Okay so as I said in the last chapter, that was only a part of what I planned for chapter 19 which is why this part is labeled 19B. I declare this part OPENNNN
PS: Introducing a new POV this chapter
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TOKE'S POV
(Adetoke Karen McAnthony)
I watched my phone ring with the caller ID 'Amanda A Akinde' that's pretty much how I stored everyone's names. I specifically told her not to disturb me during weekends and she's respected my wish till today's so I choose to call her back, just in case it's something important
Her voice sounded like she had been crying, I hate when people talk to me when they are emotional, it's not a secret that I suck at offering others comfort. So I act like I can't hear her hiccups and sniffs
Nobody from school has ever been to my house, that is asides Erling but that was a long time ago when things were different. Now I'm letting another one in even though I've been through this path before and I promised myself I'd never again
I didn't miss how wide her eyes popped when we stepped into the compound, people tend to react that way when they see the mansion for the first time. I'd rather not have any more people, everyone's attitude changes when they see how much you've got but Trip's a little different, asides the compliment she made outside she just went back to her normal 'Trippy' self.
Unlike the deep and collected voice my mum has, that I'd have expected Trip's mum to have too, her mum's voice sounded so relaxed and informal. I could hear from her voice that she had reservations about her daughter sleeping over, who wouldn't be concerned when her daughter is sleeping over at a person she hasn't properly met's house? My own mother has will probably never even allow me sleep over at anybody's house till I'm 21, which is why she bluntly rejected when I suggested boarding school for three weeks when she had to travel in SS2. I ended up going with her and attending online classes which was totally worth it cos who wouldn't want to be backstage at an Armani Bottega fashion show?
My eye color has been a touchy subject for me since day one, they are blue but not the kind of sea blue that's attractive, they are more of a pale blue like the early morning sky, almost white. When she asked about it and I gave her a reply, I expected her to pry more into my life and I was ready to tell her where to shove her questions but luckily, she didn't. Those are the only things I'm insecure about because I've been called hostile names such as 'alien' and 'mutant' before because of how odd I look without my contact lenses.
I dial Trip's number to ask what's keeping her so long, just being a caring neighbor.
'ð¶but when it all falls down in the riverð¶'
I hear a line of Alan Walker's 'All falls down' coming from a phone vibrating under the duvet. Oh great! She even forgot her phone!
I pull it out from where it's hiding then see the caller ID 'Ice Witchð¥¶ð§' ewo she stored my name as Ice witch. I kinda like the nickname, though I'd have preferred 'Ice queen' tho, who wants to be a witch. I stare at the phone for a few more seconds after it stops ringing staring at the picture of a popular footballer I can't remember his name because of how terrible I am with football.
Her phone vibrates in my palms again this time with the caller ID 'Big Trip â¨â¤ï¸'. I know it's her brother because she's told me before how she got her nickname from her brother who was also called Trip years before she stole the Nickname. I toss the phone on the bed collapsing on the other side of the soft mattress, waiting for the phone to stop disturbing my ears
"Shit!" I groan as the phone rings for the fourth time, still her brother calling
Don't you know that when you call a person and he/she doesn't pick up after three tries you have to hold on and try again later? I slowly accept the call to tell him she forgot her phone and she'll be back soon
"Oh my goodness Amanda what's the use of a phone when you never respond on time?" A deep, heavily accented voice says
Jesus Christ savior of my soul see voice!!
"Hello?" The heavenly voice says through the speaker
"He-ye-uh-yes Toke, Trip's friend"
Was that my voice?! I've disgraced my entire household I clear my voice so I don't sound as stupid as I feel
"Yeah Trip forgot her phone here, she went to grab something at home, she'll be here anytime now" I manage to say without stuttering
"Okay... Sorry who are you again?" He says an octave lower than before
"Toke, Adetoke McAnthony, Trip's friend from school" I rush out nervously letting a breath out at the end
"Oh you're the Toke" he says with something that sounds like a chuckle
He knows me? What has this girl said about me?
"Yes-sir I-uh-am the Toke"
Real smooth Toke, real smooth
"She's staying over for the night so she went to grab her phone from her house-
"She went to grab her phone?" He interrupts
Was that what I said?
"Sorry she went to grab her essentials from her house so she forgot her phone"
Hard girl in the mud oh Adetoke
This conversation is torture ughh! how can I make this many slip ups with one person?
"Okay nice to meet you then Trip's 'Friend', tell her to call me back when she's around" he drags the 'friend' when he talks, a hint of mockery in his voice
"Okay-sir, I will-I will tell her when she comes back"
"Thank you, bye" he says then hangs up
Yeeeee Toke you have disgraced your family members, you have disgraced the entire McAnthony family lineage because of Man! See the way I was saying nonsense because of ordinary voice God abeg!
I dump the phone on the bed then bury my head into the pillow, eliciting a long groan from my throat
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Amanda's POV
(Amanda Aderinsola Akinde)
The study session with Toke was definitely better than any study session I've ever had in my life, I don't know what got her in a good mood since I came back but I love this Toke. We went through seven out of the ten subjects I offer and it's only Saturday! Even though we did all this in one day, it still feels more thorough than any preparation I've ever done by myself.
