Welcome everyone, to the new readers please put your name down with the class prefect so we can arrange first timers' package for you
To my regular readersð, the real MVPs, take your seats at the VVIP section, thank you for coming once again
Read, comment and vote on this chapter, love you all and thank you for almost 6k readsð
Welcome to chapter 40, I love you all
AMANDA'S POV
(Amanda Aderinsola Akinde)
I blow a kiss at Nana when she meets my gaze, hoping to ease the tension she feels a little. The Nancy I know doesn't usually feel tensed before a race, that makes me a tad bit worried
Shaking off any negative thoughts from my mind, I set the two phones in position, ready to capture the entire race as planned. They stand in their respective lanes, Nana's stance the most regal and confident among the other runners despite the initial jitters she felt
SHOOT
All eight girls took off with unbelievable speeds, Nancy giving an obvious distance to those coming behind her. My lips twitch up in pride as I watch her, trying not to cheer to loud because I'd have to suffer the cringe that comes with listening to one's voice in a recording
My eyes involuntarily wander to where he is, his loud cheer voice making it impossible for me to ignore and focus only on the videos being captured. I watch his side profile as he sticks two of his fingers in his mouth, letting out a loud whistle- his competitive side is kinda cute
What? I'm not going to deny that he's a fine specimen
I tear my eyes off him the same moment the worst thing happens, she crashes into the ground- more like she dives actually- with her body thrown into a halt right before the finish line
Jesus Christ
Panic floods through my senses, pushing my limbs to run quicker than I have ever into the track, my mouth immediately running dry as beads of sweat cascade down my face.
"Idara"
The gruesome sight of her bloodied shin causes bile to rise in my throat as I move closer- a major reason I never considered anything in the medical profession
Her face is contorted in the worst way possible, giving out a combination of the emotions she felt all at the same time
"Oh my God" The words leave my lips when I notice the ankle she fell on, probably dislocated or worse
She lets out a gut-wrenching scream as we try to get her off the track, her cries getting even louder and unbearable to watch as she writhes in pain. It's not until I feel the salty taste of my own tears that I realize that I have also started crying
Eddy pushes past me slightly, offering assistance to carry her to the clinic while I just stand there feeling useless and weak
"Don't they have a fucking stretcher?" Erling yells to no one in particular, with a frantic Nana suspended in air by the two boys
The students around gather while some stand afar to watch, none really offering any real assistance asides students of our school running helter skelter in search for either the Teacher on duty or one of our coaches.
"We need to take her to the clinic ourselves" my voice giving off every sound of apprehensiveness
Not bothering to speak anymore, I gesture for them to follow me so we hastily take her to the clinic which is fortunately not too far from the sporting arena
A simple glance is all it takes to notice two people, a guy and a girl speaking to each other as they watched us carry our friend to the clinic, not bothering to offer any assistance whatsoever even though they probably are in the best positions to do so.
With my eye sight blurry with tears and my mind all over the place, it isn't hard to miss Kelly's famous laughter when it's ringing loud in your ears from across the field
I've had it with that girl- ughh
"No nurse?" Erling asks incredulously as he looks around, the clinic completely empty asides the four of us
I'm not completely surprised the nurse isn't at the clinic to attend to patients or casualties, so far it's the same nurse Debby nothing she does surprises me
"It's okay it's okay" Erling says as he tries to calm Nana down
"I failed" She covers her face with both her palms, wailing loudly
"No you didn't, you fell and it happens to the bests, all we care about now is your leg" Erling says, not fully understanding the implication of what he said to someone as dramatic as his cousin
"My leg" she groans as she tries to move it, a feeling of fear spread across her face as she starts to whimper
The nurse casually strolls in with a bag of fast food take out in her hands. She takes questioning glances on each of us before resting her gaze on Nancy
"You're the runner that fell" her gaze lands on me next, giving me a once over before turning to the rest of the crew
"I went out to get something, sorry I'm late" her tone suggests she is anything but sorry, I practically feel anger seeping through both boys as the nurse walks towards the cabinets casually
She places what she has in her hands on a wooden surface and moves to put on latex gloves
"You guys can go now, thank you for bringing her" no one moves from their position, everyone has their eyes boring into her- well except sobbing Nana of course- Erling scoffs in disbelief, the initial face of fear now replaced by pure irritation
