Hey 👋

If someone told me I was going to update today, I'd have called them a liar, lol. I keep up shocking myself everyday. Guys, I don't want to include my personal life here, but I have been getting the most extreme mood swings lately. I mean, yesterday, I was sooooo sure that I was staying off the media completely because I was soooo down, and then, I woke up this morning, so excited for no absolute reason and completed this entire chapter.... Omo, I hope all is well sha.

Oh, and about the last chapter, I'm highly impressed with the comments from the last chapter, because it showed that a lot of my readers are actually educated and open minded, and I'm happy to realise that. You guys are amazing ♥️

Once again, thanks again for 40k reads. We're already close to 41k already!

Oh, and special shout-out to Stardust_Wendy , she just brought back "Nothing in Between" as "SIGNED, KARMA"! You all should check it out, Wendy is an amazing writer, and that will be one of the best Nigerian teen fiction books you'll read on this app, I promise you!

~DABI~

I wasn't sure the twins believed me.

However, they didn't argue with me.

It's not like I didn't want them to know, I did. I didn't enjoy having to keep this part of me from my friends, but with all due respect to the Onuoha Twins, I wasn't sure I was so trusting of whatever it was they wanted to do.

I wasn't ready for more nonsense, while this was still on?

The twins didn't get it. They wouldn't understand how this thing makes me feel. Unlike them, I was a lot of things that irritated my classmates. They looked for any opportunity to tear me down, and they looked for any opportunity to worship the twins. Ebere and Ebube were absolutely gorgeous, and worthy in Social Standards, and if anyone was going to understand what it was like to be an outcast, it definitely cannot be them.

I really wouldn't want them putting their hands in this, and messing it up even more for me. And all the way, my heart was thudding harshly against my chest, as I watched Ebube fondle my phone which she had seized in her hands, looking like she definitely had little to no intent of giving it back.

What if Marcus Acha texted me at this point?

If that happened, then, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

And about asking for my phone back... Well, Pathetic, pathetic Dabeluchi was too nervous to open her mouth and talk.

"Sisters!"

It was Soma who suddenly barged in on us, with the force of a tornado, grinning and showing all her 32, as she joined us on the table she would have knocked down in all her excitement.

"Chika said I should ask you what you want to eat; we're ordering burgers!" She said to all of us.

Burgers...? Hell no.

"Well, I insisted, and Chi Mama was forced to give in," Soma brightly informed us.

I was certain Soma persisted and bugged the hell out of Chika until she agreed in exasperation. The Sisters had always particularly complained about food and service here, the only thing they ever got here was drinks.

I particularly wondered why Soma suddenly wanted a burger so badly.

"They looked a LOT like Krabby Patties!" She told us, "I couldn't resist, Sisters, that burger was literally calling my name."

My God.

"Ebube and I will take water," Ebere told Soma, clearly unconvinced, "And not just because we can't eat much of those stuff because we're athletic, but Soso, have you actually tasted these people's burgers?"

Soma blinked adorable eyes at Ebere, "No?"

"It's trash," Ebere told her.

"Absolute trash," Ebube added.

"Just tell Chi to get us water, abeg," Ebere said, "If they don't have water, we'll rest."

"Seconded," Ebube agreed to it. "Water, please. Just water."

"Okay!" Soma didn't argue, "But don't drool when Chi and I are enjoying our Krabby Patties!"

I didn't particularly hear the twins respond to Soma, but the next minute, the hyper active tall girl was on me, fondling with the braids on my hair that she made, and seeming to be rolling half of them in to a bun.

I didn't question why she would suddenly come onto my hair, believe me, I didn't have the strength to.

Soma did the most questionable things. Like ordering terrible burgers just because they looked like the kind you saw in a Nickelodeon cartoon. And always, carrying something with her all the time, be it the School bell, her drawing book and pencil, or some lollipops. She was always jumping around, getting her hands busy with one activity or the other. The girl didn't have a resting bone in her body. So as she played with my hair, I didn't even bother her.

"What about you, Lulu?" Soma was active on my hair as she asked me.

What about me?

"What do you want to order?" She asked.

"I don't want burgers." I answered.

