Sola
2 weeks later...

After finishing dinner, I went to lie down in my room. I started recalling how these two weeks have been going. We were starting tests on Monday, when I noticed we hardly go to church. I asked Dotun about it and it I somehow regretted it. Just looking at the stares I got from the Baptist Church I attended as a child was devastating.

*****
"Oluwasola, how are you." She smiled and pulled me into a hug while my cousins stared awkwardly.

"Hmm" That was the only thing I could mutter to my maternal grandma.

She pulled me up to her side after church and started talking about my condition and started bringing up my mom's story. I just didn't want to listen to these things again.

"She's the cause of all of this, if I had knew earlier I would have..". She started sobbing.

I couldn't say anything. I knew she was right but I just had to forget it, sure she had made mistakes but...

I don't know I just always kill the mistakes with the love that she has always given me.

"I'm sorry, I should not have." She said drying her eyes.

I wanted to stand up for my mom but there was nothing to say.

****

I hit my head on my pillow and let the tears I have been keeping fall.

Maybe it is her fault...
Why was she in such an act in the first place...
Why am I bearing the consequences...
Why?!?!
These questions still remain unanswered. That's why I question existence.

I started writing again cause it alway helps.

Why would God decide to make me the only one out of three ,someone I would have never decided to be.

Life then seems meaningless, only filled with its bad. Sometimes it's hard to see the good.

My phone rang and I was surprised who would be calling me at this ungodly hour. I was surprised to see it was Seun, she prefers texting me to calling. I picked the call and was surprised to hear Semilore's voice.

"Sola?" She called out my name in a weak tone.

"What's wrong love?" I asked worried what was wrong.

"I miss mommy." She blurted and bursted into tears. "When is she coming back?"

I sighed. I just don't know what to tell her, I had already explained.

"Mom is has gone home, to where we will end up when we all hav fulfilled our purpose on Earth, do you understand?"

"Yes. But I still miss her." I whined.

"We all do too but don't worry, we will meet again okay?" I assured her.

"Okay." I imagined her nodding her head in understanding and wiping her tears. I wish I could be there right now.

"But why didn't you call me,I missed you too." She huffed after a few minutes of silence.

"I have no excuse, I'm sorry dear." I sighed.

"It's okay." She said, with her childhood innocence.

"So that's why you took Semilore's phone?" I asked.

"Yes, she didn't want to gimme." She whined again.

I just rolled my eyes in defeat. I wanted to ask but remembered she has been having her dreams again.

"So, how are you generally?." I asked, she is very chatty around me.

"Let's see. Daddy has been around for a while and Seun has a new boyfriend." She giggled at the last part.

"How do you know?" I giggled too. Eww..do men giggle? No, they chuckle lightly.

"Yes I do, she has been staring at her screen for days and laughing." She stated.

"Uhhmm, sneaky much". I said.

"It's not sneaky, it's...uhmm.. detergent work?" She said.

Now I laughed. "It's detective work." I continued laughing and she joined me. I need someone with this kind of naivety.

***
5am..
I woke up and got ready for school. I was happy that I could get Semilore back to sleep, for now I hope. She's so scared of her therapy and I secretly signed some papers to get her out of it, Dad was furious but everyone knows I did what was best for her. Didn't I?

I got my messenger bag and went for breakfast while everyone was getting dressed. I had cereal and waited as usual for my cousins. My normal, new life.

****
Ayo's POV
Two weeks seemed so short because of what have been happening. We visited Dad on Saturday and he kept on apologizing and begging me anytime he got the chance but I had already explained to him that it didn't matter anymore, maybe they do but I just have to bury those emotions somewhere.
Ire has been going out lately, coming back drunk or smelling gross and worse hitting me. It was like he was bringing me back to hell. I remember something he said which made me question myself.

"Who do you think you are, look at you." He said pinning me to my bed. I tried screaming but I couldn't. He covered my mouth and was scared whether he could rape me. As soon as he was to make a move, my mom came home. I knew because of the jingling of her keys but he just kept quiet and stared at the door until we heard a flick of light.

"It's all your fault we are like this." He whispered and pulled out something sharp and lifted up my shirt making me more than scared and creating my eyes to grow wide. Then he cut me on my right arm and left side of my abdomen. I yelped in pain but couldn't do anything. I cried and stared at the brother that I thought was my hero..he has become my second monster.

"Tell Mom about this and you're finished." He said close to my ear and goosebumps seemed to break my skin. He got up and left, giving me time to run into the bathroom and cry. I tried to clean myself, biting my lips and crying as I did so.

I knew he has been acting strangely, thanks to his new girlfriend.

I have not met her yet but I definitely know she a sheep in fox's clothing even with the way I hear her voice through Ire's phone.

I tried shaking off the pain but my cut was still bleeding this morning. It wasn't so deep but I could not tightened it myself. So I wore my blue hoodie to cover my arm even though the weather was just warm.

I got to school and felt isolated cause after I got close to Folarin, it was like Tolu was creating a rift between us and it made me feel pissed. Micheal hardly talks to me and Jide has been down lately, cause his best friend has left him. I think. Everything just seemed weird. Sometimes being a teenager is hard.

