Yobanna

I was at the top of the staircase watching the flock of students milling around generally trying to socialize and make small talks.

Daddy Yo by Wizkid was bouncing across the really wide room. Precious' living room that was bigger than our hall in school and I was not exaggerating.

To be honest, I didn't know what Precious'dad was thinking when he allowed them to build his house like this, no caps, the house was beautiful, white walls and expensive looking couches that had been pushed to the very edge of the room.

Precious had made provision for neon lights to be turned on when the party began fully but for now, there was just a single bulb that was giving the room a bright hue.

Drinks passed around by ushers and buffet table filled with small chops, lots of them.

This party was definitely everything. I liked it.

St Louis girls were dressed to kill and I didn't fail to notice how they all laughing, some taking pictures and generally sipping from their glass as I was doing.

And somehow, two girls got into an argument and some loud cheers erupted and the song was changed to Ritmo(bad boys for life) by The black eyed pea  and before you know it , both girls were engaged in what looked like a dance battle, more like a twerk competition.

There were guys around them taking pictures and videos, and I took note to make sure I muted everyone, some people made it an habit to make their status look like waist beads, definitely not me seeing all that.

My phone was already buzzing, I clicked the WhatsApp icon and tapped on the messages, over 800+messages already and the party was yet to begin fully. I muted them.

I scrolled down, at the message I had sent to Selena since morning. No reply. I pushed the phone into my pocket in disappointment.

"Guy" Ken was suddenly standing beside me, unlike me that was wearing some turtle neck and plain trouser, Ken had actually been on his regular big vintage shirt and ripped trousers with a pair of sparking clean Air Jordans.

"This DJ was born for this work"He was holding his cup, gulping down the content.

"I swear down" I agreed. The DJ was good.

"Have you seen Dozie?" I asked him and he shook his head in negative.

I looked at my phone again,it was close to 9pm and no sign of this girl anywhere.

"What's eating you up,who are you expecting?"Ken suddenly asked me,I didn't want to look at him but when I did,he had this piercing gaze,like he was daring me to lie.

"My friend" I said through my teeth. He really had to stop looking at me like that.

"Hmm, since when did you start keeping friends?"He placed his hands on the railings.

" Since forever,guy stop giving that look" I snapped.

" It's your guilty conscience that's disturbing you"He laughed.

" You shouldn't be hiding stuffs from us,you and mystery girl abi, she's the friend"

" Which one is mystery girl again?"I chuckled.

" Selena abi is it selenium?"

"Don't spoil her name,it's Selena"I warned him.

" Ogbeni calm down, don't play the boy friend card on me"There was a way he was casually sipping from his cup and I felt like hitting his head. Annoying brat.

"It's cool you like someone."The music changed to some Naira Marley's song and a wild cheer erupted in the room,I found myself trying hard to keep up with the cheers over the song which I clearly didn't like.

"I don't understand what these teens see in this song"Ken seethed.

" But it's cool guy,your babe seems like a good person"

"We aren't dating yet"

" Anyone. The fact is that you are actually making your circle larger,the more the merrier."

" Moreover I always saw the fact that we always had ourselves as abnormal,it was high time we made other friends,like try new people"

" I know"I agreed with him. It was hard not too.

"Let's move downstairs" He suggested and I actually follow suit,it was 30 minutes into the party and the party had began in full swing.

Each clique in their own angle,there were some dudes smoking weed at a corner and as much as I hated it,ignored them, after all they were Precious friends,each having dreads,colored hair and a rolled paper in between their lips. I didn't even know how Precious got to know some people,they were just a deep contrast to his personality.

More music was churning out and I had to admit,the DJ was bad. Was that mixing even legal. The neon lights was now on and all I saw around me was young people grinding against each other to the music blasting loudly.

"Hey handsome" Some girl looking plastic waved at me,she looked curvy,red dress that left nothing to the imagination. Her hair bouncing on her shoulders with a nose ring on her nose.