"Oh, I know. Chika said so," She responded, went to the other side of my hair that had the braids still resting down and started on it, "So, what else would you like?"

"I don't know. Coke?" I said.

"Okay!" Soma chirped as she tapped my head, and left it alone. Involuntarily, my hands went up to feel what she had done with my hair, and even if I couldn't see it, it was precise enough that Soma had rolled my braids into two very large buns.

The tall girl smiled at her work, satisfied and proud, then smiled at me in turn.

"Pretty, pretty Lulu!" She threw an easy compliment, before jumping off her seat, to start making her way back to the counter.

I smiled, I couldn't help it. The sisters and always trying to make me feel good about myself.

Unexpectedly, and quite shockingly, my moment of smiles and warm laughter was cut short.

As soon as Soma got to her feet, she retracted, with so much force as though she just bumped into a wall of pins, and instantly, she fell back on the seat, hysteric and horrified like she had seen a ghost.

The girl was suddenly literally horrified, staring dreadfully at a distance behind the twins, and fidgeting so much, her hands were shaking so hard, literally vibrating on the table as she sunk into the chair, absolutely mortified at whatever she was seeing.

I got worried.

Very worried.

And before I or the twins could utter a word, Soma quickly alerted us, warning all of us in utter desperation and hopelessness, "Whatever you do, don't look to the entrance!"

The fear and terror in her eyes couldn't be measured or explained. Whatever it was she was seeing, was not some piece of cake. Her eyes said it all.

Doom.

It was human nature, we couldn't resist. No one would have been able to  Anyone would have wanted to see what it was that got Soma so scared, shaking in her shoes, and trembling like that.

So, we looked.

We all looked.

We shouldn't have.

Jesus Christ; We shouldn't have.

It was like a slap to my face. It descended on me with an angry force, a force too hard that I was certain, most definitely certain as hell that I wasn't dreaming.

What I was seeing was real.

Too damn real.

And on that realization, I was scattered. Absolutely, terrifically scattered and fucked. My anxiety rose higher and higher as the reality kept setting in and in with every single step that monster took forward; Chills - harsh, unforgiving chills - racked through m ad my entire system, and the hairs on my body were standing at attention as I watched that monster walk into this eatery.

Every thing about her set me on the edge. Every damn thing. The way she walked, with strides so confident that it became aggressive, and that manically entitled glow all around her mixed with the powerful authority her entire demeanour exuded, made her look just as intimidating and scary as she truly was.

She was too much to even look at.

The twins should have been taking this worse that me and Soma. Her arrival and torturing presence may have been a punch to the throat for them.

Neither of the Onuoha Twins were one to show much emotions of fear, but this one may have been too hard on them to ignore. However, while Ebube was coded enough to control herself and take the brute of the gruesome attack, Ebere was completely gone. The girl had all the air in her, restricted from entry and exit, as she choked and choked on absolutely nothing.

Soma and Ebube had to go into damage control, helping a scattered Ebere with soft pats to the back as she coughed and coughed and coughed and wouldn't stop coughing.

"Oh my God." Ebube had muttered into the air in exasperation, crouching down ever so slightly, like somehow there was an imaginary veil covering her from being in sight, and she was adjusting it properly.

How could that monster be here?

How? How could she be here? God please, she couldn't see us here. We'd be destroyed. Dead. Doomed.

"This can't be happening, this can't be happening," Ebere shocked me with how furiously she was trembling, as she tried to hide from sight the way her sister was doing.

Soma and I were doing the same thing. If she looked this was and saw us, she'd automatically know that the twins were here too. We couldn't risk that.

Watching her, watching that monster and recalling everything she had done was a choke hold on me.

And if it affected me that much, I could only imagine how badly it affected the twins. Especially Ebere.

"This really can't be happening, oh my God," Ebere kept muttering her laments in anguish, as she and her sister were praying to not be seen.

"What the fuck is she doing here?!" Ebere nearly cried, her voice shaking in fear.

"Stay down, Sisters," Soma said, speaking to the twins, "She won't notice us if you just keep staying down," She sounded so reassuring, that I may have believed her if I were in the twins' shoes.

The monster got to the Counter. The same counter that Chika was on, with a number of agitated and angry customers who were complaining about their service.

