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044| An Unexpected Embrace

~K O M I S O L A~

One week later.

I waited patiently for everyone to get inside the bus before I did. They didn't follow the single file rule this time around. All of them were packed together, squeezing against each other to enter the bus.

All of that, I found it unnecessary.

They had all finally entered and I was the last person to. My eyes met Ameenah's intense ones. She was staring at me, with no expression on her face yet a heated gaze that was directed solely at me.

As soon as I took my seat, events from the conference rushed back to my mind, those which mainly included Ameenah in them.

"The recent winner of the National Asian Games has emerged victorious again! She has proved to everyone that winning is just a normal routine for her and she can do it over, and over, and over again!"

The crowd erupted into cheers and applauds. Almost everyone was on their feet, showing their excitement and joy for the teenager who just won another fencing competition. I couldn't stop forgetting how Ameenah was highly adored by the public.

My phone vibrated beside me, making me wonder what on earth could have caused its vibration. I didn't think I could get any notification. Heck, I hardly got any.

But the vibration was continuous. I picked it up, stunned at what greeted me on the dimly turned on screen.

HANNIEL.

The way my stomach stirred immediately, turning warm and fuzzy as I stared at the name which appeared on my screen, it made me blink twice.

Hanniel was calling me.

He was actually calling me.

"WOOOOOAAAAAH!" I flinched at the sound of someone yelling behind me. I looked up and shot the person a glare even if he wasn't looking down at me. His eyes were concentrated on Ameenah, beaming with awe and admiration for her.

I tore my eyes away reluctantly and held back an hiss at the guy. I looked back down at my screen and saw that Hanniel had stopped calling.

I wondered why he had cut the call, but after a while I gave up and resigned with a sigh. Ameenah was still on the field and everyone was now chanting her name.

"AMEENAH! AMEENAH! AMEENAH! AMEENAH! AMEENAH!"

The noise was so deafening, it took every bit of self control I had not to just stand up and leave. I had no idea why, but I actually didn't want to leave.

That's why I stayed and chose to endure all of these insufferable noise.

I noticed something in Ameenah's attitude. She didn't appear to be as hyped as every one else was. There was a smile on her face, but it was so small and quivering. Wasn't she happy about her win?

I shouldn't be bothered but for someone like Ameenah, her facial expressions and demeanor always gave her away whenever she felt something or thought something. If she was happy, you'd definitely see it through the way she looked or acted.

After a final interaction with her opponent, I watched as she turned and began to walk away gently, even while everyone still chanted her name.

From the beginning of this trip till the end of it, Ameenah Ahmed had not been her true self.

I was curious, but it was none of my business.

I shouldn't be concerned about someone who framed me for stealing a stupid diamond necklace in front of the whole class. Why she did that, was just not clear to me.

Was it because of Hanniel? Or was it pure hatred?

I looked outside the window and I was surprised to see Ekiyor standing a few feet away and waving goodbye at me.

Ekiyor had sort of become an acquaintance. She always reminded me of Senior Inaya, and I liked her for it. She had also put her number in my phone, just like the way Hanniel did, and told me she was going to be texting me a lot.

She suggested calls but I hated calls.

I waved back at her, smiling a little at her because I didn't want to be bitchy or cold to her.

The bus started to drive away and I inhaled deeply. It was weird to believe I had actually experienced all of this Jacqueline Hennessey trip when I didn't want to, but Hanniel who wanted to so badly, didn't.

"Is someone sitting here?"

I looked up.

This boy.

"You don't need to ask again, you know I sit alone every time," I said, tearing my eyes away from him and staring straight ahead.

"Well, yes," he agreed. I could his feel his gaze on me as he settled down next to me. "But it's manners. I have manners. I still need to ask, even if you are always sitting with Hanniel. If it's not him, then no one."

"What do you mean by your last statement?"

Ibrahim shrugged. "I'm only saying the truth. But forget about that, I've known you for years, Komisola..."

"No, you've not." I interrupted. I really wasn't in the mood for any conversation.

Ibrahim took the hint and with one final smile at me, he looked away and stopped talking to me. I closed my eyes and inhaled the fresh breeze that filled my nostrils.

Today was a school day, and I wondered maybe Hanniel was in school at this point in time.

~

~H A N N I E L~

I was so not happy with my life right now. Out of all the times I could have fallen ill, it just had to be one of the most important moments in my life. In Australia, I only ever played basketball games and that was it, I never related to any one on the team except one of us had to make a comment related to the game. I was a lone wolf.

In BHS, I stopped playing, totally. I had stopped in my last years spent in Australia, and I didn't bother to continue basketball in Nigeria. But I wanted to try it again, especially when it seemed like I would be playing a game with people I was acquainted with.

I sighed, staring up at the ceiling. Mum was back at home, and it took a lot of argument to let me in school. The doctor had diagnosed my condition as stress, nothing more than stress.

Just a lot of accumulated stress.

God knows where the stress was coming from.

After a lot of begging and pleading to let me go to school, Mum had gruffly answered and allowed me to come to school. I don't think that was of any use either, because I was at the school clinic currently.

Grey eyes should be returning today.

"You can rest on the second bed."

"No. I want that bed, where that boy is laying on, you know that is where I always stay, nurse."

My eyebrows furrowed in question. The first voice seemed to belong to the nurse I met here and the second one... I couldn't identify it. But it belonged to a girl, definitely.