I'm currently eating the last piece of chicken from the nuggets we ordered this afternoon. We decided to eat downstairs at the dining since we needed to stretch our legs from the hours of sitting down. Toke in the kitchen doing God knows what while I'm feasting my eyes with the picture frames in her living room. A particular award catches my eyes from the glass display shelf making me lean closer to read it
'Entrepreneur of the year
Andrew McAnthony
CEO
Drew Co.'
Drew? As in Drew spaghetti, Drew salt, Drew sugar, Drew Noodles, Drew toothpaste and Drew oil?!
Her dad is the 'Drew McAnthony'?! Oh my world! He's basically one of the biggest business moguls in Africa
Well that explains the house and the multiple cars! I still can't believe I'm in the house of a Forbes lister if there's something like that.
"Do you mind dessert?" Toke asks as she pokes her head out of the kitchen
"Yeah what is it?"
"Red velvet cake"
"Yes please"
She walks in a moment later with two giant pieces of cake and hands one plate over to me. I almost pick the cake up with my hand then I notice how she uses her fork to eat hers, oh great! I pick mine too and pretend to be okay with eating cake in the slowest, most uncomfortable manner known to man
"Do you wanna watch- Adetoun if you dare put that thing in your mouth, I will slap you into next week" She says glaring saucers at a frightened girl caught in motion with the juice carton held up above her mouth
She scampers to the kitchen to get a glass then returns to the fridge to finish her business. She stops in the middle of her sipping when she notices me for the first time. She saunters towards me slowly
Meet Adetoun Khloe McAnthony
"Who are you?" She raises an eyebrow in question
"Um I'm Amanda" I say stretching my lips into the most welcoming smile they can give
"Okay so who are you?" She says not returning my smile
She doesn't have that bored uninterested look Toks had the first time I met her, it's more like she's trying to study me from the way she's staring deep into my eyes
"She's my friend from school" Toke chips in as she keeps eating her cake
The younger girl gasps placing a arm on her chest with extra drama. She looks over to her sister
"Karen and you couldn't introduce me? Oh my God how times have changed" she shakes her head
Toke rolls her eyes at the drama
"Toun meet Amanda, Amanda meet Toun the constant pain in my ass" toke says with a bright smile
"Language!" She walks closer to me
"I'm Khloe with a K, I'm Adetoun too but call me Princess Khloe, I Insist" she beams as she stretches her hand for me to shake
"Nice to meet you Khloe-
"Princess Khloe" she gives my hand a little squeeze as she looks at me squarely
This girl is even scarier than her sister
"Princess Khloe"
"Likewise" she lets go of my hand and picks her drink up from the table "if you need someone to talk too asides this boring oaf, I'll be in my room studying"
She sticks her tongue out to Toke who surprisingly returns the gesture. I've come to a conclusion that 'home Toke' is totally different from 'school Toke'. Seeing how the two sisters relate, they obviously have a strong sister bond. Sometimes I wished Ashley and I were closer in age. Ashley
Khloe reminds me so much of my little sister, I wonder how she'd have been when she grew up, if she grew up. I wonder if she'd love having absurd colours on her hairstyles, or if she'd have had a smart mouth or if she'd have been as dramatic as this one here
"Is something on your mind?" Toke's voice shakes me out of outer space back to real life
"Uh-nothing" I go back to eating my cake
The only noise is the clinking of my fork with the ceramic ware and the voices of some house workers going home
"How old is she?" I ask as I silently chew on my cake
"Eleven, she's turning twelve March next year"
"Wow, she's so-
"Loud, annoying, chirpy?" Toke completes
I grin at the description she gave
"Smart is what I wanted to say"
"Oh couldn't have guessed" Toke rolls her eyes playfully
We go back to eating in an eery silence as Toke pours juice for both of us into two glass cups. I mutter a quick 'thank you' as I gulp the content of my glass rather quickly. Toke doesn't notice the tenseness, if she does she doesn't show it
"Come let me show you the pool" she gives a lopsided grin as she gets up and tucks her chair in
My ears perk up at the call as I hurriedly stuff my mouth with the last piece of cake and push it down with gulps of my remaining juice.
I stick both of my bare feet into the cool water as I throw my head back with a loud groan I didn't plan to make. I sit straighter for a second, recollecting myself as Toke chuckles at my expression. I am in the denim shorts and turquoise tank top I wore earlier this afternoon while Toke has a crop top and a wrap skirt on. I don't even think she owns any full shirts, all the shirts I've seen her wear are crop.
She takes her seat beside me, copying my posture supporting her weight with both her hands
"You know, I've actually not done this with anyone before" she lets out in a breathy whisper
"I'm not surprised, I'm like your only friend" I say without thinking
She chuckles and I almost take back my statement she sees me as her friend right?
