•SALOME ALAN•

"I'm sorry I ran away, I was so scared." Zara's voice pierces through the speaker of my phone. I sigh for the umpteenth time, stuff another summer dress in my bag and take the phone closer to me.

"Really? After leaving me stranded?" I ask, trying to sound as serious as ever. If only she knew how it ended up been a blessing in disguise for me though. I was happy but still... I still need to know why she abandoned me.

"No... It's not like that," Zara tells me. I hear honk of cars beneath but decide not to pay attention.

Looking at my phone on the fluffy pitch center rug, I blindly tuck in another dress. "Then it's like what?"

"Did Mr. Alex punish you for it?" She asks and I hear her jam the door of a vehicle closed.

I open my mouth to speak but close it back. This isn't heading anywhere. I loved been with him, my teacher, in his space. Zara was just scared and disappeared into thin air. I would do the same... I think.

"I'm downstairs," She enunciates, pulling me out of my reverie. A small frown grease my forehead as I quickly get up from the bunch of clothes surrounding me, my legs stumbling from seating in one position for too long.

I draw my blinds up and there is she, her phone in her ear and keys swinging in her free hand. Zara drove here?

"Oh my..." I grab my phone from the rug and end the call. She was already on her way here when I called.

Typical Zara.

I've never raced as fast as I did just to open the door for my best friend. She has a lot of explaining to do.

"You drove here?" Is the first thing that left my mouth the second I pull the door open. Zara smirk devilishly and glance over her shoulders. She wave the car key in my face.

"Yep! As you can see..."

"Woah..." I push her aside to take a view of the wine shinny Benz in front of my house. I'm not good with car names but this one... is freaking sexy!

"Zara... How did you..." My words coming out and trailing off. I look at Zara who's already making her way in then to the sexy vehicle again. "Wow..."

"Stop wowing and get your fat ass here Salome." Zara says, chuckling. She's struggling with two big gift bags and walking up the stairs.

"I mean-" I reluctantly close the door and fold my arms around me. "Yeah you told me you've gotten your driver's license but I didn't just-"

"You didn't just believe that I'm now a pro driver right?" Zara pause on the stairs to ask. She sigh sharply and shake her head. "Bad girl thing Salome, bad girl thing. And are you going to keep looking at me like you swallowed a fish or help me with these?" She raise the bags for me to see.

I take my wide eyes from her to the bags in her hands. Blue big shopping bags with the items in them poking out due to how full there are.

"For me?" I bath my lashes, fawning closer to her. She stretch one of the bags to me and I happily take it from her, just for the weight of the bag to drag me with it.

Zara burst into laughter, walking up the stairs and leaving me behind. "Lazy girl." I hear her whisper.

I end up using my two hands to carry the same bag Zara carried with just one hand.

This girl though...

"Just wait till till you see the sexy outfits I got for us," Zara sings, advancing in fast strides and bouncing at the same time. How does she even manage to carry that heavy loaded bag like its nothing?

She turn sharply to me who's still struggling with the bag.

"Wait! Is your dad home?"

I pout my lips. "Yes, he's in his room."

Zara gasp and slap her hand on her mouth. I wonder how she flips from good to nasty when my dad or aunt is around. To them, Zara is the perfect friend to me. I chuckle, passing by her while she carefully follow behind. Like I said, she has flipped like a switch to quiet Zara.

I push the door to my room open and drop the heavy bag I've been dragging up the stairs. Zara walks in afterwards, her brows furrowing to how sweetly scattered my room is. I press my lips and fling myself on the center rug.

"Wow... Seems like my best friend is packing her bags for camp." Zara beams happily. She dump the bag in one corner and flop down beside me, her eyes scanning the dresses I'm folding in my camp bag.

"Obviously girl, it's my first time. Can't afford to be unprepared." I reply without looking at her, my gaze on the stacks on clothes around me. From my peripheral view, I can see her nodding.

"Yeah... I'm so happy you decide to go this year so it won't seem like I'm always over hyping it."

"You over hype everything, Zara." I fire back and she scoffs, stretching to reach the items she brought. "Still just wondering why you left me with Mr. Alex." I glance to tell her.

She rest her hands on the bag with a sigh. "I'm sorry... I wasn't just... I was shy."

I burst into laughter, stocking a white cotton pant into the corner of the back. "You? Shy? I don't believe." It's my turn to scoff.

Zara pulls out the first polythene. "Why did you say so?"

"It's obvious, because I know you. You never get shy."

She smirks at me and roll her eyes. "Not in front of your teacher Salome. Mr. Alex is scary..."

Scary? I felt comfortable today though.

Zara turns fully to me, dumping the skimpy looking outfit I choose to ask about later. "I overheard him telling you to 'come here', did he maybe... Punish you for stalking or something?"

I shake my head, pressing the top of the bag so there would be more space for other things. "Nope, he told me to mark tests scripts for him, which I did."

Zara's eyes widens. She drag herself closer to seat in front of me. "Tell me you're joking."

