A/N:
*Taking deep breaths*🙂
Firstly, I apologize for the late update. Ion know but I've been exhausted from doing nothing over the past month. Weird right? Well, the matter seff tire me😂.

Secondly, I want to say a very big thank you with kisses💋 to those of you that started this journey with me, and are still in this journey with me. Honestly, it warms my heart😭❤️✨. So much love from my heart to you guys❤️✨, but be commenting and voting, biko, ejo, Dan Allah, abeg, pleaseeeee.
And share too ooo, tell your friends😭❤️, nagode, eshe, thank you and I don't know for Igbo😀😂😂😂.

Thirdly, I introduced a new character's POV in the last chapter, and for those of you that noticed, Anjola is actually smart, very smart in fact, for those of you that missed it in the aesthetics, but there's a lot more going on with her and she's a closed book, sounds so weird😂. Well, she's a very closed off character meaning, it's hard to see what's going on in her mind. Let's just hope we get into that her small mind soon enough. *Fingers crossed*

I think I've said too much😂, pardon me and my talku talku biko. I'll be dropping off hints in this chapter. Let's see if anybody can pick anything up.

And ehen, just ignore my errors😭😭, this lazy writer I'd just to lazy to do anything, I'll edit when the laziness evaporates from my spirit🙂 and abeg, bear with me if this chapter is shabby, and I apologize for all the shabbiness in the previous chapters. I just feel like talking today😭😂❤️. Don't mind me joor, this writer is weird😀.

Omoh! Author's note choke😂😂. This is the longest author's note I've written. Mostly because i don't know what to say, but... but nothing jarey😂😂😂.

Let's muuuve, shall we?

~6 - FEARS°

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“Fear? Yes, I'm scared of
a lot of things.”
————————†±†————————

~Anjola

Glancing at my wristwatch from time to time, every minute feeling like a damn hour, waiting impatiently for Toyo to arrive. I sighed. Again, I glanced at my diamond wristwatch with purple gems forming the circle, giving it a more pleasant look. 8:23pm. I read inwardly.

The last time I checked, it was a very long time ago just to be very precise, it was 8:23 pm. How the fuc- no -How in the world was it still the same?  My patience was starting to grow really thin as I stared at my purple Minnie mouse phone pouch. There is only so much I could take.

Breathe Anjola, breathe.

Everything here was threatening to mess with my sanity. From the black colored curtains - which I found absolutely absurd - to the deep grey colored couches, to the dark tinted glass table in the middle of the room on a blood red colored rug. They even went as far as using deep blue illuminated LED lights. I was so uncomfortable.

Breathe Anjola, breathe.

Each second feeling like a minute and every damn minute feeling like an hour. I was starting to have a mini anxiety attack.

Footsteps.
Footsteps and I jolted from my sitting position, running towards the five foot-six inches figure walking -no- cat walking into the dark themed scary living room of the Chinekes. I felt a wave of relief wash through me as my body collided with hers in a tight hug.

She let me hug her for what felt like hours, saying words to calm me down. She knew something was wrong, obviously anybody could tell that something was wrong but she didn't know what.

Or did she?

"Okay, okay, calm down. I'm here. It's fine." She kept on saying words to soothe me, her hands slowly going up and down my back. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

She pulled away from the hug, her hands on my shoulders, brown soft  eyes holding so much concern piercing into my black ones quivering in discomfort. I diverted my gaze to the ground, everybody knows I can't maintain eye contact for more than three seconds.

Pathetic!
You need to work on yourself.

"I'm fine." You're not! "I'm fine, it's just that you left school early today and I've been feeling really anxious about it but, I'm glad to see you now." I forced a smile to my face worried she would pick up my lie. I was astounded by how fast I was able to come up with such a great lie.

Liar!

Shut up!

"Oh, that? I wasn't feeling too well so, I decided to just go home. First day of resumption really gets to me."

"You guys may as well kiss," that sassy voice could only belong to— "Don't start, abeg." Toyo said, interrupting my thoughts, shooting the brown skinned girl a glare.

She scoffed, rolled her eyes and started descending the stairs that had the shape of the letter 'C' ever so carefully.

Who knew peace could be careful?

"See, don't come to my house and start ganging up against me. Just don't. I invited you over so do me a favor and let me be, please." She had gotten to the foot of the stairs, moving her arms and fingers aggressively for emphasis.

