Chapter four

When l arrived at the breakfast table, a mouth watering smell of warm fresh bakings, milk and butter greeted me. l saw Deborah rushing back and forth bringing trays of hot bakings from the oven to the table.

Her hair was tied in a bun and she was wearing a black net over her hair. She had bulky elbow length gloves to protect her hands from the oven heat. Her face was blushed red from the heat and there were tiny sweat droplets on her forehead.

She looked hardworking and caring and motherly in this state. I guessed that was why Auntie Yolei trusted her with her daughter. She had been made part of the family.

When she noticed me staring at her and she smiled looking at me.

" Good morning Arielle."

" Hi Deborah good morning. Where are the others", l asked when l saw no one else sitting around the table.

She pulled out a chair for me to sit on and I complied. I gave her an appreciating smile. She went behind my chair.

Before l could fully register what she was doing, she had put a napkin over my chest as though l was a baby being fed. I did not get the time to protest.

Instead of answering my question, she pulled a plate and an empty glass before me.

"Do you prefer to start with a cereal instead."she asked

I shook my head in refusal. She went around the table and took a glass jar of warm milk and poured me a glass full.

" Before auntie left, she ordered me to give you a lot of milk, said it will help you."

"She left already?", l asked

"Yes", she replied. Her hands were busy arranging some warm cookies and waffles in my plate. She paused a little and looked at me.

"She told me to tell you to have a good day. She said she had love to have breakfast with everyone but her schedule today is tight."

I just nodded my head. She went over to the opposite side of the table and took her seat.

I heard high heeled shoes approaching the room then heard Keisty's voice calling me.

" Arielle are you done?"

She finally stepped into the room and her eyes opened wide. She was already dressed up in dark blue jeans and a black glittery dress top with a black chocker around her neck. The chocker was one of its kind with two small pom-poms tied at the back of her slender neck. They matched the black closed high heels that she was wearing. They had the two pom-poms too, tied to the silver zipper and they were glittery too. Her hair was curled at the edges falling over the shoulders. Her stylish leather jacket femininely cuddled her slender arms.

"Arielle, you haven't even dressed up!", she screamed hurrying to pull me up by the arm. This made me to drop the cookie l was biting.

Deborah stood up in protest, "please let her finish her food your mother said she should."

" I will buy her food on our way"

" No, she strictly stressed that l should make sure that both of you won't go out without having your breakfast."

Keisty groaned in surrender then set down at the table with a pout. However she was nagging me through out the whole meal to eat fast. She said she didn't want our sister bonding time to be compromised by anything.

After we finished eating, l thanked Deborah for the breakfast. Keisty came pushing me out the room.

"You and Deborah will never agree to separate unless you are forced to ", Keisty said when she had successful pushed me into the passage. " Now please go get dressed quickly."

I was about to go to my room when I suddenly halted. I remembered that l only had night clothes in my closet. I turned to look at Keisty. When she saw my eyes she suddenly remembered.

"Ah, l'm an idiot", she said hitting her forehead. " Of cause you do not have clothes yet, that's what we're going to buy."

"Come, you can borrow mine", she said dragging my hand to her room.

She brought me into her walk-in closet and closed the door behind us. She made me stand before a full length mirror. She went from hanger to hanger and folded piles selecting clothes for me. She then piled them on a small stool beside the mirror.

I started with a  flaying colorful floral dress. Keisty was amazed by how the dress gracefully rested on my body. Though it was a refreshing and relaxed outfit, the bare shoulders and generous exposure of my legs gave it a flirty look.

I tried tiny black jean shorts with its matching short jacket and a long white T-shirt that had a picture of a skeleton. I complained that it made me look like a brat.

Keisty kept bringing clothes after clothes. All the while she had try to convince me to go out with the one l would have put on saying l looked good in whatever l was wearing. Before l would step out of any outfit she would take a picture of me with her phone.

At last Keisty chose an outfit that l was a little comfortable with. I dressed in a blue Jean jacket over a small plain black T-shirt. It went with a blue jean mini skirt which would have looked sinfully short if l had not paired it with black skin tights.

l completed the look by wearing small black glittery sneakers and a black chocker. Keisty tied my hair into a ponytail with a black elastic band. The band had two black pom poms. This made my hair rise from my waist to the small of my back.

Keisty patted my cheeks with a few blue glitters saying that it would complete the look. She made me stand before the mirror whilst she was taking pictures of me.

After that, Keisty led me out of the house.  Just as l remembered the previous night, the place was a paradise. The morning breeze was carrying a smell of damp watered soil and fragrant flowers. The morning sun was making the nature alive and joyful.

I was standing out the door enjoying the breeze with closed eyes. Maybe it was a normal day to many who had been used to being in an open environment but for someone who had been in the hospital for two-thirds of the year, it was heaven.

I heard a hoot and opened my eyes to see Keisty waving at me in a car by the water fountain. It was a new shiney greenish-blue Mini Cooper convertible. It's interior was nutmeg brown. Best choice for such a beautiful sunny day.

I ran to the car and closed the door after making myself comfortable. Keisty leaned to my side that l almost thought she wanted to whisper something to me instead she reached for the dashboard. She opened it and took two pairs of fashion sunglasses. She handed one to me then put on the other one.

The car whizzed off and not long were we already speeding in the highway heading for the city. l turned to look at Keisty, she looked hot with loose strands of her hair occasionally going over her face. She would quickly take one hand off the steering wheel to brush it back.

" Is there something on my face?", she asked when she noticed that I was staring at her.

