I'm finally back!
Don't crucify me, just enjoy🍑

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

I chose the fourth question instead of question three since I was unsure about my answer. We were taking our Literature in English test, and we were given five questions to answer three. This was supposed to be easy for me, but Krystian made it difficult. I attempted to remain calm as I stared at the whiteboard with the written questions.

I've found your answer. 

Krystian and I haven't had the time to converse ever since the school day started. What had he meant by that? I had a million and one question roaming my head. It wouldn't hurt for him to be specific for once in his life, would it?

"Time's up!" My head jerked up as I looked at the invigilator in front of the class. He began collecting the booklet from each student before finally leaving the classroom.

"And they say Arts students have it easy," Kim exclaimed, slumming on her chair. My attention wasn't on her but on Krystian. I just needed one opportunity to talk to him, but that opportunity hadn't presented itself yet. "Are you okay, Delphine?" 

Turning to Kim, I asked, "Why are you asking?"

"You seemed distant. Did you write well?"

Irrespective of the fact that my head wasn't levelheaded, I couldn't deny the fact that I wrote pretty well. Krystian got up from his seat, distracting me from answering Kim's question. I watched him stroll out of the class, which prompted me to get up and chase after him.

"Krystian!" I exclaimed, catching the attention of students walking through the hallway at that time. Krystian hesitated before rounding a corner and then turned to face me.

"What is it?" He did not come across as unpleasant, but his query struck me as odd. What was it? That was all he had to say?

Ignoring his question, I decided to close the distance between us. "Where are you going?"

"Stretching my legs," I waited for him to speak further, probably something relating to his text yesterday. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be prepping for the next CAT?" 

Sighing, I turned and began walking side by side with Krystian as we rounded the corner together. "It's English; I can handle it."

Krystian gave me a side glance, though I couldn't read his expression. "How are things at home?" 

His question forced me to think back on the inspector and his sudden appearance at my place. "Fine, things are going back to normal . . . I guess."

Krystian came to a complete stop and turned to face me, his eyes strained. It felt like he was attempting to decipher something from my response, which made me feel exposed.

"You said you've found my answers," I spat, trying to escape his scrutinising gaze. "What answer exactly?"

Krystian and I got to the stairs, and we sat on them. At least the question forced him to stop examining me. 

"I gave a security man some money and asked about the missing footage." His revelation got me gawking at him. "Don't look at me like that," he brushed off. "I did say they can be easily bought."

"I'm just . . ." I started, but what was I to say? "Doesn't that mean the security in this school is useless? Knowing how easily the security men can be bribed, doesn't it mean this school isn't safe?" 

Krystian shrugged. Just that. I was outraged, indignant, and upset by his reply. Doesn't that imply that there would be nothing about Danielle in the CCTV? I hated this school.

"Do you want me to continue or are you too upset to listen?" 

Though I was glaring at him because of his snarky comments, I thought it best to not transfer aggression. "Continue."

Krystian did not. At least not immediately. He was hesitant; what was the reason? I was unsure. "You won't like this and might not act with your head after hearing this, but I want you to be—"

"Krystian, can you just tell me what it is?" 

"I'm serious. . . ."

"I am too," I frowned. "What is it? Who deleted the footage?"

Krystian paused: "Maybe you should watch this instead." He dug into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and navigated to his video app before positioning it to make the screen larger. "Though the footage was deleted, they always have a backup drive for everything."

Still quiet, I watched Krystian play the video. My eyes widened slightly as I noticed the figure in the video. Toyosi appeared in the video, warily glancing both ways before entering the classroom. We couldn't see what was going on since there was no CCTV in the classrooms. But we were aware of the date of the footage, which occurred on the same day I was accused of stealing. The time we were supposed to be at the assembly. A few minutes later, she was seen walking out of the classroom. She halted at the doorpost and fixed her uniform before continuing on her route.

"Don't tell me she placed that nonsensical purse in my bag!" I pointed at the screen in anger.

