I couldn't help it. Had to dish out this one before evening 😪😩❤️

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE OO. IF YOU MISSED THE FIRST UPDATE THIS MORNING, READ IT FIRST BEFORE THIS ONE OO!!!

Okay, guys. Song for the chapter is Point of View by Ariana Grande. Song in the media above❤️

~ACHA~

I hadn't felt so alive in so long.

Dancing with Dabeluchi today, it made me feel so many things I couldn't explain.

I'd be hung on a tree to rot and die if my father ever finds out about this.

And I knew exactly why he wouldn't have it, have this, with me.

A part of me didn't care. It felt so good tonight.

"Guy, you're coming again another time, ba???" One of guys, amongst the crowd of boys and girls - whose names I didn't know- that wouldn't stop praising me non-stop since my little show with Dabi.

"You and Dabi were like a match made in Heaven. Please tell me you guys are dating!" Another girl said to me.

"Slow down," I laughed earnestly.

They loved me already. Thank God.

The moment I stepped in here, and had them all stare at me, I had that burning urge to make them all like me.... I couldn't deny the fact that when I became overwhelmed by the will to get something done, I got it done, no matter what.

And where did that lead to?

Making Dabeluchi dance with me. Which I didn't regret, by the way.

And everyone else loved me even more than I initially expected. Well, it was a win win situation if you ask.

"So, tell me, are you guys having a thing or something? Dabi says you go to her school, Castron High?" One of the guys asked me.

The dance instructor, the little lady that was already obsessed with me, was already announcing to leave as the class for that day was right about done, and I stood up, they moved with me, engaging me in a conversation with them, and wow, the level of excitement.

If this was how they were always welcoming, it wold have been impossible for anyone to have low self esteem in this class.

"We're just classmates for real," I told them. "We don't even talk that much, but I have to admit she's very talented."

We were stepping down from the stairway with dozens of phone flashlights creating a source of light in the darkness of the stairway, as the crowd from dance class filled up the stairs at the same time.

"Sorry, most of us are actually done with School oo," One of the girls were telling me. "So, we don't know much of Castron High at the moment, but we heard you guys were trending on Twitter."

"I'm surprised you're out of school, and know about that," I said to whoever it was that spoke.

"Wow, so it really is true," She was wowed.

We got outside soon enough, walking into the breezy, peaceful night, and no, not to the dusty front yard that terrified me when I got here this evening, but we seemed to be at the back of the building - a much grassier arena, that had even bigger speakers than the ones in the class, mounted at Various corners of the field space, blaring Sofa by Kiss Daniel.

"Sometimes, we have class here," One of the guys told me, the same guy who had been talking to me the most today.

And boy, everyone was chilling here, it was a noisy arena filled with happy excite people who were easily socializing with anyone and everyone, without a care in the world. Some people stood around, playing and laughing with others. Some people were buying suya from the Hausa men who had their stalls set up my the roadside, by the left side of the field, and a good number were actually sitting on the grass, chilling and having fun.

The serenity, I felt it.

"Yo! Dabi, over here!"

Someone, a girl shouted, and I, as well as everyone else, turned to the doorway that led to the stairway, to see the girl who was called, Dabeluchi, walking down with a group of random, hip looking girls.

I had to give it to this girl, she knew how to stand out from everyone else. Even if people a lot of people in school didn't like that distinctiveness, didn't fancy it, the fact remained that she did stand out. All the fucking time.

Any one would easily notice it at just one glance at her in the midst of any crowd, even if it were her friends. Anyone would notice that distinctive feature that made you to single her out.

Even though, most of the time, it could be easily brushed off, and sometimes, not given any particular significance, if you could give her a second chance to change your perspective, if you could just look at her one more time, and thoroughly, you'd see it too.

And by 'it', I meant that raw beauty she possessed. It was so raw, Too raw. That unharnessed, raw beauty. It literally screamed at you and winded the shit out of you the moment you actually saw it.

She saw us, Dabeluchi, she saw me, particularly, and her eyes went wide in horror.