"One of you can stay with her, the other two have to leave" she declares finally
I wipe what's left of tears on my face and start to feel a little awkward- he's her cousin, of course he should stay with her. I don't say anything though, waiting for Edmond to get up first so we leave together
"Amanda will stay here, the principal sent me on an errand to get things outside the school" he gets up from his seat as he speaks, his voice sounding raspy from all the shouting
Our gazes meet for a second and I don't miss the moistness of his irises during our wordless battle holding for a brief moment
"I'll be back as soon as possible okay?" he says to Nana who has now calm down although some sobs still escape her as she nods
"Edmond let's go" He says as he marches out, Edmond reaches out to give Nana's shoulder a gentle squeeze and a tight smile in my direction before following suit
The nurse starts to clean up her injury, causing her to wince each time the damp cottonwool makes contact with her skin. I tear my gaze away from seeing her in obvious pain to prevent myself from becoming a sobbing mess all over again
The nurse leaves after cleaning her open injuries, covering them up in plaster and band aids and wrapping her sprained ankle in bandage
"Hey" I call quietly, leaning in a bit to take her hand in mine
She replies with a weak smile, dried tear stains on her pink face
"how are you feeling now?" I muster up a smile to encourage her
"Better I guess, can we go now?"
"no" I let out a chuckle "the nurse says they're going to have to get you crutches"
"That's not until tomorrow" she says with an eyeroll
"She insists you rest" I tap her good leg gently "Don't worry, I'm here with you"
She sighs tiredly, massaging her temple with her fingers
"Okay where's my phone" she extends her hand in my direction
"It's here, now sleep" I lean back on the chair with my arms crossed
The nurse only agreed to let me stay with her after treatment because I promised I would let her rest while I did my own thing silently, if I went back on my word she'd probably kick me out of the ward
"Please nowww" she lets out pleadingly, pulling the puppy dog eye card on me
"No" I turn away from her with my own phone in my hand, facing the door
After minutes of stubbornness, she finally gives in to sleep, laying on her side and facing the wall. She looks so peaceful as she sleeps; no worry wrinkles on her forehead, no heavy breathing or snoring, just a peaceful, noiseless sleep
As I place my head on the cushion headrest, my mind can't help but wander to the field where all the fun is going on. From what I saw, Anita probably won the race, she was the first to cross the line after Nana fell- that means they won in the two girls races- shit
For some reason, even if I should be concerned about competing and winning all the schools represented, my deepest- deepest- desire is to wipe Bolton's ass clean. To wipe those stupid smirks off their smug faces
Yes, those were my thoughts
You can't blame me, I know for sure that each one of them has the same thoughts about us- especially Kelly. There's nothing she's done more than compare my 'former school and current school' or 'Lagos and Abuja'. I didn't have to look at each of their faces to know how elated they were when our star athlete lost the race and theirs won by forfeit- not forfeit per se but still
I hold my phone up to my face to check what's going on online, Sheffield students are done for today so they are probably in their hostels or walking around the school aimlessly. I tap on the Decathlon group with over two hundred unread messages
Amaka Maduka
Uggh I hate these fucking peasants!! Their jubilation is making my ears burn
12:16pm
+234 7909 8** ***
Ikr acting like they don't actually stink in every competition
12:18pm
+234 2029 *** ***
I swear, if not for the accident we would have won this race
12:20pm
I scroll down, heaving a deep sigh while silently agreeing to the points made, a particular message makes me stop scrolling
Amaka Maduka
Over confidence kills for reals @Bear, pride comes before a fall, literallyðð
1:13pm
Ehn? Aren't we all on the same side?
Nkechi
I swearrrr can't believe I almost found that funny and I legit would have burst out laughing if it wasn't an important competitionðð
1:14pm
What the?
I keep reading the chats as more keep flooding in, while some are acting sane and actually defending Nana, most of them are making fun of what happened and throwing vile comments- Jesus
+234 8990 *** ***
You guys realize we are all on the same team right? And what happened was completely out of her control, she fell and nearly broke her leg fgsð
1:20pm
The person's contact isn't saved but I know from the display picture that it's Harmony from A class, one of the volleyball girls
Amaka Maduka
And that 'accident' she had might have just cost us our trophy, well done eh keep up the ass kissing ð
1:20pm
This girl is unbelievable, who knew she could be this low?