Krystian pocketed his phone and then turned to me. "Can you calm down?" 

"Don't do that; don't tell me to calm down." I got up from the stairs. Some students close to us had their attention on us, but I didn't care. "Your stupid two-faced friend tried to frame me, and the only thing you can tell me is to calm down?!" 

Krystian exhaled. His gaze shifted to the students who had stopped to stare, and he did not appear happy.

 
"Come here," his fingers wrapped my wrist as he got up and pulled me after him. I wasn't sure where we were headed, and it wasn't like I could set my wrist free from his strong grip.

We finally arrived at a door with the words 'Jet Club' written on it. As he opened the door, I knew I hadn't been there before, and I didn't have time to think about it.

"Don't drag me like a child next time," I forcefully pulled my wrist free as he closed the door behind us. 

"Then stop acting like one."

"How can you say that?!" Was he trying to get me angry? I noticed how the room was empty, meaning no one was there to watch me make a scene. 

Krystian sidestepped me and walked further into the room to sit on a chair. "I know you are upset . . ." 

"That's one way to put it." 

". . . but as I said, you need to think with your head and not with your emotions."

If only he knew his preaching was easier said than done. I moved to a chair farther away from him and sat down. "Why are you friends with her? Why are you friends with them? Hymn, I can understand, but Ore and Toyosi?" 

"They've got their good sides." 

"Then I need one hell of a touch light because I'm not seeing it." Kristian snickered at my comment. I hated the idea of him laughing at a serious situation. But the sound of his laughter seemed to calm me down. 

"How about the Puzz n' Bootz?" I asked, knowing there was no convincing Krystian with words, that his friends, especially Toyosi, were two-faced. I had to show him. 

Krystian leaned on his chair. "She'd denied it."

"You're not believing her, right?" 

"I don't know what to believe anymore," he muttered, his brows furrowing. 

"You are too nice to your friends; how about I interrogate them myself?" 

"And what do you think that will bring to the table?" He lifted a brow, and I was forced to look elsewhere. "Have you been to a nightclub before?" 

"What?" What was up with his brain to bring up such a topic? I couldn't stand being at Femi's birthday party; what made him feel like I'd been to a nightclub before? "Why would you ask me that?" 

"How about going to one this Friday?" 

"No thank you; I'll be too busy sleeping."

"What if it's one with the name Puzz n' Bootz?" He asked with a smug smile. A smile that made me question for the umpteenth time if it was a good thing to cross paths with him. 

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Why was Krystian in my life? He was someone who made me think way more than necessary, so I wasn't sure what his role in my life was. Puzz n' Bootz? Had he forgotten we were underage? It was a stripper club; what on earth would I want to do in a stripper club? The fact that I couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said at the Jet Club made me angry, and I wanted to channel that anger into something. Was I going to channel my frustration on Toyosi for the stunt she'd pulled? Or on the school for not hiring competent security men for the students' benefit? Or Krystian for just being . . . Krystian. 

I was relieved I wasn't thinking about the tragedy from last week, but was all of this turmoil at school worth it? With another sigh, I closed my English exercise book and took out my notebook instead. I needed a distraction to keep me from overthinking. I turned to Kim, who had been silent lately because she was studying for the next CAT.

"Time to help a friend," I murmured to myself as I opened my notebook and looked down at the large heading I'd placed on the last page: Debate Club.

Kim was taken aback as I abruptly stood up from my chair. I stepped to the front of the classroom, holding my notebook carefully. The class was as noisy as the marketplace as I stood in front of them. Trying to gain my classmates' attention, I cleared my throat but was met with critical stares from those seated in front.

"Class, can I have your attention, please?" I tried again, but it fell on deaf ears. "Please?" still nothing. The only ones paying attention to me were the two seated at the front, Kim, Krystian, and Romeo. The rest were so chaotic it got my blood boiling. 