I look up at her, grinning from ear to ear as the memories of been in my teacher's office flows through my head. I instinctively touch the the knots on my head, recalling his compliment on it.

"Your hair... I like it."

That line is stuck in my head. I don't think I'll loose the banku knots on my head anytime soon.

"Woah woah woah," Zara wave her hands in my face and I slap them off. She squints her eyes and press her lips. "You do know you're smiling at yourself, right?"

I press my lips together. "Hmm?"

"Come on, tell me, you like him right?"

I raise a brow at her. Zara is always quick to mouth out her feelings or questions, "Who?"

She leans closer to me, "Your teacher... " She drawls.

I push her away so fast she lands head back on the rug, laughing loudly. Like who? Mr. Alex? Nah...

"Shut up, Zara." I say, not like she heard me anyway since she's laughing her lungs out. I face palm, shaking my head.

"Oh my god!" Zara fling up instantly, trying to stop herself from laughing. "Why are you so blunt about it?" She bring her face closer. "Uh? You like him, don't you? Come on, just tell-"

"Christ Zara, I don't!" I deadpan, shooting her a hard glare. This girl can say anything just for fun.

"Then why were you smiling like that?" She raise her hand and touch the knots, "And you never liked banku knots till I begged you to try it, saying it will suit you."

I turn to her, "So what's your point?"

That you like your teacher, obviously.

Zara doesn't say anything, just staring at me like I have grown two heads. Like she finally knows what she said doesn't align, her lips perk up slowly, a wide smile following before she giggle softly.

"Don't mind me," She pokes my arm playfully. "Just pulling your legs, you told me how authoritative Mr. Alex can be so..."

"Better," I complete and go back to folding. "So..." I nod to the few out of million items she brought out. "That skimpy gown is allowed in camp?"

Zara's eyes lit up as she wrap the whole bag closer to me. I tuck my feet beneath, the soft rug tickling my exposed thighs.

"Hell yes!" She quickly peel out one from the transparent polythene, taking it up so I can see how exposed it is.

I didn't know when I started laughing. "Wait wait, so you are telling me that they would let you wear this," I point to the golden thin hand short gown she's holding. I mean, this thing won't even cover my butt!

"This is even better," She drop it and pick another one that looks like an up and down tie and dye material. "Can't wait for you to see how hot Victoria high school girls would appear that day. Trust me, it's oppressing."

I bite my lower lips.

"Gosh... Now that Mr. Alex is here, it would be," She run her hands on her face. "Epic!" Zara's eyes seem to be glittering just by talking about camp while I just seat still, looking at her smiley face.

When she's done drooling over her imaginations and smiling to the plain white wall, she turn to me, her eyes darting from my stuffed camp bag to me.

"So tell me, what and what is inside?"

Without waiting a second for me to answer, she draw the bag closer to herself and adjust properly on the rug to scan through my things. I purse my lips, watching how her brows furrow and knit in what she's seeing.

"Brush... Body lotion... Face cream... Perfume... Flip flops..." She recite, taking them out one after the other. "What is this?" She raise up one of my poker dot white summer gown.

I shrug, getting up from the rug. "Uh... A gown?"

Humming to whatever song I created in my head, I pull down my shorts that has rolled up my butt and head to my vanity mirror.

"You know Zara, I've never been in camp but something is telling me I'll love it... And hate it," I chuckle at my two faced words, searching for my strawberry lip balm. When I hear no reply, I look over my shoulder to see Zara staring at my clothes with nothing less than disappointment. She's taking out all what I neatly arranged one by one, scrunching up her nose like I packed in poop.

My brows furrow as I watch her, "Zara!"

She look up at me.

"What are you doing?"

"Rearranging you." She draw out the last piece and I sigh in frustration and jerk my bag from her.

"What do you mean? I'm done packing just for you to..." I trail off, staring at how littered my clothes are around her.

Zara hold my hand from where she's seated and gently pull me to seat on the bed. "I'm sorry... But you can't take these..." She run her hand through my clothes, "To camp. You just can't."

I don't want to ask why but...

"Why? There are my clothes so..."

Zara shake her head, trailing me off. "Nope! This is fashion blunder, a very big one. It's camp, you should wear things that-"

"Exposes my body? No thanks, I'll pass."

Zara sighs and push my clothes aside. "No, I'm not saying that. Wearing exposing clothes is allowed but, I'm not going there. Just take something... Cute."

"Floral summer dress are cute Zara." I return her words.

"I know, I know. But with your body... God Salome, how I wish my ass is as big as yours." She tap on my rear, the skin there bouncing at every touch.

"And see... Just look at how bouncy it is," She sigh sharply, and I'm forced to crane my neck to see what captured her eyes, my ass. Having this body never really freak me though, it's just... Me.

At times, I wish I don't have a lady like body. The attention that comes with it can be so annoying at times. Even in a baggy abaya, I still get pointed at by desperate looking eyes. People that always manage to see through the bagginess.

"Yours is bouncy too," I smirk, earning a hard glare from Zara. It's true, not so big but also bouncy, that's the main.

