This chapter is dedicated to adejube her lovely review woke me up yesterday morning and I was like wahhhh!! Thank you so much for all those who take their time to make me feel good about my workðâ¤ï¸
Wait guys calm down, during my last update (three days ago) I thought I'd update the next one celebrating 600 reads in the process but here we are ð¥ºcloser to 700 than 600 sef can I get an Amen?!!
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ERLING'S POV
(Erling Tobechukwu Kingston)
"Oh my God Idara can you get out of your room already we are going to be late" I yell from the other side of her door
"Oh suck it up I'm almost done" she snorts from inside her room
"If you're not downstairs in the next five minutes, you'll find your way to school" I give her door a final bang before heading downstairs to the living room
Today is the last school day before exams, early morning revision classes will definitely be going on at the moment but this girl wants to make sure we miss it. Of course I could do very well without the revision classes but come on, the boarding students shouldn't be the only ones enjoying such privileges
"Tobe"
I freeze when I hear his voice come from behind me. He flew in late from Stockholm yesterday so I didn't get to see him before I slept off, I was really wishing he'd sleep in so I wouldn't have to see him before running off to school. I spring up to my feet out of pure instinct to face him
"Good morning sir"
I duck my head slightly as my words come out a little more coarse than it sounded in my head. He nods his head as he takes a sip of his coffee, taking steps towards me
"How have you been?" He fixes his eyes on me as he slurps his hot drink
"I've been very good thank you, how was your trip?" I scratch the back of my neck like that's what's going to help me keep up with this conversation
He walks over to seat on the couch I was sitting on previously, patting for me to take the space beside him. I slowly shrink into the opposite edge of the couch so we don't infringe on each other's personal space or because I'm a little scared of sitting too close to him on a couch
"Your arm should be fully healed by now, according to the doctor" he raises an eyebrow for me to confirm
"Y-Yes sir, fully h-healed" I stutter out my response to his question
"So how long for you to get back on it?"
I don't need extra explanation to understand the 'it' he's talking about. It's been over two months, the doctors calculated less than four weeks, the teachers predicted 'before we say Jack Robinson', Idara said 'maybe before Christmas'. All I've been doing is pray I don't see the looks on faces of people I've disappointed and will be disappointing
"Tobe I asked you a question" my father says with a firm grip on my shoulder
"Uhm yeah, next term sir" I wish I could swallow those lies back
He smiles confidently running his hand through my hair in the process
"Welcome back champ!"
He smiles so genuinely, so confident probably thinking that he can see through me and that we are on the same page. Oh Lord, he hardly shows his pride in me, please answer my prayers and don't let that smile drop
"I'm readyyy!!" Idara screams as she slides down the stairs on the guard rails
"Uncle Ed!!!" She screeches when she sees my dad
He drops his coffee on the stool when he calculates that her speed would probably spill his hot coffee all over his body. She wraps her arms around his neck as she settles on his laps. He returns the gesture by wrapping his own arms around her small frame with her head rested in the crook of his neck
When I see both of them sometimes I want to ask if I'm adopted, you'd easily think she was the child and I was the nephew, how they managed to be this close I don't know. I try to stop myself from feeling a little bit of jealousy at how my 'cousin' ran into my father's arms to welcome him home while I just awkwardly switched from foot to foot when I saw him for the first time in a month
"How are you darling?" He beams at her as she giggles
"I'm good" she gasps as she takes a look at his appearance from up to down "oh my God see how much weight you've lost"
I roll my eyes at how exaggerated her reaction is which invisible weight did he lose? My dad has never been a fat man, even from his youth pictures we've seen he has always been slim and tall. Nowadays it seems he's adding a little flesh in his tummy area but it becomes invisible as soon as he wears a tuxedo, he calls it the dream lifestyle
"Yeah we are getting late" I say awkwardly as I check my watch
We bid my dad goodbye as we walk to the front porch to see the car already running
"I call shotgun" Nancy squeals as she runs to the passenger seat bumping her shoulders with mine a little harder than what would be considered a mistake
"I don't want to travel this Christmas break" Idara breaks the long silence in the car since we left home
"Why? You're the one always looking forward to 'getting out of the trenches' every holiday" I keep my eyes on the the PES game I'm playing on my phone
"Yeah I know but I want to do something different this year" she taps her nails on the dashboard loudly
"Don't tell me it's because of Amanda"
She sighs, that answers my question
"How do you even know she's not traveling anywhere for Christmas sef?" I drop my phone on the car seat when I lose the match to the team I'm playing against
"She's not" she answers sharply
We maintain another minute of tense silence, I know she's not being completely open but I'm also being careful not to be too pushy
"Let's visit our mums' graves" she splutters out her sentence
I almost choke on saliva when I hear what she said
"Sorry what?" I squint my eyes as if they are the organs I use to hear words properly
"This holiday I want us to visit our mums' graves" she says with a more quiet, withdrawn voice
"You know dad will never allow that" I lick my lips nervously, hoping she's not serious about the whole thing
"He doesn't have to know"
I don't reply, I don't want to reply her, I get it that she misses her mum but I don't think I can relive through that shit. Why go to someone's grave when the person has been gone for almost six years now? My mum has been gone for almost ten years and I don't think I even know where she was buried, I'm not going to find it out, I'm not strong enough to.
