/CHAPTER THIRTY TWO/

ѕσмєтιмєѕ, уσυ ʝυѕт иєє∂ тσ ѕρєαк συт fσя уσυя νσι¢є тσ вє нєαя∂, иσт єνєяуσиє ιѕ α мιи∂ яєα∂єя, иσт єνєяуσиє ¢αи ѕтυ∂у σтнєяѕ α¢тισи. ѕρєαк συт, ѕρєαк υρ.

ⓣⓞⓛⓐ ⓐⓘⓢⓗ.

(dedication; to every one who has a heart of gold, I bet you do.)

(Song; I'm alive by Celine deon.)

~LILY~

Cafeteria?!

Like where the crowds were. Where the whole Senior Secondary School three ate their foods. The place that I'd been embarrassed more than a lot of times. That place . . .that hell hole was where Pinky and Rayo wanted me to go with them. To eat with them, along with the rest.

It was a Tuesday afternoon and another surprisingly good day for me at school. Ever since Pink had that 'conversation' with me on Thursday, the next day - Friday was really good for me, she stopped giving me that judgemental look and she even spoke to me more, we were able to quickly wrap up our project on that day. Afterwards, she alongside Rayo, Jona, Feyi and Chase decided to watch a movie and I watched along with them, let's just say we all bonded more over the movie.

Finally, when school resumed yesterday - Monday, as the group leader Rayo submitted our project, and when it was time for the presentation, she and pink took over and we ended up getting our marks, though it wasn't a full mark; it was above average.

"So what are you still waiting for?" I shook my head in response to pink question, releasing a very awkward smile concurrently.

I stood up sluggishly, my legs moving but my mind lagging behind. My subconsciousness kept telling me not to go with them, but it seemed like my legs had a mind of its own. Also I couldn't tell them that I didn't want to tag along, I was scared. Scared that it could annoy them and put a strain to my three old day friendship. My first set of friends.

Pink was my friend. Rayo was my friend. Jona was my friend. Chase was my friend. How my head became swollen with joy anytime I remember that I had friends, couldn't be explained. I was in an ecstasy of another level, swimming in a pool of cloud nine, soaring high up in Seventh heaven. I was elated. Exhilarated. Always swooned anytime they spoke to me.

Maybe SS3 wasn't going to be that bad_ I thought as I trailed behind pink and Rayo, whom were both engrossed in their conversation, while Chase walked next to them. My head was down as I continued my walk, i couldn't bare to look at the faces of the students in the hallway, faces which were painted with disdain and contempt towards me, faces which weren't shy to hide the fact that they were irritated to see me walk through the hallway, faces which gave away their thoughts; and I knew exactly what they all could be wondering; "why is she walking with pink and Rayo?!"

How do i Know? Well, it was pretty obvious, remember I had said that their face gave away their thoughts, also they didn't even bother to reduce the tones at which they were gossiping. No. They were loud about it, and I was so sure that they were thinking that 'what can she do even if she hears us?'

Truth be told, there was absolutely nothing I could have done.

As I continued to walk through the hallway, trying to ignore all the conversations made about me, all of them, but. . . I just couldn't. They kept entering into my left ear, but no. They didn't pass out through my right ear, all their words kept storing into my head, my brain kept processing them.

"Seriously isn't that the smelly girl?"

"Why is she with pink?"

"See how she looks like."

Those hateful and scornful statements made about me.

"No wonder why I can't smell my thousand dollar perfume. . .the trash is here."

I froze at that last statement, the words. . .their words didn't stop flowing and I looked up to see most eyes on me, I took my gaze down, tried moving but my legs just didn't seem that move, then I looked up and saw pink and Rayo staring right at me, Chase just stood looking at something or someone, I couldn't say because at that moment my mind was a market place filled with abhorrent remarks.

Then. . .then I felt a hand grab me by my wrist. I looked up and saw Pink warm honey eyes, she smiled, an assuring smile.

"Let's go," She had said. I nodded and we were about moving when we noticed that Chase wasn't coming along with us. He just stood on that spot looking at. . . someone. "Chase?" Pink called out to him. "Let us go."

Chase just looked at pink, smiled and said, "Let Lily go."

I froze momentarily.

He had told pink to let me go. I couldn't understand the reason why he'd said that, and neither did pink, because she stared at him like he was saying rubbish - which did look like it, then she shook her head and asked.