"Care for a dance,I do know how to dance well" She was batting her eyelids in what seems like a seductive way.

It was the confidence for me.

I didn't respond,I simply walked away from her and found a place to seat,my hand over my head.

I was even beginning to have a migraine  and I was this close to heading to Precious room to sleep.

"The party is lit, isn't it?" Precious was suddenly standing close to me with Ken and still no sign of Dozie anywhere.

"I don't know Precious,just normal something"

He feigned a hurt look, his hand over his chest.

" You be bastard" He insulted me and I laughed.

"Party way dey trend na him you dey call normal something"Precious amused whenever I heard him speaking vernacular.

Ken was chuckling beside me.

"What's funny?" Precious asked both of us.

"Stop speaking vernacular,you sound like someone that has a bad cough"Ken told him and I laughed more. Vernacular was not for some people and Precious was the leader of the some people.

"My God will punish both of you"

"The question is,does God know you?"

" Guy help me ask em, someone that doesn't go to church"I chipped in and Precious eyed us both.

"Fools. I actually invited Shade Onam o but she had a photoshoot" He was scrolling on somethings on his phone, typing furiously alongside.

"Lover boy, thought you've changed"I said

"Love doesn't die like that,it's hard"He was chuckling and I found myself wondering if probably Precious was obessed with her. Probably he was.

I didn't know what took my eyes to the door but somehow I was glad my eyes went there and I saw her, walking in with someone else in a yellow body con dress and a flowing hair do. Nude sandals probably and a little makeup.

I was mesmerized.

I was going to meet her,until someone, not just anyone but Zion,he was already obstructing her and hugging her. What was that?

"Wahala o, person hustle for babe finish, another person carry em"Ken teased and himself and Precious were already laughing.

I noticed his eyes on the other girl even though he was laughing at me like a manic that he was.

"This heart break will be served to everyone,na turn by turn" Precious added.

I ignored them, wondering why the hell Precious had to invite Zion to the party. Yes,he was popular on the field, popular singer dad who had won a Grammy but who cares?

"Chill bro." Ken patted my back and I saw him whisper something to the usher and before long, Zion's shirt was drenched in wine.

"You owe me" Ken muttered and led the other girl away and I knew somehow I might not see him the whole night.

I was quick to rush to Selena after Zion left.

I stood breathe less before her.

"You came" Was all I could say,I didn't know she would still show up,she had always been hesitant whenever I asked but she was here in this yellow dress that was stopping dangerously at her thigh,hair extensions that were styled to perfection,glossy lips,the legs and the smile and I had to look away,I had to stop myself from looking like a creep.

"Yes" She simply replied. She was nervous I could tell,her pulling her dress down and playing with her bracelet as I led her to the table to get small chops for her.

"Here" I handed her a drink and a small plate.

"You are nervous" I told her and she nodded,still looking away from me,I raised her chin and I saw how much breathe she took in, God,she was so beautiful and somehow she didn't know.

"You shouldn't be,no one's going to do shit to you" I told her and she nodded. Sipped quietly from her glass as I watched her.

"The girl you came in with?"

"My sister Kim"

"Wait, Ken's girlfriend?"

" I guess, didn't know they were dating" She shrugged.

"Wow,the world is a small world"

She didn't say anything more,her attention more on something on her phone and then she looked away.

Took another glass for herself and gulped it all at once.

I looked at the dance floor,to the teenagers dancing away carefree to Rotate by Burna Boy and Becky G. The smell of alcohol,wine and perfume more prominent in the air.

I wanted to ask for a dance but I didn't know her I was going to ask her

Should we dance?

Can I have a dance?

Let's dance?

Guy,life is hard.

"You are creeping me out" She was smiling, another glass filled with wine in her hand,a tease at the edge of her voice and I smiled, that looked like something I would say.

