Mansion

Yobanna

We were having dinner with the ifeanyi's,yes, Cynthia and her family. Somehow my family and hers have created some kind of bond,a bond I know was largly business oriented but still I'd like to think that they were best friends,my parents and hers.

I wanted badly to escape dinner but I was informed late,30 minutes to the time was surely late. I wouldn't want to leave our guests with the impression that my family was messed up. No, I didn't care about my dad's reputation,I was doing it for the family,I was a family kind of person,you can call me a family freak cos I totally loved families, seeing that mine was messed up, whenever I saw probably adverts or movies on families,my heart clutches painfully.

But I was going to stay for the dinner,I had no choice.

The help came to my door to knock and inform me about the dinner in five minutes while I was still buttoning my black shirt,I loved black like I mentioned before and so I was wearing a black shirt,a trouser and nothing else. I looked good I had to admit,I could imagine Precious calling me cocky.

It seemed I was the only person yet to come to the table. My dad was seated as usual at the head of the table and my mum right beside him at the right. The Ifeanyis were seated side by side,the man with his signature business like smile and his wife,the popular twins that were wearing peach dressers and then Cynthia,she was wearing a white gown,her hair packed so well and her edges laid to perfection, seems she had contact lens on,cos her eyes looked blue to me,none of my business though. I didn't have that strength to put too much effort.

"Good evening sir,good evening ma" I greeted the guest couple and they flashed a smile at me.

" Evening son,you are growing up to be a very handsome young man"Mr Ifeanyi quickly threw a compliment at me and I smiled a little. As expected.

I sat down immediately and the dinner began in silence for the first ten minutes well until both men started a conversation and the women joined in. I was silent feeding gently on my shrimps and the twins also,it seemed like a silent rule that the discussion was totally not our business.

I raised up my head to see Cynthia watching me intently, as uncomfortable as it was,I didn't stand up or ask her to stop staring, Cynthia stared a lot. I didn't break the gaze until my father called my attention.

"It's been a long while since Cynthia paid us a visit, don't you wanna show her around?" He asked

I'm not understanding

I didn't blurt that out,I knew what they were doing,I knew the game they were playing,some set up of a kind,I tried hard not to laugh at them, match making? Was that stuff still in existence?

I stood up from the table without saying a word and was already at the door but I noticed Cynthia was not following me behind.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked her and I could swear I saw a huge smile spread across her face  as though I just saved her,maybe she was also sick of her parents like me but I doubted though,I highly doubt.

I took a double turn across the hallway and somehow I slide one of the glass doors and found myself at the swimming pool,one of the not so used ones.

The swimming pool area was large,the clear blue waters and  chairs all round. It was a deserted one though.

I paused for a while and I also heard her heels stop clicking beside me. The atmosphere was tensed,I just felt it,the last time I was alone with Cynthia was when I was still 12, things changed real quick.

"You didn't even compliment my dress" She finally broke silence and I twirled around to take a look at it,i wasn't totally a good person but I still went on to say something nice.

"Nice dress"

"Nice dress,just nice?" She asked like she couldn't believe I could say that.

" Yeah"

"This dress is worth over a million and all you can say it's nice dress?"

Last time I checked,I am not your boyfriend.

Okay, i didn't actually tell her that part,but seriously though,who wears that kind of gown for a simple family dinner. Too much if you asked me.

I took a seat and she sat beside me quickly.

"We haven't talked like this in a while" She suddenly said,I couldn't tell her expression, probably sad or tired and I felt my conscience prick me but just a little,a little to prove that I was still human.

"Some human relationship don't last forever" I simply replied and  I threw my face away from her

"You are just cold" I heard her say.

The water was really clear and blue and I felt like dipping my legs into it and then I decided against it.

We were thrown into another comfortable silence,just the stillness of the pool

"You changed, what ever happened to you?" She asked and I kept quiet. She wasn't expecting me to answer the question,was she?

"You also became a bully, I didn't know you had it in you, guess I wasn't the only one who changed"I eyed her and I watched her roll her eyes in that dramatic way girls did.

"Not again about that wretched girl"She mumbled under her breath and threw her head back,her nose flared up in irritation.

Somehow that made me angry.

"And what makes her wretched? Cos she works to make some money or cos she's a scholarship student, what exactly?"I asked the girl beside me.

"You aren't defending her are you? Don't tell me we are going to have a fight because of her? She's totally insignificant to this discussion" she replied again in that usual voice that connotes that the girl was nothing.

I was angry.

"One of the reasons I stopped talking to you was because you learnt to talk down on people and you are doing it again"

" Wait, since when did you start caring about people?"She asked

" I'm not having this conversation with you" I seethed.

" We hardly talk and when we do,we are fighting because of some girl" she flared up now

" Tell me what she ever did you?"

" She's a fucking scholarship student!"