"Everyone!" I snapped, slamming my palms against the desk directly in front of me. Everyone flinched and turned to stare at me. I didn't mind; at least the classroom was quiet now. "Can I have your attention, please?"

"Talk if you want to talk," someone rudely commented. "Just came out of nowhere, dey hit table."

Taking in deep breaths, I tried my best not to exchange words with the likes of them. "As you all know, the debate club is going to get dissolved by the end of this week, but the good news is that if we have at least nine members, we can stop the school from dissolving the club."

"How that one take concern us?" 

"Can you stop?" I closed my eyes in an attempt not to let them get under my skin. I was trying to do good here; it was best to ignore snarky responses. 

"Don't mind them, my African queen." I opened my eyes to see Femi smacking someone at the back of his head before smiling at me. "Continue."

Choosing not to cringe or show any sort of reaction to his words, I decided to speak. "As I was saying, if you'd like to join the debate club, please indicate so you can come forward and write down your name. Nine names will be fine."

"Should I come in to save the day?" I wasn't sure what was wrong with Femi, but I watched as he moved to the centre of the classroom. "You don't know this, but I did a debate in junior class on why school is better off banned from the face of the universe, not just earth alone." I blink once, then twice. "You need me."

Who was I to argue? It wasn't my club anyway. Kim needed members; she never said she needed intelligent members. 

I gave out a forced smile as I looked at Femi. "Of course, we need you."

Femi instantly walked to the front and wrote his name in my notebook before gliding magnificently to his seat.

"Thank you, Femi. Anyone else?" No one stood up, which got me frustrated. One name wasn't going to cut it. "It's going to be a fun club," I tried again, "you all don't know what you're missing."

"You sold me at fun." The scepticism in his tone was so clear that I didn't understand why he stood up and walked over to where I stood, towering over me with his stature as he took the jotter from me and put down his name . . .

𝓚𝓻𝔂𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓪𝓷 𝓦𝓲𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓪𝓶𝓼.

I glanced at his handwriting, which was far prettier than Femi's, before noticing him returning to his seat. Why was he joining the debate club so suddenly? My mind wandered back to the small debate he had with Romeo on my first day of school, and I wondered if he enjoyed it.

"I'd also like to join!" Seeing Krystian move out to write his name would attract others to do the same. The only thing I wasn't expecting was that person to be Toyosi. Knowing how two-faced she was made me hate her so much. She walked up to me with her infamous smile that made most guys act like they were under some spell.

"Why would you join something as lame as the debate club?" I disliked Ore as well, but I couldn't help but inwardly thank her for her question. I wasn't ready to watch Toyosi write down her name, so anything or anyone that could stop her was welcome to do so. 

"Come on, Ore," Toyosi pleaded, bending slightly to write her name before graciously returning the pen and turning to face her friend. "The debating club provides numerous benefits. Don't you realise it improves our public speaking? You won't realise it right now, but it will be beneficial to us later."

The class let out a round of applause as I watched Toyosi move back to her seat. What was this? Was she aiming to be a member of the debate club? Or was she aiming to take Kim's position as the president of the debate club? Besides, what was that rubble about strengthening public speaking? Ore was already so confident to speak in public that she didn't need the help of some debate club. 

"Where are you going?" Ore screeched. Hymn elicited such an emotion from her.

He stood up and pointed at me before saying, "To write my name."

"Are you for real?" Ore spat. "That's childish!"

"What's childish about the debate club?" Hymn asked, patiently waiting for Ore to speak. 

"I don't know, but it's just lame." She folded her arms and looked elsewhere as if protesting silently. "Don't you have the music club to run?" 

"I can juggle both. Let's help a friend, Ore."

"She's not a friend, no offence . . ." she paused to acknowledge Kim with a not-so-friendly smile before turning back to Hymn. ". . . but a classmate."

Hymn gazed at Ore; he appeared to have more to say but chose to keep it to himself. Instead, Hymn stepped out of his seat and approached where I was standing. Ore's jaw fell as she looked at us in surprise.