***
Ayo
We had English paper first then Geography which I was offering in the afternoon. I read through my question and started my work, not before writing my name of course. We were rearranged because of of some cheats or what we call 'dubbers' and I sitting beside Sola. He just glanced at me and I did too. It was like we had the same feeling on mind.
Like forty five minutes before ending the exam, I noticed my hand was bleeding.

"Shit." I whispered as I saw the red liquid staining my cardigan. Thankfully it was a dark blue cardigan. I asked my invigilator if I could go to the restroom. He was persistent at first he agreed. I rushed into the stall and started cleaning up.

As I walked on to get outside as a few students were still writing. I bumped into the Vice Principal.

"And where to in such a hurry?" Asked the plumb woman.

"I just finished my paper so I'm going outside." I said nervously.

She first inspected me like she was looking for something and I just froze and did that in my head. Hair, earrings and uniform.. Cardigan!!!....

"Is this our school cardigan." She raised her voice and started talking and raising her voice, mistaking me to be among the "bad SS2 kids".

"Come with me!" She said and it made me feel worse.

"Excuse me ma." A male voice said, a familiar one. Sola.

"Yes?" The VP said turning around to look at Sola as he came closer. He was taller than her and it was funny but I bite my lips to stop laughing at the height difference.

"Ma, she's on her period that's why?" He blurted out. My eyes grew so wide at his response. I was not menstruating anyways.

"How do you know?" She said. I also agreed with her. "And you couldn't talk." She looked at me.

"I'm sorry ma." I simply said. As I love to talk, I'm shy about my personal life.

"It's nothing to be ashamed about." She said and stared at Sola.

"Okay you can go." She continued and left us behind.

"What was that?" I asked Sola who was now leaning on the wall and I went close to him. The halls were getting full now.

"You're welcome, how's your arm?" He said and I just looked dumbfounded.

"How did you know?" I asked.

"You were sitting beside me and I saw you staring at it this morning." He said casually.

"Stalker much." I stated.

"Yeah, I stalk girls like you." He grinned and I just looked.

"Like me?!" I asked in surprise. Does he have a crush on me?

"Just kidding, don't take it personally." He laughed while I felt like punching him.

"You have not answered my question though." He said.

"It's fine." I huffed.

"You have to meet the nurse though." He said.

"I don't want to" I huffed again.

"Quit being a five year old and let's go." He commanded and rolled his eyes.

"I'm surprised your so called friends are not here." He grinned at me again.

He was right though. I just sighed.
"Let's go." I gave in.

"Good girl." He said.

As we walked there I was wondering why he said that.

"Why don't you talk." I said him.

"I am talking to you?" He stated.

I rolled my eyes. "And why don't you talk to your friends. It seems like you wish you could tell them what's on your mind."

He looked at me differently. It was like he was reading me and I did not like it.

"You're ready to answer mine?" I said, snapping him out of his mind reading.

"No." He said softly.

"So do I." I smiled at his defeat.

Then we made our way to the nurse's office.

****
The nurse treated my wound and Sola and I left her office. She advised me to take my vitamins but thankfully I didn't need antibiotics.

"Thanks." I nervously said to him. Talking to Sola is weird for me even after what he just said.

"No problem." He replied, smiling sweetly at me. As I saw my 'so called' friends, I walked up to them leaving Sola behind.

I got to them and they just continued the conversation while I found it so hard not to itch my cuts. I just felt my emotions rushing down again. I hated the feeling that nobody cares about me that much cause here I am, being rejected literally.

***
After my Geography test,I decided to go to the library. After sitting down here for five minutes, I started listening to Alessia Cara's Here.

🎶Excuse me if I seem unintrested or I'm indifferent or ain't listening.

Truly I ain't got no business here but since my friends are here, I just came to kick in.....🎶

Now I felt so much better and I walked downstairs to wait for my mom. While I waited, Folarin came to sit beside me.

"Yo, what's wrong?" He smiled at me while I felt like telling him to leave.

"Fine, but it seems like all of you don't care." I said and truly meant it. How could I have friends who knew so much about my past just decide to push me away. It was like she only wanted to her my pity story and leave me alone.

"That's not true, you are always like that."

"How?"

"It's complimented sha but sometimes you behave weirdly and maybe it's because you still like Micheal." He looked away as he said it.

I just laughed and he looked surprised. "I don't not like him that way and if it's giving Tolu the weird zone, she should have asked me."

"She could not cause she's scared she would hurt my feelings." He said.

"What?"

"I like you okay." He admitted and I just didn't know what to say or do. Fortunately and unfortunately for me and him, my mom had arrived and I left him there.

*****
After cooking dinner and doing homework, I decided to sleep early but I woke up around 11pm and started at the ceiling.

"Do I like Folarin?" Yes I did but I didn't really focus on it.

"Why is Tolu my friend?"

Because. I thought. Because she likes me?

"What's up with Sola." Now this was a question that I needed to get to the bottom of.