Why was she so scared of me?

And then, the next moment, she wasn't. It didn't make any sense to me.

The girl singled out one of the girls from the crowd around her, and started to walk so fast with her, and I knew she was getting away from me.

Exactly what she was doing like we were dancing.

Something the entire class ended up thinking was a brilliant, creative theme we came up with on the spot, to put up a show for everyone.

They didn't even know this girl was legit running away from me.

Exactly what she did the first time. She ran away from me at the party, came to me in class to pull that kind of stunt, then ran away from me.... till date. Who... Does that?

Dabeluchi doesn't expect me to stay on my own and cook up explanations to all that. I was determined to get to the bottom of all this girl's switch ups on me.

"Give me a second," I told the people around me before rushing up to meet up with Dabeluchi, before she disappeared from sight.

"Hey," I said to Dabi, as I managed to stop in front of her and her friend, making sure to bless her with a warming smile that only her friend found warming.

"Well, hey there, peng new boy!" Her friend, a stunningly short female, moderately pretty, grinned at me with all her teeth.

I recognized her from class. Her presence was very... Loud.

"Hi," I greeted to be nice, before dismissing her, and turning attention to Dabi, who wouldn't even dare to look me directly in the eyes.

Dabeluchi was standing there, looking at everywhere, the ground, her friend, the people around the field, literally everywhere, but me. And I could se her hands were shaking, literally vibrating.

What is this girl?

"I'm Naomi, by the way," Her friend stretched her hand for a handshake. "Call me Nao."

I wished she could stop talking.

"Yeah." I shook her hand, smiled briefly, turned to Dabi again, and repeated my greeting. "Hey?"

Dabi didn't even respond to me. I doubted she was even here, she looked like a truck load was going through her mind.

"Maybe, I'll leave you two alone," Her friend teased both me and Dabi, and I smiled, grateful for that, and the girl let go of Dabi's hand, and made to leave.

"Wow, Dabi, I don't know what to say, you're really..."

"Naomi! NO!" Dabi cut me off, rushing to cling back onto her friend's arm like it was just registering in her brain, after about two seconds, that her friend was leaving us.

"Wait! Don't go!" She was clinging desperately to her friend, eyes filled with even more terror like I was the devil's mate, or worse, Corona.

"Where's all these coming from naw?" Her friend actually laughed a little, looking to and fro her arm and Dabi's strong, desperate grip on it. "Relax, b. He seems nice!"

"Maybe she'll listen to you?" I genuinely smiled at her friend for the first time tonight.

"Look," Naomi said, and the rest of whatever she said were mere whispers into Dabi's ears.

Only God knows what it was that she said to Dabi, but I was eternally grateful, because it worked. Dabi agreed to stay.... While she left.... Us alone.

"I.." Dabi seemed to gulp. "I don't understand why you're here," She couldn't even look me in the eyes. "How did you even find this place?"

"Those are the most words I've ever heard you say in my life," I decided to start by joking around.

Lol, she didn't laugh.

Either, she had a terrible sense of humour, or she was just too terrified to get her fancy tickled... Or both?

I cleared my throat, threw the jokes asides.

"I actually wanted to give you..." I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my hoodie to get out her phone, and the girl jumped, squealed a scream, and moved back away from me.

I paused, frowned in confusion. "It's just a phone," Got the gadget out and stretched it forth to her. "Your phone."

She stilled in realisation, yet didn't stop watching and tracing every movement of my hand, my whole body, with such carefulness and cautiousness.

"It's just your phone, I promise," I told her, "Not a gun, Dabi." Hands still stretched forth, waiting for her to take it back.

She still looked unconvinced. Still looked terrified.

"It won't harm you, I promise." I kept assuring her.

She snatched the phone from my hand, a little bit too quickly.

"How did you find it?" She asked me.

"Well, I-", My hand raised in a gesture to explain, and she stepped back, moved away from me. I got my hand sown, apologised for scaring her. "Long story. I stole it from JJ."

