Shouts woke me up the next morning.

Jessica had had an argument with her father concerning something he said to her mother. The fatigued woman came back from work in the morning and according to Jessica, her father told her that it was because of overworking that her body system could not bear him a son. Jessica had gone mad with anger and challenged her father.

The girl was still pissed as we drove to school in her mother's car. Jessica was fuming and I couldn't help comparing her to Pa John, one of our neighbor's, old Danfo bus. Her mother who was at the steering wheel beside her kept patting her shoulders once in a while to calm her down. Jessica looked so much like the woman. They had the same glowing fair skin, beautiful brown eyes, small pink lips and more. Their resemblance was uncanny.

The clock on the car's dashboard said it was nine twenty and we were not close to the gates of Regal high yet. It was the first time I would go to school this late but Aliyah assured me that there would be no punishment for us. I watched Jessica's mother grip the steering wheel tight again like she had been doing occasionally. Jessica's mother wasn't crying but I was sure she was hurt. She looked exhausted when she came back but still she offered to drive us to school for no good reason. I presumed that it was just to stay away from her husband.

When we got to Regal high, it was just three minutes to the end of sports time. I knew that before we even got upstairs to change into our sport wears, sports time would be over.

"Don't mind your daddy okay? He says. . . things sometimes," Jessica's mother said giving her a side hug when we got down from the car.

"Are you going back home?" Jessica asked holding on to the straps of her school bag like a little child.

"Yeah baby," the woman replied with a tired sigh. "Even if I don't want to be there, I need to rest. Dealing with the accident victims last night was exhausting. And I still have to go back to the hospital this evening."

"Mummy I am proud of you. You're a hardworking and kind woman. Not a lazy woman who sits in the house all day thinking of families to put asunder," Jessica told her mother pulling her into an unexpected hug. "You should be proud of yourself."

Her mother smiled. "Thank you my love. But you know Evelyn is not that bad. She just made a mistake–"

"You are always defending her!" Jessica whined, stomping her feet. "She's the reason daddy is no longer acting himself!"

Her mother sighed again and rubbed her forehead. "Okay, I'm sorry. I have to go."

Jessica hugged the woman again."Bye."

"Bye love. Have a great day okay?"

Jessica nodded.

"You too ladies," the kind woman said to us.

"Thanks ma," Aliyah and I chorused.

As we walked the length of tiled road leading to the senior block with Jessica and Aliyah exchanging small talks I didn't partake in, I could hear the noise from the school field beside the senior block. I wasn't angry at Jessica though. I couldn't stay mad at her after watching her mini breakdown this morning.

"Morning ladies," Stephen greeted draping an arm over my shoulder. He also had his other arm on Jessica's shoulder. The conversation I had with Aliyah last night played in my mind but I shook it off. I was certain we were wrong.

"Stephen, you missed sports?" Aliyah asked him.

"Yeah. I woke up late. Coach is going to kill me."

I noticed Jessica gently peel his arm from her shoulder. That was so strange. The fact that Jessica had not even said anything  to Stephen was stranger. I think Stephen noticed.

"Hey, are you still angry about last night?" Stephen asked her taking her wrist. Jessica did not spare him a glance and I thought she wasn't going to even talk to him.

"What's there to be vexed about?" She asked him with an unnecessary smile on her face. It looked forced and reeked of malice. I was forced to wonder what happened between the two last night. I doubted that it related to what he posted on his status. The last time I had seen them together, Jessica was clinging and he was tolerant. I never thought I would live to see Jessica get angry at Stephen but what do I know.

The school's automated bell chose that moment to ring. It didn't even take an extra minute for students to start flooding around us from the field. It was like they have been anticipating the bell.

Stephen left Jessica's wrist. "I will see you later. I need to see coach."

Jessica did not wait for Stephen to turn around before walking away. She turned to us after few steps. "What are you girls standing there for?"

Aliyah and I left Stephen's side where we stood staring at her dumbfounded and joined her. When the three of us walked into the building and climbed the first set of stairs, I finally asked what was on my mind.

"What happened between you two?"

"Who?" She asked like she totally had no idea.

"You and Stephen," Aliyah said for me.

"Nothing is going on. Everything is fine."

"That is a big lie."

"Then find a truth for yourself," Jessica said to me dismissively. I figured it would be a waste of time asking her again so I decided to ask Stephen later. I guess we were reconciled now and it was still unbelievable. Just day before yesterday, I wouldn't even look at Stephen. Now I was planning on going to see him.

When we stepped into the class the first person my eyes met was Vincent. Chijioke was seated beside him chattering away as usual while Vincent listened with a smile on his face. I found myself fiddling with his gift from last night on my wrist while fighting a stubborn smile that was trying to settle on my lips.

The fact that Vincent gave me something so beautiful was surreal. In fact, the whole of last night was. Even if we didn't really do much and spent the first half of it being awkward with each other, that moment we spent alone together was just sort of incredible. I never thought we would pull it off. I had to admit that Vincent was low-key a good guy and I wished that we started off on the right foot.