"You know she reminds me of her sometimes, she's moved by the littlest things, she remembers literally every little detail-"
"Sorry who are we talking about?"
"Trip" she sighs "I feel we connect on another level entirely, my mum would have loved her" she gives a dry chuckle
"Does she know?" I ask in a very calm tone
She understands the 'know' I'm talking about
"Nah, she doesn't need it" she replies, the last part almost silent
"She had a panic attack the other day and the way her mum was talking that was not her first time" she lets out a deep breath
"I remember when I still used to go through that shit" she giggles even with the seriousness of the topic "this girl is as hard as a rock now" she beats her chest proudly as she laughs
I don't miss the tear drop from her eye as she wipes it off her cheek, more pour out of her eyes that she has to cut some tissue, she stares at her reflection as she wipes her tears
"Omo I'm fine when I'm crying oh, see these model eyes" she pouts in the mirror lightening the mood
I almost laugh at how unserious she's being at the serious situation, she continues to adore herself on the mirror as I steal glances at her to make sure she's not falling apart
"So what do you think" She looks at me through the passenger seat mirror
I shift under her gaze uncomfortably
"I think you should think it through, if you'll be strong enough then why not, but I'll have to pass on the offer of visiting my mum's grave, I don't think I can" I swallow a huge lump in my throat
I feel her palm on my knee giving it a slight squeeze
"Thanks E boy, my human diary" she giggles
"Please try not to call me that in public" I cringe at the nickname I can't believe I gave myself over three years ago
"Awww don't tell me you're embarrassed" her laughter rings in the car
"Oh shut up"
*******
"Kingston" Aidan's voice booms as he bangs the door of a dark blue Aston Martin
"Aniye" I grin as we do our special handshake, Aidan be doing the most by adding hype at the end
I notice the tenseness between he and Idara but choose to stay quiet, a beef between my best friend and cousin is none of my business right?
"Oh hey Espn, how are you doing?" Idara says in a forced tone as she walks over to walk with the shorter girl who is obviously confused
Idara doesn't even talk to Espn asides the usual 'hi' and 'good morning' and now she's walking to class with her, what a joke! It can't be because of that big bang theory argument in class right?
"Are you guys fighting?" I ask as I throw him a questioning look
"Is there a time when we are not?" He chuckles dryly
"Actually no"
We both laugh as we step into the school catching up on each other's lives
The first thing or rather 'person' I notice is Amanda. She looks normal to say the least, but her eyes have lost that 'glow' they used to have. She doesn't even look up when I walk over to my seat right beside her she has stopped trying to apologize, I thought she'd never give up. After the fallout two weeks ago, she apologized but I was in one of those my 'moods'. I accepted the apology though, my face just disagreed and I couldn't swallow my pride to tell her I accepted her apology
She has her white school sweater on with her initials inscribed in gold embroidery right below her right collarbone. She literally inscribed her name on everything she owns including her socks and swimsuit, she's not even a boarding student! Her full black hair is packed in a low bun with a simple golden butterfly hair clip decorating the edge, okay something must really be going on, she's not chewing on her pen today!
I tear my gaze from the girl who seems to be oblivious that I'm gawking at her on an early Friday morning. I have more important things to do by the way, way important things. I stare at my jottings from yesterday night, at least something I'm proud of. I can't keep losing everywhere, I have to win somewhere at least. I can't believe I let Toke take Biology from me last term, I understand if she takes English and Economics but Biology? Definitely not happening again.
AMANDA'S POV
(Amanda Aderinsola Akinde)
Last week on my exam readiness scale of 1-10 I believed I was at 6/10, at the beginning of the week I felt I was at 4/10 and right now I feel like I'm at -2/10. Have you ever been in a revision class and you're asking yourself 'when did they teach us that one?' I'd never felt so lost in my life! Who knew Aidan was smart? You would think he was one of those class clowns that sacrificed their education for the entire class to have a good time, this guy was literally solving calculus and laughing at the same time, there's nothing funny about calculus!