I was scared she would notice Chika and find out we all were here. But neither she nor Chika acted like they were going to notice each other soon enough, and that was relieving.

That monster.

Sarafina Kaye.

Even the sound of her name in my own head, made me think of Hell.

"Let's leave this place, I can't afford to let her see me." Ebere said to us.

The fire and flames, the sulphur and brimstone...

"It's risky," Soma said, stopping her as soon as she made an attempt to stand up and run.

Weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth...

"We can't afford to be caught, Sarafina may just order food and leave," Soma said, "If we stand up, we may get her attention, let's just sit still and hope she goes."

The tears and anguish of suffering, screaming souls....

"Okay, okay, okay," Ebere kept muttering to herself, deciding to listen to Soma as she did little breathing exercises, took in bits of air to calm herself down.

My heart broke over and over watching her this way because it all reminded me of a time when Ebere Onuoha actually used to feel this emotion called Fear.

And no, there wasn't ever a time I knew Ebere to be weak. She had always been the intimidating, strong, badass she is now, but I remembered clearly a time in Ss1 when this monster called Sarafina Kaye made life an unbearable hell for Ebere.

Ebere of all people, was afraid, literally horrified by even the sound of the name 'Sarafina Kaye'. And sadly, none of us could do anything about it.

Not even Chika....

Ebere wasn't the only one afraid of Sarafina Kaye. We all were. Sarafina Kaye was an ex student of Castron High - calling her a student was not exactly accurate as she was expelled before she actually graduated, an expulsion that was very, very long overdue. When we were just in Ss1, she was already in her final year - a new student in Ss3, and for the mean time that she stayed with us, for the single term that Sarafina was here with us, she made life unbearable for the students of Castron High. She was the most horrible senior to ever exist in our school. Conspiracy theories had it that Sarafina could take a life and nothing would be done about it.

The girl was a spawn of Satan. An angry, inhumane, wicked human being. For all I knew, she may not have been human. Unfortunately, for us, she had a special interest in making our set suffer. Even most unfortunate was the fact that she always had a special 'liking' towards Ebere.

Her very own blood cousin.

And as I watched Ebere - The same Ebere who was not scared of anything, the same Ebere who was always fierce and fearless and bold, the same Ebere who I had forgotten knew how to give a shit about threats, as I watched her wallow in all her dread and anxiety, I got reminded that she was human. Most of all, I got reminded of all the things she had to go through in that monster's hands in Ss1.

All those terrible, unspoken dirty things.

"I can't stay here, I'm sorry," Ebere panicked, and without even listening to any of Soma's protests, she was up and her feet, getting set to race for the door like a cheetah.

My head scattered.

Soma and Ebube went crazy.

And goodness, it's like the devil had a special agenda against us, because of all people, of all damn people in that crowd of buzzing, noisy customers by the counter to notice us, it just had to be that monster from hell.

It all happened in a blur.

Ebere was fighting off Soma and Ebube's hands off her, with every thing in her, and Sarafina Kaye, who I had heard had ears like an owl, and eyes like an eagle, turned in time to get clear sight of all of us.

"Shit." Ebube cursed.

That moment, that moment right there, that very moment that Sarafina's eyes - eyes that were known for it's vengeance, hate, and pure inhumane wickedness - set on us, directly on our table, that very moment was when we all knew that we fucked up.

Sarafina Kaye spotted us from a distance, a disturbing manic glint in her eyes as they recognized us in a flash. Ebere who had been gaga a few minutes ago finally mellowed in the brutal realization, sunk back down onto her seat in shock, and a whimper left her.

A whimper.... From Ebere Onuoha.

As expected, Sarafina made her way towards us, and with each step forward the monster took, it seemed like there was an earthquake moving with her, tearing and breaking down the ground, and threatening to swallow us into the earth. 

"Ebere?" She was on our table in no time, acknowledging only Ebere while acting like she wasn't noticing the rest of us trembling like chickens on the same table.

"Ebere Onuoha?" That psychopathic glint was in her eyes as she stepped even further like she wanted to confirm what she was seeing,  and Ebere's breath had hitched - an action that Sarafina had found a bit amusing.

