This chapter is dedicated to Divy_loves_flowers

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

All the way home, I couldn't take the fact that Ore had just threatened me out of my head. The way her smile and gaze held so much malice was the most disturbing part of it all. So many times I tried to shake off the fact that she was bluffing, but so many times I wondered if she'd threatened Danielle as well.

So you better watch your back. . . .

Who was she to threaten me? What effrontery did she think she had to say that to my face? I was in a rage; so many comebacks I wish I could've said to her were flooding my head.

Climbing down the Keke, I paid the driver and turned to the black gate. Looking at the gate in front of me, I tried not to ponder on what happened between Ore and me. I knocked on the gate, the security man opened it, and I stepped in. I wished my sister and Trust weren't at home, but that prayer was short-lived as I tried the handle and the door opened.

Not on speaking terms . . .

I walked in on my sister resting her head on her boyfriend's lap as they both watched the American movie showing on TV. I acted like no one was in the living room as I turned to the stairs.

"Delphine," I stopped, refusing to turn to my sister. She'd taken sides, and irrespective of how little it must have seemed, it hurt that she did.

"Hey!" I sensed my sister beside me within seconds. I let out a shaky breath. "Are you going to keep ignoring me because of yesterday?" I closed my eyes, trying hard to contain myself. "Danielle is no more, Delphine. I don't like the fact that we're maintaining malice. I love you."

I bit my lower lips and turned to my sister. "Sister Debby, I was just—" I stopped myself as Debby shook her head quietly.

"Let's forget it, okay?" She said that, giving me a warm smile. "Let's act like nothing happened, alright?"

Millions were leaving the company, and it was hard to pretend like nothing happened. This company wasn't hers alone, but mine. It belonged to our family, but her boyfriend was embezzling as much as he could while he was still in control of everything.

I looked at my sister with a sorry gaze, then smiled and nodded. "Sure."

Just because she wanted to act like it was nothing doesn't mean I'd do the same. I'd get enough proof for her that it would be difficult to ignore. Again, I scolded myself for not taking pictures.

"I got invited to a classmate's birthday bash," I said to my sister while pulling my backpack to the front and opening the zipper to bring out the invitation card. I handed it to Debby and watched her quietly read the content on it.

"Invites only," She read the large words written in bold letters.

"You're already gaining attention at your school," I frowned, watching Trust as he turned his attention to me. "You should be careful of these boys at your age; they're bad for you."

I rolled my eyes and focused on Debby. "Can I go?"

Debby smiled and nodded. She handed me back the invite, and I held it securely. "Be back by eight."

"Thank you," I grinned, in an attempt to cover my true emotions. "I'll be going to Kim's place after I've eaten." I noticed the confused look on Debby's face. "She's my seat partner."

"You sound like she's close to you," Debby nudged me. "Don't be afraid to make new friends, okay?"

I nodded and moved to the stairs before ascending them to my room. I got to my room and placed the invite and backpack on my bed before moving to the side of my wardrobe and taking a picture of the murder board before sending it to Seidi's email, with my thoughts attached to it, and also the fact that I was going to a party I got invited to. I noticed Seidi also sent an email to me, but I refused to open it. I planned to do so after the party.

I opened my wardrobe, and I scanned the place for something suitable for a party. I didn't want to go overboard, but I also didn't want to be underdressed. I spotted a light blue dress in the corner and peeled it out of the hanger. It was a skimpy dress and extremely short for my liking, which was probably why it seemed extraneous to me. I'd probably dumped it in that corner for so long. I got myself black pop socks to wear under them and black low-cover heels to complete my dressing.

After having my bath and putting on my desired outfit, I did the littlest makeup I could think of, which consisted of darkening my full brows a bit, brushing my face with brown powder, and moisturising my lips with coloured wet lips.

I took a black handbag and hung it on my right shoulder before looking at myself in the mirror. I wasn't emotionally moved, even with how good I looked.