I stared at Hymn, who towered over me. I cleared my throat and handed him the pen, waiting until he finished writing his name before returning it to me.

"In that case," everyone turned their attention to Ore, who stood up promptly. "I'm writing my name too."

"What? No!" I exclaimed, forcing her to give me a resentful look. Krystian, I could tolerate it. Toyosi, I could endure. Hymn, I could manage. But Ore? God, I knew Kim would regret it in the long run. 

"Excuse you?"

"No, you are not!" I stood my ground. It wasn't like I was scared of her; she could do nothing. 

"Is it your club?" She snarled, looking at me from head to toe. "Who are you to reject members on Kim's behalf?" 

My attention fell on Kim again, and I watched how uncomfortable she looked, being at the centre of our heated conversation. 

God, she couldn't be so desperate to accept Ore. 

"The jotter," my attention went back to Ore after her request. 

"You hate the club," I reminded her, still holding the paper out of her reach. 

"Who doesn't?" She spoke as if it were a well-known fact before snatching the jotter from my hands. Taking a pen from one of the students sitting directly in front of us, Ore bent slightly to jot down her name.

"Adios," she let out a triumphant smile before flipping her hair and moving back to her seat. Where did she think this was? Some American teen drama? 

I knew best not to dwell on Ore being a new addition to the debate club, but I couldn't help but frown. Was Kim that desperate? I closed my eyes momentarily and tried to look at the good side of all this. Kim currently had five names, meaning we needed four more additions to complete the list. 

"Can I ask who else is interested?" I gave my complete attention to my peers. When I saw the Elites' names on the list, I expected a rush to join the group, but I was mistaken. The remainder of the students were seated with their butts glued to their seats.

About giving up, I noticed a girl at the back slowly lifting her right hand. Who was she? I couldn't give a name to her. 

"So the ghost wants to participate," Ore's scathing tone flooded the room. Many people turned their heads to see who Ore was referring to, causing the same girl to lower her hand.

"Ore, what is your problem?!" I snapped. "It's a free club and everyone has the right to participate if they want to."

"And did I say it wasn't?" Her witty response shut me up. "Did you see me stop her?"

She might not have stopped her, but her words indirectly did. Rolling my eyes, I moved to the quiet girl's seat. The fact that she was referred to as a ghost irked me. She was a human. Was she wishing her death? 

"Hi, what's your name?" I got ready to write down her name. A little encouragement might probably boost her esteem. "Are you still interested in joining the club?" 

"No." Her raspy voice, which held no emotion, filled the room. 

"You can ignore Ore and just—" 

"I'm not interested," her soulless voice answered. Biting my lower lips, I couldn't help but wonder. Was she being bullied? I'd never really noticed her in class before, so I wasn't sure. 

"What a freak," it was Daniela, which heightened my curiosity even more. Knowing I had no time to quench my curiosity, I moved to the front of the class. 

I lowered my head and looked at my journal. "Who else is interested in joining the debate club?"

"Why?" Slowly lifting my head, my eyes matched that of Romeo's. "It's not like you are going to join the debate club yourself."

"What's on with you, Romeo?" I placed the notebook down. What I didn't want was another drama, but Romeo wasn't ready for that. 

"The truth," he got up and pointed at me. "You are not joining the debate club because you also find it as something that isn't your cup of tea, right?"

Kim needed nine people plus herself to make it ten. I had no intention of joining the debate club, but I believe others like Femi did so because they expected me to. I glanced silently at the open page. It wasn't that I wanted to keep it a secret, but I knew better than to tell anyone that I wasn't joining the club.

"Bro, stop assuming." A voice helped out, Femi's. "It is obvious she is going to be a part of the—" 

"Then why hasn't she written down her name?" Romeo cut Femi off. Femi gently turned to face me, joining the other pairs of eyes that were focused on me.

"If you have something to say to me, Romeo, then say it." I frowned. "We both know this isn't about the debate club."