She looked like she just got slapped in the face. Stepped back again, away from me.

What did I say?

"JJ," She murmured to herself, realising something.

She seemed to go low-key hysteric after that as it seemed as though a torment was going on in her head. I could only pick out 'JJ' and 'his friend' and 'party' and 'humiliation' and the rest of whatever she was saying sounded like complete gibberish.

"Are you okay?" I reached out to touch her, but I doubt she knew I was touching her because she didn't budge. I know she should have jumped away from me if she was in her senses.

"Dabi?" I tried to get her attention.

"Laughter. Floor. Kiss. Humiliation." She kept saying and murmuring different words that made no sense in the context they were being used.

I had to hold her by the shoulders and shake her to clear her own head.

That's when she came back to Earth. She froze on realising I was touching her, I could see she was shocked, but she did nothing about it. Didn't move away.

What is this girl?

Her hands slowly went up to mine, like she realised after several seconds that she could indeed just get my hands down, and when she did, she swallowed again, moved back once more.

"Thank you and good bye." She said to me, and started to walk away.

I didn't know why, but I moved towards her, cornered her.

"Can I talk to you..?" I cringed at the desperation in my voice.

Immediately, Like I do by Fireboy came on, and the entire filed burst into unison, singing along to the song, and distracting us both for a moment. Some of them, grooving smoothly to the song with their friends, partners, and literally anyone, and everyone.

Their happiness was so contagious.

I couldn't even explain it.

And when I turned to Dabeluchi, she was watching them too, with that bright spark in her eyes that was similar to the one I saw in her eyes in all her dance videos.

She really was happy, watching everyone. I could tell.

And it was warming to see such joy from a raw beauty.

I smiled too, didn't say anything, didn't disrupt what she was feeling, for a long time. She watched everyone for a long, long time.

"You're really happy here," I told her after an eternity of her staring.

I thanked God I easily got her attention this time.

Her sudden realization of my presence brought her back to square one.

Oh.... No.

"Look," She told me. "I don't know why you're here, and I still can't tell if this is real or not." She still wasn't looking at me directly. "But, I have a feeling you will still go after me if I decide to walk away, and I don't want that. Can you please let me go? Don't worry, Marcus, I won't tell anyone in school you were speaking to me. Your secret's safe with me."

"Oh, come on," I scoffed, looked at this girl, and realised, "I may actually never really understand you."

She seemed to gulp and clear her throat. "You stole my phone from your friend, came to my dance class, made me dance with you, before you gave me the phone..."

I wanted to know where she was going with what she was saying.

"And now, you have returned my phone, and still won't let me be..." She continued, seemed to gulp again, refusing to look at me as she murmured audibly. "Seems to me like you're the one who doesn't understand yourself or your own motives."

She slapped me in the face with her words.

I didn't even know how to respond to that.

"Well, I-"

I stopped talking. She had drifted again. Only God knows what was going on in her mind now.

"Hello?" Snapped my fingers once. "Hello?" Twice.

To no avail.

"Dabi?" I snapped my fingers the third time and she was back with a forceful jerk.

"You seem to drift a lot," I said.

She looked like she was still trying to get her composure to herself, muttering incoherent things to herself, and I just looked at her, tried to figure out what the problem was.

"What's on your mind?" I ended up asking. "Share? Maybe?"

That's when for the first time, since I met up with her, she actually raised her head to look directly at me, eyes, harbouring a form of rage in them that startled me.

"I'm just thinking about how much of an asshole you are." Dabeluchi said to me.

"Woah," I backed up. Taken completely off guard. Where did that come from?

"You're planning something against me, aren't you?" She accused me from nowhere. Anger, panic, and distrust oozing off her. "That's why you came here. That's why you're here. Your friends put you up to this, didn't they?"

"What?" I scowled, appalled at the level of twisted-ness of the accusation. "Hell, no. My friends don't even know I'm here. No one, except my Mum, knows I'm here."