"Just take this as a break, Delphine," I said to myself while looking in the mirror. "Nothing but a break."

I turned and headed for the door after grabbing the box gift I'd gotten for Femi. I was hungry and wasn't ready to head to Femi's party with an empty stomach.

I got downstairs, placed my bag on the dining table, and headed to the kitchen to dish myself some food.

"You look so good, Delphine." I looked at my sister once I heard her compliment before placing the plate on the table.

"Yes . . ." Trust dragged, taking a once-over. "You look good."

I grimaced at his compliment and sat down while eating as fast as I could. My phone lit up, and I looked at the home screen to see a message from Kim. It was a message with her home address in it.

It didn't take long for me to be done with my dinner, as I took the plate to the kitchen and quickly washed it.

"I'm going, sis Debby," I announced as I walked by the sofa she was sitting on.

"Have fun at your friend's birthday celebration," Debby acknowledged, "but not too much fun."

I wasn't sure how to react to her thinking Femi was a friend. There was a reason I introduced him as a classmate earlier because that was what he was—nothing more than that.

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

I looked at the black plate with the address of the house I was presently at, then at the address on my phone, for confirmation. I knocked on the ash gate after the confirmation, and the mini gate opened a few seconds later.

"Good evening," I greeted, looking at the gateman who was giving me a weary look. "I'm looking for Kim, Kimberly Park."

"Wait!" He stretched out his hands to stop me, then slammed the gate on my face. I heard him pin it from behind and decided to do what he asked me to do—wait.

I pushed my weight from one foot to the other as I looked around the street. It was quiet, with only the sound of cars and okadas zooming off. I could hear a dog barking from a distance but paid little mind to it.

The gate opened, and I turned to see Kim wearing a pink lace top and white shorts. "Delphine!" She exclaimed and made way for me to get into her compound. "You're looking good."

"Thank you." I looked at her outfit again. "You're not ready?"

She led the way to her front door. "Sadly, no. I'm looking for the perfect dress. I can't find any. Maybe I'll just wear trousers."

"Trouser is fine," I said as she opened the front door to let us in. "There's a rule that says—whoa! What is that?!" I jumped back, hiding behind Kim, as I looked at the furry black beast resting at her foot. "You've got a cat? I hate cats!"

I couldn't stand them.

"Don't tell me you're scared of it because of the way Nigerian movies portray it," Kim laughed, bending to pick the cat up. I grimaced as I watched her coo to its face.

"That's not why," I said honestly. "I just don't like it. Cats are the worst."

"That's not nice," Kim turned to me, her cat in her arms. I wasn't lying, they were the worst. I remember a cat scratching a friend's face when I was in primary school.

I sighed, moving away from her. She seemed amused at my reaction but did not comment on it. "I'm more of a dog person."

"I like dogs too," she said, placing the sassy creature down on her feet. "They're so cute. We are planning to have one soon. Selene!" Kim called out, but there was no response. "Selene!"

I wasn't sure who she was calling—probably someone working in the house. Soon, a girl a few inches shorter than us walked into the room. She was putting on a grey hoodie and shorts that we couldn't see because of the hoodie's length. I also noticed the resemblance between her and Kim.

"Take White to the back, please." I looked at the black furry creature and almost scoffed at the name.

Selene looked at the cat and shook her head. "I can't take care of her; I'm doing my Maths assignment."

"Is she your sister?" I asked, and Kim nodded.

"Tomorrow is Saturday," Kim reminded her.

"I don't want to do it on the weekend," Selene dismissed. "Besides, it's your turn. I didn't tell Mum you're going out."

"Exactly why I can't take care of her today?" I had to remind myself that they were still talking about a cat. "Please? I'll pay."

"What assignment?" I asked Selene. "I can help you while your sister gets dressed up."

"I still need you upstairs, Delphine." I looked at Kim, stunned. "I'm in a dilemma."

