On the evening of Valentine's day, I was lying on my belly on Jessica's bed. I was busy flipping through a fashion catalog I saw on her desk while Jessica sat at her desk, skyping with her cousin living somewhere outside Nigeria. The girl had begged all of us to skip school today then come over to her home to get dressed and leave for the love fest together. It was an evening event. After the love fest, we were supposed to sleep over at Jessica's place. Amanda and Aliyah agreed at once and I thought it wasn't a bad idea, except for the skipping school part. I went to school and Jessica came with her driver to pick me up.

I felt like a princess. I wished my life would continue like this– coming to school and going home everyday in a private car with the most comfortable seats and an air conditioning system. The best part was that I wasn't galloping around because of potholes on the road. If there were any, the car did a good job at absorbing the shock. What would a private jet feel like? I had to wonder. Money is good, no cap.

I said yes to Vincent's request,  Stephen said yes to Jessica, Aliyah claimed the senior Hakeem had asked her to be his val while Amanda was going with Peter. I noticed a little chemistry between those two ever since Peter confessed that he was very big fan of some authors whose names I didn't bother memorizing.

Jessica shared a room with her stepsister, Kristabel. I wondered how the adults could come up with such a terrible idea. The room was large then it was demarcated into two. The part belonging to Kristabel was painted purple while the part belonging to Jessica was pink.

And I'm not even capping when I say it was pink.

Everything from her wall, to her bed, to her laptop, to her wardrobe, was all shades of pink, like a unicorn or something vomited there.

When I got bored of looking through her fashion catalogs, I borrowed Jessica's laptop, which had an unbelievable amount of excessively cute stickers, and sat at her desk to play the candy crush game.

I heard the door open and swivelled on Jessica's pink office chair to find her stepsister standing at the door looking at me. Jessica went to get a few snacks so she wasn't with me. I already understood why Jessica always called her a man-girl. Kristabel was on low cut like me but unlike me, she gave off this tomboy vibes. She rocked a pair of extremely baggy trousers and an equally baggy vest, headsets on her neck and her phone dangling from her pinky finger by a sort of elastic string.

"Hi again," She said and went to her corner of the room.

When me and Jessica arrived at the house, the girl had been in the sitting room with her mother. The dark skinned woman and her daughter both smiled at me and her daughter went ahead to say 'hi'. I expected them to scowl, glare, tell me to get out and every other things wicked stepmothers and stepsisters did. The two did not fit into Jessica's description of them at all. I didn't greet them back because Jessica chose that time to shout;

'Welcome to my home Nairobi. We should go to my room.'

She shouted like I wasn't just beside her then she practically dragged my up a fleet of spiral stairs. Jessica's home wasn't unreasonably huge like Vincent's but it was fancy.

Kristabel definitely thought I snubbed her which wasn't really intentional but then did I really want to befriend Jessica's supposed enemy?

Someone kicked the door open startling me. Jessica came in giggling as she brought a tray of snacks into the room. Kristabel just rolled her eyes and blocked her ears with her headset. Jessica sat cross legged on the pink fluffy rug at the foot of her bed then opened a tall red can and started munching from it. I went to join her on the floor.

I opened a short bread and poured a glass of fruit juice for myself.

"Do you want Pringles?" Jessica asked, stretching the tall red can to me.

"Just give me three." When I placed the chips in my mouth, the concentrated taste of salt and spicy seasoning assaulted my tongue in an unpleasant way.

"Why are you squeezing your face like shit?" Jessica asked me.

I gulped down my glass of juice at once before replying her. "How on earth were you able to eat more than three of that thing so happily without throwing up?" Jessica stared blankly at me before laughing like I told her the funniest thing.

The stupid salty taste of the chips was still on my tongue and I gagged before gulping down another glass of juice.

"Many people don't like this flavor but it's actually my favorite."

"Is that thing supposed to be snack or poison for goodness sake?"

Jessica laughed again. "Chill please." Then her phone started singing all too familiar tune. "Its four thirty already!" Jessica shouted.

"Why did you shout na?" I glared at the girl because she had startled me with her sudden shout.

"Oh my God it's four thirty! Aliyah and Amanda are not here yet!"

"You were never planning on going on to the love fest on time," I reminded her, just in case she forgot.

"I know. But you know we have to talk before going. And even if we have to go late, we don't want to go when the event is over you know?"

I shook my head at the girl, a smile tugging at my lips. She was dramatic much.

"We have arrived o!" Amanda announced when she not-so-noiselessly entered Jessica's room. Aliyah followed meekly behind her.

"Hello."

Jessica sprang up from the rug and threw herself on the duo. "I was talking about you two just now!" I could easily tell she had a huge grin on her face.

Aliyah was able to peel herself from Jessica. "Great! I'll live long."

She came to Jessica's part of the room, dumped her bag on the floor and got herself comfortable on Jessica's bed. "Jessica I want to eat something. Zainab made me take only Kunu and two slices of bread because she doesn't want me refusing the food 'my date' is supposed to buy me because I'm full."

"Take that shortbread on the tray." Jessica was already walking towards us with one of her arms curled under Amanda's elbow.