Yep. I just admitted that.

I pulled the sleeve of my school shirt over the bracelet and walked to my seat. I hadn't even sat for long before Vincent came over to my desk.

"Hey. Good morning," he greeted, bending his tall form over my desk.

"Good morning," I replied.

Vincent scratched his head shortly. His hair was in a neat side cut. "I. . . don't regret the time we spent together last night."

"Me neither," I admitted truthfully. Okay I agree. My line was lame like what the hell was that?!

Vincent looked back at his seat and I followed his gaze. Chijioke who was seated there gave him a silly thumbs up.

"Did he give you a to-do list too?" I teased remembering Stephen's note on Vincent's palm last night.

Vincent's brows furrowed in confusion at first but when he got what I meant, he actually laughed. And yes, the genuineness of it took me off guard and made a foreign fuzzy feeling fill my chest.

"Nah. Are you really going to hold that against me?" A smile was lingering on his lips.

That fuzzy feeling was still there. I gave an easy shrug. "I don't know."

Vincent chuckled lightly. "Anyways, I was thinking. . . maybe we can sort of hang out one of these days and you know chat over one or two tubs of ice cream."

I quirked a brow at Vincent slightly amused.  Not only was he indirectly asking me to go out with him, he was trying to bribe me into accepting this apparent hangout with ice cream. I never foresaw this moment honestly. And the fact that it was unexpected made it a bit exciting.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked, worry etched on his face.

I shook my head slightly. "No, not at all. I'll just see what I can do."

"Okay. See you when I see you then." He stood straight, placed his hands in his pockets and made his way back to his desk.

My eyes watched his back till he sat down. When he looked in my direction, I dragged my eyes away immediately.

If someone had told me just two months ago that Vincent and I would be planning a hangout or rather Vincent would invite me for a hangout, I would have probably given the person the stinkiest eyes in the history of stink eyes and walked away or just walked away.

Damn change.

I liked it though. Positive change was always a nice thing to experience and I didn't mind experiencing more.

It was during the break period that it came to my mind that I had to talk to Stephen.

Hakeem had whisked Aliyah away from our table and Amanda was not in school, neither was Peter. Jessica and I ate our lunch in an awful silence. Two spoons of jollof rice later, I was quizzing Jessica for the reason of her unbearable silence. Funny enough sometime ago, I preferred Jessica not speaking.

"I guess my daddy's action this morning is still affecting me," she told me.

"Oh. Okay," I said stirring my rice around the ceramic plate with my spoon. "But I expected you to have started chattering about how you and Stephen spent last night. You know we didn't have the chance to gist." I was hoping she would probably spill what their issue was but it didn't work as planned. When I looked up from my plate, Jessica was glaring at me.

"Well, if you're so curious to know why I am suddenly not feeling Stephen, maybe you should ask him yourself," Jessica snapped at me.

And I did. After Jessica abandoned me at our table, with a half eaten plate of rice and untouched chicken thigh, saying she needed air, I concentrated on finishing both my food and hers. I couldn't let such good food go to waste.

When I got to class, Stephen and Chijioke were in a seemingly deep conversation and I had to wait for them to finish.

Stephen came to my desk a while later with a smile that showed of his rows of white teeth perfected by braces but I didn't even show him my teeth. I couldn't still believe I had forgiven him. It was so not me.

"Did I do anything?" He asked me, noticing the frown plastered on my face.

"What transpired between you and Jessica last night?" I went straight to the point.

Stephen shocked me by letting out a loud laugh like I had just cracked a big joke. My frown deepened and when he noticed it, he shut up.

"Why did you have to use 'transpired'? It just sounded somehow in my ears," Stephen explained sounding like he was trying not to burst into another round of laughter.

"Seriously though?" I asked with a brow raised in disbelief.

"Okay let me be serious," Stephen said clearing his throat as if trying to control himself. "You want to know what happened last night?"

"Yes. Obviously!"

He dragged a nearby chair to my desk and sat on it. "Jessica confronted me a while after you and Vincent left for God knows what–"

"You know what. You literally gave him a to-do list," I said rolling my eyes.

Stephen bit his bottom lip. "Right. You saw it? He didn't even tell me. Anyways, your friend confronted me about how I agreed to that dare without a second thought. She was so concerned about it as if she was my girlfriend. I had to make things clear to her."

"What things?"

"I told her that I had the right to kiss whomever I wanted and that I didn't even want to come to the love fest with her because I wanted. I only went with her because of CJ gan. And I may have said a host of other things I shouldn't have."

Stephen paused and looked at me.

"Don't look at me like it's my fault, she was giving me a headache and I sort of speak my mind at such times."

My reaction was just to shake my head. Who knew what the host of other things he said were?

"You shouldn't have told her you only went with her because of Chijioke though. You must have even shattered her heart with that statement alone."