For some reason, Kim reminded me so much of Seidi, which was probably why I was drawn to her.

"Go; I'll bring my assignment and White with me." Not the cat, I thought, but I swallowed my comments and joined Kim upstairs.

Her room was a mirror of herself—fluffy and cute. Her walls were a mixture of white and pink. Her bed was white with hot pink fluffy bedspread on it. Her cabinets and wardrobe were white, and the full-length mirror had hand-made pink designs at the edges.

Was I thrown into Barbie's dream house?

"Make yourself comfortable." I moved to sit on the bed as I watched Kim search her wardrobe for options. She had luggage opened on the bed, with clothes in every corner of her room.

"That one is nice," I said, pointing at the yellow lace top she pulled out of her wardrobe. "Yellow looks like it'd go well with your skin."

"You think?" She questioned me, eyeing the outfit I'd singled out.

I nodded. "You can wear it with a white aphrodite. Do you have one?"

"I do not have aphrodite per se," she said, moving to the opened box on her bed and rampaging it before bringing out a white Jean. It was high-waist and pencilled, so it worked perfectly well. I got up and moved to her shoe rack, which was taller than me. Talk about luxury. I noticed the brown-strapped wedge and handed it to her.

"This is nice," I said to her. "You can wear it and see."

The door opened, and Selene walked in with White in one hand and an exercise book in the other. She jumped on the bed with the cat and opened the book while waiting for me to join her.

"Hold your cat," I said to her as a warning before climbing back on the bed. We both ignored Kim as she focused on putting on her outfit. "Maths," I commented with just a glance, then read. "A bus leaving Lagos had one hundred and forty-nine people on board. Outside Lagos, more people boarded the bus. Then there were two hundred and twenty-three on the bus. How many people boarded the bus outside Lagos?"

"It's not like I don't know the answer in common sense; I do!" She said this, defending herself. I could sense little traits from Kim in her. "I'll just subtract a hundred and forty-nine from two hundred and twenty-three. But when I told my friend this, she said the teacher was going to fail me. How?"

I pressed my lips, trying hard not to laugh at her childish behaviour. "Probably because it has to be in an equation," I said to her. I turned to the back of her book and began writing in bold handwriting as I explained in a clear voice. "One hundred and forty-nine plus N is equal to two hundred and twenty-three. Now, N is equal to two hundred and twenty-three minus one hundred and forty-nine. Do the calculations, and N will be equal to seventy-four. Get it?"

"That's just stress," Selene said, closing her book and grabbing her cat, holding it securely. "Thank you, Kim's friend." And with that, she rushed out of the room.

"Your sister is something else," I said to Kim, but instead of responding to me, she was looking at herself in the mirror. The outfit I'd chosen for her looked perfect on her. The white jeans and yellow top brought out her colour, and the wedge completed her look. I noticed she was now putting on slight makeup, with pink blush evidence on her cheekbone. I hated blush on my face, but it worked well with her.

"You're a miracle worker," Kim said to me.

"Please, I'm not God." I got up from her bed, and at the same time, Kim took out a pretty brown mini handbag and hung it on her shoulder. "Won't you take permission from your parents?"

"Parent," Kim corrected as she led the way out of her room. "My mum divorced my dad and moved us to her country." I bit my inner cheek as I looked at her. "Do not pity me; my dad's already married to his second wife, a Jamaica woman."

"Won't you take permission from your mother?" I rephrased my question.

"She won't even know that I'm gone," Kim answered. "She usually comes home very late from work on weekdays, but she spends time with my sister and me during the weekends, which is probably why Selene wanted to do all her homework today."

"To have more time with your mother?" I questioned her, and she nodded.

"Selene! I'm going!" She announced but didn't wait for a response as she closed the front door.

