15| ℬᎾℳᎯ

  FRIDAY. 8AM. The sun isn't so bright this morning, and Mr. Ortega has started with his speakers again. I turn around to glance at the purple sheet briefly.

   "One day to prom." Cortana announces.

   "Thanks Cortana."

   "Remember Boma, most times, all you need is a really deep breath, and some dark chocolate." I laugh at that quote, dark chocolate is my least favourite chocolate.

   I look up at the ceiling, wrapping my arms around my shoulders and stretching out my sore joints before exhaling. 

   After dropping a kiss on my newest best friend, Pooch, the teddy bear Ivan brought me, I fling open my blanket and walk to the mirror, because habits are those things you do frequently that become an integral part of you. 

   I remember last night, how out of gravity I felt in his arms. It was a good weightlessness, the kind that makes you want to close your eyes and free fall knowing you won't hit the surface. 

   "Call Chinny. . ." Cortana reminds me. 

   "Right. Right." I rush back to the bed and pick up my phone. The smashed screen stings like a postoperative sore throat.

   I see my screensaver and think of the hug again. They were right, love messes with your head. 

   Chinny picks up on the first ring.

   "Y-you didn't tell me . . . if you said yes, you just hung up." Her groggy voice makes me chuckle. 

   "It turned out better than I can tell you on the phone," I say.

   "Wait. Really?" The complete sentences tell me she's more awake. "Buns, like seriously? Gist me."

   "Mom is travelling this morning with Tee and she'll be back tomorrow morning. Can you sleep over?"

   "I don't mind. Just tell her to call my mom."

   "Okay, I'll tell you everything when you come over."

   "Wait, but you mean there's gist?"

   I laugh. "You'll have to wait to hear."

   "You sound different. Like rule breaker different. BUNS, WHAT DID YOU DO???"

   "I'll see you." I hang up and move back to the mirror. 

   My first day at Cedar Heights High School was almost miserable. After crying, kicking, writing essays, and holding one-man debates, explaining to Mom how boarding school was better than day school, she dropped me off in my class, and I frowned all the way to the back seat in my oversized uniform. 

   I thought I was miserable, and kept counselling myself against moving, or speaking to anyone, until a tiny 7-year-old-looking-girl with shiny milk chocolate skin and huge glasses stood up. 

   That girl was Chinny. She's not so tiny anymore but that day, her uniform was worse than mine: the blue pinafore was the length of her ankle, and her white shirt was the size of a flag, all of that plus her knee-high socks. She was epic and it would have been more difficult for us to become friends if it had happened that Chinny wore her uniform any other way. 

   She stomped past me with a frown worse than mine and it made me giggle so hard I forgot how miserable I was. When I finished laughing, I followed her to the cafeteria.

   'Hi, I'm Boma, your uniform is horrible.' I said 

   She simply replied, 'I'm Chinny, I hate my mom for that reason.'

   We became instant friends. She moved to sit beside me, and the rest of the day, we talked about the other students with fitted uniforms. 

   Of course, in a typical JSS1 class, there were "the" kids and "those" kids. 

   The kids—Overachievers, had siblings in senior classes—Bright-the-headies (the most brilliant boy in my class) and Chinny.

   The kids—Always talking, Pretty or handsome and spoilt—Quincy, Jacklyn, Tambari, Justina, Mabel and the rest of their clique.

   The kids—Front seaters—Albert and Ugo.

   Those kids—Dirty kids—James, Andrew and Jackson, we called them greenmen from day one.

   Those kids—Loners—Fatia and Jessica. 

   Those kids—Occupied middle to back row and didn't understand shit about high school.

   I was supposed to be part of that group because I had no clue what high school was about, but since Chinny was now my friend and her older brother, Obinna, was the Social Prefect, I moved up faster than a fox.

   "Boma are you up yet?" Mom knocks.

   "Bathroom!" 

   I look in the mirror. There's no puffiness today. I check again; it's not puffy at all. My eyes are also not as yellow as they were yesterday. 