"You saw that tweet, didn't you?" She went on, I doubted she heard anything I said. She seemed too overwhelmed, too certain of her accusation. "You saw the tweet, and that's why you're here? To prove your stance as a heart breaker to the entire set? To embarrass me. That's why you're here!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" All these were absolute nonsense. "I haven't even been on Twitter for days now."

"Because that's the only explanation," She continued, I was certain she had tuned me out because she didn't sound like she was hearing anything I was saying. "That's why you tracked me down to my dance class. It's all part of your big plan!" This girl was shaking, absolutely hysteric and freaking out like mad, and she seemed to only be voicing out her own thoughts and fears.

"You can't possibly pick interest in me. You couldn't come here for no absolute reason. For me of all people!" I watched her dumbfounded, wondering what the fuck she was even saying.

"The tweet..." She started trembling more, biting her fingers. "They said I was skinny, drab, ugly, and you wouldn't..." She was staring into space in sheer horror.

Wait... What did she just say?

Someone.. tweeted that?

"And they're right... I... You..." She was back to muttering incoherent words now, and I was so conflicted, trying to decipher what to do.

I wanted to reach out for a hug, just hold her, and quieten her in my arms, hold her until she was calm... But I was skeptical. For a girl that couldn't even be near me physically, I felt I was going to be making her extremely uncomfortable.... Especially at a time like this.

I felt like I could see all her insecurities like this... It hurt lo look at her. I had half a mind to just leave her, and walk away. Just so she had her peace. But a part of me felt like it wasn't the right thing to do. A part of me wanted to hang around, as though it would make her feel better eventually.... At least, hang on a little longer?

"I didn't come here to harm you, Dabeluchi," I was soft spoken. "I watched your dance videos and I was impressed.." She stopped, stopped fidgeting, just paused, but eyes to the ground, wouldn't look at me.

"I actually haven't been online for days for I have no idea what tweet you have been talking about," I told her. "I had been watching your videos all week, and I made up my mind to be here, myself." I smiled at her, even if she wasn't looking at me.

I saw her throat move for a moment, and I knew she gulped. Took what I said in.

"You.." She gulped again. "You watched my dance videos?"

I nodded, smiled warmly at her and she seemed to gasp slightly as she looked up at me.

"You're very talented." I told her. And beautiful, I wanted to also say.

Her eyes were meeting mine directly, and I could see deep gratitude, pure appreciation, and some of form of raw, ernest light in her through them. She seemed to breathe, ease herself around me a little. "Thank you."

"And..." I decided to add. "I don't know much about whatever this tweet said, but if it counts for anything or if it's going to mean shit to you... I don't think you're drab, or too skinny to make it a problem,"

She looked at me, so intently, steadily, eyes almost wide in panic and anticipation as though she was desperate and anxious to hear more. It actually melted my heart to pieces.

"And..." I went fuck it in my head, and decided to say the truth. "And you're not even the closest bit to ugly too, that's bullshit."

She blinked, gasped slightly, swallowed, stepped back, but not to get away from me this time, but in something that seemed like shock to me.

I didn't lie.

"You're beautiful," I told her. Moved the hair that was drooping down her forehead, to get a better view.

And I meant it.

That raw beauty that wasn't easy to dismiss. Her eyes, alone told a thousand sad stories. She made you want to cry when you looked at her. And the scary thing was that, until now, I couldn't see it. All everyone actually needed to do was look past all the bullshit, and take their time to give this girl a second look.

She was stunning.

I got you started playing an an eruption of coos and chants filled the entire place immediately as people started to pair themselves up, to groove to Bebe Rexha.

"He's got you, Dabi!" A stray female voice shouted towards our direction, and I laughed.

And I couldn't believe it.

Because Dabeluchi actually laughed too.

I had never seen her laugh before so it took me off-guard.

I could totally immense myself in the joy her entire demeanour emanated when I watched her dance videos, but hearing her laugh hit so different. It was a richer kind of joy that actually made me falter in the shock of it, I swallowed.