"Why should I?" Chase didn't reply. He just kept smiling, and the embarrassing thing was that we were all in the hallway and most of the SS3 students were crowded up there, some on their way to the cafeteria, but seemingly they stopped, reasons obviously clear. "She's obviously not comfortable here and you know it, yet you say that I should release her. Why?"

Pink tone increased a notch, while Rayo just kept looking between the twins, either she was dumbfounded or lost, or maybe she just didn't want to interfere.

Chase smile grew wider, he removed his gaze from pink and looked somewhere else, then he pointed at someone. "Please come." He called over to a girl. She was standing quite close to where we all were, she kept her hand on her chest as if to confirm that she was the one being called. Chase nodded. "Yes, you."

The girl smiled and sashayed over to where we all stood, hands across her bust, while me, Rayo and pink watched what Chase was doing with an utterly confused expression not failing to present itself on our face.

"Heya." The girl greeted Chase, and he smiled in response. I was curious to know what wanted to happen, everyone was curious to know what wanted to happen. And yes, I was really perturbed with the situation, I just wanted leave. If only I'd listened to my subconsciousness and politely declined Pink and Rayo request, then I wouldn't had been in that really uncomfortable scenario.

"Lily. . ." My heart stopped beating when I heard my name from Chase's mouth. He looked at me, his gaze met mine but I didn't look away because I was just. . .Frozen in time. "What do you think about her?"

The smile the girl had washed away from her face, she looked at me with spiteful eyes, like I had offended her, like I'd erred towards her, but I was sure that I hadn't. I didn't even know the girl.

"What do you think about her?" Chase asked again, the smile still present on his face. And this time my heart began to beat, but it was in a gallop.

"Chase what are you doing?" Pink asked, irritation and confusion dripping from her tone. "What the hell. . ."

"Pink, just chill." Chase said, and he was still smiling like he was doing the most amazing thing in the world. I was confused, my mind was in a chaotic state as to what and why Chase was doing whatever he was doing. He definitely wasn't a bully nor was he someone that could make mockery of me, that I knew for sure, but I just couldn't figure out what he was trying to pull. "I'm waiting for your response, what's your deal with her?" he told the girl whose eyes never left me.

"Well. . ." She trailed off, eyes still on me. "Well. . ." She trailed off again, her eyes softening a bit. "I just. . ." She kept trailing off as she spoke, like she couldn't give a proper response to Chase. "She smells!" She finally gave a reply without trailing off.

I felt pink hands leave mine as she moved towards the girl. "Well, take that back Jolade!" Pink's voice was high as she spoke, I just stood my heart not reducing it's speed, I was tired of all the drama. I just wanted the ground to open up and swallow me whole at that moment. I thought. . .I actually thought things were getting better for me in school, then that had to happen. "I guess your nose is bad so you won't know what smells nice!" Pink moved towards the girl - who by the way was taller than pink, by far.

The girl laughed. "I don't care about what you say Pink, I don't. She smells and that's final."

"And she doesn't," this time no one was moving from the hallway as they all stood, watching the drama before them which was all caused by Chase, just if he hadn't called the girl over. I looked over at Chase, my 'Friend', he still had that smile on his face as he watched pink verbally battle it out with the other girl. "Well, she doesn't smell, so stick that into your thick skull."

The girl laughed, scowled at pink, then she turned her head to my direction, her eyes met mine in a glare. Eventually, she looked away, faced pink and said; "See, you don't have to defend the trash. . ." My heart stopped galloping, it became affected with an invisible blister. Also, I felt Rayo tighten her hold on my wrist. ". . .all because you want to be know as madam pinky Saint, the holier than thou with an heart of gold, but you ain't fooling anyone with your all nice attitude, definitely. . . you ain't fooling me."

"JOLADE BENSON!" Pink shouted, and honestly I'd never seen pink shout to that extent before, until that day. At least she was defending me, trying to. She was fighting for me and it really made me appreciate her more. "Wait, are you jealous that you don't have a heart of gold like me?"

She - Jolade, laughed. She laughed exaggeratedly. Looked at Pink, hate in her eyes as she stared at her, "You want to know the truth Pink? Well, the only thing that I was ever jealous of was your relationship with Tayo."

Pink didn't say anything as she grimaced at the girl who stood right at her front.

"You ain't talking now, ba?" The girl continued, clearly enjoying what she was doing. "See Pink, everyone in this hallway knows who the trash is and you know it is too, it's Lolo. . .Lilac. . . Lily or whatever her name is! She smells and we know that!" Tears were already streaming down my face. Her words were detrimental.