"What makes you think it isn't about the debate club?" Romeo and I held each other's gazes, as both of us refused to back down. 

"Fine!" I broke eye contact and squatted to write down my name as the sixth member. "There, happy?"

Romeo only sat back down with no reaction whatsoever. Not having the strength or even motivation to stand in front of the class, I moved back to my seat. 

"Sorry," Kim whispered as I sat back down. "It's okay to cancel your name."

Hearing her say that, I exhaled to relax a bit. "It's fine; you need members anyway."

"You don't have to come—" 

"It's fine, Kim!" I snapped but regretted it seconds later. "I'm sorry, it's just . . . Romeo is so freaking annoying."

"Tell me something I don't know." I would've chuckled at her statement, but I was too mad to do so. 

Placing the notebook in my desk locker, I turned to Kim. "You know I gave him a makeup assistant job, right?" I didn't give her room to respond. "Deborah the makeup artist is facing some challenges, and because of that, she's been rejecting clients. Tight pants over there is angry that he's not doing anything yet getting paid."

"But isn't that everyone's dream?" Kim asked in bewilderment. "Getting paid yet having their bank account loaded?" 

"Thank you very much!" I exclaimed, glad I wasn't the only one with that mentality. "Romeo is still clearly upset by it."

"But . . ." Kim pouted, "he was talking about the debate club."

"Trust me, it wasn't about the debate club."

"Why is he at you then? Shouldn't he be confronting his boss?" Romeo confronting Debby made me uneasy. She'd been through a lot to add Romeo and his childish pride to one of her problems. 

The alarm sounded, signalling the next CAT. I sighed, relieved I wasn't going to answer Kim's question. 

"Thank God it's English, something I'm confident about." Kim beamed ear to ear. Again, I was unsure whether her limited attention span was a blessing or a curse. She stood up and addressed our students. "Everyone, your backpack and whatever confiscated item should be at the front."

"Since when did you turn invigilator?" Anita asked

"Do you want Mr. Obi to scold us again?" Kim questioned instead. "Cause he's going to invigilate us for English CAT."

As if that was more than enough reason, everyone began gathering their items and rushing to the front of the class. I guess the fear of Mr. Obi was the beginning of wisdom. 

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It was finally lunchtime, and everyone was hurrying out of class to get some food. Unlike the others, I remained fixed to my seat. Kim didn't move either, and I knew why: me. Although she had smiled throughout the English CAT since she had written well, I observed she occasionally had a guilty expression when she looked at me.

"Are you going to the cafeteria?" She finally asked. 

"Not hungry," I responded in a low voice. 

"Is this about Romeo?" I let out a suppressed groan. 

"I have better things to think about." 

"It's about Romeo," she finalised, but I completely ignored her. "Do you want me to get you anything?" 

"I'm fine, Kim." I was really not in the mood. I was grateful when she nodded and stood up, leaving the classroom to go have some food like the rest of our classmates. I knew I was being unkind to her by being cold, but I was not in the mood for conversation.

In search of distractions, I took out my phone and opened the Gmail app. I had a new email, and to my delight, it was from my best friend, Seidi.

"One would've thought you didn't write well in your English CAT. It's a good thing you are smiling." I didn't have to look up to know it was Krystian sliding into Kim's seat. 

"Where are your friends?" I asked as I glanced over at his seat to see that his friends weren't present. 

"Cafeteria,"

"They let you stay behind?" I placed my phone on my desk, then fully turned to him to rephrase my statement. "Toyosi, let you stay behind?" 

"I wasn't hungry, and they couldn't force me." He let out a nonchalant shrug. "Enough of me. What's up with you and your boyfriend? Talking about the drama you both pulled in front of the class."

"First off, I brought out my index finger. "Romeo is just a friend that is a boy. Secondly, why are you so nosy?" 

Krystian chuckled like I'd just said something stupid. "With the drama you both pulled, you won't blame anyone for being nosy."