   "Doesn't sound like it!" she yells.

   "Just getting in!"

   "Hurry. Should I make the nood–"

   "YES! Please," I say. I hear her laugh. She hates it when I cook noodles. I hate it too. Basically, I hate when I cook anything aside from plantains.

   "Have you called Chinny?"

   "Yes, she said you should tell her mom."

   "Alright let me do that now. Don't take too long." 

   In front of the mirror while I brush, I reminisce about everything that has gone wrong and right in two days. It's been one heck of a couple days.

   I open the shower curtain and step into the tub, pouring more than required shampoo on my hair and running my fingers through each curl until they're all super saturated, then I rinse off with warm water and proceed to sponging my body. I notice I'm more delicate and intentional. 

   What is going on with me?

   When I'm done, I wrap myself in my blue towel and step out of the bathroom. I consider going back in and leaving a bit of shampoo in my hair. It smells so good. 

   In front of the mirror again, I let the towel loose, observing every curve and corner, every dent and invisible plump.

   Loving bra's is still a work in progress, so I just slide into my underwear, and a short cotton dress decorated with embroidered flowers. 

   I spray a few puffs of my fairy-dream body mist, swipe a little lip gloss, and put let my hair out so it air dries. I check myself out in the mirror again, trying different faces: sexy, happy, cute, innocent, flirty.

   I'm blushing all the way down the stairs and my heart starts racing again, like I'll see him standing there. I smile when I don't, but the memory is so clear I can almost see him.

   "Look at you." Mom says. She smiles like I have rainbows spiralling around me. She's wearing a black night gown and it's sexy. 

   I run and give her a hug. I don't know why I just feel like hugging. "Now don't you like how sexy you look in this?" I ask her.

   "Boma, my choice of clothing is none of your business and what do you know about sexiness?"

   "That your beloved Kaftans are not. And you're my mom, so it's all of my business."

   "I don't expect you to understand. When you get older . . ."

   "So, you're old now?" I ask

   "Would you leave me alone?" she chuckles, "yes. I'm old. I'm not seventeen and I like how comfy and stylish my Kaftans are."

   "Stylish?"

   "Yes, stylish." 

   She shuts me up with a plate of steaming noodles. I see vegetables and prawns and sausages staring at me. She adds a fried egg on top.

   "I'm proud of you mom." I smile at the food. 

   She laughs. "If you just allowed yourself to learn how to cook, and stopped complaining about my clothes, you could whip up nice things too."

   "I'll just let you do your thing mom. Cooking is your thing." I say and begin eating.

   "Buns!" I hear Chinny's voice outside. 

   "Don't worry, I'll get it." Mom pats my back.

   I turn around, a piece of sausage dangling between my lips and I see my best friend with her small bag, her glasses and her awkward smile. 

   "That was fast!" I grin. She drops her bag on the floor and walks over to sit beside me.

   "You guys, finish up. I'll be getting ready. Thanks for coming Chin." 

   "You're welcome mom." Chinny smiles. Chinny has always called my mom, 'mom'. I call Chinny's mom, ma, she's more traditional. 

   "Before you say anything, I'd like to say prom is officially tomorrow!" Chinny says.

   "And I'm extremely nervous."

   "At least you have a date now, a fine one at that. Speaking of which, gist me."

   "He came back!!" 

   "You said so, and I just don't understand, I thought you guys . . ." she wraps the noodles around the fork, closing her eyes as the taste serenades her taste buds.

   "I know, but like after he dropped me and left, he sent me the message, asking if I wanted to go to prom with him–" 

   "That was when you called me?" She takes another mouthful of noodles. I look at my plate and then at her, her smile says, 'you know I can't resist, what's yours, is mine.'

   She's right, and I don't even feel hungry anymore. Reminiscing the events of yesterday makes my stomach feel full.

   "Yes, I called you, and then I remembered I hadn't said yes to him, so I hung up and called him back, he was at the pleasure park–"

   "The new Pleasure Park?" 