Her laughter, even though brief, was warming and it literally moved through me. I literally felt her joy, and it was too much for me.

"Do you want to sit for a while?" I asked her. "And just, I don't know.. Chill with me a little longer?"

She didn't say a word, but she looked at me, light in her eyes, beauty in her smile, and pure innocence and trust that radiated off her, giving me a teaser as to what she was feeling at the moment.

I wanted to extend a hand to her, but I was unsure if I should. If I wouldn't scare her away.

She looked at me, followed my lead, and didn't object to following me as I walked.

Fuck it. I reached out a hand and for a moment, she was stunned.

I smiled at her, assuring her it was okay.

She seemed to resist for about a second or two, but she smiled eventually, took my hand, and when her small hands closed in against mine, my heart dropped at the softness of them.

I had held her hand while we started our dance back in class, but that didn't mean I was used to it, then or now.

We walked together.

Stopped by at one end of the field, and like we were thinking the same thing, we sat on the grass together, neither of us saying anything and letting the calmness and serenity of the night overwhelm us while that comfortable silence hovered around us.

I liked it like this.

I didn't even know long we stayed there, just sitting on the grass, hands intertwined against each other as we got a fairly impressive view of everyone on the field, doing their thing.

I really don't know how long we stayed like this. But I know that Heaven by Julia Michaels started playing and I was just there, staring at our hands that were joined together, looking softly over them like it was art. Her hands fit perfectly in mine, It looked like art.

I looked to her to realise that she was lost. Just staring at our hands together, and something told me she was thinking the same thing.

They say all good boys go to Heaven...

But bad boys bring Heaven to you...

Julia Michaels' lyrics were bursting through the speakers, and I actually didn't want this night to end...

So much peace... So much peace...

"AWWWWWW!"

Our luck? It wasn't us that everyone was coo'ing at.

It was that Dabi's friend, Naomi, and she was dancing with a boy, putting a show for everyone and everyone was definitely feeling the pair.

"I'm taking it that that's her boyfriend?" I asked Dabeluchi, who was already laughing and shaking her head, softly at the pair.

"And partner in crime," She told me.

"Awesome, so like they're some sort of Vintage African Bonnie and Clyde?" I laughed as I asked her.

"You could say that," She answered shrugged. "They're not the only ones. Almost every guy in this class had a bonnie, and maybe every girl had a Clyde."

I studied her. "Really."

She nodded.

"And what about you?" I asked.

"What about me?" She giggled.

"Who's your Clyde?" I asked her.

She actually faltered, her smile, it flattered, and I bit my tongue, regretted asking.

And she looked away, rubbed the back of her neck in embarrassment or nervousness.

"Every girl except me," She corrected herself. "I don't have a Clyde."

I looked at her, told her it was okay.

And for some reason, a part of me was relieved.

"Can I have your phone?" I asked her.

She easily gave me, no questions asked.

I tapped on it briefly, and gave it back to her.

"What did you do?" She asked me.

"Nothing," I lied. She looked around her phone, like that was going to do anything to make her figure out what I did.

"And I think you should put a password on your phone," I told her. "People like me can easily snoop around at will."

She laughed, and it resonated softly, through me.

I really didn't want this night to end.

~DABI~

"OH MY GOD! YOU TWO ARE LIKE TOTALLY BOYFRIEND AND GIRLFRIEND!"

I laughed, shook my head at Naomi who had been screaming through video call all night long since I got home.

"You're so dramatic," I giggled, covered myself with my thick blanket, rested my head gently on my pillow, smile that couldn't leave my face the entire night embarrassing me in front of the girl who was grinning at me with so much excitement, through my phone.

"So, wait, you're serious, you guys were holding hands and talking and all of that? What else happened? Did peng new boy kiss you?!" She was still screaming.

I laughed out loud. "No, Naomi. He didn't kiss me!"

"Well, he should have!" Naomi screamed.

"Calm down!" I was a laughing mess, rolling on my bed and playing with my blanket that covered my entire body.

