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New year
New month
New day

But you can't have a new you until you put efforts...

My new year gift to you ❤
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Once I got out from the park, I had to fight with Lagos road. I had to fly into a moving bus that would stop me at my street bus stop. That was Lagos for you. We can't enter into a bus like a normal human being. We fly in and out while the bus is still moving.

Finally getting into the bus and having my uncomfortable seat at the back, something weird happened. Everyone riding on the bus was looking at me weirdly.

"Is she the one?" A school girl said to her Friend. They both had chewing gum in their mouth and popping it like the potential ashawo they were.

"Yes," Her friend gave a short response.

"Why are girls like this?" Another set of ingrate that had build her audacity, looked at me with such an expression that showed she was forced to eat her own shit. She seemed to be in my age bracket, probably older. But I could tell she was still in school judging by the series of handouts in her possession.

They weren't the only ones. Like I'd said, everyone on the moving bus was staring at me. At first, I thought I left my village without placing makeup on my face, but then realized I hardly use makeup. Why use make up when you're blessed with great gene? No one was ugly in my family.

Once I got to the bus stop, I slowly got down and let the conductor help with my luggage. He was the only one that didn't have my time and barely spared me a glance.

It took close to an hour to find a bike that would take me to my compound. I had to wait under the scorching sun, flapping every available bike so we could negotiate price. Once I finally got a bike and got down at the front of the gate, another set of weird subtle glances landed on me by passers-by. They made it look like I was nude or something.

I struggled with my luggage to my face you - I fight you compound and even there, was way worst. Ancient of days did the honour of clapping her hands and kissing her teeth loudly.

"Cherry!" My head swung to the right as the door to my room opened and Christy burst out.

"Birds of a feather," Hissed Mary while Christy helped with my luggage. On a normal note, I would have clapped back but I trailed behind Christy, feeling so confused.

"Watin dey do that oracle sacrifice?!" I finally snapped once we got into the room. "What the hell is wrong with everyone in Lagos."

I began pacing back and forth like I was trying to solve a mystery about a girl receiving death threats. "Ever since I landed in Lagos, everyone had been looking at me weirdly. They look, then talk. Look, then talk. And now I came here and that human being that had never experienced the word beautiful before had to open her mouth like a dying goat to speak to me?"

"So you've not seen," Christy mumbled to herself as it sounded more like a statement than a question.

"See watin?" The bulb turned orange and I quickly gave my phone to Christy so she could help charge it.

"I'll say it's your fault though, since you can't control your mouth. But come watch." Once Christy had helped charge my phone, she patted the spot beside her, indicating I sit which I did. She took out her phone and went straight to Twitter.

"This is everywhere o. All over Twitter. People even use it as their fleet sef. It's on Instagram, Facebook, whatsapp status, even YouTube isn't spared." Christy finally opened the post on Twitter and clicked on a video. The video had me in it, Christy and Baby could be seen in it too. At my front was Dorcas and Henry who must be her friend with benefit since he was dating actress Yemi.

I could see my furious face which made me pat myself mentally at my back for looking hella beautiful even with squeezed face.

'Excuse you, but I'm not your fan!' My angry voice came out from the video, making me think of when it happened. This went viral? Why would people pay attention to this. 'Abeg Lemme! For your information, I was and will never be your fan! Heartthrob my ass. My friend over here is more handsome than you bazillion times and he's ugly!'

'Cherry-'

'I'll slap you,' I watched as I hissed at Christy when she tried to stop me. 'How low are you to think that I was following you? Those were coincidence, heard of such word? Don't think that you are above every other person in this place.'

I also watched as Dorcas moved forward with a pissed off expression. 'Do you know whom you're talking to?'

'Definitely not God, so he shouldn't see himself as one.' I opened my mouth while watching myself. Was I really this angry? Worst, to a celebrity? Who will take my side over a celebrity? Over a guy that many girls had married in their heads? Over the Nation's Heartthrob? There was no saving me.