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

The cab stopped at the elegant black gate that was preparing us for the luxury behind its metal walls. Femi was the son of a senator; I knew his home was going to be twice the size of mine, and I wasn't wrong. The tall tower stood in all its glory, surrounded by elegant sculptures and beautiful gardens on both sides. They even had a waterfall that gave off a fantasy vibe that was out of this world. Was Femi living in a house or a palace? I said nothing and just inwardly appreciated the beauty known as Femi's home.

"His parents aren't around," Kim informed me, though I knew about that. We approached hefty men standing at the entrance of the mansion. Both had a stoic face that showed they didn't come here to play. I brought out the invitation from my handbag and handed it to the men. They scanned it and made sure it was authentic before handing it back to me and making way for the both of us to walk through.

"I can't believe his parents made him host a party without adult supervision just because he's turning eighteen," I said to Kim as we walked through the lobby leading to the living room. "He's still a kid."

"How old are you?"

"Sixteen,"

"You're two years younger than him, and you're acting like the older one," Kim turned to me.

"Maturity isn't determined by age," and Femi is a huge example, was what I wanted to say. "What about you?"

"What about me . . . what?" Kim questioned.

"How old are you?" I repeated our earlier question.

"Turning eighteen in a month," I paused my walk and turned to Kim. I always thought she was younger, like fourteen or fifteen, but she was eighteen. Well, seventeen plus.

"That's . . . surprising." Kim smiled at my stunned look and resumed her walk. I joined her and eventually fell at the same pace.

We got into the room with loud Naija music, feeling the air. A lot of guys were dancing behind girls like it was a club, throwing out every decency they had out the windows. That act made me scrunch my nose. We just got in, but I needed air. Fresh air.

"I've never been to a party this big!" Kim screamed, trying to beat the loud music.

"I've never been to a party!" I turned to her in an equally loud voice.

"Hey, beauty queen," someone's sweaty palms pulled my upper arm. "Want to dance?"

"Get your hands off me." I pulled away, glaring at the boy, who was bigger but slightly shorter than me. "Don't you have respect?"

"Don't curse me o, if you no wan to collect." The boy threatened before walking away. Kim gave me an apologetic look, but all I did was blame myself. What was I even doing here? I could've been at home unravelling the mystery behind Danielle's death, or I could've been doing my homework. I was not even ten minutes into the party, and someone was already getting on my nerves.

"I need to go drink water," I said to Kim. "I'm thirsty."

"Okay," she answered, "I'll go see if I can find any of our classmates."

I turned and headed in what I presumed was the direction to the kitchen. With a house as big as this, I wasn't too certain.

Seas of teenagers were blocking my path, and most of them smelled like sweat from dancing too hard. A few boys my age tried to gain my attention, but I ignored them. This was life to them, dancing and wasting their time in the name of a party. If this was what parties looked like, then I was glad I was never invited to one.

I finally spotted where the kitchen was located and strolled towards the entrance. Close to the doorpost, I spotted Romeo. He was putting on a white long sleeve with blue jeans that were ripped at the front. He hadn't noticed me yet, and I smiled, ready to wave to gain his attention.

My actions were cut short as I watched a black, bigger boy approach him. I looked, wondering if Romeo was in trouble with the way he'd looked left and right once the other boy had made his presence known. Taking a step forward, I stopped to see Romeo bringing out something from his back pocket and swiftly handing it to the boy in exchange for money. Though his action was fast, I was quick enough to notice he'd handed him a small transparent nylon bag with white substances in it.

I gasped, seeing Romeo smiling in my direction, but was relieved after knowing it was directed to someone a few feet away from me. I quickly turned, trying to look for an escape route since he hadn't noticed me yet. With what I saw earlier, I wasn't sure I was ready to face him.

"If it isn't the new girl," my head snapped forward, and my eyes widened as I saw Krystian in front of me. Without thinking twice, I grabbed his upper arm and dragged him out of that place while ignoring his protest and into a lobby that had a door leading to the back of the house.