   "Yes. Chinny let me finish. We have all day to answer your questions."

   "Sorry. I'm just so excited is all." She's wide eyed and grinning like a kid at a carnival, eating up more of my noodles without any apparent conscience.

   "Anyway, he lost the network before I could say yes and when I thought everything was messed up, he was downstairs, holding a teddy bear and flowers and . . . I could have kissed him yesterday." 

   "Why didn't you?" she asks with a mouth full of noodles and I'm too busy searching for an answer to her question to be disgusted.

   "His eyes looked golden brown, like they were almost amber. I don't think they're normally that light." I look at her, "am I overthinking?"

   "Nope. You're in love Boma, put yourself together." She says.

   "You wouldn't understand..." I say. 

   She doesn't know I'm sicker now, I hate not telling her the whole truth, it's killing me just looking at those eyes that have told me everything for the past six years and still choosing not to tell her. It's hard but it's better this way.

   "Buns!" 

   "Huh? what?"

   "Must have been a serious evening, you have that look that scares me."

   "What look?"

   "Wait. You're lying! You definitely kissed him. . ." She eats the last strands of noodles on the plate.

   "What? NO!" I stand up and take the plate to the kitchen.

   "You're lying to me right now, in front of this gorgeous face," she walks in after me. "Look I want you to do these things, so I won't judge you." 

   "Chinny, I'd never lie to you, we just hugged. That's all. A long hug. Besides Mom wasn't that far. Would have made kissing him weird, don't you agree?" I wash the plate while she rinses.

   "Okay, I believe you, but I see it in your eyes. The rules aren't holding you much longer."

   "Thought you'd be excited that I'm finally looking forward to prom."

   "About that, I am ecstatic," she smiles. "I told you, you would get pumped."

   "Yeah, but I'm freaking out silently."

   "About what?"

   "I don't know, I feel like I'm–" 

   "Wait. I'm missing something. Something important."

   "What?"

   I watch her eyes expand to their limit, as she simultaneously draws a breath.

   Why does Chinny always have to be so dramatic? I wonder, shaking my head and smiling, waiting for her to remember this all so important thing.

   "YOU DON'T HAVE A DRESS!!" 

   I feel my own eyes widen as I hold my breath. "I don't have a DRESS!" 

   She flings her fingers in the air, splashing water all over my face.

   "CHINNY."

   "That's what delay gets you," she says. "It's not too late, yet." She walks out of the kitchen.

   I hear her footsteps heading upstairs. "What are you doing?" I follow behind her, she doesn't respond.

   "Mom?" she knocks on mom's door. 

   "What are you doing?" I ask again. She doesn't reply.

   "What's the matter Chin?" Mom asks.

   "Would you believe that, Boma, doesn't have her prom dress yet?"

   "Where is she? Boma!"

   "I'm here mom."

   "Why didn't you remind me before?"

   "I forgot too."

   "And it's tomorrow," Chinny adds.

   "Are there still going to be dresses in the boutiques? Pretty much every girl in this area must have bought her dress," Mom says.

   "I'm sure we could find one," Chinny replies. 

   "Today, two of you?"

   "Yes, nothing could go wrong since I'm here. I'll make sure she stays in line," Chinny says. 

   I snicker. She turns around with a 'what's so funny?' smirk. I stop the snickering.

   "Okay. I'll give Boma her debit card and you girls can go. I'll call the cab guy."

   "We'll take a Bolt, it's cheaper,"

   "Okay, that's fine too."

   "Thank you, mom." Chinny says, strutting into my room full of pride. I follow behind her, and shut the door. She flings herself on the bed.

   "Really? Chin, put me in line?" 

   "Yeah. Really. It was that simple, and please can you put on something decent?

  "Decent?"

  "Yes, your limes are distracting."

   I look at them, they really are limes, but I don't see what's distracting. 

   "I don't believe you." I say, and join her on the bed.

   "You should." She smiles and we both heave a sigh. 

   Relief and excitement course through my veins. I imagine not being able to spend time with Chinny. Life's messed up.