The chats keep on going, new ones flooding in and each one irritates me more when I read them. I don't even know if it's because they don't care that she's currently in a bad state or the fact that they know she'll still come online and read all this. I always thought everyone loved Nana, at least that's what they act like around her then in one moment; boom! How things have changed
I switch my mobile data off then tuck my phone in my blazer pocket, leaning against the wall to stare at the ceiling. My eyelids start to feel heavy after some minutes of staring in silence, I welcome sleep when it comes
The squeaky sound of the door wakes me up, I sit straight in the awfully comfortable cushion chair I fell asleep on as the door opens fully to reveal Aidan walking in and shutting the door behind him. He looks like he went to freshen up, he's no longer in his track uniform instead he has on his school uniform, without the tie of course
"Hey, what's up" he greets me first and I nod in response, I don't miss the unsure look he gives Nana who is now wide awake before moving close to her bed and settling down on the other chair
"How are you feeling?" he asks her quietly
"Better" she mutters, still shying away from his gaze
"how about your leg, is it broken?" his fingertips graze the bandaged ankle gently as he enquires
"no just sprained, thank God" he lets out a brief sigh in relief
I lean in subtly to listen to their conversation but they both whisper so well that I barely catch a word- oh great
He says something that makes her giggle while he's leaning back in his seat and smirking as well
For people that claimed to hate each other's guts they are really great at this 'friend' thing
Apparently that's where their conversation led to the day he said he wanted to talk to her- crazy right?
My best friend abandoned me in her room waiting because she said she was going to be back in 'a few minutes' as the both of them 'couldn't hold a conversation for that long'. I spent over an hour waiting when she texted that she would be coming late and I shouldn't bother waiting for her anymore. It took all the self-control and patience I had not to march down to the academic block give her a piece of my mind that night- like who does that?
I continued to pester her till she told me what they talked about, I wasn't satisfied though because that talk shouldn't have lasted that long if that was all they said
"He said he's sorry for everything, both the ones he's aware of and the ones he's not"
"okay..., and?"
"we decided to put our differences aside and start off as friends again"
"start off? I don't understand"
"we're friends, that's what the entire conversation was about"
"you spent three hours with him Nancy and that was all you guys said"
"hmm-mm" she nods
She knows I don't buy her half-truth but doesn't bother to continue talking
"well did you guys define your friendship?" I raise an eyebrow, literally
"Define as how?"
"like boundaries, lines not to be crossed etc" I explain, expecting her to key into the point I'm making
"I don't think I get you" I roll my eyes at her for acting dumb when I know she's not
"what if he wakes up one day and just asks you THE question"
She doesn't respond, she tears her gaze off mine
"Nancy"
"look, if we get to that bridge, we'll cross it"
My jaws hang open, completely short of words. She just implied that she might even consider it- oh shoot me
"you know, I wish the mall sold 'better taste in men'"
"what's that supposed to mean" she laughs, her eyes all bright and girly
"I would have gotten the perfect valentine's gift for you"
She laughs even louder
I observe the both of them for a while, even a blind person could see that there's no being 'just friends' with both of them. They both act like I'm invisible, both caught up in each other's worlds. Nana's smile looks so shy and innocent while his look way more confident and calm. I should feel a little happy for my friend at least; that she and a boy she claimed to not like have finally gotten over their beef and she looks happy to say the least. But somehow it feels like we skipped some terms and conditions
You know what I mean?