"Consider yourself special" she gives my cheek a painful flicker with her finger
"Have you never had a friend before me?" I ask, this time out of real concern
"No, I used to have a best friend actually"
"You lost the person?" My heart breaks at the pain she must be feeling
"Yeah sorta"
"Did-
"No he's not dead, he's just out of my life" she cuts in, not allowing me finish my sentence
As if she read my mind it was a boy? I wonder...
"What happened to the both of you"
"Let's just say we grew up, end of story" she says with a tone of finality
I choose not to probe any further not like she'd answer me anyways
"When did you start swimming?" Toke asks as she crosses her legs in the water
"As soon as I could walk"
She laughs
"Me too"
We both laugh together
"You know when I was little I wanted to be a lawyer, then later I said pilot, then I switched to Astronaut, in SS1 I said I'd be a doctor but now I'm definitely going into IT" Toke lets out with a comic expression on her face
"So you're a tech girl" I bump her shoulder with mine playfully
"Aren't you supposed to be in my class? A is for Medics and all that now" I hug my legs to myself
"I did it to escape technical drawing" she laughs, flipping her braids over her shoulder
"What about you, where do you see yourself in Future?" She asks, splashing water with her feet
"Swimming"
"Like future career?"
"Professional swimmer"
"Oh wow so what do you want to study?"
"I'll major in swimming" I say grinning at the sky
"What school do you wanna go?"
"I'll get a swimming scholarship to UNB"
"University of New Brighton? Wow that's cool" she fake gasps as if she's surprised I'm involved in something 'cool'
"No plan B?"
"Nah it's either that or nothing, not all of us have that big brain for schools to be queueing in our emails waiting for us to pick them" I gesture to her as I talk
"Don't worry, you'll get it" she gives a tight smile
I nod my head in appreciation
My eyes catch something that looks like two chubby legs toddling, two chubby legs toddling?
Toke follows my eyesight making her spring up immediately
"Jesus Christ Kayden" she runs over to lift her brother from the floor away from the pool
I hurry to meet her
"He's not supposed to be here at all, it means we left the door open, I am so dead" she fixes her legs in her flip-flops and walks into the house through the backdoor
I follow behind her and shut the door
The little man on the other hand is finding this situation very amusing, he grabs one of Toke's braids and fixes it in his mouth making Toke shriek from the pain and probably from the fact that she just had her hair braided. He is in a navy blue baby bodysuit tucked in black baby shorts, he looks every letter of adorable. He puckers his lips as she frees her last strand of hair from his mouth
"Trip meet my baby brother Kayden" she places him on the counter with her hands at both of his sides so he doesn't fall off
I pinch his light skinned chubby cheeks as I try to play with him. You'd expect a baby to laugh or at least smile at this but this boy just gives a frown that looks too old for his age
"He's not good with strangers?" I ask feeling awkward with how the little baby ignored my attempt to socialize
"He's not crying, this shows he likes you" she picks him off the kitchen counter and walks over to the fridge
I pity those he doesn't like then
"Okay so your dad doesn't stay here?" I make a gaggling noise as I spit the toothpaste in my mouth
We are in Toke's bathroom, preparing to sleep
"He does, he's just in Lagos most times" she says as she applies her facial mask
"Do you do this stressful routine every night?" I hold my toothbrush in the air trying to figure out the issues this girl has
"Yeah, I have a different routine for mornings" she ruffles my hair with her palm as she walks out of the bathroom
People that have skincare routines and actually follow them are sick, nothing you fit tell me
"Be fast, we still have 2 years past questions to go through" she calls out from the room
"Are we still doing that tonight?" I cry silently
"Yes we are"
"We can do it first thing tomorrow"
"In your dreams, better be fast"
**
The weekend is finally over, exams are finally here and for the first time in my years of existence, I feel I have a shot at acing it
"Are you ready?" A voice calls from behind me
I slam my locker shot to face the owner of the voice
"What am I saying, I know you're ready it's not like you have a choice" Toke says with a shrug
I let out a heavy breath nervously
"Hey" she places an arm on both my shoulders
"You're going to do very well" she smiles at me, waiting for a reply
She pulls me into a hug, I'm probably the first person she's hugging willingly asides her parents. She whispers into my ear
"If you don't, I. Will. Kill. You." She spells out, tapping my back as if she's given comforting words
She pulls out of the hug then gives me a thumbs up
"You can do it" she runs over to her class
"I can do it" I repeat to myself
"I can do it" I chant it over and over again as I walk into my classroom
Lord, help me write these exams
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Children of the most high, welcome to the end of chapter 19 ðð this is where I calculated for chapter 19 to end normally but if I wrote just what was remaining from chapter 19A, it would have been very short and more like a filler chapter. So instead, I increased the details and mentioned some important details that will show their importance at later chapters of this book
We have had a look into Toke's life and seen from her POV for the first time, looks like she's losing her Ice witchiness, or is she? ð
Because of deep voice Toke has disgraced the entire McAnthony family lineage ððhard girl in the mud
Y'all know the drill, I'll be coming back to edit (I've edited all the previous ones) since I have to meet up with deadlines and I'm writing in the night as usual
Vote and comment guys â¤ï¸ see y'all in chapter 20ð¤
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