"Nobody is ganging up against you." Toyo said, face palming and shaking her head in disbelief  'cause what in the world was this girl?
"And by the way," she held unto my hand and started walking towards the foot of the stairs where peace was standing. "Why is it so dark in here?"
God bless you, Toyo.

"Because this is my house, duh," I mentally face palmed. "And I like it dark. And I don't see any reason why you're questioning me, did you become a detective overnight or something because i don't understand again o." She walked past us and further into the living room, dropping her butt aggressively into the couch. Poor couch. 

"Yen yen yen yen yen. Can you guys just get your asses upstairs and get dressed? Ion see why you're fuzzing about the dark. I like it dark, and you don't get to choose what I should have and shouldn't have in my own house. Like, what the actual fuck?" She spat, rolling her eyes, hissing, dropping her head aggressively on the headrest and started scrolling through her Instagram.

Na wa o.

I rolled my eyes and turned to face Toyo, catching her staring at me like she knew something I didn't want her to know.

Maybe she does?

I quickly pushed the thought out of my head. " Uhm uhm, let's go and get change, we don't want to be late, right?" And without waiting for any responses whatsoever, I began taking the stairs, taking more steps into my discomfort.

★★★★

Music. Multicolored illuminated lights.

Parties. Classmates. A lot of classmates.
It was like a club. It was a club.

Oh, no

"Babes!" Tolu was walking towards us with so much enthusiasm, like this was the best thing that could ever happen thought this ss3 year. "Wassup face mole?" She said flicking Peace's forehead and I couldn't help the chuckle that left my lips, as I awaited the sassy response that peace was about to throw her way given that she was already in a terrible mood before we got here.

Three,

Two,

One.

"Get away from me breast mole and get your stinking hands off my face, dumbass."  Right on time. This girl and hurting people's feelings are like 5 and 6, and I  just wish I could call her out.

But you're scared.

I'm not scared.

Of course you're not.

I fought the urge to roll my eyes.

"Peace, be nice." Toyo said with a very Stern look marred across her face, but the latter just dismissed her with s flick of her wrist.

I sense an argument coming.

"Tolu wassup," Toyo said, smiling at the already embarrassed girl and I gave her a small wave and whispered hi to her just to ease the pregnant atmosphere.

" Uhm, hey guys, I'll just be at the bar, see you later then. Enjoy the party." And she started walking away, witg peace scrutinizing retreating figure.

This girl needs help.

" Let's just get drinks, okay?" Toyo asked, eyes going back and forth between peace and I and I gave her a small smile in approval while peace just shrugged.

"What would you like to have young ladies?" The bartender asked us. Yes, an actual bartender. "I'd like a glass of vodka, thank you." My mouth was literally on the ground right now.

"Peace, you drink alcohol?" I had to ask, I just had to, but then I seemed to be the only shocked person. Toyo was smiling at something on her phone, probably oblivious to whatever was going on, or not? It just made me feel some type of way.

"Don't even start preaching to me, abeg." And she hissed, collecting the glass from the bartender with the corner of her lips twitching in a small smile. "What's that even supposed to mean?" I had to ask because I was finding it hard, very hard to put my feelings in place and keep my mouth shut.

Like you always do, ba?

" I mean, you always keep telling me what's good for me and what's not and I'm like, you're not my fucking mother, so don't fucking act like you are cause it pisses me the fuck off and you're even a year younger than us, so stop seeing yourself as the mother of the two of us because-"

"Peace that's enough," Toyo cut her off with her voice pleading for this drama to stop but it seemed like she wasn't getting the message.

God help.

Honestly, since we came here we've been arguing and I'm just glad that the music was just really loud and has been drowning our voices. I wouldn't want the whole set starring at us. That'll just be a whole level of uncomfortableness and I wouldn't want to experience that.

" Toyosi Omoniyi, don't be acting blind abeg. We both know parties aren't Anjola's thing but no, we brought her here knowing fully well that she is absolutely clueless to everything that happens at parties and I'm not going to sit back and watch while she tells me why I'm not to have alcohol and the rest.  She doesn't belong here, can't you fucking see?"

Okay, I'm not going to lie. The last statement sent a punch into my chest, leaving it's mark in my heart.

Really hurt is an understatement to what I felt.

I decided to take one look around, and I did.
My set girls doing the most, showing up here dressed on their shortest outfits and their outrageous make overs and I just wore a knee length skirt and a long sleeved body con top with my louvres shoes. And then there was alcohol, oh my Lord! The stench, it was all dawning on me. I really didn't belong here.