I'm genuinely trying hard not to be a sour grape but this just looks like a recipe for disaster and if they get closer than this- I don't even want to think about it
I don't give a flying jersey what Amaka thinks or anything but how about Noel; he's literally been the one there for her throughout the time we've known each other. Just like Aidan said on the plane, he's obviously head over heels for her and from my observation, it's probably always been like that for him. Nana on the other hand has always seen him as a 'brother'- brother zoning is the second worst thing to happen to a guy that likes you, son zoning is the worst
Or maybe he's okay with burying his feelings and remaining her friend forever
That's just- sad
The shiny piece on my wrist catches my eye as the longer hand strikes 6, in thirty minutes the scores for today's events will be sent to the groups. I do a mental calculation- we won two races, Bolton won two also- I don't know the results for the relay but they probably came second or third place after Middleton. Those guys own relay race
I prop myself up from my seat, bidding the both of them an inaudible 'goodbye' which doesn't get any response- welp
The clinic hallway isn't that long so with a few steps I'm out of the door, staring at the sunset- which would have been perfect if the atmosphere wasn't completely dry and hot in early February. I shrug my blazers off my shoulders and down my arms, placing it folded on my forearm as I walk towards the hostel
***
I sit at my desk with a pen in my hand and Toke's jotter in front of me- I literally forgot we have tests as soon as we resume school. It wasn't until the timetable for the tests was sent to our class group chat this morning that I remembered the main aim of being in school is to get an academic certificate and that the decathlon is actually listed as 'extra-curricular'
Saprophytic nutrition is- saprophytic nutrition can be defined as a phenomenon- feeding relationship-
I take a sneak peak at the notes- ughh who am I fooling?
Even though it's quite late, the room is very much bright and awake with our two roommates from Sheffield who decided to host four other friends, making the room loud and stuffy. My side of the room is less rowdy though, they all decided to camp at Vanessa's- our other Bolton roommate- corner instead of Muna's. Toke's eyes are fixed on the ceiling but you can tell her entire system is begging her to shut down for the day by how drained she looks. I'm guessing it's because she can't sleep with the lights on and the level of noise all in the name of celebration
I get up from my seat and walk over to where she is, she doesn't notice me at first so I tap on her shoulder
"Do you want to switch beds for the night? We could switch the lights for my part of the room off" she sighs tiredly but doesn't argue, taking her pillow with her as I lead her to my bed
She mutters a quiet 'thanks' as she settles in, leaning on her side and facing the wall. I tap on her hips lightly as I notice her eyes start to close
"Your contacts" I state, referring to the artificial lenses that she still has on
She stares without replying and from the look she has on it's obvious she didn't actually forget
"You're not supposed to sleep with them on, you know"
"I know" she sighs then looks around the room to where the others her
"What is it?"
"These people" she says quietly, rubbing her eyes as she speaks
"what about them?" I ask, not still catching on what she's trying to say
"my eyes"
Oh
"so?" I ask in disbelief, my eyeballs pushing themselves out of their sockets "do you not know the risks of blocking oxygen from your eyes?"
"It's just for a few days, nothing is going to happen" she resumes to her position, attempting to sleep again
"Toke take them off nobody is even watching" I say, trying to convince her not to fall asleep just yet
She opens her eyes begrudgingly
"I don't want to" she lets out a tired groan
"do you want to go blind?" she rolls her eyes
"Only for this night, I'll take it off when I want to sleep tomorrow"
"I'll report you to your mum"
She takes a final look at me before closing her eyes shut for the last time
"no you won't"
Actually I wouldn't- I can't- I am still very much scared of her mum so I probably will not be able to report her child to her. But her dad on the other hand- hmm
I walk over to switch the lights for the half part of the room off so that she sleeps in peace even with all the ruckus going on in the room. She hasn't told me much about it but I'm pretty sure she has had some terrible experiences with people regarding the color of her eyes. I remember the first time I saw them; I wondered what sort of contact lenses she had on then finding out the amber lenses I was used to were actually accessories, I was- mesmerized. For the entire day I'd sneak subtle glances at them behind her huge glasses frame telling myself not to freak out that I finally saw something I thought was a myth. I got home and did a thorough research on them- asking the internet all the questions I didn't ask her so she wouldn't throw me out of her house that day
Ocular albinism- the only thing she's ever said about it is how she's short sighted in her right eye and her left eye only sees faint colors
I thank my God for my perfect vision to be honest
After less than ten more minutes of pretending to study, I close the fancy notebook and tuck it at the side of my backpack before crawling under the comfortable duvet.