I went to the doctor. I saw a doctor. She had given me a report which said I didn't smell, so why? Why were they calling me trash?

"I know that," a voice boomed out from crowds of students in the hallway. "I know she smells."

It was Semi who spoke. He walked confidently with his second, Sinzu, walking to where pink and the other girl stood.

"I know that also," Sinzu added, facing Pink who just stared at them, her face impassive. "Just admit it pink, she smells and no deodorant on Earth can get rid of the stink. She's trash!"

"She isn't!" pink stood her ground, her voice surprisingly calm as she poked her index finger against Sinzu chest. Sinzu just laughed, looked at pink and laughed again, and I honestly didn't know what was funny, soon semi joined his second in the laughter, reverberating through the crowded hallway.

"She isn't," Sinzu said, clearly trying to mimick pink. I expected Chase to do something, but he wasn't. He just stood there with that smile still present on his face, but this time he was snapping. Snapping his fingers together.

I thought. . .I thought he was meant to be my friend, but I was wrong.

I thought he was meant to be my knight in school uniform, but i was wrong.

He caused all this, like he purposely wanted to mock and belittle me, but what could I had done to him? I thought we were friends, he said we were friends.

"You know Pink, you don't go around poking a fine rich guy on his chest. . ." Sinzu smirked, moving closer to pink. ". . .you know the only reason why I or even everyone here used to respect you was because of Tayo, but now. . ." He chuckled, then continued. "He isn't here. . . oh I forgot, he dumped your little ass. . ."

She slapped him. Pink actually slapped Sinzu, then she slapped him again. Twice. . .twice she'd slapped him and there were gasps from within the hallway, loud ones and I also released a gasps, same as Rayo. Honestly, I saw it coming, and he deserved it.

But what I couldn't understand was why he was all on Pink.

Sinzu glared at Pink, it was obvious that he was trying to restrain himself from retaliating. I was expecting someone to intervene, anyone, anybody at all. I looked at Chase whom I expected to had put a stop to all the nonsense. He wasn't smiling anymore, he was snapping his fingers, real fast.

I looked back at where pink stood with Sinzu, semi and that Jolade girl. Sinzu was boiling, his glare not softening, instead, it was hardening and he raised his hands up to slap Pink but within a flash of an eye, a hand held him back. It was Chase.

"You don't want to try that," his voice was dangerously low as he spoke, and this time he had a smile on his face - like everything that was happening was a joke. Also, he was snapping the fingers on his Right hand while the left hand held tightly unto Sinzu's. "You really do not want to see me get mad now, do you?"

Sinzu tried fighting his hand out of Chase grip, but Chase held him tightly in a death grip. He looked up at the rest of the students who were pixilated by the turn out of events and said;

"So I heard that she. . ." he pointed at me. ". . .stinks!" he laughed while I cried softly. "Reasons why, everyone hates her and discriminate her, but does she really stinks?!" Chase kept yelling as he spoke, at the same time not releasing the death grip on Sinzu, whom was still trying to struggle his way out of the grip. "Listen up everybody, y'all don't know me and i pray you all fon't, so, from now on I want the rumors of Lily smelling to perish here!" i looked at Chase, not failing to show how surprised I was by his words. He was actually defending me, fighting for me. I thought he was trying to belittle me, I thought he was trying to make a mockery of me, meanwhile he was actually trying to make a statement.

He laughed, Chase. He laughed, saw him look at me through my tears clouded vision, but I looked away. I didn't know why but I couldn't look him long in the eyes.

"Well, to everyone who bullies Lily, y'all are just a bunch of foetuses," the hallway was quiet as he spoke. "I'm sure most of you here are just cowards who do not want to admit the fact that Lily doesn't smell. Hypocrites who do not want to accept the fact that Lily smells nice. Green-eyed monsters who are too envious to accept the fact that Lily is more beautiful."

I looked at him, my heart had began beating at it normal rate. He called me beautiful. How I felt at that moment was a combination of happiness and a atom of doubt.

"Actually, she doesn't smell." Someone shouted from the crowd, i looked up and it was Wendell. He stood besides chioma next to other students. "Lily doesn't smell."

He knows my name?!

"Yes," that was chioma. A smile crept unto my face. Was I happy? Yes, I was more than happy. I felt like I was in the middle of a revolution, in the middle of my own revolution. "I've sat with her before, she doesn't smell."