   "You have goosebumps. Was that me or were you thinking about the hug again?" She asks.

   "You." I say, and she smiles.

   "I don't know what I'd do if I ever lost you Buns."

   "You're going to remain ignorant for a really long time." I say, and she heaves another sigh. 

   I look at her, the roundness of her big brown eyes in her thick glasses, her small mouth, her cornrows, her big elvish ears, her pimples, I'm going to miss her.

   "Why're you looking at me like that?" she asks 

   My phone rings. Chinny rushes to grab it then hands it over. I look at the caller and shake my head.

   "You thought it was Ivan? Good for you." I say.

   "Hey, Tee, morning." he tells me he's at the gate. "Sure. I'll be there." I say and hang up.

   "Is he here?" she yelps.

   "He's at the gate." 

   We both run out like two little pups whose owner just returned. The last time Tee was around, Chinny and I got iPhones.

   "Why are you girls running about?" Mom asks as we run past her door.

   "NOTHING MOM!" I say.

   We dash down the stairs, and to the gate. Chinny gets there first and opens it. He drives in and opens the door in time for me to rush a hug first. 

   Chuckles swarm the air, happy grins and expensive perfumes too. He looks hot, Boris Kodjoe kind of hot, and that is to say the least. The first time I met Tee, I nearly blushed to death.

   "Morning Tee." Chinny greets before grabbing his bag from the passenger seat.

   "Hey girls," he says. "Ya'll sleeping over?" 

   "Mhmmm." I nod.

   "Missed your pretty face." He smiles, and he has the most perfect smile I have ever seen, the braces kind made of perfect teeth arrangement. It's always made me feel happy knowing that mom has found her soulmate and now more than ever, someone to be a shining light when the dark times come. I hug him again.

   "Anything for the girls?" Chinny shamelessly asks.

   "Well I wouldn't be Uncle Tee without the goodies, right?" 

   The idiot nods. I'm disappointed but that's Chinny, the gold digger with a heart of gold.

   "My lady, she ready?"

   "Yeah, was finishing up when we ran down," I say.

   "She doesn't know you're here yet." Chinny adds.

   "Why? Y'all tryna surprise her or some'ing?" We nod, wearing the cutest shady smiles we could afford. He laughs as we walk in.

   "BOMA? CHIN? You guys okay?" Mom asks.

   "Can you come help us with something?" I try to sound unexcited, so she doesn't get any clues.

   "Is it urgent?"

   "Yes, critical."

   "Coming." She says. Chinny and I run into the kitchen and begin peeping.

   "Oh. Hey, baby," her smile blooms as soon as she sees him.

   They're really in love. 

   "Hey, babe." Tee says, and I see how smitten he is. She looks smashing. He can't keep his hands off her waist. Chinny rolls her eyes, I squint.

   "Hmm. Where are they?" she looks around.

   "Here." We walk out smiling too.

   "That's what all the running was about?" she asks, we just keep smiling. 

   "You ready?" Tee asks her. I like how he says everything to her with such intense eye contact, what's with love and eyes?

   "Yeah, I'll just go grab my bag." She says it like she can't catch her breath.

   "Their chemistry is amazing, they're definitely covalent bonds." Chinny whispers I'm a little confused because we're not science students but I'm used to Chinny's varieties.

   "Go get her bag, I don't think she realises she just said that." I whisper back to Chinny.

   She runs upstairs. They're still ogling themselves. I can't keep a straight face watching it.

   "Uh, your bag?" Chinny says.

   "Yeah, sorry. I'll go get it, so we can go." she inhales deeply.

   "It's here." Chinny hands it over.

   "Oh, thanks Chin." She takes the bag but barely looks at it.

   "I put your phone and wallet in it, they were on the bed." Chinny says.

   "Thanks baby." She breathes out and smiles like she's out of her trance.

   "The stuff in the bag is for you guys. Have fun." Tee says. 

   "This bag? This big bag?" Chinny asks. We're wide-eyed, I gasp. A tiny yelp escapes Chinny's lips, I see she's fidgeting. 