I still have time before tests, I still have time-
***
"Basketball, we better win this" Aidan says as he settles in the spot beside me
The time is 7am and we are all seated in the gymnasium, grouped with our various schools. The round of 8 as the name implies is going to be played by eight different schools in four games to determine the four schools that get to move to the round of four or the semi final as we may call it. Sheffield gunners aren't playing till evening but the authorities made it compulsory that we all watch the entire competition even when our school isn't the one playing. Only students like Nana were excused- due to health reasons- to stay back at the hostel while the rest of us participate in the event
The competition starts minutes later; Bolton Vigers versus last year's host Grimnites wolves
I actually wish Grimnites could wipe Bolton off the board, it would be much easier to face them in the semi finals than Bolton but that's almost not possible, when Rukevwe and Moses are still alive and on the team Grimnites are leaving the competition in this round
The first two matches go as expected, Bolton beating Grimnites academy and Middleton wiping St Matthews off the competition, next up is Savannah Springs vs a new school from Abuja I've never heard of; Emerald Hills
The first thing I notice about the team of players and students is how segregated they are from others at the event. If I thought we were the kings of standing out, these ones do it effortlessly. From what I remember their uniforms are a combination of white tops, black ties and grey buttoms; the coolest colours to combine. Their basket ball jerseys on the other hand, damn!
A sleek basket ball jersey with electric blue and neon green accents with the team name 'Rebel Rippers' emblazoned across the chest in bold, futuristic font. To add extra flair, their kits have a graffiti inspired design on the back- I'm so jealous
Another interesting thing about their school is; in most schools you find a lot of good looking people then a monkey-looking one in the midst of ten of them but in this school, I don't think they know what it means to not look good. They all look like vogue magazine material!
The first quarter is the hottest basket ball match I've ever watched in my life, Savannah is good but Emerald players are simply gods on the court. There's this sharpshooting sensation- we'll call him the sniper since I don't know his name- he has been draining three-pointers from all angles! Then there's this rebounder I'd like to call 'the wall', he's at least Edmond or Kylian's height and gosh he has denied Savannah most of their second-chance points. Then the most impressive of them all- that I like to call 'the flash'- is the lightning-fast point guard that has been zipping through the defense with unexplainable speed and feeding 'the sniper' with assists
Meanwhile, on the Savannah springs team, there's this crafty playmaker or Jake the magician- we coined that for him last year- orchestrating the offense with his slick passes and clever ball handling. The towering center- we can call that one tower since he looks like it- has been the one swatting shots away and grabbing rebounds with ease, if not for him the scores on the board would have looked much more different and very embarrassing for them. Then finally, the scoring machine who has been matching 'the sniper' shot for shot
It's an intense back and forth battle, with both teams showcasing their skills and determination. Emerald Hills manage to put 25 points on the score board while Savannah springs trail closely behind with 23 points
That quarter was Savannah's best though, it seemed like they were the only ones tiring; Emerald hills kept pressing them more and more in each quarter till they won the match, knocking their competitors out. They close out the match with an impressive final score of 110 while Savannah could only manage to score 85, I really wished Emerald could be knocked out so we don't have to face them at all but it was a well deserved win
Now, time for the moment we've all been waiting for, Sheffield Gunners versus the Rising Phoenixes of Crimson Valley- who picks these stupid team names?
We just got back from our dinner break- the longest break in between the games. The ballers aren't here yet but I can everyone is visible shaking and mouthing words of prayers for their teams
Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen, we have an electrifying match-up tonight between two powerhouse teams! Put your hands together as we welcome the Sheffield Vigers and the Crimson Valley Rising Phoenixes to the court!
Both teams walk into the court, throwing waves at their supporters in the crowd. Edmond and Kylian lead the lineup, they look the most cheerful and confident among the entire team- they have every right to be confident though, I'm yet to see better players. Amir blows a kiss to the crowd, making the girls go crazy with squeals, even the ones from other schools
Our team's uniforms; A sleek black jersey with bold red accents, giving it a fierce and powerful look. The front of the jersey features our dynamic emblem symbolizing precision and strength. On the back the name for each player is written and the large bold numbers occupying most of the space, making it easy to spot them on the court.
