Jessica resumed almost a month after school officially resumed. I never noticed her in class and I seriously wondered where she had been but I just couldn't ask anyone.

Jessica walked into the class that morning fashionably late and I could only scoff. She had added in height and her skin glowed more than it glowed before. She greeted the Civic Education teacher in class before taking her seat.

During break, I didn't expect Jessica to  come to me. Especially for the fact that I was sitting with Chijioke and Vincent by my sides. Stupid Chijioke shot up from his seat to hug Jessica.

"Wifey!"

I thought they had a problem. But then Chijioke was not one to hold grudges right? But this was Jessica we were talking about? The same girl he had feelings for, who had feelings for his close friend and who also decided to step on his feelings by saying things to him because she had a jealousy issue that was related to her little crush.

"My love, how are you?" Jessica replied with the same energy. I just moped at the two feeling like there was something I was missing. They were a piece of puzzle I just couldn't solve. I just looked away from both of them and watched Vincent try to finish the further maths assignment he failed to do at home.

"You all should start submitting your further maths assignment!" Olamide announced, as per 'assistant class captain'.

Holding Jessica's hand, Chijioke came to sit back at his original position. I noticed him rub circles behind Jessica's hand as if assuring her of something. Jessica would not stop looking between me and my desk.

"Nairobi I need to talk to you," she said in a firm voice that actually surprised me.

"Ro, give me your further maths please," Vincent said at the same time, with a frustrated edge to his voice. He showed up about an hour ago which was a free period, telling me he forgot to do his assignment, the same assignment I did my best to explain on Saturday. When I didn't give him mine to copy from, he went to meet Chijioke who had unfortunately submitted his assignment on the teacher's desk immediately he came to school. When Vincent came back to me, I told him he could copy my work if he attempted five out of the ten questions himself. And the boy had been struggling, murmuring, hissing and scratching his head since then and also complaining that none of his answers were corresponding to the answers at the back of our textbook.

I just looked at the boy while holding back a laugh. I passed him my note and looked back at Jessica.

"What do you want to talk about?" It was a rhetorical question. I knew exactly what she wanted to talk about.

"Us."

Chijioke barked a laugh, leaving me to wonder what exactly was funny. "That sounded terribly wrong in my ears for real!" I heard Vincent chuckle beside me but he didn't say anything.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "CJ it's not funny."

I stood up from my seat and followed Jessica to hear what she had to say, that I hadn't heard before. Jessica had sent me a new year text which I didn't bothered replying. She apologized dearly once again for her actions and wished me a beautiful year ahead and many other sweet things. The rate at which my mates were having my number was alarming for me. It was supposed to be for just me and Richard.

But after my newest slight friendship, with a whole Vincent Adebayo, I had to think hard.

New year. And new year resolutions.

I decided it was best to forgive Jessica. Crazy things happen and we are all human, bound by human freaking nature to make mistakes. I had made mistakes too. I suddenly didn't see the reason to keep malice with Jessica. It was just pointless and I wasn't really doing myself the best favour. I liked Jessica and our little clique very much. And at least she was truly sorry for her actions. Something that I should be grateful for.

"Happy new year," she started with as we walked away from Chijioke and Vincent.

I shook my head. "You've wished me before."

Her glossy pink lips formed an 'o'. "So you saw the text?" I nodded in response. She visibly deflated. "You didn't reply. You still hate my guts huh?"

I paused on my tracks and shook my head numerous times. "I didn't hate you or your guts. Just didn't know how to comprehend the fact that you had beef with me over a guy." Who in fact hates my guts.

"I'm truly sorry Naya. My emotions get the best of me most times," she said looking to the floor. We didn't continue walking. We just stood outside the class. Then almost immediately, her head snapped up as she looked at me. "Didn't?"

"I don't get." I know I also looked confused.

She smiled widely making me notice the small one sided dimple she had. Did she always have that? I had never noticed it until now. "I didn't hate you or your guts," she mimicked me. "Past tense. Meaning we're good now!"

Her lighter eyes searched my darker ones. "Right? We're good now ba?"

I tried to smile warmly. "Yes."

Jessica didn't even give me a heads up before literally jumping into a hug. "God! Naya I missed you!"

Chijioke, now her?

Missed me?

It made me wonder, what exactly was there to miss about me?

I hardly had anything interesting to say. I didn't have the best sense of humor. I took offence easily. . .to mention but few. . .

Why would they miss me?

"I prefer talking to you about my stepsister and mother." I saw Jessica cringe visibly as she had to add sister and mother when referring to the girl and her mother. I knew Jessica totally hated Kristabel, her stepsister. Jessica had even proudly proclaimed it most times.