Why they were arguing? And was I that boy?

"Please, Sofia, the boy is ill, and I don't want to disturb him. He must be sleeping as we speak."

The curtains were suddenly pulled apart, in an angry and aggressive manner. The first idea that came to me was to flap my eyes shut, but it was too late. Sofia already caught me fully awake, with a death glare directed at me and when I looked at her hand on the curtain, it was also a death grip.

I studied her face. She was dark in complexion, with lengthy black and white braids packed in a ponytail. Her eyes which she used to glare at me were average in size and hazel in color. She also had thick eyebrows. She seemed to be hairy in a way. Then I saw the makeup on her face. The wings around the corner of her eyes, with little silver stones on them, and the heavy amount of lipgloss she used.

Reminded me of Dabirah and Ameenah.

"See?" Sofia turned to the nurse. "He's not sleeping. Ask him to stand up."

How rude.

Was this Sofia girl blind? I was right here.

"Excuse me? I'm actually right here."

I sat up, pushing up my body weight with my arms.

A look of disgust marred Sofia's face as she stared at me, morphing into a scowl. "That's my bed."

"Did you bring it from home?" I retorted.

Oops.

Maybe I shouldn't have said that.

A gasp left her lips, her eyes narrowing into slits as her fists balled by her sides. "How dare you-"

"Sofia, would you be reasonable?"

"Yes, listen to her," I gave my support to the nurse. "You don't even look sick."

"He's right, Sofia. You like crashing here when you don't want to have classes and you know the Principal has his eyes on you."

"Ma!" Sofia shouted. "Are you on his side?" she cried. "This is so not fair, I want that bed. The left side of the room is where I blend in."

"That's very dumb and incoherent."

"Would you just shut upㅡ?" Sofia snapped. "Stand up, in fact."

"You could carry me. You seem to be strong, mate."

"Spare me with your bullshit accent. Stand up, abeg. You this white human being."

"Are you being racist right now, Sofia? That's not very nice of you, is it?" I raised my brows at her.

"Racist, my foot. Go to that bed, this is my spot."

I checked my Apple wristwatch, lunch break was over. I had done enough resting for today, to be honest. But now I didn't want to go. This Sofia girl was pretty obnoxious and I wanted to annoy her a bit more.

"Waiting," Sofia spoke up after she had noticed how silent I was for some seconds.

Should I just stand up and go to class or stay here and drag this with the obnoxious girl?

If I stand up, I'd just let her have the bed. I don't want to do that.

"Nurse," I turned to the nurse, faking a wince and placing my palm on my forehead. "This is not right. She is too loud. Now I have an headache."

A look of horror flashed across the nurse's face. "No!" she exclaimed and whipped her head around to Sofia. "Sofia," she called sternly. "Take that bed or leave." She pointed at the vacant bed that was next to me. "The Principal has had me watch this boy specially, you don't know who his parents are-"

I jumped up from the bed.

"There, you can have the bed. I just got tired of laying on it."

Sofia squinted her eyes at me, which made me roll mine as I walked past her. I called the nurse, who came to where I stood. "Can you not tell anyone who my parents are?"

"Why?" the nurse asked, perplexed by my request. I know, it seemed strange to her for me to make such a request.

"I feel uncomfortable."

"Oh..." the nurse trailed off.

I nodded. "Yeah." Pressing my lips together and getting ready to leave, I added, "my name is Hanniel... Hanniel Alonge."

As soon as I turned around, my heart jumped in fright as I came in contact with a pair of grey eyes.

The familiar lifeless look in those grey eyes sparked something within me, like elation. She was here.

She was here.

She was actually here.

So soon.

How come?

Without thinking - which I was sure to regret minutes from now - I engulfed Komisola in a hug, grinning stupidly from ear to ear.

I missed her.

I missed her so much.

Spending a few days without the girl I liked, who always put up this cold attitude and hardly said anything to me, was similar to hell.

I called her during the trip, but when my actions hit me, I cut the call quickly, asking myself what I was thinking by calling her.

"Hanniel..."

I blinked back into reality. I looked down at my arms on her waist- Shit.

Detaching myself from her like I had been scalded by the embrace, my eyes bulged in realization.

"I'm sorry, I swear, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry, I am so sorry. So so sorry, so so so sorry-"

Grey eyes raised her hand up in my face. "Bruv."

Her voice.

Ameenah wasn't kidding. I was whipped.

"Don't hug me again, and stop with the apologies."

Not how I envisioned her first words to me since we last saw each other, but okay. I wasn't expecting anything more.

"What's so special about a hug?" I heard someone mutter, amusement and curiosity laced in her voice. I glanced at Sofia, shooting her a scornful look.

"You're going to class?" Grey eyes asked. "Let us go."

a/n: last update of the year 2022! ngl, this year was so shitty. but let me do some quick dedication to the people ik on this app:

Pearl-esque dahmilorla Iyanuoluwa-Temi

and to those who have supported this book from the very beginning! making a few comments and always voting! if you are seeing this, I love you sfm. Thank you for making this book one of the best things to ever happen to me this year. I published it like 5 months ago, afraid that it wouldn't get any progress but y'all proved me wrong.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! AND STAY SAFE! <3 CHEERS TO THE LAST UPDATE OF THE YEAR! <3