Get ready for an intense battle filled with skill, passion and some jaw-dropping basketball action! Let us see who will rise to the occasion and claim victory in this thrilling showdown
The other team's jersey isn't too exciting so I don't bother looking to deep into the details, all I care about is the Vigers winning
The first quarter was good, we won with 28 while the other team had 21 points on the scoreboard. The second quarter however wasn't as good as the first, they won with a 3 points margin. The third quarter was a tie thanks to their stupid defense and now- the determining quarter
The boys energies are drained and it is so obvious from the sloppy way they are all playing. A few are still giving it their bests but only two of the shooters still have their heads in the game; Eddy and Amir. If not for our defense line, we would have been toast because it seems Crimson Valley player have energy reserve tanks somewhere in their uniforms, they are really outplaying our boys
We are down by five points and the clock is ticking away fast, in less than seven minutes the match will be over and we will be out if we don't score more. Our captain does a throw in, receiving orders from the frantic coach on the sidelines- in his entire career I don't think his team has ever been knocked out in a group stage- welp
Eddy's fire is back on 100%, I have never seen him play with so much fierce in my months of watching them play in school. He fearlessly drives to the basket, making incredible layups and drawing fouls. His shots are nothing short of mesmerizing, sinking one after another. It isn't his scoring alone that even makes the difference, he plays lockdown defense; stealing the ball and making crucial stops. The entire team rallies around his energy and determination, miraculously turning the game around
The excitement at the bleachers is so contagious I don't know when I'm up on my feet and cheering for my team. I scream so loud, not minding whoever is watching me, my team is winning and the crowd is chanting
"Vigers vigers vigers vigers" Sheffield students and staff go crazy in cheer, matching the chants up with clapping and stomping
As the clock is winding down, the tension in the air is palpable. Amir passes the ball to our star player Edmond E Thompson who soars through the air with incredible grace and power. With a thunderous dunk, he brings the crowd to their feet once again and secures the wind for Sheffield. The arena erupts with cheers and applause as the players celebrate their hard fought victory. We all storm the court in excitement, running up to congratulate our players for not putting us to shame. The first person I meet is Denola who immediately crushes me in a bro hug not minding his 'manly musk'. Tears almost escape my eyes from how much excitement I feel but from the corner of my eye, I watch the captain slip out of the crowd and out of the arena.
Now I know for sure that something is wrong with him, he literally just ran away in the middle of his team's jubilation with his side clutched
I free myself from the little party going on and go after him, I can't let him slip away without finding out what the matter is
I rush out of the sport complex, the cool breeze of the evening slaps me right in the face sending goosebumps up my uncovered arms. I immediately regret leaving my blazers at the hostel but I must continue this painful journey. I crane my head around for a second before his blue hand bands give him away skidding down the hallway to the direction of the lavatory. I follow him but I don't enter- it's the boys toilet- he doesn't come outside for a while I start to get curious and scared at the same time. I look around to see no one is watching then lean my ear against the door to understand what the bleep is going on
I don't hear anything at first but then I start to hear muffled sounds like groans of pain- what the?
"Eddy are you okay?" I call out and he immediately goes dead silent
I knock severally on the door but he doesn't say anything even though I know he hears me
"You know what? I'm coming in" I push the door, preparing to see the worst
But it's just Eddy sitting on the bathroom counter in his jersey, one of his hands dipped in his backpack and the other laying on the other side restless
"Hey" he smiles thinly
"sorry I thought I heard something" I say, probably looking as confused as I sound
"oh, I was using the toilet" he replies, flashing his braces in a full toothed smile
I nod, not feeling convinced with his answer- something isn't right
"why are you sitting there?"
"uhm- I like to sit down here to think" he stutters
"you just won a match, what could you possibly me thinking of?"
My gaze pierces right through him and I can tell he isn't a good liar. His eyes escape mine purposely, scrolling round the room meaninglessly
My eyes scrutinize further till I notice the red patch on the side of his shirt that he attempted to shield with his backpack- is that blood?
Instinctively I reach out to his side and confirm my fears- it is blood- and it is seeping through fast!
"Jesus Eddy"
He shuts his eyes briefly then opens them, regarding the tips of my fingers now coated with blood.
