shot, it bounced around the net, I held my breath in, the ball went round the basket, I gasped, please make it, please. It went round the basket again, I was chocking on air due to lack of breathing. The ball paused, so did my heart, before finally entering the net. "Yes", I screamed, as I smirked at Dare. "Technically, that was cheating", he quipped. "Could you let me have my moment this once?", I asked.
Few minutes passed after he obliged me. Dare cleared his throat and I sighed. "You know I hate fighting with you", he said. I nodded. "So, tell me what's really going on with you", he said. "I guess I kinda really miss you. We haven't really spent time with each other cause you can't stand me", I said, as I wiped the tears. "You hate me, don't you?", I asked as I peered at him. "What, why the hell would you think that?", he asked.
I shrugged. Dare held my hand. "I love you more than life itself. You're always the one giving me hope. You mean more to me than you can ever imagine, Jola", he said. "So why do you keep us out, Dare? Dad, Mum, J and me?", I asked. He shrugged. "I guess I was scared to let anyone in, so maybe if I don't let them in, and they eventually go, it wouldn't hurt as much", he said, wiping away a tear.
"Dare look at me", I said. He turned and I gulped, too much eye contact, but it had to be said. "I love you so much, and I am not going anywhere. You're stuck with me forever", I said. "Really?", he asked. "Forever and ever and ever, I promise", I said, meaning every word. He stared at me, as the tears dropped. "Can I hug you?", I asked. He smiled, before nodding. I hugged him tight, and though it was awkward, as he patted me gently, it meant everything to me.
"Aw, what do we have here?", J said, jumping on us. "Oomph", I said, feeling her weight. Dare moved from us. "Okay, that's enough hugging for this year", he said, discreetly wiping his tears as he brought out his sanitizer. J and I exchanged looks. I guess you can't get everything in a day.
"Who fancy a game?", J asked. J was even worse than I was at basketball. I laughed. "Me", I said. We looked at Dare, who shrugged. "You are both getting your asses beat", he said. I laughed as J passed the ball to me, and though no matter how hard I tried to keep the ball away from Dare, he successfully took it from me, showing off his skills. I rolled my eyes at him as he scored yet another goal, fulfilling his promise of beating our asses.
J chugged the water as she looked like she wanna pass out. I joined her on the floor, sounding like I wanted to die. She passed the bottle to me, and I gave her a look of appreciation, cause I could not talk at that moment. "We really can't beat him, can we?", she asked. I shook my head. No way in hell. Dare moved towards us. "You lazy asses. Come on, game's not over yet", he said. J got up and groaned. I took the hand Dare offered to me, as he held me up. "By the way, I haven't had my first kiss, so you have nothing to worry about. For now.", I whispered. Dare beamed as he looked at me. "We playing or what?", J called. I smiled before going to join her. Dare may hate human contact, and J in all her goofiness, may be messy and uncoordinated, but those two are the world to me, and I'd give anything to them.
J passed the ball to me.