I guess he was right. I sighed and leaned against my seat. "How were you both friends?"

Krystian was quiet for a few seconds. "Wow, new girl, I'm starting to feel you are no longer new."

"I've been telling you that!" I sighed in frustration. "I've been here for weeks now; stop calling me the new girl."

I hated that label, but it felt like Krystian was having the time of his life referring to me as that. 

"I haven't got a cuter nickname yet," Krystian commented out of nowhere. I turned to the other two students who were present in class; good thing none were paying attention to us. 

Clearing my throat, I chose to let his comment slide. "Were you and Romeo friends in the past?" 

Krystian's playful demeanour changed as he nodded. "Jss1."

"When you guys were babies?" 

"Jss1, new girl, not primary one." Seeing how offended he sounded at me referring to him as a baby made me smile. 

"What then happened?" 

"Romeo being ungrateful," he frowned. I tried not to think about how he had used the same terms I often use to describe Romeo. Why was he referring to him as such? I mean, I had my reasons for calling him ungrateful, but what was Krystian's?

"Let's forget about me." Was he being serious? Frowning, I turned my attention elsewhere. "Are you sulking?" 

"Sulking isn't in my dictionary," I responded, still not meeting his gaze. 

"Yes, you are," Krystian let out a slow heartfelt chuckle while invading my personal space so he could have a better look at my face. "Cute."

I turned to him in surprise, making our faces to be close together. It was funny how I allowed his words to go under my skin when I should have grown accustomed to him. I tried not to think about how near he was and how I could feel his breath.

Buzz~Buzz!

Clearing my throat, I made enough room between us without thinking twice. I frowned as Krystian stared down at his lit phone in a controlled manner. How could he be so calm? This was the second time he was using the word "cute" on me, and I didn't like how I was feeling. What was he talking about? I was far from cute.

"We're set,"

I looked at Krystian, confused. "What do you mean set?" 

"Remember what will happen this Friday?" Puzz n' Bootz. 

"I'm not going."

"Don't you want to confront her?" His question had a hold on me. If truly Toyosi was a stripper, then it meant my sister was right all along. 

"I do, but a club?" Just thinking about it got me irritated. Call me narrow-minded, but I couldn't see myself in such a place. "What if she isn't there?" 

Krystian lifted a brow. "Are you hoping she's innocent?" 

"There's no way my sister would've lied!" I snapped, unable to control the anger I felt hearing him try to defend his friend again. 

"Then prove it." 

"I will!" I yelled out my remark, becoming agitated by the second. Krystian smiled despite my displeasure. Why was he smiling? Was this hilarious to him? But then it dawned on me, and I felt so stupid for falling for his stupid mind tricks. "Did you just use reverse psychology on me?"

"What if I'm being sincere?" There was no way. It was clearly one of his tricks. 

"What have you set up?" 

Krystian waved his phone as if to prove something. "Fake IDs."

"Fake IDs?" He nodded. "Why?"

"Cause it'd be stupid not to have one," the door to the classroom opened, and students rushed in despite the alarm not alerting the next CAT. "We are underage; no one will let us in without one, new girl."

He had a point, like always. "Does that mean I'll have to dress mature?" 

"What's your definition of mature?" I refused to answer him to avoid being laughed at. I didn't want to expose my body; the thought of it made my skin crawl. "You are not forced to dress half naked; that's not what maturity is about. Dress comfortable."

I gradually established eye contact with Krystian. Krystian had always shown that he wasn't so horrible, but I was still astonished whenever he opened his mouth to say something serious.

The alarm sounded throughout the classroom, indicating the end of the lunch break. Most of my classmates who had hurried in earlier moaned loudly since they did not have enough time to revise their books.

"Are you up for it?" Krystian pulled my attention away from everyone else as he got up from Kim's seat. 

"Do I have a choice?" 

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

Happy new month 🎊

So here's the long-awaited chapter, hope you enjoyed reading it.

Don't forget to vote, comment and share... Love y'all a million.