This girl was horrible.

And she even looked it. Not just by her steps, and her evil, blood thirsty eyes, but everything else about her glinted the wickedness in her. Ironically, Sarafina was very pretty. It may have ran in the blood because she didn't quite disappoint.

Although, her cat eyes would have been softer if she didn't constantly narrow them in a hard glare, and have that one left eyebrow always naturally arching more than the other, in a way that made her look unfriendly. She would have been tall, if she had a better posture that didn't hunch her back slightly. Plus sized; if not for the fit and able pound of flesh she was built of. And light skinned; if not for the sun burns that darkened her potential brightness.

And the girl called - Ebere - seemed to have even stopped breathing a long time ago; she couldn't even muster up the courage to look this monster in the eyes, she just stayed still, the slight trembling of her fingers on the table made me know she was still aware of what was in front of her. 

Ebube wasn't able to keep eye contact as well, but she managed to be more comported than her sister. Still, I could tell from the multiple times I saw throat move with a gulp that she was probably equally terrified. Soma had always been the least person to hide emotions, even if Sarafina wasn't even addressing me and her, she was visibly terrified.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise," Sarafina smirked as she moved around Ebere in a half circle, nodding and observing slightly, taking her time to sink the girl in. Her voice was the same as I remembered - bold, deep, and authoritative. 

This girl had done all sorts of unspeakable things to our set in her time...

"How time flies," She stopped, settled her eyes on a shaking Ebere, masking that uncomfortable dark, demonic gaze on her with the most evil smirk ever, "It's crazy, isn't it?"

She had broken a girl's leg with her bare hands. Her fucking bare hands. Why? Just because her good-for-nothing boyfriend smiled at her. Poor Prissy Waje had to walk with a limp through out the rest of the term.

"I didn't expect to see you here, you must be shocked to see me, aren't you?" She smiled, clearly teasing Ebere, playing with her as she could visibly see that the girl was close to peeing on herself.

She made another girl in our set constantly keep cutting her own hair in front of her and her friends, every single week, just because she didn't like the fact she was biracial and her hair was long and curly.

"One of my earnest wishes in life was to find you again....."

There were just too much evil she did. Don't even let me get started on what got her expelled; I can't even  say it.

"So, I guess, fate has got to love this girl called Sarafina Kaye." She spread out her arms as though she wanted a hug from Ebere.

The girl had to be mad.

A hug? Did she expect Ebere to be happy to see her after everything she put her through or was this psychopath just playing with her? Playing with all our anxieties? What was she up to?

"Embrace me, baby cousin," Sarafina ordered Ebere, hard straight look in her eyes, "Stand up and show me how happy you are to see me."

The bloody fuck?

Ebere gulped.... But stayed on her seat.

"Stand the fuck up and show me how happy you are to see me, you brat!" Sarafina spat bitterly at Ebere, showing the full-fleshed living demon in her out for all to see.

Ebere was up on her feet in a flash, adhering to Sarafina and wrapping her arms around the monster in a forced hug.

This same girl who tormented Ebere, came to Castron High and turned her into a personal slave for she and her friends, made her follow her around like a personal assistant, and then had Ebere beaten up to a bloody pulp, nearly costing her her own life, when she fought back for her liberty.

Like all that she did wasn't enough, she used her parents privilege as influential people in the country to sweep her evil under the rug, and deny Ebere the justice she deserved.

And she was expecting Ebere to be happy to see her? She had to be crazy.

"Now, this is the Ebere I used to know," Sarafina smirked, proud of what she had mellowed Ebere into as she admired her 'work'.

It was sad how none of us could legit do anything.... All we could do is watch this entire painful show.

I just didn't understand why Sarafina specifically picked on Ebere. She had little to no regard for Ebube, but she was ready to always have Ebere's head on a plate.

And Ebere, she was afraid, yes, but it almost stated to look to me like she was shaking in some form of rage, like she was angry someone was doing this to her, and probably even angrier at herself for letting them, and having no courage to do shit about it.

It was so obvious that Sarafina may have noticed.

"Look how grown you are now," She said to Ebere, "You're already now in your final year of Secondary School, and you just keep rebranding yourself bigger and better..."