And?

"She's arrogant,she's annoying"

I was going to stand up but she was also fast on her feet. Watching me with those eyes.

"If i  had not known you,I would have assumed you like her but I know you have class, she's way too low"

My head snapped at that, what did she mean by way too low?

But she was not yet done. She

"So can you stop making a fuss about her or do you like her?"

There was silence,me looking at her and she countering the looks, waiting for my response.

"What if I do?" I made sure my cold gaze settled on her,the kind I had praticed for years,the kind that scared people.

She took two steps backward,in shock,of course she was not expecting my reply.

"You don't... you don't mean that,do you?" She stuttered,her eyes still clouded with disbelief.

Of course,I don't

I didn't say anything more to her,I simply walked out.

***
I didn't return for the dinner, somehow I  had lost my appetite because of Cynthia and I was tired of acting like the perfect family. I was sick of it.

So when I left Cynthia in the pool area, I walked to my room and shut the door and slept off.

When I woke up, I looked outside my window and it was pretty much dark. I checked my phone it was already some minutes past 10,mehn,I really was hungry and thirsty.

And so I made my way to the kitchen,half sleepy, yawning and trying hard not to fall down due to the hunger.

A concealed sound suddenly rang out.

I paused on my path and listened to the sound trying to find out where it was coming from and it was  coming from the kitchen,low moans and grunts,more noise....

I pushed the kitchen doors,I would have pushed the light buttons but I didn't because it was on, probably to surprise me and show me the reason for the noise.

I stood still for a while trying to coordinate my thoughts,the sleep had disappeared totally from my eyes.

I didn't say anything though my eyes were blazing with anger,I was literally shaking and it took me a lot of self restrint not to move forward and punch some jaws.

I clutched my fist tightly and took two breaths,my breathing was now ragged and I was sure my eyes were already pools of burning coals.

The atmosphere was tensed.

He had now moved away from the maid he was bending over the counter,the maid who was in nothing but in her lacy blue bra,her breast threatening to spill over the counter,no I wasn't mad at her though she shivered like a coward under my gaze,it was the fool behind her I watched as he pretended as though he was remorseful,as though it was the first time I was seeing him bending a maid over his desk in his study or the kitchen. He was still wearing the clothe he wore to dinner,oh yes,you guessed right,the excuse of a  father was standing under the light bulb sweating like a teen boy who couldn't hold his hormones,even Mattew would never be caught.

I didn't say anything,I simply went to the fridge,took a large loaf of bread,a can of fruit juice and a bottled water.

No,I wasn't going to let him see I was affected,I walked away.

When I got to my room,not withstanding it was past 10,I blasted some Burna boy songs,my room was sound proof after all.

I pulled the drawer beside me and took two pills from my orange container.

***
Nick's Cafe
Selena

I took another swipe round the cafe and I didn't still see him,he wasn't at school and now he didn't come to the cafe.

Somehow ever since I started talking to him,I was beginning to notice some things about him.

"This is the 100th time you've been searching for him?do you miss him that much?"Grace snapped me out of my thoughts.

" Who?.."I  stuttered trying to act cluless and she laughed as though she knew I  was trying hard not to lie.

"You think I've not been seeing how you've been looking at the door since today"She jeered at me

" You are seeing things then"I  rebuffed and Faith laughed more.

"It's okay to admit you are missing Yobanna,his actually cute na, it's normal,I'm also missing him"

My head snapped at that.

" We just have an assignment to do together, I'm not missing him"I defended again,my octave a little bit higher and I regretted. Grace was so good at pushing people to the wall

"Don't start shouting o, whenever you shout just know I'm saying the truth"Grace insisted.

I rubbed her hands over her head in frustration. Grace was frustration herself and sometimes I wonder why Faridah was not working here with me

"I thought you left something in the microwave" I reminded her just so she would leave me

" Ahhh Jesus,amebo will not kill me"Grace screamed and ran towards that direction and I laughed at the way she ran throwing her hands over her head.

And against my resolve I  threw one last look at the door.

Ugh,focus.

***
St Louis Secondary school

I didn't like going to school late but somehow I had too simply because my step mum's had deemed it fit that I must wash some clothes for her.

And you know I had to trek, sometimes when people see me trekking to St Louis,they often asked me if I stole the uniform,it was embarrassing though but I've learnt to endure.i couldn't blame them,the school was for the elites who never knew what it meant to trek under the sun or wait for loads of cars to pass before they cross.

As I approached the school gate a certain dread came over me.

Everyone in St Louis knew how terrible prefects were,they punished late comers as though it was a very big offense and somehow it was a big offense to be late in St Louis.

But the prefects were my current classmates who were not in anywhere fond of me.

I clutched my hands nervously behind me and then I tried to straighten my skirt,adjust the tie. My palm was sweaty as I approached the gates of the school,maybe I was even shivering.