I could not imagine how she must have felt especially if he had raised his voice at her.

"I know. I just had to let her know. I didn't even like that she was clingy."

That was actually a surprise. From what I had noticed last night, he was all too willing to let her gum body.

"You know she likes you sha?"

"I like her too." My eyes brightened at his words. Stephen pushed back on the backrest of the chair he was seated on. "I think Jessica and I would make really good friends."

I deflated immediately and scoffed. "You have friend zoned her?"

Stephen shrugged like it is what it is. "And honestly, I am not really bothered about her attitude to me now. We do not really talk much before so if she's going to give me a silent treatment, she's actually just doing herself."

"So why the act this morning?" I asked because I needed to understand. First he pretends like he legit hated me, now he pretends like he genuinely wants to reconcile with Jessica. Why did Stephen just have to be so confusing?

"It is because of CJ. I don't want anything to ruin the small relationship he has with the girl. That guy has tripped hard for that babe. And if there's anything I have learnt about Jessica, it is that emotions clouds her reasoning most times. She might decide to hate CJ because of me and CJ will just kill me."

At least this time, he had a good reason and unfortunately, he was right. "You guys should not sha include me in this love whatever you guys have going on."

Stephen raised a rust colored brow. "How do you mean?"

"You know sometime last term, I had a fight with the girls. It was mostly Jessica though but it affected my relationship with Aliyah and Amanda too."

"I noticed you stopped talking to anyone last term. I assumed it was because of the birthday mishap."

There was a moment of silence. I didn't like remembering that day. I had come to realize that I was really at fault for all the outcomes of that dreaded day. I was so relieved that everything was getting back to normal. Maybe even better than normal.

"Nah. Jessica was angry at me because we were hanging out that day. Remember how you wouldn't leave me be?"

"You were hot," Stephen defended himself with a laid back shrug. I shook my head at his bluntness. No one would tell me that this guy would like a girl and not tell her directly.

"Jessica thought there was something between us?" He asked.

I nodded.

"Oh wow. Now I understand what you meant when you said I wanted ruin your friendship the second time."

"When did I say that?"

"Yesterday night when you dragged me out to give me a piece of your mind." I remembered saying that.

"You know I wish you actually like her more than a friend."

"Why would you wish that?" Stephen looked both confused and amused.

"To prove her assumptions of us wrong. I don't want to be fighting with her because of you. You know she was mad at me last night. Probably after your argument."

"Really?"

"Yeah. As if it was my fault you said whatever you said," I said sucking my teeth afterwards.

"Well sorry about that," Stephen apologized.

"No p. We are good now." I hoped. That girl was unpredictable.

Some moments of silence settled between us. It was neither awkward nor comfortable. It was just. . .there.

"But there is something I need to know though." I was the one who broke the silence.

"What?"

"You weren't really going to do it, were you? The dare I mean."

Stephen leaned in and folded his arms on my desk. "Hell yes I would have. Who would pass up on the chance to kiss you? Your lips were like fine wine and I wanted to get drunk," he said and then had the guts to wink at me.

And somehow that made me blush. I was disappointed in myself honestly.

Since when did silly talks like this make you blush Nairobi?

"If you were sane, you would remember that you had a partner and would pass up that chance. But clearly you were already drunk," I told him.

"Babe, you were looking so damn hot in that red sequins dress! How did you expect me to actually stay sane?!"

I was fighting back a laugh at his tone. This boy was honestly something else. "Abegi, koshi."

Stephen pinched my cheek. "If you like be forming hard guy. I know you are blushing like mad in your head."

"You wish," I said, peeling his fingers from my face.

Stephen laughed shortly. "Anyways don't worry about me and Jessica. I know she will come around."

I scoffed at his certainty. I wasn't so sure. Jessica seemed really pissed at the boy.

"Nairobi," Stephen called. This time, he sounded so serious compared to some seconds ago. The switch was baffling.

"Yes?"

"See I am truly sorry about how I handled the situation with Constance's birthday. It has to be the most foolish decision I have ever made in my life. I promise never to act so stupid again."

His apology surprised me especially the promise. I thought we were going to pretend like we were never quarrelling.

"You apologized yesterday," I reminded him, just in case he forgot.

"But you didn't say you have forgiven me."

I offered him a small smile. "If I haven't forgiven you, do you think I would be here shining teeth with you?"

Stephen smiled a wide, grateful smile. "I doubt."

"Omo make I go chow jare. I dey H," he added standing up.

At that exact moment, the bell rang indicating end of break time.

"What the. . ."

I couldn't help laughing at the look of shock on Stephen's face. What was more amusing was that the further mathematics teacher entered the class almost immediately like he had been watching time so closely.
Stephen looked like he was going to cry.

When I giggled, he glared playfully at me.

"This is your fault," he said pouting. He returned the seat he was using and walked dejectedly to his desk. I just watched him smiling to myself.

I actually did miss the boy.