'I never saw myself as one,' The heartthrob, Henry, did a great job at maintaining his image. 'I also try my best not to flaunt around with other people's property.'

The video ended at that. I promptly got hold of Christy's phone to scan through the comment section. And boy was it ugly.

- Her handle is Cherry Jesus.

- Imagine, I followed and envied this babe. Who knew she was a fake life.

- Henry my husband, opened her yansh.

- This babe was flaunting people's property, inside life.

- Fear all this calaber girls Sha.

- What God cannot do does not exist, what God cannot do does not exist, una never jam Lagos girls.

- I saw her today. She's not a big girl o.

- No trust Lagos girls o, their eyes don tear reach spinal cord.

"Jesus," I lay back in bed. It was at that moment I knew I fucked up. Another episode of me having migraine in my tummy. I knew people recorded, but I never expected it to go viral. What was I thinking? It was Henry we were talking about, of course it was destined to go viral.

"How will I go out now to buy Boli (roasted plantain) at Mama Ann's shop?" I lamented in my misfortune. "Everyone will be looking at me like television."

"Na your problem for life be that?" Christy hissed, retrieving her phone. "You just talk too much, that's your problem. No filter, no full stop."

I sprinted back to a sitting position and held Christy's upper arms with pleading eyes. "Help me, you're my best-est friend and you know that. How do I deal with this?"

Christy shook her head then got up as she moved to a corner. "This is an issue with a celebrity that has gotten viral and many blogs and sites has carried it."

Christy opened the pot to dish out potatoes and beans into a bowl before handing it to me and setting a pure water at my side. "The best you can do is to isolate yourself and wait for it to die down."

"How many days do you think it will die down?" I just couldn't stay a day without posting. A day without tiktok challenge. A day without leaving my room to receive fresh air.

"Who said anything about days?" Christy broke the hope I was building with just a few words. "There's a possibility this might take years. Two years tops."

I fell in bed, already giving up. Heartthrob? He was fucking sent by the devil to ruin my life.

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Early the next morning, Christy went over to Baby's room to bring him to ours, so we could dress me up for my first day of work.

I stared at myself in the mirror and just like the time I went to the interview, I was unrecognizable. After waving goodbyes to Christy, Baby had snuck me out of the compound with the aid of his bike.

"I miss you," Baby said, while driving on the street that was dark yet filled with life. Everyone seemed to be going on with their day to day activities. "But mehn, gbasgbos on top your head o."

"Don't remind me," I let out a sigh. If it wasn't for this disguise, I was quite sure to never see the light of day.

"Na watin I go dey do for you every morning be this?" Baby asked, once he took a turn that landed us at the street where the agency was located.

"What are friends for? Abeg drive." We soon arrived at the company. Unlike before, Baby couldn't wait since I was officially hired. I bid him goodbye and got into the entertainment building.

Inside seemed busy unlike before and I saw so many celebrities while moving to the receptionist area. It was a huge and versatile agency so every entertainment professions were in it. Actors, comedians, models, musicians. All the celebrities I had walked passed looked so ethereal. They almost made me feel ugly. Keyword, almost.

I knew I was more beautiful than most of the girls with plastic face and artificial hips and butts. Even as a girl in disguise, I could make guys question their sexuality. I finally got to the receptionist and placed my palm on her large oak desk.

"Good morning," The receptionist smiled fondly at me. "How may we help you today?"

I smiled back then said with a deep voice. "I'm the new bodyguard hired by Miss Dorcas."

The receptionist gave me a bewildered look while staring down at me. I knew what she was doing, looking down on me. "You? You're the new bodyguard?"

"I did karate for nineteen years," I lied with a bored tone. I wanted her to shut the hell up.

"Nineteen years?" The receptionist grew a bit confused. "I thought you were nineteen."

You're mad.

"Well, Miss Dorcas just went out with the artist under her care. But looking at the schedule," The receptionist stared down at the laptop screen resting in front of her desk, then at some folders which was probably at her desk cabinets. "They'll soon be back."