Mother wouldn't be able to come in terms with the fact that her child was in a damn club.

"Do we really have to attend this party?" I said slowly, pondering on my words as they left my mouth. "Don't be a child Anjola and please just enjoy the party." She spat out, sarcasm dripping in her tone. God! You know, sometimes i wonder why I'm friends with the Chineke Peace of a human being. She - most of the times - disregards people's feelings and that's the only thing she does that hurts me the most, but then she doesn't care and even when she says sorry, she laughs at it making you wonder if it was actually genuine to begin with but... but nothing.

But you are scared of letting her know how you feel?

"Babe, if you're not comfortable we can always go back." Toyo said putting a hand on my shoulder, looking at me with do much understanding.

"You," she drawled, waving her index finger around, pointing at us before she continued speaking. "can always go back. I'm not going anywhere." She was now looking away, folding her arms across her chest.

Again, I sense an argument coming.

"Peace! You don't have to be rude, b." It was like Toyosi was trying to control her anger with the way she called her name with so much anger but quickly collected herself before moving on to the next sentence.

" Yeah, I'm the one that's always rude ba? Like I'm always the one that everybody is fighting with. You don't ever fight with Anjola, it's either you fight with me or Anjola fights with me,"

No, no, no, no, no, this is not going to end well.

"You always, and I want to repeat that, always, make me the fucking third wheel in this Godforsaken friendship. This is always the fucking case and I'm fucking fed up of this stupid shit that goes in every single time and I don't even know why I'm always the bad guy and nobody seems to want to give me a damn reason."

"What the fucking hell do you mean by Godforsaken. Peace, are you okay!?" I could now see steam rising from Toyo's head.

God help!

" I'm not going to be insulted and disrespected by you guys cause this is absolutely absurd and fucking stupid," Look who's talking? "You know what? Fuck you both and fuck the three musketeers 'cause I'm so done with it."

And she walked away. I turned to look at Toyo constantly opening and closing her mouth like she was deliberating whether to call out to her or not. This is going to be a long evening. I sighed.

"Anjola don't take her seriously. You know she was in a bad mood before-"

"Excuse me, I want to use the restroom." And I walked out on her in search of a restroom. I just needed to bawl out my eyes.

★★★★

"Shey you don dey craze, ahbi?"

"Na your papa dey craze. See this bastard sha."

I froze.

"Egba mi ni tori olorun. This guy don dey mad. You still get mind dey call my papa."

I stood in the hallways upstairs, watching the whole scene unfold before my very eyes. It was happening all over again. Two boys holding beer bottles in their hands in a heated argument.
I was scared to bits. Everything was starting to blur out as their words began to echo in my head. My palms became sweaty as I felt warm liquid flow down from the side of my head even with the AC on. I was feeling dizzy, my legs began to shake, they were beginning to fail me as they threatened to drop me to the ground.

I was having another panic attack.

Inhale,

Exhale.

Inhale,

Exhale.

I repeated the mantra in my head as I struggled to gain control of my breath, gasping for air like a fish that had been taken out of water for very long. I couldn't even hear what was going on around me anymore. The two guys now holding each other by their collars, probably threatening to hurt each other just like it happened that night.

My eyes were threatening to close, but I didn't want them to 'cause I was scared of seeing his face.

Glass shattering.

That was all I heard before my eyes dimmed shut.

A/N:
*Squeals*
Okay. So, I want to say plenty things ooo😂.
First off, who uses a black curtains? Like who?😂 But colored illuminated lights are really cool though.

So Peace uh?
She's also a main character. Wahala plenty for that side.

So there are a lotttt of things I hinted in this chapter about Anjola in this chapter but before mouth gets ahead of me, let's see what you noticed about her🙂❤️.

Also here, we see Toyo as a strong character😂😂, why am I laughing seff? So as I was saying, we see Toyo as a strong character here but we've seen otherwise in the previous chapters. So basically, she portrays herself as a strong person to the outside world but is very subtle inside.

Now back to Anjola, I stated earlier that she is a closed off character and she doesn't express herself at all which I hinted in this chapter and then she is always having internal battles with herself like places where you saw...

But you're scared.

I'm not scared.

Of course you are.

And other cases like that. Well that'll be all for now. I'm so exhausted.

Till when next😭❤️. Let's bind and cast spirits of laziness because this writer needs help.

So byeeeee✨❤️💋