I'm currently sitting at my reading desk, I believed a good night rest and a good meal helped you study better according to Nancy's '100 tips to study better' I can't believe that girl is still going for dance rehearsals a weekend before exams. I groan when I look at my wall clock; 12pm?! I've been here for five hours already and I'm not able to pin point any useful thing I've learnt since I started. My eyes well up with fresh tears at my realization, who am I kidding, I'm not ready for these exams
I dedicated the whole of the week to studying Math since that is the first exam subject, guess that was a terrible idea. Now I don't have time to study other subjects and I've really not gotten anywhere in the Math itself. I pick up my phone and my thumb hovers over the dial button
"If you have a question during the weekend, pretend you don't have my number and wait till Monday"
She made the statement once and I never broke it, I had to respect her privacy but right now I'm desperate. Her phone rings for the third time and she doesn't pick up, a lone tear drops from my eye into my journal right on the line were I wrote
'go through all ten subjects before Sunday'
Great! Now even my tears are mocking me. I lay my head on my desks as my tears generate into sobs, she's never going to pick my calls, she told me never to call her during weekends. Just as I'm making my conclusion I hear my phone ring, I tap the receive button and ramble into the receiver
"Hey I'm sorry, I know you told me never to call you it's just-" my voice breaks before I finish my sentence, I sniff
"-it's just that I'm trying to study and I don't know what to do, it's not entering I don't understand anything" I break down into tears
"Are you at home?" She asks softly
"Ye-yes I'm home"I answer through my hiccups
"I'd have said I should come over but I'm on baby sitting duty so..." She pauses for a while before she continues again "you can come over with your books let me see what I can help with"
My ears expand when I hear that, is she serious? She wants me to come over to her house so she can help, on a weekend? I nod my head on my end of the line as if she can see me before she hangs up
I walk out of the gates of my house and trail down the tarmac of the estate. I can't even remember if her house is this one or the next. I stand in front of the creamy brown gates I assume is the gate to her house as I dial her number, this shouldn't take too long.
"Aunty wetin you dey find?" A man dressed in blue and black security uniform asks me
"I'm here to see Toke" I say as I duck my head slightly in greeting
"She know say-"
"Don't worry Mr Hamzat, she's my guest" I hear Toke's voice from the other side of the gate
The middle aged security guard unbolts the gate for me to come in.
"Hey how are you doing?" Toke flashes me a smile
"I'm good, amen" I let a breath out
She chuckles lightly as we walk into the house. The sight in front of me leaves my mouth watering
Okay I've always known Toke's parents are rich but this is another level. The water fountain at the centre of the compound was the first thing that caught my eye, can we even call this a compound? Or an estate on it's own. Is it even legal to have this many cars in one house? Among the large number of shiny automobiles, three BMW's with customized 'Drew' licensed plates she out the most, her parents must be obsessed with BMWs. My eyes can't even take in the full aesthetics of the compound before they land on the main house
It is finished! Her house is basically the white house, literally though it's painted in white. Whoever picked this house design definitely has a good taste with the gold pelts at the edges of the exterior walls. The interior of the house is defined in one word 'exquisite'. Two huge chandeliers hang from the high ceilings in the living room, whoever designed this place really really has taste
"Your house is hugeee" I finally let out when we settle down on kitchen stools
She said she has her chicken and chips in the microwave wave and she doesn't want anyone taking them when we go upstairs, according to her, her little sister has 'itchy fingers' when it comes to her stuff
"Yeah it is, sometimes I wish we could move to a condo or something more comfortable though" she looks through her huge rimless glasses
"I didn't even know you wear glasses" I stretch my hand to take it off but she ducks slightly out of my reach
"You're wearing contacts and glasses at the same time?" I raise my eyebrow as I notice her light blue eyeballs, very light
"I'm not wearing contacts, I only wear to school"
I furrow my eyebrows in confusion, she takes off her glasses letting me focus properly on her orbs
"These are your natural lenses?" My eyes widen
"Yeah"
"I thought blacks-" I start
"It's ocular albinism" she says as she settles her glasses back on her nose
Oh my, I've heard that before, we read on it in my former school. This is the first time I'm seeing it in real life though, it feels so unreal. Toke looks too perfect to have a defect
"Your eyes look beautiful" I find myself saying suddenly
She seems surprised by my statement before her lips break into a smile
"You sound like my mum" she laughs
******
We are currently upstairs in Toke's huge bedroom, we couldn't use the library because her mum was there so we settled to use her personal reading table and chair. Her room looked spotless, not a single dress out of place or shoes in the wrong place Amanda see your mate na!
Toke decided that we do other subjects first and so far it's going so well. She said Sunday would be for studying math only since that was all we had on Monday why didn't I think of that before?
"God it's getting late and we still have a lot to cover" I say with a huge sigh as I sprawl on her fluffy bed
"You could stay over, I don't mind" she says as she sits on the bed beside me
My ears perk up and I think that'll be a great idea. Just then my phone rings and I see it's my mum
"Hello Aderin, I'm about to leave the house now and it's getting late shouldn't you be coming home before it's dark?" I hear the sound of the microwave from the background
"We are still studying and I wanted to know if it'd be possible for me to stay over?" I hold my breath waiting for her answer
After what feels like a moment she finally answers
"Are her parents around?"
I mouth the words to Toke and she nods her head in response
"Yes they are"
"Does she have a brother or uncle or anybody like that?"
My cheeks heat up at the question, but she has to know because she hates 'funny business'. I ask Toke if she has a brother
"Yes I do, he's a year and two months old"
I repeat the words to my mum and give her extra assuring lines that I'll still be alive if I stay over at a friend's house overnight
"Okay then, let me help you pack your bag for a night, come and pick it quickly before I leave"
"Okay mum thank you so much" I squeal into the mic as I put my shoes on and race out of the house
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This chapter is long ðð like so long and I'm not done with what I planned for it, I split it into two so take this as a 'to be continued'
This is not edited because of the rush to publish it, it's currently 1:22am when I wake up I'll edit it thoroughly (I've edited the last one)
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