"Well," another voice said and this time it was Feyi. She met my eyes, smiled and cleared her throat. "Chase is right, we all are just a bunch of foetuses, we've treated one of us unfairly, ousting her like a fugitive, discriminating, stigmatizing her and isolating her like someone who has a contactable diseases. It is wrong, wrong of me, wrong of us, especially knowing how it could affect her mental health and State."

Her eyes didn't leave mine as she spoke, then she stopped smiling, a look of remorse, regret, took over her facial expression. "It might be late already, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry, sorry for not doing anything other than just watching from the background, sorry for not being a friend, sorry for not trying my best to get closer to you. . . know you better. Sorry for Everytime I laughed anytime you're being bullied. I am really sorry."

The hallway was quiet. Quiet as a graveyard. No one said anything.

I kept staring at Feyi, words failing to escape my mouth. I didn't know how to respond to her. Rayo's kept her hand on my shoulder, her other hand still holding my wrist firmly, lightly at the same time. My emotions at that moment were overwhelming.

"I'm sorry also," I turned my head and saw Samira, she was the one who apologized. "Sorry for everything. . . itunu is also sorry." Was she? Nah. She stood next to Samira, glaring ferociously at her.

Soon after, tons of scattered 'sorrys' filled up the hallway and people began to leave, making the hallway really rowdy, some were going to the direction of the cafeteria, since it was still Break, while some where either heading to their classes or out of the building. After the crowds in the hallway had dissipated, only me, Rayo, Chase, semi and Sinzu whom was still trying to fight his way out of Chase grip, alongside pink and Jolade, were remaining in the hallway.

"Guy, release my wrist na!" Sinzu said, trying to still fight his way out of Chase grip.

Chase looked at him, bent to his level - he was actually some inches taller than Sinzu, and whispered something into his ears. I was watching the both of them, and I could swear that I was a look of fear come across Sinzu's face, but it was gone just as soon as it came. Chase released Sinzu, whom immediately massaged his wrist, looked at Chase, then at pink, then he looked at me with a sinister smile playing on his lips, then he tapped semi, and they both left. But before Sinzu left, he winked at me.

Really weird. Sinzu winked at me.

The other girl, Jolade, left also, leaving just me, Rayo, Chase and Pink.

Pink, she didn't move from where she stood ever since she'd slapped Sinzu. She just stood fixated on a spot. Lost. Dumbfounded. I couldn't say exactly. Chase walked over to her, turned her around and hugged her, suddenly, she started crying. I didn't know why, but she was crying as Chase hugged her.

"Guy's," Rayo called out, her hands still holding mine, while the other was still holding on to my shoulder. "We should head over to the cafeteria now, break would soon be over."

Chase nodded, released pink whom instantly cleaned her face with her blazer. They both walked hand in hand towards and we were all walking to the cafeteria when we heard a loud voice boom from behind, saying; "What have I missed ooo?"

Without doubt I knew it was Jona, and I was right, it was him. He rushed towards us and we continued our walk to the cafeteria.

"So what did I miss?" He asked again.

Rayo hissed, released my hand and went over to his side. "Where were you sef?" She asked.

"Head-boy duties ooo, principal called for me," He responded, looked at Chase and Pink. "Are you crying, pink?" He asked, peeking closely at her face. "No, seriously what did i miss?"

"A whole lot." Rayo answered, and she filled him in as we continued to walk to the cafeteria.

I didn't know how to feel about what had happened in the hallway, but I was happy. Chase actually stood up for me, not only that, but. . . he. . . he. . . also called me beautiful. I looked at him, smiled and I didn't know why but I felt jittery on my insides as I stared at him, he was indeed my own Shrek, my knight in school uniform, always trying to stand up for me.

Maybe Chase was the turn around I needed in my life, maybe he was the missing piece that was missing from my puzzled life, maybe I'd found my missing piece.

Chase. . . My first friend and I really did like him.

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

I can't help but think that someone or something is missing in this chapter.

My sweetheart Feyi 😩😩😩 who expected her to say something? I ship her ooo. . .clears throat. I won't tell you who I ship her with, though you are right. Yes, I ship her with the person on your mind.

Mtchewwww to itunu (never liked her)

Thoughts about Chase?

Major announcement.

Something in there is now a signed book on Novel Star. 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾

So if you're on the app, kindly support me and leave a review.

Thankissssssesss.

Tankyu Wattpadis 🌺

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