"Can I?"

"Yeah, sure." The receptionist let out an infamous smile as she gestured to the waiting seat.

I sat on the plastic bench like an intimidating bouncer. Well I hope I looked intimidating.

Above and hung on the wall was a plasma TV. What drew my attention was the person on screen. It was Henry. The last person I wanted to see was getting interviewed.

"Hi and hello Nigeria! This is your favorite host, Eniola Davis and Welcome to Stars Entertainment!" She did her usual introduction that was always the same. "On my right is our very own gorgeous heartthrob, Henry Williams!"

I watched as the TV host let Henry wave at the camera. The camera zoomed to Henry, making most people around me swoon. And when I say people, I meant - Annoying ladies in their adult stage acting like a sixteen years old having a crush for the first time.

"So Henry," Eniola cleared her throat, now focusing on Henry. "There's something circulating over the Internet about you and some random fan."

"Air conditioner nko," I commented under my breath.

"In this video, we could see how this rude fan kept insulting you over and over and over." An image of me and Henry during that night resurface in the television screen while I tried to dug my face.

"Many of your fans seemed to be calling her out especially with what you said at the end of the video." Eniola kept putting salt in my already open wound as the camera dissolved the image and switched back to her and Henry. "You made a claim that she flaunt with people's property. I'm guessing if she wasn't rude to you, this wouldn't have been a big deal. What would you have to say about this?"

The camera zoomed closer to Henry. I watched him scoffed then stared down. But when he finally lifted his head to look at the camera, it felt he was looking right at me.

Was he?

I shook my head at that thought. Of course he wasn't.

"I must have mistaken her with someone else," Henry brushed off, which made me ease up a bit.

"But she did agree it was a coincidence. Doesn't that mean she was indirectly admitting meeting you during those encounters?" Was this an interview or a court case? I hated TV host or reporters in general. Unfortunately, Henry had no response to that.

"Well, that would be it for today's segment," Eniola cleared her throat when she realized Henry wasn't going to speak further. "Tune in for more Stars Entertainment. Same time, same channel tomorrow. I still remain your favorite host, Eniola Davis."

Commercial popped in after her last words while I sunk further into the seat. It really was going south for me. I felt deranged at the moment. And what was up with that Henry dude?! It looked like he was covering it all up but that was a big lie. I knew in his heart he wanted the public to hate me for good.

I hate it here.

"Mr Hope Prince?" My heard shot up after hearing my name. I got up to go meet the receptionist. "You've been asked in."

I nodded. The receptionist didn't bother with directions, since she believed I should have known the directions from the last interview held here.

Having a large brain made me think deep for the direction since the whole building looked like a maze in maze runner. Reaching the office, I knocked twice. Dorcas was probably in. Baffled me how I was so deep in thought I didn't noticed when she walked passed me.

I walked in to see Dorcas seating in her official position and also having a guest.

"Ah, Mr Prince," Greeted Dorcas. I nodded as a response, keeping a cool personality so she won't think of me as a kid like that mumu receptionist authorized to the company. "Please, come closer."

I did as the Dorcas lady asked, unfortunately seeing her guest in the process.

All this office relationship.

"Mr Prince," Dorcas introduced while using her hands. "Meet Henry."

It wasn't like he needed the introduction. Even patrick living under the rock could recognize him immediately. It made me believe the interview I saw earlier must have been prerecorded.

"Henry," Henry finally looked up from his phone while I tried not to be nosy by not looking at his phone screen. He lifted his head to look at Dorcas with innocent raised brows before landing those eyes on me. He stared for a second or two while I stood there with both hands behind my back.

"Meet Hope Prince," She finally called my name in full. "Your new bodyguard."

It was official, even the world was against me.

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Who said anything about this being a price of cake. Now the story officially just started between this two.

Stay tune for next update coming next week.

Who's your favorite character, who's your lease favorite character and why?

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Word count : 2599

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-Eddy