I let out a sigh of relief once out, with my hands resting on my waist. The fresh air was what I wanted ever since I got to that party. I closed my eyes as I felt the gentle evening breeze hit my skin. The amount of AC inside the building couldn't compare to nature.

"Do you want to damage my ankle more than necessary?!" My eyes snapped open at the angry voice, and I quickly turned to look at Krystian, who was accessing his ankle. I'd forgotten about him. The thing was, I'd used him as a shield to leave Romeo's line of vision. There was no way he'd suspect it was me when he saw Krystian, and it worked.

"Sorry," I forced out, looking elsewhere. Unlike him, I could apologise.

"What was that all about?" He demanded, and I refused to answer him. Krystian scoffed at that and smirked. "I didn't know you'd fall for me, new girl, after a few encounters."

"I did not—!" I stopped myself and took a deep breath. I didn't have to defend myself or explain anything to him. "Please just go."

"You know that's not going to happen," Krystian said, folding his arms. "You dragged me all the way here, for what? Hiding from Romeo?"

I glared at him but kept my mouth shut. He was the enemy; there was no reason to have conversations with him. Krystian sat on the pavement as he groaned to access his ankle. He was putting on a white shirt with a denim jacket that was the same as the trousers he was wearing. And though he didn't have his sticks with him, his bandaged ankle could be seen because of the palm slippers he was putting on.

"How's your . . ." I cleared my throat, "ankle."

Krystian refused to look up as he winced when wiggling his hurt ankle. He might be someone I must be careful of, but his fall on the field was so great. It was a miracle he had hurt only his left ankle.

"Get yourself this." I brought out my phone and showed him a picture of the spray I usually use whenever I have a sprain in any part of my body. "It works like magic."

Krystian looked up at the picture, then at me. "I seriously don't know what your deal is. Do you hate me or like me?"

"Just because I hate you doesn't mean I'd stay still and watch you die." I knew I was going overboard, but I just couldn't stop. I placed the phone inside my bag and looked at him. "I heard you were the first to see Danielle's body."

"What?"

"What was she to you? A friend? A crush? Someone you hate?"

"I didn't know asking weird questions was part of your speciality." Krystian got up with a sigh as he placed his hurt leg firmly on the ground. "Don't go around asking questions like this, and don't drag me without permission again."

"I said I was sorry," but Krystian wasn't waiting for any protest as he turned and headed for the door leading back into the house.

I groaned so loudly into the evening air. I wanted to yell louder, but I didn't want the hefty men at the front of the house to trace the noise and kick me out of the gate. Why did I have to ask those questions? I was frustrated; I just couldn't help it. He was right, though; I shouldn't go around asking questions like this.

I let out another sigh as I sat on the pavement Krystian was sitting on earlier and brought out my phone to check my email. I might as well read what Seidi sent because there was nothing for me at this party. I didn't see a cake, no birthday decorations whatsoever, just dancing and underage drinking. A place like this does nothing but dull my brain. I knew Seidi wouldn't reply to my current email, but the one I'd sent days ago.

𝙸 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝙹𝚒𝚍𝚎! 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚕. 𝙷𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚒𝚍 𝚊 𝚐𝚒𝚛𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊 𝚏𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚋𝚘𝚢 𝚗𝚊𝚖𝚎𝚍 𝙷𝚢𝚖𝚗. 𝙸𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚞𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚂𝚜𝟹 𝚔𝚗𝚎𝚠 𝚊𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚝. 𝙷𝚎'𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚢𝚖𝚗 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚜 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚞𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚙𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕, 𝙳𝚎𝚕𝚙𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚎. 𝙸'𝚖 𝚜𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚕𝚢 𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚙𝚎𝚘𝚙𝚕𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚜𝚘 𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚢. 𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚗𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕. 𝚆𝚎'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚠.

My heart stopped at her last statement, and I found myself typing a second email for the day.