She stopped talking there, took a moment to look Ebere up and down, from her multi-coloured braids, and to the sassy, highly provocative 'fit she had on, and a smirk played on her lips as she said, "You're now so.... Bold."

Ebere Onuoha had always been bold.

Or at least, I've always known her to be.

Sarafina didn't stop talking;

"Even after everything that happened back in the days we were just kids, after every damn thing you let yourself go through, it still amazes me how much you managed to grow and change and morph from that young, Ebere I used to know..."

Sarafina seemed to not help but stop once more to give one shock filled gaze at Ebere, looking her up and down, from head to toe, "To this."

Eh?

What was she even saying?

Morphed from the Ebere she used to know?

This is the Ebere that has always been - the strong, badass, mean girl - so I failed to understand what Sarafina was trying to say.

And I couldn't get over the look in her eyes as she said this. It was like Sarafina couldn't hold back the shock of 'Ebere's change' - like it was something that no matter how much she tried, she couldn't just understand it.

"What happened to you, Ebere?" She asked the girl. "You've changed so much."

This was the first time I was hearing something like this, so it shocked me too. I couldn't imagine Ebere being any different from what I knew her to be already.

It was clear I wasn't the only one being confused. While Ebere and Ebube held her heads down in silence, Soma looked like Sarafina was speaking Russian. She was equally just as confused as I was.

I started to feel like there was a lot that the Onuoha Twins had been hiding from us....

I wasn't even sure what to think at this point.

Who was the Ebere that Sarafina used to know as a kid?

Sarafina was quick to pick up the hints of confusion on both me and Soma's faces, and an amused glint in her eyes sparked, one that almost looked psychopathic. I had half a mind to run, but I couldn't do anything else than sit down there on my seat as Sarafina Kaye decided to turn out attention to me and Soma.

"Oh, Ebere hasn't told you guys anything, has she?" She smiled at us, with an excitement too high that it started to look creepy.

Ebere hasn't told us what..?

"Sara, don't tell them." It was Ebube who shocked me by finally having the balls to speak up for her sister who was literally wallowing in embarrassment, dreading the near future.

There was an empathic look in Soma's eyes when she looked to the twins. Sarafina, on the other hand, completely ignored Ebube. She was hell bent on telling us.

I felt like a terrible friend because I wanted Sarafina to talk. I wanted to know what it was that Ebere and Ebube were hiding so desperately from us. I wanted to hear this.

"Really, Ebere didn't tell you all anything?" Sarafina was back on track, a wicked smile dancing there on her lips as she enjoyed tormenting the twins.

Get on to the point, bitch.

She was talking to me and Soma, but that tormenting smile was on her face, aimed at Ebere who she was shooting bullets at.

"You don't have to tell them about that." Ebere's voice wavered when she found it.

"Oh, baby cousin, you don't want me telling them about 'missing front teeth Ebere'?" Sarafina went right ahead to start talking anyway.

"Stop, please-"

"Or Playground Loner Ebere?" Sarafina cut Ebere's pleading off.

"Sara, stop-"

"Circle glasses Ebere? Cry baby Ebere? Porous brain Ebere? Nobody wants to be her friend Ebere?-" Sarafina rapped on, ignoring the shit out of Ebere, despite her desperate protests.

My mouth nearly dropped at Sarafina's words.

She had to be joking. Right?

"Wait wait wait, this shit is epic..." Sarafina laughed hysterically, stepped up close to Ebere whose head was down, and forced her head up by roughly yanking a hand full of her newly done braids, forcing a pathetic squeal out of Ebere.

I winced... Imagining how painful that must have been.

"Oh, you didn't tell them about any of that? You didn't tell them about how all the girls in your class gave you all those awful nicknames, right? Right?" She hissed into Ebere's face, and the latter winced in pain, struggling in vain to get Sarafina's hands off her scalp, and I closed my eyes unable to watch this.

Sarafina seemed bitter. Too bitter. For a reason that was unclear to me. 