Zara rolls her eyes. "Shut up," She shift back to pairing my clothes separately, indicating the ones I'll take along and leave behind. I giggle softly and tap her straight stretched hair. "By the way, I also got us matching thong."

Matching what?

My eyes pop out. Zara never seize to surprise me.

She throws her head in laughter at my reaction. My hand frozen from stroking her black hair as my eyes stop blinking for seconds.

"Stop looking at me like. In fact," She quickly searches through a small polythene, tear it open and bring out two tiny pink lace panties with kitty in front. "Here's yours." Zara throw one on my lap. I carefully take my eyes from her to the thin looking thing on my lap.

"You don't expect me to wear this, do you?" I raise a brow, scanning the see through with my fingers, stretching it with scrunched face.

"Give me," My wide best friend seat up with me on the bad and take the thong from me before I willingly give her. "You see, Salome, just wear this with any outfit and with your kind of body shape, god... You would swipe off any human coming your way."

"Even girls?" I'm trying to tease her, acting interested in her advice.

Zara nods rapidly, dropping the lace back on my lap. "Big yes! Who doesn't like ass?" She arch a brow and pick up hers that was laying on the rug. "I'm planning on wearing mine on pool day with a scarf around my waist, I'm very sure-"

"Pool day?" I cut through, staring at her amused face. Zara flash me a look of disappointment but then as if she suddenly remembers that I've never been to camp, she sigh sharply and tap my shoulders.

"You have a lot to learn Salome, a whole lot."

***

I raise my duvet closer to by body, engulfing myself in it's coziness, smiling at the sweet comfort it entails. The night is still young and finally, I'm done packing and arranging my things. Zara left an hour ago, after promising she would take me on a drive when we get back from camp.

Rolling over to the other side, my eyes meet the wall clock which comfortable reads, 8:30pm. I checked my dad earlier and unfortunately, he's still busy with office work. Meaning no video games, leaving me almost bored.

It then pinches my skin from God knows where.

Would all the teachers go to camp?

I bite my lower lip in the thought. Would Mr. Alex be in camp?

Subconsciously, I release myself from the duvet and grab my phone from the nightstand beside my bed. I should ask Zara.

I swipe my phone open just to be welcomed by a new gmail message from school. Wondering if it's concerning camp and the needed necessities, I tap it open to view the message.

"Sweaters... Jeans... Sleeping clothes..." I murmur out, my eyes roaming down the items we're to bring to camp. Instinctively, my eyes catches the last message, the names of the teachers that would accompany the students. I chew my lips absentmindedly, slowly counting down the few teachers that would volunteer to travel with Victoria high hardheaded students.

My impatient feet tap against the rug beneath as I scroll down to see the end of the message. I can't say though, I'm curious to see a particular name pop on my screen. It's noticeable, I know, but I just can't stop.

Please, please, please...

My lip biting increasing at the intensity of my thumb greasing over several teacher's names I have no idea of simply because they don't teach my class or grade.

"Alexzander... Junior... Oh my- yes!" I fly up instantly, walking about my space in a joy that's surprising yet intriguing. "Yes, yes, yes!" Mr. Alex is going to camp, means I'm going to see him throughout the one week or two of camping.

I press my phone on my fast beating chest, trying to calm down the speed as I walk over to my bed, only to jump up again in low squeals. It's unbelievable. I am unbelievable.

No one would-must hear this. Salome squealing to the excitement of seeing her teacher's name on the list. I can't hold myself either, I'm so just... Happy. Not because I like Mr. Alex or anything, but recently, been in this presence is appealing. Like every pore of my skin is dancing to his hypnotizing scent.

I blow out my cheeks continually, accepting my faint belief of what I want coming through. A month or two back, I'd never picture myself jumping around around my room due to seeing a certain teacher's name in a list but then... Here I am.

Don't blame me.

Settling on my bed, feeling relaxed this time, I switch on my data and watch how faint dings ring through my room, prompting a wide smile on my face. The knots on my head losses itself, falling down my face with the braids still instant. Not like it's bothering me, I'll get it done tomorrow anyway.

Likes and comment from Latifah's new picture I posted yesterday now has more than ten thousand likes. What more could make me happier than replying comments on the page I created for Latifah West?

My personal page with just seven post doesn't even entice me anymore, can't remember the amount of followers I have there since I'm proudly the qualified fan page of Latifah. A page which she follows and from my current check, now has thirty thousand followers.

Again, a dream come true.

It feels... Perfect. Solely.

Mildred sent a message, saying we'll definitely hang out when I get back from camp. I don't know why but I feel thrilled in advance.

Me
- Camp is in three days. I think it's a week camping.

I reply as fast as I can, bouncing up and down my soft bed. Taking my head up, my eyes catch sight of my stocked pitch bag, a small smile finding it's way to my face in the process. I'm very sure I won't wear half of the clothes in there, thanks to Zara. But still, I'm going to camp.

Yeah, sounds strange but... Yay!

---------------------------------------------
Please vote and comment😌💖
It thrills me to write more...
Thanks for keeping up with me!🤗