𝚈𝚘𝚞'𝚛𝚎 𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚍𝚜𝚘𝚗? —

But I found myself deleting it. I didn't want to sound weird, but at the same time, I couldn't stop this feeling. Davidson was someone I admired in my former school, and hearing that he was getting close to Seidi hurt.

"Get a grip on yourself, Delphine," I scolded. "Focus on what's at hand."

I stared at her first sentence with a creased brow. Hymn argued with Danielle, and the whole school knew about it. Why were the students hush-hush? Why wasn't anyone saying anything about it? What did they argue about? I needed Kim.

I got up and headed inside the house in an attempt to find Kim. The dancing was how I left it. Boys were grinding their bodies to girls backside, and all I wanted to do was leave. . . . Not without Kim.

I manoeuvred my way around the sweaty bodies as I scanned the place for Kim, hoping to find her. I almost wish she hadn't left after trying to look for me. But knowing Kim, she wouldn't leave. She wanted so badly to be at Femi's party. I spotted someone in the crowd, and she looked so much like Kim. I proceeded to go over when a stranger's fingers wrapped around my upper arm. I turned, ready to tell them to get lost, but chewed on every comment after seeing who the person was.

"I was starting to wonder where my special guest was," Femi smeared, his breath oozing with alcohol. "Come on, let's dance. Dj!" Femi staggard, turning in a different direction. I wasn't sure who the DJ was, because there was none. He was so drunk that I wondered if this was his way of celebrating a happy birthday. Why would his parents even leave him on his special day? "Play Unavailable!"

Of course, the music didn't change because there was no DJ in sight. No one even paid attention to him.

"Thank you, but I don't dance." I simply stated, pulling my arms away from him and turning to walk away. Femi had other plans, as his fingers strapped my wrist. "Femi."

"One dance, na," he said, but he didn't look like he was going to let go. "My birthday gift."

"I got something instead," I said to him as I struggled with one hand to open my bag. I brought out a small, wrapped box and handed it to him. "Happy birthday."

Something shifted in his eyes. It was his birthday; wasn't he expecting something as a gift? It wasn't anything expensive, just a golden watch I'd bought from a roadside aboki. Though it wasn't anything expensive, it was of good quality.

"Still," Femi pocketed his gift, fingers tightly around my wrist. "You are my special guest; I need that dance."

"Femi, let go of me." I tried pulling. He was too drunk for me to reason with him. I couldn't help but shame on his parents, wherever they were. This upbringing wasn't it. "Femi! —"

"The girl said you should let go of her." My other wrist got held by someone else, and I turned to see it was Hymn, someone I wasn't expecting to encounter at the party. We hadn't spoken since our last conversion, and I wasn't sure what to feel in his presence. He wasn't looking at me, though, but at Femi. "Let go of her."

"I caught her first, na. Wait for your turn." I grimaced at his words.

"She isn't an item to get caught first." I was in the middle of both boys with my hands being held against my will. "Let go of her."

Femi looked like he was thinking things over. "Not cool, guy. If not for your reputation, I for change am o." Femi let go of me, sniffed his nose countless times, and turned to leave.

Hymn also let go of me without saying a word. I inspected both wrists and was glad none had hurt me. I looked up at Hymn and cleared my throat. "Thank you."

"Don't mention," Hymn waved his hands, then placed them in his pockets. "Someone needed to set things straight with him. Are you okay?"

I gave a small nod as a response.

"I'm sorry about what I said last time." I looked up at his apologetic face. "It was very insensitive of me."

We got interrogated by the police like one of us had something to do with what happened . . .

"You don't know her, but it seemed you cared the most," Hymn went on. "I must have given you the wrong image."

He's not saying Hymn did it, but the fact that she took her life hours after their arguments was surprising . . .

"It's fine," I exhaled, pushing my weight from one foot to the other. I felt uncomfortable around him. I wanted to know what the argument was about and why no one was saying anything. I needed Kim. "I should be going; I need to find Kim."