"Right, Ebere?" She was still on the girl's case, "But, you were so quick to ruin my name to your friends and paint me as such a monster, but you couldn't even tell them about how much I had your fucking back, back then!" Sarafina was so angry, as she reamed Ebere. I could see how livid she was, how angry and bitter and rage filled she was, and each word had a ton of weight attached to it. 

Sarafina almost sounded wronged.

She almost sounded like she was justifiably wronged by Ebere.

But no, it couldn't be.

I recalled what Ebere told us that Sarafina did to her, in Ss1. Ebere used to hang around Sarafina and her friends against her will, and each time she came back, she was in tears, crying about something Sarafina did - how she made her carry all the backpacks for her and her friends, how she copied notes for them, bought food and snacks for them and basically was their very own slave -  And hell, I knew what I had witnessed this evil Sarafina of a girl do to other people. She was a terrible person. She deserved to be expelled after that final last straw......

And if not for Ebere, Sarafina's evil may not even have been brought into light.

"Ebere, you didn't even tell your friends about how horrible Primary School was for you. Primary and the most of your junior Secondary School, before you even came to CH! You didn't even tell them how you used to come back home, crying to me about one thing or the other Momo and her friends did to you-" Sarafina said.

I couldn't believe my ears. And Sarafina didn't even stop there.

"Sara, Momo made fun of my hair again today! Sara, Sara, I don't want to wear my glasses anymore, Momo said they were ugly!" She started an awful imitation of a child that I painfully believed to be Ebere Onuoha, "Sara, Sara! Momo and her friends refused to play with me! Sara, the girls in my class are calling me Dexter's laboratory! Sara! Sara! SARA! SARA! YOU FUCKING ALWAYS WANTED MY HELP, AND I WAS ALWAYS THERE FOR YOU! AND AFTER EVERY GOD DAMN THING, YOUR UNGRATEFUL ASS DECIDED TO PAY BACK ALL MY GOOD WITH EVIL, BY TURNING ALL YOUR FRIENDS AND EVERYONE IN CH AGAINST ME!"

I flinched.

God in heaven.

I was well aware that the entire eatery may have been watching us by now, and this.... This was getting too messy.

Out from the corner of an eye, I noticed Chika amongst the formerly busy, and now, seemingly confused crowd of customers by the counter whom we started to get attention from...

And Chika was quick to spot us from her distance.

I swallowed. Looked away.

Shit.

"All I ever wanted in CH was to get closer to you, and you kept pushing me away and tainting me as a bad person to everyone-"

Ebere didn't taint you, Sarafina. You did that all by yourself.

"Of course, you wouldn't tell your friends the part of the story where I was always sticking up for you in the past, Ebere. You'd rather want to tarnish my image over something so trivial, right?" Sarafina went on, "You see, that's the fucked up twisted truth about you; You always have a way of making everyone look like the villain, while somehow, you become the victim. The one who's never at fault! The one whose always right!-"

Chika was already sprinting towards our table with rapid urgency.

"It's always what they did to you, and why you should avenge!" Sarafina was hurling harsh words at Ebere, holding aggressively a chunk of her braids in all her anger, "You won't admit it to yourself, but you've become a monster, Ebere Onuoha! You always have a way of making EVERYTHING all about you! You! You! You! You get sooo angry and forget all the good someone's ever done for you, and then, you focus on one bad thing, one stupid mistake they made, and make them pay for it! You don't even give a SHIT how many people have to go down with them, you just want revenge! And then, you fuel it in that sick mind of yours that somehow, you are right, and they deserve the worst! So you do the worst! Just like what you did to me, Ebere! JUST LIKE WHAT YOU FUCKING DID TO ME, YOU EVIL SPAWN OF SATAN!"

There was already an uproar in the place, and I felt like the ground should open up and swallow all of us. I couldn't even believe it, but there were tears in Ebere's eyes as this Sarafina girl seemed to want to detach her braids from her scalp.

"You don't care about anyone else but yourself, Ebere! You think you care about a person, but in reality, you're just making yourself believe it just so you don't feel guilty for being the horrible, nasty, shitty ass human being you have become! In reality, it's all you! You! You! You are a terrible person, and you deserve the worst! You deserve worse than what you put me through, and if I don't kill you with my bare hands today, then let hell strike me dead, Ebere Onuoha!"