He doesn't stop me as I reach my hand out once again to lift his shirt up right above his abdomen. My jaws hang open
First, his skin is ripped open, looks like an old wound that was reopened. I can't bring myself to take my eyes off the sight in front of me as bile rises in my throat, I didn't even know a human could have so much blood coming from such a small place
"what is this?" I finally ask
He swallows, finally meeting my gaze
"I- uh
"you 'fell' again?" I interrupt him, knowing he was about to lie and blame it on an accident again
He winces as I touch the spot again, making me completely withdraw my hand
"we have to do something about it, you're bleeding too much" I say, panic rushing through me
He extends his backpack to me
I look inside and pour the supplies out on the counter top; a roll of bandage and balls of cotton
"we need something to disinfect the injury if we don't want it to get worse" my breaths come off as shaky, my hands can't seem to stay put as I try to act in control of the situation
"I don't have methylated spirit or anything"
"Alcohol?" I ask
Hear me out, alcohol is a great alternative
"I don't drink" he replies curtly then his eyes brighten up with an idea "ask Aniye, he probably has a bottle"
My eyes expand in shock at the not-so-shocking revelation- Aidan brought alcohol on campus?!!
I text him to ask if he has any
I tear off a portion of cotton, extending it to him- contrary to what I expect- he holds his shirt off for me to clean the blood stains surrounding the area. I hold it up there, applying pressure to it- knowledge from the episodes of Chicago med I watched with Tomike when we were younger. He winces from the pain of me pressing his open injury, placing his hand to stop mine
"calm down, just endure a little bit"
He loosens his grip on my wrist but doesn't take it off completely till my phone chimes
It's Aidan's reply to my message
Me
Heyyy
Do you have a bottle of alcohol to spare?
6:46pm
Aidan
Aren't you a bit underage?
6:52pm
Me
Please, it's really important
6:52pm
Aidan
Okay, meet me at the hostel porch
6:53pm
I relay the message to Eddy
"Can you not tell anyone about this?" he asks pleadingly
"I don't even know what this is" I take a lasting look at his side as I wash my hands "I won't tell anyone"
"Thank you"
"I'll be back in a few"
I head out in a rush, dashing out of the academic block with so many thoughts running through my mind. Is he being abused? who would do that to him?
The first time I noticed something like this was the day his shirt was stained in school, I don't know how I believed him when he said he had an accident. I know for sure that those injuries were inflicted there by someone
I get to the meeting point and the first person I sight is Aidan holding a white plastic bag and typing away on his phone. He meets my gaze as I walk closer, smirking at me
"How did you know I would have a bottle?" he asks as I stand three feet away
"pure instinct" I shrug, wringing my fingers together
"Why do you need it anyway, I thought you didn't drink"
"Uh- I just need to get my mind off stuff" I stare at the feet of my black sneakers
"are you okay?" he moves closer as he asks, causing me to take a step back
His face looks genuinely concerned, like he's worried I want to drown my sorrows with a half empty bottle of vodka
He stretches it forward and I take it from him, muttering a quick 'thanks' as I spin around and walk away
"Trip" he calls from behind
I stop impatiently in my tracks, muttering a string of cuss words
"yeah"
"I think you should talk to someone about it"
What?
I nod my head as if I'm going to do whatever he is talking about before continuing on my journey back to where I came from. I consider running but I don't want to look suspicious running away in the night with a bottle of vodka in my hand
I peer the door open after looking around for signs of any intruder that may have followed then walk into the lavatory quietly. There's a pile of bloody cotton wool on the side of the counter top and he currently still has one in his hand pressed against the injury
"I think it has stopped bleeding now" he takes it away slightly for me to see
The blood has stopped and the ugly horizontal gash is completely visible
"Do you want to do it yourself or should I help?" I ask, not completely confident in my disinfecting skills
"Do it please"
I nod my head, silently obeying his request as I tear off some cotton and unscrew the cap of the bottle. I expect him to raise that part of his jersey up but instead he shrugs it off through his head. I keep my eyes down, my eyeballs bulging out of their sockets as I wet the wool with some liquid trying not to let my eyes wander
I dab it gently, it doesn't stop the pain though. I almost feel his pain as his abdomen contracts, stifling the sounds threatening to come out of him. I take a look at his face and I almost stop cleaning the injury from how hurt he looks
I unwrap the bandage, not understanding how the whole strip thing works
"don't worry, I can do it"
He takes it from me and wraps it around his lower body, groaning as he shifts in his position. I help with taping the end of the strip in place before packing the supplies and flushing them down the toilet
I take a proper look at him for the first time since I got here
School uniforms and jerseys don't hide much but damn- Eddy is the definition of built
Every basket ball player literally has the same build; broad shoulders and backs, huge biceps and towering heights but Eddy- okayyy
His muscles are defined and well chiseled, from what I see he has way more than six packs- a teenager has no business being this built. But his scars- woah
Not to look too creepy by staring, I wash my hands under the faucet and move to sit at the other edge of the counter with my legs hanging down
"What's going on Edmond, how did you get the injury"
"I had an accident" he says with a shaky breath, sounding frustrated with his own reply as he heaves a deep sigh
"No you didn't, someone did that" his silence confirms my thoughts
"who?"