"No!" I grabbed the other pack of shortbread and held it to myself greedily. That got them laughing.

"Nothing else? Like cooked food?"

"My mum didn't cook anything. Will you eat noodles. . .and fried eggs maybe?"

"I'll manage."

"Jessica, my mum cooked plantain porridge this afternoon." That was Kristabel. I didn't notice when she removed her headset and went to her study table. I saw Aliyah wave slightly at her and Kristabel shot her a quick smile.

"So?" Jessica had turned to face her stepsister.

"Your friend said she's hungry. . ." Kristabel trailed off with a shrug.

"Aliyah would eat the noodles I would prepare for her." With that Jessica left the room. Kristabel just stared at the door through which Jessica left then with a sigh she swivelled her chair to face her laptop.

Aliyah stood up from Jessica's bed and went to meet Kristabel. I and Amanda unconsciously shared a look.

"Kris how are you?"

The dark girl beamed at Aliyah. "I'm fine."

"You guys talk?" That was me. It was shocking alright. Jessica always complained about how she could not just tolerate her step relatives so I didn't expect any of us to be talking to her.

"Why not?"

"How?" Amanda asked.

Kristabel laughed bitterly. "I guess Jessica has painted me black as usual."

"The first time I came to Jessica's home in ss1 I met her. She stole my attention with her beat making skill," Aliyah explained

"You make beats?" Amanda asked seemingly interested she was now going over to Kristabel's part of the room.

"Sort of." the girl replied. "I'm more of a mixer. . .Disc jockey at the moment."

"That's cool." Amanda's attention shifted to her book rack. "Can I go through it?"

Kristabel nodded.

Then she turned back to her laptop and started clicking away. "Aliyah, I'm working on something, an original beat."

"Really? Can I hear it?"

"Of course." Kristabel handed Aliyah a pair of earphones. Aliyah placed one part in her left ear and I watched her nod her head to the beat of what was playing through it.

"Wow. You're getting better at this," Aliyah complimented still listening.

"Thanks. Terhemba actually helped me. We still have some adjustments and additions to do," Kristabel told her. "I was hoping you could try hopping on the beat. Terhemba has a guy who is willing to let us use his studio free of charge. We can record there."

"Record what exactly?" That was me asking.

"Seconded," Amanda added as she flipped through a book she got from the rack.

Kristabel just stared from me to Amanda like we had grown three heads

Then she looked at Aliyah. "They are mocking you?" She asked with  evident bewilderment.

"Have you heard her sing? She can't even sing the solfa notations."

Kristabel gasped dramatically. "Aliyah you are not saying anything? This girl is mocking you, a whole Nightingale."

Amanda laughed. "Nightingale? Since when? She sings like a whale." Amanda turned to Aliyah. "Remember JSS 3, you literally sang the solfa notations of all things off-key when we wanted to practice a song for graduation ceremony and the music teacher said you sang like a frightened whale–"

"Then the whole class started calling me 'baby whale' not only because of that but also because I was fat. Yes, I remember clearly." Aliyah wasn't smiling with Amanda. I figured she didn't find the memory of the event funny. "It wasn't funny Amanda."

Amanda's smile vanished and she dropped her head in remorse. "Sorry."

Tension and awkwardness was pressing on me due to the silence that followed. I had to do something. "Aliyah sing something for us."

"Why?"

"I-I want to hear you sing."

"You want to laugh?"

"Jeez no. Jessica's sister thinks you sing great. I want to hear your voice."

Aliyah looked at me for a while then turned to back all of us. She started singing and I swear I didn't expect what I heard. The girl blew my mind and I understood Kristabel's reaction from earlier.

"Hold up. Is Beyoncé hiding in your wardrobe?  Because I'm hundred and one percent sure I heard her sing just now."

Aliyah turned around with a smile. "You flatter me Amanda."

"But wait a freakin' minute, Aliyah sings this well. The Aliyah Abdul that I've know since JS1 sings?" Amanda asked again. "Wow. I'm so sorry for my earlier statement."

"Apology accepted" Aliyah smiled. "And yes I sing. Duh."

"Since when?" Amanda asked, still surprised.

"Since forever."

"What happened in school then?"

"I was shy and I just couldn't picture myself singing in front of everyone in school. That was the problem."

The door was kicked open and the culprit came in grinning but one look at her stepsister's corner and the smile vanished in a jiffy. Jessica glared at Amanda and Aliyah before walking stiffly to her side of the room.

"Aliyah come and eat."

The two wordlessly came over to Jessica's side of the room. The tension and awkwardness in the room was sky high, that it was suffocating me.

"Nairobi you're next!" My head snapped to Amanda's position at the entrance of the bathroom. She had an Ethiopian airline blanket wrapped around her torso as a makeshift towel.

I stood up from the rug where I have been eating shortbread while stealing glances at Jessica and Kristabel. I partially undressed then took a red towel from the towels Jessica offered us.

Jessica's obsession with pink did not bypass her bathroom and toilet. Apart from the walls and floor that were tiled white. Every other things were painfully pink- the mirror frame, demarcating curtain, toilet bowl, basin, everything that wasn't the wall and floor. I didn't hate the colour pink but the pink monochrome was too much, it was already hurting my eyes.