"I wanna dance with you" I finally grew the balls and it seemed like 2 seconds passed for the information to sink in and I was pulled to the dance floor,wow.

For a while,we looked at each other wondering what our next move would be, everyone was grinding against each other,I watched her expression and I couldn't tell if she was confused or thinking, planning on making up her mind.

"You don't have to do it" I tried to convince her but she turned around,her back facing me and I gulped twice,in fact many times

I was used to the shy Selena,the one who didn't talk much but somehow she was bold and somehow I liked it or was it the alcohol?

The song switched to My woman by Patoranking and the hyperactive teens shouted and then I realized her body was pressing against mine,it was the closest since a long while,she was grinding slowly,she grabbed my hands and I found my hands resting on her waist as she danced.

And when she turned around and hugged me,I noticed her eyes,how dowsy she looked and I realized she was already tipsy and she was acting on the impact of the alcohol.

I could perceive the coconut oil from her body as I led her to Precious' balcony,she whispering stuffs and me looking at her in amusement.

I should have known, Selena was too shy to do stuffs like that.

"So you are a light drinker?" I asked her and she chuckled.

"Of course but I'm not drunk,just tipsy "She was pressing her body against mine, smiling sheepishly. A drunk Selena was definitely cute.

"Kim told me to have confidence,get courage and face you"She mumbled.

"Why?"I was amused,ready to know.

"Said something about telling you what I feel,but I don't know what I feel and sometimes you are too nice and it's annoying" she said like a child.

" Do you want to know what I feel?"I asked her,she was so close to me,her face inches away from mine and her eyes so distracting

She nodded and then I showed her, taking her lips and she was actually responding. This one was better,I got to kiss her well,cup her cheeks and show her what I felt.

The kiss in one word was mad until Precious walked into us, chuckled nervously and walked out quickly.

"Do you know now?" I asked and she didn't respond. She was hugging me probably too tired to respond.

Will she remember the kiss? Probably
Did I regret it?Hell no!

I stroked her hair, liking the peace that came with her in my arms and it made me happy. Like I was finding peace in someone. It felt too good.

***

Selena

I blinked repeatedly and found myself in Kim's room, the over washed curtain staring right back at me, the tightness of the room and some scent of what I couldn't place my head on. The Kim kind of smell.

I winced at the headache that was attacking me

"So just three glasses knocked you off?"

I stood up from the bed and found Kim reading some book,most probably dark fictions

"How did I come back?" I asked instead.

"Brought you home na"

I sat down,my head in my palm as I thought of the event of last night.

Last night,she had made my face look so different,the plastering and powders all over my face and then I was transformed into something else.

My step mum had travelled alongside CJ the previously day leaving myself and Kim at home.

"The plan is to make sure he doesn't get his eyes off you"Kim had told me over and over again and well I felt really like a big celebrity at the party,me gulping glasses to hide how nervous I was.

And then I thought of Dozie curled up against someone, someone I knew too well, and confusion began to set in and I found myself thinking deeply.

I couldn't wrap my head around the whole thing and then I thought of Yobanna and then something struck in my mind.

"Shit shit shit" I kept cussing over and over again.

"What?"

" I think I kissed him yesterday,I don't know but somehow I find that stuff coming to my mind" I panicked

"Chill,so what if you both kissed,he clearly wasn't complaining when I saw you both walking out of somewhere"

"And yourself and Ken?" I was curious now, watching her rub her head over and over again. I envied her hair that was loosed now, leaving the knot she had made.

"Nothing,we just danced and he wanted us to date and I declined. I just don't wanna date him yet"

" I thought you've always had this huge crush on him?"

"Yeah but there's something called initial gra gra"She chuckled and I joined her,but I noticed the chuckle didn't reach her eyes.

"Fashi that thing, how was the kiss?" She asked  me and winked at me

"I don't want to talk about this anymore" I stood up and ran out of the room back to mine.

***

Initial gra gra😂
Wahala o😩💔