"I saw her in the kitchen," Hymn responded. "Do you need my help in case you encounter Femi again?"

"I'll be fine," I assured him, then turned and headed for the kitchen. Romeo wasn't there like earlier, but Kim was. She was close to the open fridge, gulping water from its bottle. She paused when she saw me and almost choked.

"Delphine," she coughed, clearing her throat. "Where were you?"

"Around, you?"

"Same," she sighed. "This party is the worst."

"Let's get out of here?" I asked, and she nodded. She placed the half-filled bottle of water inside the fridge and closed it. We headed out of the kitchen and eventually out of the house. It was past seven when we left Femi's place. And to think we were going to stay there till eight.

"I felt my brain dulling in there," I said to Kim. "Don't force me to do things like this again."

"I promise not to." Kim had booked a taxi, and we were outside Femi's gate, waiting for it.

"Did you give Femi any birthday presents?"

Kim looked at me in bewilderment. "No one did. The best gift to him was accepting his invitation."

Now I felt bad for him, even when he didn't deserve it. The taxi finally arrived, and we both got into the back seat.

"I heard some things today at Femi's party," I said to Kim while looking outside the windows as I watched the streetlights. "Hymn argued with Danielle."

I turned to look at Kim to see she'd paused whatever she was doing on her phone with a thoughtful look. "That's true, but to be honest, I wasn't sure why they argued." Kim placed her phone on her lap. "Danielle usually tutors Hymn after school in class because, though he's friends with students doing well in school, he isn't doing well himself . . . or not as well as he wished to do."

"And Danielle decided to tutor him?"

"Yes," Kim nodded. I was stunned at this revelation. Danielle, patient enough to tutor someone? "That day, they argued. Danielle was yelling, saying he couldn't do anything right, and Hymn was yelling that no one would miss her when she was gone. It was a whole mess."

I stayed still for a few seconds. "Do you suspect anything that would've caused their arguments?"

Kim shrugged. "To be honest, I do not. Maybe she noticed Hymn wasn't as bad as he thought he was with schoolwork and wanted to stop tutoring. No one knows why they argued; that's why no one said anything. Why?"

I smiled at her, masking my serious expression. "I was just curious. It felt like a juicy story."

Kim said nothing after that; she went back to her phone, and all I did was stare out the windows and watch the scenery go by.

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I closed the door to the living room and turned to see my sister on the sofa and Trust at the dining table. Debby grabbed the remote to reduce the television volume before turning to me. "How was your friend's birthday party? I hope you took lots of pictures. Let me see."

Pictures? I'd forgotten something like that even existed. I smiled warmly at my sister. "We had lots of fun, sis Debby. We were too busy eating cakes to think about taking pictures."

"Children . . ." Debby laughed. It felt like music to my ears. Not making her worry was my number one priority. I didn't care about the little white lie, as long as it made her less worried. "Right, Trust."

"Right," A deep voice came from the dining room, and I shuddered when I caught him checking out my outfit.

"I'm going upstairs, sis Debby," and I turned to escape her boyfriend's look. What was that?

I raced upstairs and closed my door. Not only that, I bolted it from the inside before moving further into the room. I got to the side of my wardrobe and looked at the sticky note with Hymn's name on it.

Why did they argue?

Did he do it?

I was confused. I was scared. I was tired. I got to my bed and climbed on it, laying in the middle and burying my head in my pillow. What was I thinking? How could I unravel this? I wasn't in some movie or mystery novel. I couldn't do this all by myself without help. I mean, the police couldn't find the killer, right? So who was I to think that I could?

I closed my eyes as I let the tears roll down my eyes to soak the pillow I was resting on. I needed rest; this was just too much for me.

I needed help . . .

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Poor Delphine. She acts tough on the outside, but there's only so much she can take.

What do you think about this chapter, Romeo, Hymn and of course Krystian?

Let me hear your thoughts.

Also, keep the votes and comments coming.

Bye! ❤️