"God in heaven knows I hate that ugly man-girl and her husband snatching, family wrecking mother." She had proclaimed times without number.

"If not for my fear of God, I would have murdered those two a long time ago and nobody would even know I am the culprit," she would add some other times.

That was how much she hated the duo. Jessica had told me, Amanda and Aliyah that Kristabel's mother had shown up in their house out of the blues when she was in JS1 claiming to be her father's mistress and wanting to be known rightfully as his wife because she was carrying 'a stupid imbecile boy child', in Jessica's words.

"My mother hadn't been able to give birth to a boy. But I didn't expect my father to sleep with another woman just for 'a boy'." Jessica opened up to us one day. And according to her what pained her and fueled her hatred for Kristabel and her mother wasn't the fact that her father had had them all through her life(since Kristabel was just a year younger than her) but that her father was beginning to place much more importance on them, ever since her stepmother had a miscarriage that cost her baby boy. And as much as Jessica tried to be sensitive, her emotions always got her. She scorned the woman's misfortune and told us that her plans of totally stealing her father's love from her could never work.

"The woman's pregnant again," Jessica said out of the blues shaking me out of my reverie. I knew she was talking about her stepmother. Jessica looked at me with her big brown eyes. "I swear I want to feel happy for her but a bigger, the biggest part of me just wants her to loose those babies again." She confessed painfully. "Stupid scan said she's expecting twins and at least a boy. See the way my father's people were carrying her like egg and treating my mother with disdain and hostility. God, it was so painful to watch. I wanted to run mad or away from that wicked place. My father just had to let us stay extra in his home town so that they could take care of his 'illicit wife'." Jessica was so bitter when she was saying this. Her voice sounded so pained and broken. I watched her clench her fists by her side.

What was I supposed to do or say in this kind of situation? I had absolutely no idea.

I felt bad for Jessica. I almost felt her pain. But I couldn't feel her pain because I couldn't relate.

But all in all did it really warrant to her wish for the woman?

Jessica chuckled lightly. I saw her unclench her fist and flex her fingers. "I'm supposed to be apologizing not depressing you with my stupid family problems." She flexed her fingers more and looked up at me with bright excited eyes.

Wow. How?

"Let's go to the cafeteria. I'm starving."

She didn't even wait for my response before dragging me along. When we got to the cafeteria, I insisted on paying for my meals myself and Jessica didn't push, sadly.

"So you are close to Vincent now? Fill me in. What exactly did I miss?" Jessica asked between mouthful of fried rice.

I chuckled lightly at her manners. I didn't do etiquettes but I don't think I had ever seen Jessica talk with her mouth full until today. "How do you hate Vincent and still ship him with me?"

"The only beings I hate are Kristabel, her mother and the devil. In that order of course." She swallowed her food and tossed a piece of turkey into her mouth. "I don't hate Vincent. I just want him to come and apologize for what he did but he is being too egoistic," she huffed. "Amanda is too soft for that boy. I'm glad she's over him."

I had even forgotten that Amanda had a crush on him.

"He actually apologized to me and proposed friendship."

Jessica's eyes widened like saucers.

I found it amusing. "Don't worry. He would apologize to you soon. It's his new year resolution."

"Oh so you guys have gone that far. You now know his plans." Jessica wiggled her brows at me. I laughed lightly. I really missed this girl.

"What caused you guys fight last term?" Jessica asked. "You, Stephen and Vincent."

"You noticed?"

"A little and Stephen also told me."

At the mention of his name, my eyes moved on its own accord and landed on the devil. He was coming into the cafeteria with a bunch of boys probably from our set but not in our science class. He held my gaze for what felt like eternity and I almost thought he had frozen me with his eyes. Reminded me of Richard's favorite Greek god(dess), Medusa.

I saw something akin to confliction in his eyes. He was debating whether to come over or just walk away. I made sure to use my eyes to say; screw you Stephen. And your stupid unfortunately captivating eyes. I was finally able to look away when one of his boys literally slapped him out of his trance.

I looked at Jessica and she had been looking at Stephen too. She turned her attention back to me.

"You two haven't reconciled yet. What exactly turned them against you? Why haven't you reconciled with Stephen yet?"

I studied Jessica. There was absolutely no way on earth that she wasn't happy that I and Stephen fell out. Definitely not after she claimed he looked at me somehow. I suspected so especially because of how she talked about her stepmother.

"Ask Stephen." That was all I told her. She just sighed and said nothing more.

Can you try to tell Jessica's personality?

Do you think Stephen and Nairobi would ever reconcile?

What the you think of Chijioke's easy reception of Jessica?
C'mon spill your thoughts!!!!

Vote and comment please.

Ese,

Ann.