~S for Samson, S for Stealing~

"And boom!"

This was followed by a rustling sound of biscuit wrappers as they fell to the floor in between Nma and Uche. This time it wasn't just shortbread, it was a mix of yoghurt, ice cream, cookies and lollipops.

"Oh boy," Uche and I chorused in delight as we looked through the heap of goodies.

"You like it?" Samson asked and for the first time today, I looked up from where we once sat playing red-Chinese-Japan-baby-bush to him. 

Today he was wearing a green top with a purple collar with the words; Adieu mama printed on the back. He wore black ripped jean which he sagged to the bottom of his bum revealing his blue boxers, the jean was baggie at the top but fitted like a glove from the knee to his ankles. It highlighted his muscular calf and thin legs.

He stood proudly in front of two others skinny boys, the boy on the left wore a beanie, a white vest and also sagged his peach shorts decorated with marijuana print and dirty black slides. He was black skinned, had small eyes and ears, a big round nose and bulging lips. The other boy on the right tied a black bandana, he tied it in such a way that the knot showed at the front of his hairline and the top was open to reveal his short hair. He had red eyes that were fixed on me, a small button nose, big ears and for some reason he kept licking his lips. He wore a blue long sleeve shirt which he left unbuttoned to show off his lean chest covered with bruises. He also sagged his pants and on his trousers, it read Starboy.

"Nma," I felt some tug me by my side. I turned to see it was Uche.

"You don't want?" He asked.

I looked back at Samson, "Who gave you this things?"

On a normal I ate the goodies in silence, I only spoke when I wanted to say thank you or that I was full. But today, it just felt too good to be true or rather too much to be normal.

"You no wan chop am?" The other boy on his right asked. He had a throaty voice that reeked of unruliness.

I ignored him and asked Samson again, "Who give you this thing?"

"Who be this chic?" The other guy on the left murmured in a calmer voice, "Nah she?"

"Who be that?" Uche asked.

Samson ignored us all and lit a cigarette. In the past, I couldn't stand it but nowadays it was a different story. I had come to realize it was what he liked—that and the food was importanter. He hardly ever ate food, he spent his time smoking cigarette after cigarette.

He puffed out the smoke and said, "What if I show you where we get it from?"

The boys behind him shared a knowing smile before turning back to me.

"Okay."

I followed Samson and his friends as we all walked to his car, Uche picked up the goodies before following us shortly after. As usual I sat at the passenger seat leaving the boys to the backseat. Once everyone was inside, he drove us to the market.

"Boys?"

"Boss," the others obediently replied leaning closer to his seat.

"We go move from that place where that women dey buy cloth," he pointed to a leading seating at a stall selecting dresses while talking to the merchant in vernacular.

"From there we go check two or three more places before we go vamoose," he instructed while the boys nodded.

He turned to me, "Shine your eye oh Princess."

With that he gestured for all of us to come down from the car. Samson and his friends moved on ahead to the stall while Uche and I stood at a distance watching.

Now I didn't know what to expect, I've never followed them out before. Whenever we went out, Samson asked for it to just be us two and I couldn't even take a second alone with him talk more of a minute. His lip licking and touching irked me.

Bandana boy was the first in the stall. He stood behind one of the customers as she looked through the clothes. She placed an outfit on top of her body to check if it fit. She spoke in fluent Igbo as sized the cloth, her bag dangling from her arm with her wallet siting on top of it. Bandana boy slid in beside her using the same method to check for a cloth. Startled by his sudden closeness she moved back, only for the boy in a beanie to slid in and snatch her wallet.

It happened so fast I almost missed it in a blink.

The lady didn't even realize it, she was too busy avoiding the bandana boy and giving him a dirty look. He flashed his win for us to see before Samson walked past and the wallet disappeared.

I gasped. "H-Ho...?"

I looked back to see bandana boy act all uninterested in the shirt. He told the trader he didn't like the shirt and walked away from the stall.

I looked over at Samson, who bumped into a man while walking towards us and when he arrived, he flashed yet another wallet in my face.

Beanie boy moved to another part of the market and we followed him. He asked a lady for a sack bag normally used for shopping. She kindly gave it to him. He thanked her and stood in front of her things prizing them. She sold onions, tomatoes, fresh pepper and dried fish. As they argued back and forth on the price of a pint of fresh pepper, he slipped in two cards of dried fish into his bag and some onions.