He doesn't reply, instead his eyes start to get watery
I watch as his resolve starts to break, his shoulders slumping as he sheds silent tears
"oh my God" I jump off the counter and move over to where he is
"It's okay, you don't have to say it if you're not comfortable I'm just worried that's all"
He doesn't say a word, doesn't make a sound to show he's crying, the tears drop freely on their own and he wipes them with the back of his palm keeping his dead gaze locked ahead
"I'll tell you, but not today"
I nod my head in understanding, flashing him a small smile
After a while of silence, each person processing their own thoughts, I realize it's already 8pm so people might already be looking for us- him especially. He has his school uniform shirt on with the front unbuttoned so his bandaged middle is still very much visible
"Will you be able to play in the other rounds?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine"
I nod my head even though I don't agree with his line of thought, my mind keeps wandering to other places. Who could be hurting this boy
Could it be his parents? His mum seems too gentle for that and his dad is literally Nigeria's most adorable manchelor so they are not in the options. His teammates? Coach? Espn?
The last person immediately makes my mouth run dry at the thought
"Does Espn know about this?"
"No, please don't tell her" he says anxiously
"She's your girlfriend, isn't she supposed to know?"
"no she can't" he replies sharply
"That's why she's angry with me, she knows I'm not telling her something and she's hurt I don't trust her"
"Do you?"
He sighs for the umpteenth time
"I do, with all my life"
Wow
"I just think it'd be better to keep her out of this part of it, I don't want to hurt her"
My eyes almost sting from how he speaks about her, I wish someone would talk about me that way. I can't believe I actually suspected Espn
"Let's leave before they start to suspect anything and come looking for you"
"sure"
He jumps off the counter, dumping his stuff and the medical supplies into his bag while I wipe the top of the counter with some tissue and soap to clear any stain of blood. I'm done disposing them the same time he is done packing his things and starts to button up his shirt. I attempt to pull the door knob backwards but someone else pushes it open from the other side
Oh crap
The situation looks very terrible for anyone who doesn't want people jumping into conclusions; two people of opposite genders rushing out of the male lavatory, Eddy struggling to get his top buttons done and my school skirt looking all rumpled from the running around and jumping to sit on the counter top
And from the look on Erling's face, he dove into conclusions already, piecing very wrong facts together
His jaws hang open for a second before he shuts them, his eyes running all over the place. He clears his throat and swallows searching our appearances for the answers to whatever questions he has in his head. He stands aside for us to go through, crossing his arms and leaning against the door. I meet his gaze one last time, hoping my eyes can somehow communicate that whatever he's thinking didn't happen. He lets out a scoff as he walks in, shutting the door loudly behind him
Oh crap
*****
Ghenghen (chews raw atarodo)
We'll hear from Erling in the next chapter, I'm sure he has a lot to say
Why does Amanda feel the need to explain to him tho? Isn't she forming nonchalant bish again?ð
Amanda finally caught Edmond red-handed, he's going to have to tell her
And for those saying Espn is his problem, please calm downðð
The decathlon is about to get hotter guys, they wanna give Sheffield a run for their moneyðð¤
And alsoooo
ððFinally updating after how long
I'm so sorry everyone, I've been on this chapter for over a month, I've been so occupied
And damn this chapter is my longest (7400+ words), take it as a compensation cos I won't be updating soon because of school work 𥹠thank you for your patience
See you next time, muahhh no barsss