Jesus Christ.

"Watch how this evil demon is going to ruin your lives when things get overwhelming for her!" Sarafina screamed at me and Soma, "Then, you'll see how much she claims she fucking cares-"

"Oh my God!" Soma was already up from the table, running away and heading towards a destination I wasn't sure of. She was always fund of running away in situations like this to ask for help.

Ebere squealed in pain when Sarafina roughly shoved her head away, and the girl was nearly falling right over her seat if not for a distressed Ebube who was quick to hold her and balance her in place. My breath hitched in my throat. Ebere was hiding in her sisters arms, her body shaking and vibrating as she cried silently into her twin's hold.

"Sarafina Kaye."

Took her long enough.

Amidst a watching protesting crowd, Chika was finally stepping up into full view.

Sarafina stopped on hearing her name, and slowly, like she wanted to properly see and analyse whoever on earth it was that had the audacity to call her full name, she turned back, looked a gentle looking Chika from head to toe, sizing her up in the most disgusted glare I had ever seen.

"And who the fuck are you supposed to be?" Her brow arched even more in irritation as she glared hostilely at Chika.

I couldn't believe how calm Chika was. It was like she did that on purpose - tried her best to stay as calm as possible to avoid conflict. She never let people talk her or anyone else down, but at the same time, she stood up from everyone, wasn't afraid to call anyone out to their face, and did not want to start a fight. Even after Ajiro, when would Chika learn that some people, unlike her, enjoy conflict?

"Chika," Chika introduced herself. Calmly. "I'm Chika Chioma, and well, you didn't particularly know of my existence back when you were in Castron High." She even got out a hand for Sarafina to shake. The balls. 

"Like hell I didn't." Sarafina eyed Chika's outstretched hands nastily like it was filthy rags.

The whole café was noisy, bubbling with voices here and there, and I wasn't sure if they were shouting at Sarafina, Chika, or all of us.

"Well, then, I guess we'll need a proper introduction, wouldn't we?" Chika reclaimed her self respect by bringing down her aired hands, "As I said, my name is Chika, and I don't quite enjoy seeing my friends getting bothered, so how about that?"

"And that piece of information is supposed to be of use to me, how?" Sarafina questioned, stepped up close to Chika so the height difference was clear to all.

I expected Chika to step back as Sarafina seemed to tower her just a little, but she was calm as a bird, almost looked bored or tired, clearly not even in the mood for this shit.

"In a nutshell, Sarafina, get the hell out of my sight." She told her straight.

Sarafina backed up, surprised by Chika's guts.

I didn't even care much at this point to particularly pay attention to whatever everyone was shouting, but I was honestly confused as to why none of the workers were dragging us out of here already. The Sisters had always complained about how bad the service here was; They said it was the worst in the World. And judging through how long they kept Chika there, complaining at the counter while Sarafina was shading Ebere over here, and how none of them were even acting now, towards sending Chika or Sarafina or us all away from here, so everyone could have their peace, I figured they were not even exaggerating at all.

"Look, b," Chika addressed Sarafina, "I really don't want any trouble with you, and believe me, I'm not in the mood for it too. But you're making my friends really uncomfortable, and I don't like that. I'm politely asking you to leave, and I'm only being civil."

"Look at the guts of this girl!" Sarafina spat in her face, absolutely shocked.

"Guts?" Chika scoffed, a sly smile couldn't help but break forth on her face as she laughed, amused by the word for some reason. "Bold of you to assume you're that much of a challenge to me."

My heart dropped to my stomach.

Sarafina raised a brow at Chika, eyed the girl from head to toe, and said nothing for the few seconds she just stared at her that way.

That....... sort of scared me.

Chika was asking for it, and without an ounce of regret. She never seemed to be afraid of anybody, and that fact both impressed and scared me at the same time. Sarafina was crazy, what if that girl had a weapon on her?

"Chi, let's just go." A hysteric Soma said. The girl had come back to join us after an aimless, agitated roaming session. And Ebere was still in her sister's arms, she hadn't even lifted her face up once from us for one second. 

"If she doesn't leave first, she'll just go after us on the way and I can't have that happening," Chika said to Soma, talking about Sarafina like she wasn't just standing there in front of her.