He ended the negotiation by calling out the woman as being too expensive and walking away with a grunt, half way down the aisle he passed the bag to Samson.

A man just dropped his bag down in front of a stall while talking to the seller. Samson took that opportunity to do his laces and fill up his bag with a few things from the man's bag. Bandana boy helped Samson to his feet and both walked off before the man found out what was up.

They went on and on, picking things from unsuspecting customers till their once empty bag was overflowing with goodies.

I had enough. I turned away, gaping after what I just saw. I went into the car and sat down. At the moment, I didn't know how I felt, I didn't know what to think. I was just lost!

After a while the boys joined, celebrating a job well done.Throughout the drive I was quiet. I was trying sure I understood what I had just witness.

"Oya you people should come down," Samson ordered, dropping us at the front of our street.

Uche obediently climbed down while I hesitated. I turned to Samson and said, "Is that how you...?"

He put his left hand on the steering wheel, the other around my seat as she leaned in and said, "What you saw today?" I nodded.

He smirked, "Yes Princess. We take things."

"Eh?"

"That's how we get all those nice things, princess. We take them."

The knowledge of what he meant made my blood dry up, I opened the door and alighted quietly. The boys behind laughed at the shock on my facial features as he reversed and drove away.

He took it? He took it?

"He took it!" I exclaimed.

"Eh?" Uche quizzed as he ran to my side.

"Samson is a..." I looked around and lowered my voice, "Uche Samson is a thief!"

Uche looked at me and then he looked around.

His gesture meant only one thing, he was aware already.

"So you know?" I asked breathing heavily, "You know say your cousin nah th—mph!"

"Stop shouting jhoor!" Uche said placing his palm on my lips.

I stood still as he slowly removed his hands from my lips, the fear of my new discovery made me stiff. I couldn't believe that all the so-called goodies he brought for me were stolen. Which meant that if he was a thief then for eating it I was his accomplice!

No! Samson was a thief! A thief!

"Ah!" I exclaimed falling to the floor. "Uche you knew!" I yelled disapprovingly at my friend.

I was pissed at my discovery and hurt at the fact that my best friend knew this details and hid them from me.

"No dey do like say you no enjoy the things wey we buy—"

Before he could finish talking, I rose up with lightning speed and pushed him to ground. I pinned him down and started to beat him. Uche fought back by dragging my hair and scratching my face with his nails like cat. I didn't mind him, I kept slapping his face and hitting him like an angry ape. The ear piercing cries of pains, curses and riling of the earth beneath must've drawn the people around to intervene.

They pulled me off but without a fight. I kicked and struggled to break free to beat him.

"Leave me let me beat her!" Shouted Uche as another person helped him up, "Leave me let me kill that stupid aboki wife."

Like fuel to the fire, my anger was rekindled and I charged for his neck pulling and tearing the neck of his top. He pulled at my hair and my top, he ripped away a fist full of my virgin hair and a piece of my shirt.

"Arrrrgh!" I yelled again as they pulled me away. I was like a raging lion. I wanted to hurt him so bad for betraying my trust. How dare he!

"You dey craze! You dey mad!" Uche shouted with red eyes filled with tears. Stripes of red blood were sprinkled from his head to his shoulders.

"You be idiot!" He yelled spitting at me.

"Waka shege there!" I cussed back as they moved us further away.

"Stop that!" The person above me chided, "a girl shouldn't be behaving like that and you this boy, why are you fighting a woman, eh?"

We both ignored the man still cussing ourselves.

"If I see you for my house eh, or near Dexter them, eh, that day you go know Wetin be God punish you," I said releasing myself from that man's hand and walking away.

I couldn't believe it! Uche knew! He knew his cousin was a thief.

"Ahh!" I shouted kicking a rock in my path to oblivion. I ruffled my head in frustration. I was so upset.

Yet so relieved.

I stopped. Just Imagine mother found out before I did or even if she just finds out now?

I would be so dead! No I would be more than dead—if there was anything like that.

"No." I shook my head, "Uche and I, are finished. We will never be friends again."

I nodded agreeing with that thought.

If only I stood by my decision till the end.