"No, where are we going. Yesterday you said that you would make a plan for today."

" First, we are going to my best friend's house. We are going to pick Prisca and the rest of the plan should be a surprise"

When she mentioned picking up her friend l started to feel unsettled. I felt nervous. I didn't feel it in me to hangout with any other girl except my cousin sister.

Prisca's stays in a penthouse opposite to a garden park. She lives on the fifth floor of the building. Keisty and I had to sit on a park bench waiting for her.

We were sitting on the bench enjoying milkshakes that Keisty had bought on our way. A random thought popped into my mind. I angled my body in her direction and looked at her sidelong. Her legs were neatly joined with both hands holding the milkshake resting on her laps.

" Keisty, why did you take pictures of me when we were trying your clothes?"

A flash of excitement crossed her face. Without answering me she hurriedly drew out her phone from her jacket and scrolled quickly.

She placed the milkshake that she was holding on her lap beside her and replaced it with her phone. She pushed her hair to one side and pulled me to look into her phone. I leaned closer and my eyes opened wide.

" Look, l posted your pictures on my mother's fashion advertising channel. Look at how the people are loving you. They are asking where Beauty was sleeping all along."

I was shocked beyond words that l couldn't find anything to say at the moment. I wanted to shout angrily at her for not telling me that she had made me a public figure without my consent. I couldn't however noticing her happy face. I was afraid of ruining the mood for the day.

" Look", she said cheerfully bringing the phone to my face. " My followers at school are going crazy about you. I am not telling them that you will be joining our school yet."

I saw likes and followers simultaneously increasing and comments pouring in.

" Here even mom liked your pictures."

We looked up when we heard a small attention cough from a male voice. Before us stood a young tall boy maybe seventeen years old. He was giving us a toothy smile showing off his perfectly aligned front teeth. His eyes were dark green with a little aggressive look in them. He was wearing a biker jacket and he was holding a helmet in his hand.

" Hello beautiful ladies, what a lovely day it is. It's so hot for such pretty ladies to be in the sun like this. Would be a pleasure to take you guys on a treat somewhere nice, the bill is on me." He said looking at us but mostly eyeing me.

" Drop the act Mark and go away. Since when did you start being nice and caring to anyone except yourself. Alfa of your gang of bullies, you are the nightmare of the poor kids that you and your puppets make miserable at school." Keisty hissed angrily causing me to flinch. I didn't know she had such a venomous side.

"Ow", he put his hand over his chest exaggerating being hurt. "Now no one believes that l am starting to repent these days. Give me a chance to take you out and you will see for yourselves.

" No chance in hell!" , Keisty spat back folding her arms.

The boy looked at me and then raised an eyebrow. "How about you princess, what do you say?" He asked expectantly.

Keisty saved him from the disgust he would have seen on my face by firmly holding my hand and pulling me to her possessively.

" She's with me today, we already have plans and we're waiting for our friend so, no thanks. Besides, l don't think she would be interested in any boys at our school. So shoo and let us have our day in peace."

"Oh she's coming to our school, that's great, l will...", he didn't finish because Keisty was already standing up before him with a murderous look.

" I said go-a-way", Keisty emphasized the phrase giving it a heavy tone.

Mark raised his hands in surrender. He gave me a look over Keisty's shoulder then turned with a smirk shaking his head. That was when l noticed that the left side of his head had hair trimmed lower than the rest and had a lightning sign trim on it.

He put his free hand in his pocket and started to walk away. A few feet away he paused and craned his head over his shoulder looking at me.

"Hopefully we will become more than just friends when you get to know me. Meet you at school princess", he winked at me and walked away.

" What a looser", Keisty said whilst sitting down and sighing. " Let me not bother thinking about him otherwise he will ruin our day", She paused," please promise me that you won't ever hangout with that guy." She said looking into my eyes and holding my hands.

"Okay l promise", l answered.

I only wanted guys as friends and not more than that. Something about having guys flirting with me was making me sick. My insides would start to twist raising bile to my mouth threatening me to throw up.

Suddenly rushing feet made a shuffling noise coming to us. We all looked up to see a cheerful girl running towards us. All the while she was running a towel over her hair with both hands.

Keisty stood up when she was almost approaching us.  " seriously girl!, you take like forever", she complained.

" I'm so sorry, my parents brought out something at the last minute, l really tried to be quick", she answered with an apologetic look.

" Look now we had to encounter that nuthead Mark-brat."

Prisca's eyes widened, "you did?"

"Never mind", Keisty said rolling her eyes. "Let's go."

When l stood up, Prisca noticed me and her jaws almost dropped to the ground. She looked at me with wide opened eyes and turned back to Keisty.

" Oh my god!, you brought the sleeping beauty model. I thought it was one of your mom's hired model, l didn't expect to see her live!"

" She's my cousin sister, Arielle Loire and she will be coming to our school hopefully tomorr..."

Before Keisty even finished, Prisca was already jumping up and down in excitement.

Keisty just sighed and spoke humorously, "and that's why l didn't tell you sooner, she now matters more than your best friend"

Prisca ignored her and walked to me. She was locked in a daze, looking at me with her eyes dreaming. She took my hand in hers. l could smell the coconut flavored shampoo from her hair.

" Oh my god, l can't believe l am talking to the most trending celebrity right now."

Keisty playfully spanked her back, " snap out of it."

Prisca yelped and jumped then pouted, frantically rubbing the spanked part.

I laughed at their easy going friendship.

"Let's go, we wouldn't want to be late", Keisty said whilst walking to the car and we followed her.