I've never told you about St Louis,have I?

Okay let's start from the gates,they were probably the largest gates I've seen in my life, somewhat between black and silver designs and the name, St Louis boldly engraved on it,at the very top

The first thing one would notice on entering the school was the distance from the gate to the classes, really large but before then,there was a large car park,loads of exotic flowers and street lights and tarred roads.

St Louis was a city on it's own and if it was to ever compete against the ghetto where I lived,that place has no chance.

There was a large standard football stadium at the far end of the school,inter house activities took place there cos it could contain more than 3,000 people.

And then here I was in front of the strict looking female prefects that were even my classmates about to explain myself until someone pulled me away towards the direction of our class. I knew the colonge anytime.

I turned to look at him and he had no expression, his uniform was well ironed as usual, his signature scrowl and he had braided his hair.

"You didn't come to school yesterday" I whimpered trying hard to catch my breath and keep with his pace,he was still holding my wrist

He was walking really fast.

I thought he wasn't going to answer

"I was busy"

I wanted to talk again and he took a sudden turn.

"You should at least slow down" I muttered,I didn't know he heard me and so he stopped walking so fast.

We came before our passage and he paused for a while as though he was thinking about it,we were yet to even exchange eye contact but somehow with the way he kept his face, I knew he was thinking. His eyes focused on the busy passage filled with our classmates.

Our passage

There was something about our passage that annoyed me and that was the fact that they made a whole lot of noise there,the showoff's happened there,gossips,loud voices trying to beat the other and he pulled me through the passage that had gone quiet once we stepped into it.

You know that moment in movies people become frozen for a while,like that pause that happens,that was exactly the same thing happening on our passage.

No,they didn't like me neither were they admiring me. It was the dude holding my wrist as I tried to keep up with his pace.

I mean it was not everyday he holds a girl's wrist in the morning and pulls her through the passage.

And there came the buzz

Who was that girl

How did she know Yobanna

Oh my God,how did they know each other

Wonders shall never end oh,does this girl want Cynthia to end her

Yobanna doesn't talk to people outside his clique,what's he doing with her?

Maybe they are related

Related what,do they look related?

Is it not that wretched scholarship girl, St Louis should contain bringing in sluts.

It was sick how they worshipped this boy yet he practically didn't care. He dropped his bag on his seat and left. I wasn't even able to tell him thank you properly, because big time he had saved me from those prefects.  I sighed.

**

I didn't see him again in class and so during the break period I went in search of him,I tried to shut out the image of Grace mocking me.

There was only one place I knew he could be.

The library.

It just had to be a force pulling me because I found him at the edge of the library,his eyes on his phone,I peeked at it,he was playing word puzzle and he was stuck and then I helped him cross the word from behind.

He turned around swiftly and he had a soft look,the softest I've seen on his face.

"Hey" I waved over his face and I saw him smile a bit,just a little and it disappeared as soon as it came.

"You shouldn't have helped me find that word"He said and I frowned

" I thought I'd get a thank you" I paused and watched his facial expression,blank as usual.

"I came to say thank you,you saved me from those prefects"I said and he shrugged like he was use to saving people from them or probably due to the fact he never served any punishment.

Yobanna was that lucky,even prefects were tripping over him.

"You didn't come yesterday?" I repeated myself.

"I was busy" He replied " with a lot of things. If you are scared about the assignment, we'll meet soon"He added and stared at me right in my eyes.

I hated how much I had to stare at his brown eyes that moment,it was discomforting and the air seemed hotter or was it just me. I swallowed nervously several times.

"Just wanted to say thank you" I snapped out of that revire and left for the canteen,my heart still thumping loudly.

Weird!

St Louis canteen always held me spell bond,always looking like a five star restaurant.

Display glasses that had attractive looking cakes,small chops, biscuit and other edibles

I was only going to buy a drink and seat at the corner.

Almost everyone had one or two cliques and they all say together, the biggest people in the social cycle cluttered together and the not so popular in their own world

I bought my drink and sat at the far away corner and took out a book from my small bag. I might as well enjoy both.

There was a recent addition to the canteen and it was the playing of soft music, the song changed to Fia by Davido

And then he stepped in.

Yobanna

That boy,he seemed like an attention seeker but we all knew better,he was the attention himself.

Once he stepped in,he seemed to have sucked all the energy in the room cos every one's attention turned to him. He was walking casually to his group of friends but  didn't know the effect he had on the girls sitting next to my table.

"If Yobanna ever replies my IG dm I'm definitely throwing a party"one of the trio said and I rolled my eyes, seriously?

I tried not to snap at the childish talks until I saw someone drawing a seat,not just any seat but the one before me,he draw it and sat on the chair,a smile plastered on his face.

"Hey"

***
Guess who 😁
Feeling so sleepy while typing this chapter