Naomi spent an hour or so gushing and telling me how excited she was for my new boyfriend, and I had corrected her a gazillion times that we were barely even friends, before tonight.

After Naomi hung up, I sat up on my bed.... And couldn't stop smiling.

What happened tonight..?

What.. Was.. All.. That?

I had never felt so warm, so at peace, with a boy in my life. The euphoria, the serenity, it was something words couldn't elaborate.

I had been watching your videos all week..

He said that. I didn't think anyone particularly cared.

Of course, the sisters knew about Dance Class, but none of them danced, so it was practically useless having them come. Especially when the all had things to deal with at the same time. Like Chika and her Weekend boxing schedules. Soma and her busy Internet life, where she tutored thousands of people on thousands of things. And the twins didn't just like long journeys, especially since the Dance class is almost a mile away from their house.

But we Marcus Acha, he took his time to watch all my videos?

He could have as well been capping, but it meant a lot to me that someone was willing to waste that much time on something that had to do with me, yet being so irrelevant.

"You're beautiful," I still remembered how sincere he sounded. It stunned me.

Hearing someone else that wasn't the sisters said it made me feel like it may have been true... And my friends were not just saying it to make me feel better.

I felt grateful to him for making me know that.

But what if it was just him? What if he was the only one who thought I was beautiful?

Whatever the case may have been, I was grateful for him for seeing it too.

It was midnight already and I got up from bed and headed to the mirror with an aim.

I gently took the stray seat that I had longed kicked to the other side of the room and positioned it in front of the mirror so I could have a seat in front of the mirror.

Now, let's find that beauty!

I sat up straight, straightened my back, and feigned confidence, stared at my reflection..... And faltered.

I swallowed. Damn, looking at myself always hit different. And not in a good way.

I tried again. This time, tried to push a little of my hair away from my forehead, the way Marcus Acha had done when he told me I was beautiful. Maybe, there was an angle he saw my face in, after he did that that prompted him to say I was beautiful.

I looked. Maybe even a little to hard? No. Nothing.

I sighed, patiently, breathed in.

Let's try something else.

I looked to the mirror, raised my eyebrows, downturned my lips, imitating models like Shade Onam, and Sophia Williams, and Gigi Hadid, feigning those looks those gorgeous girls gave the camera.

And God forbid, I looked terrible.

Okay, maybe I'd just act a little more natural?

I tried to force a smile, push up a shoulder to feign the pretty elegance of ladies as I looked at myself.

Okay... That was better. But... Still mehhh!

I tried to pout, form a baby-like cute face... Eww.

I tried and tried, feigned every facial expression I could think of, just desperately trying to see this 'beautiful' that he saw in me.

I desperately wished I could see myself from his point of view.

Just how beautiful I was... I'd love to see me from his point of view.

I sighed, got ready for bed.

It was a long day. I enjoyed it however.

I was barely seconds into rubbing my hands on my tired eyes, when I smelt it...

His scent. His cologne.

It was still on my hands.

I paused for a moment, losing myself in my thoughts, remembering how he had perfectly wrapped his hands around mine, how it looked so perfect, like his hands were fated to with mine.

Wow. What a night.

I got up, pushed the seat away from me, and was about to curl up in my bed, and sleep.

Then, my phone buzzed with a message.

I stopped, frowned, confused, and low-key scared, wondering who on Earth was texting me by this time of the night. Several minutes past 12 a.m.

I walked to my bed, picked up my phone, and when I saw the ID, my heart skipped a bit.

Clyde.

I almost cried.... I'm... These two, I just hope they won't get me too emotional for my own good.😪

How did this chapter make you feel?

And who else noticed the difference between Dabi in Dance Class from last chapter and Dabi every other time.... Who can relate to that kind of peace that staying in a place of positive energy with people who share your passion? It's indescribable, honestly.

How do you think Acha and Dabi are going to be with each other after this night?

And what was your favorite part of this chapter?

Bye, guys, I've tried, abi? Oya, lemme bounce!🏃🏃🏃