When I came out of the bathroom, I realised Aliyah was in a bathroom down the hallway, the bathroom Kristabel apparently used because Jessica would not allow her use the bathroom in the room.

Amanda was already dressed in a long red flowing dress without sleeves. She was looking at herself on the full-length mirror hanging in front of Jessica's wardrobe. Rhinestones and white pearls adorned the dress and there was also a slit that stopped almost above mid thigh showing off her dark thick thighs.

"You're making me feel self conscious already." Her voice stopped me from admiring her.

"You look beautiful honestly."

She hummed and went over to the vanity to style her natural hair. I went over to my bag to bring out my own cloth. It was a red sequins dress with exaggerated flay sleeves Richard had claimed his sister said to give some time ago.

Aliyah entered the room while I was studying the dress. She grinned at me form the door.

"Wow! I can't wait to see the look on the lucky guy's face." She still didn't know I was going with Vincent. Aliyah walked further into the room. She used one hand to hold her towel and the other to feel the cloth. "This gown is beautiful."

"Oya wear the cloth quickly." Amanda was grinning at me from where she was seated at the vanity. When Amanda continued with her hair and Aliyah went to dress up too, I pulled the gown over my head. It was a perfect fit.

I went over to the full length mirror to check myself out. The gown stopped inches above my knees and had a small slit going inches higher on my right thigh. It's sweetheart neck showed some cleavage

"H. O. T. Very Hot!" I turned to face Jessica who was just coming out of the bathroom. She was smiling like crazy. "Nairobi, what exactly is your plan? Amanda stand let me see you! Oh my fucking Goodness, men will suffer today. Babes! Planet mercury would be jealous at the degree of hotness you guys are emitting right now!" Jessica was jumping about excitedly. "Wow. Wow. Just wow."

"Madam, go and wear your clothes or we would reach there and there would be no one to praise the hotness."

"Aliyah, oh my sweet Jesus, your dress is amazing," Jessica gushed going over to the girl. "Wow. It's so unique. Ankara? You would win best dressed, no fucking cap–" Jessica stopped ranting and stared at Aliyah's chest for a long time then hummed mischievously. "Someone please get me a thermometer I need to read the temperature in this place. This is hotness overload–"

Aliyah was already trying to pin a brooch to cover up her cleavages but Jessica was quick to swipe it.

"Not on my watch. I hope you're not wearing Hijab on this?"

Aliyah rolled her eyes. "No."

"Good."

"I have a scarf," Aliyah replied showing her the scarf and walking towards the full length mirror where I was.

Jessica groaned and Aliyah chuckled. "You know I have to cover my hair."

Aliyah's gown was really beautiful. It was a wrap gown with bobbed long sleeves. The lower part which looked like gathered flay stopped just very few inches above her knees. The Ankara material was basically white background with red floral pattern and the bobbed sleeves were made with white shiny satin. The v-neck of the wrapped torso part did show cleavage, it wasn't much but maybe for Aliyah it was. Her hair was still hidden in a bonnet.

"Beautiful," I complimented her before stepping away from the mirror so that she could tie her scarf.

"I'm so jealous of you guys right now. What I have is rags compared to all these," Jessica cried sitting on her bed. She was still in her towel. I just chuckled at her drama. This hype woman could rock the rags if she wanted.

Jessica eventually went to put on her own dress. It was a plain white body con dress with halter neck. The back of the dress was bare and the gown was really short. I noticed Jessica had a flair for mini clothing. Jessica packed her braids in a high ponytail and threw on a knee length red suede booth. I felt a slight heartache for Chijioke as I stared at Jessica who radiated beauty in its glorious form. Amanda packed her natural hair the same way but managed to bring out curly bangs to her face.

"It's time for make up," Jessica announced after dropping some sort of tool box on her vanity.

Amanda was the first to sit. "You have a kit? Wow. Do you have temporary lashes there. I would like one?"

"But you would be wearing you glasses," I pointed out.

"Nah. I'm using contacts today." I knew she used contact lenses but I knew it was reserved for basketball only. Jessica worked her magic and we were all dolled up.

"Girls, let's take a pictures please," Jessica said fishing out her phone from her purse. We all posed and pouted while she took numerous pictures and selfies with her phone.

"Go downstairs. I'd been down with Nairobi in a jiffy," Jessica told Amanda and Aliyah.

Jessica went to her jewelry box when the girls left and brought out a silver chained necklace with pendant the shape of teardrop having a big white Pearl in its middle.

"It fits the pendant on your sandal." Was the only thing she told me before going behind me to hook the necklace in place. It did fit the pendant on the white box heeled sandal I borrowed without consent from Dinma.

"It looks like it's saying 'hey look here'," I joked pointing to my cleavage as Jessica studied the jewelry.

"I've always wanted Vincent's downfall. You, my dearest, would be his downfall tonight," she said with a lopsided grin.

I chuckled. "No one is falling tonight biko," I said before walking out of the room with Jessica behind me.