   "That's so cool, thanks Tee." I clutch the bag tighter, nearly tearing up with profound joy.

   "Thank you, Tee." Chinny says.

   "Aww. Thanks baby." Mom gives him a kiss.

   "Girls, share. No fighting. Please."

   "Nothing to worry about mom." We chorus, grinning ear to ear. I feel Chinny's hands creeping up the lid of the bag. I smack it. Mom turns, we go back to our grins. I'm waiting for them to leave, they don't seem like they're in a hurry.

   "Anything else?" I ask impatiently.

   "Bomate, are you by any means chasing me out of my house?"

   "Well no, well kind of, yes. Get going you guys." I say eagerly. Tee laughs, Mom just shakes her head. 

   "Alright see you soon. Be good." They head for the door.

   "Mom, wait."

   "What now, thought you wanted me out?"

   "My debit card for the dress."

   "Oh, look what rushing me out would have cost you." She reaches into her bag, pulls her wallet out and hands my glittering debit card to me. I always feel at peace whenever I get a hold of it, I don't understand why it bears my name but still not really mine.

   "Thank you." I say.

   "Buy something pretty." Tee says and hugs me. Feeling secure in that hug is an understatement but it doesn't compare to Ivan's.

   "Okay Mom, love you." I hug her. She buries her nose in my hair (a weird ritual she does every time she has to leave for more than a few hours).

   "Love you! Bye!" Chinny waves from a distance. 

   "Come here Chin." Mom says, she runs up and we all hug for a while. When we break off, Mom's sobbing. I roll my eyes.

   "Alright that's enough," I walk to the door. "Bye guys, safe journey." I open it and show them the way.

   They walk out, we follow behind them. I open the gate and they drive out. After we close the gate, it becomes a race of life to get to the bag first. 

   We end up dragging until I decide to listen to the voice of reason and set it down. We watch it for a couple of minutes until half the nerves simmer off. 

   To decide who was going to get to open the bag first, I suggest we play rock-paper-scissors. Chinny agrees, I win. Elated, and feeling like I won a lottery, I meticulously slide the metal zipper across the leather bag. I take no time to remove the outer seal paper and my blood starts racing, I see things that I like very much.

   "We should rock-paper-scissors for who gets to pick first too." Chinny says.

   What a devil. 

   I reluctantly agree. My fingers feel like lead as I move them. I play paper Chinny plays scissors.

   "Ha! I win." She laughs.

   I'm devastated, just watching as she checks the bag. I can see there's an iPhone. I want to scream, I bite on my nails. 

   "Here, your phone looks like it got struck by thunder." She hands it to me. 

   As I said, a gold digger with a heart of gold. 

   I toss myself on her and we turn the bag over. There are four bottles of Dolce and Gabbana perfumes, we share it equally. There's one beats by Dre headset, Chinny takes it, I have a functional one. We take two pairs each of the Nike's, Chinny ceremoniously hands me the m.a.c makeup kit.

   "I only know how to use the lip gloss and mascara."

   "There's YouTube. Help yourself." She laughs. 

   I don't find it very funny.

   "I'll show you some tricks when we get back from buying your dress." She says.

   "Better."

   "Buns, there's something wrapped here, it has your name on it."

   "Let me see." I say. She passes a little red box with cute white ribbons and my name on the front. I open it and there's a note. I recognize Tee's writing immediately:

Boma.
It's the best gift of my existence that I get to tie the knot with the love of my life. Your mom means everything and more than I can comprehend and so do you. Marrying your mom means that I get to be your dad, if you'd have me. I never thought that God's plans for me would be this Grande. Thanks for letting this guy be the luckiest in the world and beyond.
Tee.

   Chinny grabs the note to read for herself, a bracelet falls out of it. She hands it over, it has rubies and four angel charms around it, they're engraved with my name.

"Never take it off." she says.

   We take all our new stuff to my room Chinny configures my new phone while I get ready for the dress shopping.