But Sarafina wasn't going to leave....

So, what next?

Why do we have to get ourselves into such trapping situations?

Sarafina cleared her throat, and my heartbeat picked up in pace accordingly. 

"You think you're such a badass, right?" She said to Chika. 

Chika wasn't even moved.

"I am going to leave..." Sarafina said.

Thank God.

"But before I do....." She drawled, a wicked smile dancing on her lips. "I am going to leave a little mark right here in this room for you all to remember Sarafina Kaye by."

Ewo...

Sarafina stepped up close to Chika, and Chika looked like she was fighting the urge to react.

"I think you should take a step back, Sarafina." She warned.

"I'll start with you," She pouted mockingly at an unfazed Chika, completely ignoring her, "I will take my precious time to pummel you to my satisfaction, and when I feel you have had enough, I will then leave a nice little permanent bruise on that pretty face of yours just so that every time you look at the mirror, your heart will blossom at the thought of me...."

This girl is mad.

I wondered how Chika still remained undisturbed.

"And when I'm done with you," Sarafina continued, "I'll move onto that Sopuru's sister - the one that's been running around here like a little rat-"

Soma.

Jesus Christ, she's talking about Soma.

Sopuru was Soma's older Sister who graduated from Sarafina's set.

But what did Soma do..?

"And you know what I'm going to do with her?" Her eyes glinted in a manic humour that made Soma gasp in horror and take cover behind a calm Chika.

"I'll take my time to fold her tall frame in half, make her into a human jet, and throw her outside the window to see if she flies....." Sarafina smiled at Chika , "And if she doesn't, we'll just keep trying over and over and over again."

I felt a log in my throat.

Soma half screamed.

"And then, when I'm done with her, I'll move to that your Minnie Mouse looking friend-"

My heart stopped for a moment as I touched the two large buns on my head that Soma had done, earlier.

Sarafina was talking about me.

I felt faint.

"I'll take her in to the clobber house for a little session-"

God forbid.

"-And let's just hope and pray the poor little thing comes out alive," She said, I swallowed. "Then, maybe I can reward her with some cheese." 

Chika just stared at Sarafina, a plain look on her face as she said nothing.

"And for my sweet baby cousin....." She looked over to Ebere who was still in her twin's arms, holding onto her tightly.

"I won't do anything to her," Sarafina declared.

I gulped, I wasn't sure why.

"I'll just enjoy watching her watch her friends in pain." She said.

This girl is mad.

"I mean, Ebere for one has enough to worry about-"

Sarafina really knew how to exclude Ebube like she wasn't even there. I actually wondered why.

"For one, she has that her deformed and disabled little monster of a human as her little brother-"

I had a stroke.

Ebube looked like she was thrust with a spear, and Ebere had stopped moving in her arms, absolutely frozen.

And for the first time, there was emotion on Chika's face. She visibly winced.

"That's enough to put her through one hell of suffering; No wonder she has become so black-"

"You sure don't know when to stop until you cross the line, don't you, Sarafina Kaye?" Chika cut her off, visibly and clearly displeased and pissed.

And guy, Chika was PISSED!

So pissed, so angry that it made me worried for the outcome of all this. 

"Oh yeah, defs." Sarafina scoffed in her face. "And I dare you to do something about it, Barbie-"

Red.

Red.

Red.

Hell broke loose and all I saw was red.

Sarafina Vs Chika, put your money on one now, lmao!😂

All jokes apart, this chapter wasn't just funny at all though. I'm worried I may have caused you all to already come up with some assumptions about Ebere, which may be right or wrong, idk what you're thinking, so feel free to share!

And warning sha, from this point onwards of this book, a lot of things are going to be happening and a lot of characters may be tainted in a not so good light sha, all I'd say is that y'all should be sha careful before judging, and keep an open mind, lol. Everything that's happening at this point leads up to the big explosion that's the climax, and I can't wait to go through this rollercoaster ride with all of you!♥️

Btw, I have started growing an unhealthy love for Chika sha🙂 Oh, well.

Anyways, see you all for now. Let's pray my mood doesn't come in the way of Friday's update sha✨