Hello, there. Before you start reading, tell me how your day has been going.❤️

~DABI~

Mama Acha stared at me and realization seemed to dawn on her, and she stepped back. Once. Twice. Three times. And took in a deep breath.

"You're not doing it on purpose, are you?" She asked, her eyes suddenly softened on me.

Doing what?

"Or, are you?" She raised a concerned brow, a very concerned brow, and her voice came softer with her next words, "Dabeluchi, are you okay?"

There was a sharp, striking pain that hit the side of my brain, nearly bursting the vein open with a splitting migraine, and I screamed out in pain.

The door slammed open immediately, but that was all I could note from my immediate surrounding, because the entire time, there was a screeching in my head that threatened to end me, and as that splitting, unbearable headache hit me with the force of a dagger.

I pressed my hands to my head like it was going to do much to stop the aching and there were hands all over me, and muffled voices, saying something my brain couldn't decode.

All the way, it's like I could see different flashes of things that didn't make much sense to me. Blood, fire, scissors, noting that made particular sense to me in context, and as each one came, it felt like  my head was splitting more and more in half, and it was beyond excruciating.

But it all happened in a second.

Or at least, that was what it felt like. One second was all it took, and like a magical spell was cast upon me, everything seized - The screeching, the aching in my head, everything.

And when I opened my eyes, Mama Acha wasn't even in the room.

It was just Marcus Acha.

It was just Marcus?

I suddenly was unsure of what the hell had actually been going on this morning. Starting from when I stained myself, the bed, and till when Mama Acha had helped me, and had that strange conversation with me about my Mum after I called Mum, I couldn't even decipher if that was real or not.... I wasn't sure.

However, I could still feel my cramps, and I was sure that I was wearing pads...

So, it probably wasn't all in my head, right?

"Hey, are you okay?" Marcus alerted me to him once more, and I turned to him, confused to hell as to how the hell he got here and what was really going on.

He was already quarter-dressed for School; Wearing a black Men's tank top with his school trousers and his feet were covered with black socks and some black croc slippers, and he sat comfortably, elbows resting on his knees as he crouched slightly, staring into my ears with brown, kind and concerned eyes.

I was so confused.

So many things seemed off about this morning already, and I didn't know how to even start to understand what was going on.

"Where's your Mum?" I asked him first, "She was just here, wasn't she?"

He looked confused. The furrowing of his eyebrows were enough to make me tell.

"No, she wasn't," He answered me, "She's been downstairs, making breakfast all morning. For us."

I looked at him.

"Don't shit me." I warned him.

"My Mum's been making breakfast all morning," He repeated, looked at me without wavering, an almost creepy steady look in his eyes as he seemed to monitor mine closely, "Are you confused, Aurora?"

I stared at him for a little longer and when neither of us said more for a while..

I just sighed.

I sighed tiredly.

"I'm sorry, I think I just have a headache," I started to massage my temples, wrapping my head around what Marcus was telling me.

"It's okay, though," Marcus waved it off with a smile, "After she left the room just seconds ago, she asked me to take care of you for a while."

"I'm fine, I promise, I-" I paused. Froze. Looked back up slowly to him like he was crazy, and my forehead creased in confusion, "What?" I looked at Marcus, stared right back at him the way he was moping at me, "What did you just say?"

He stared at me, looked like he had been asked a riddle.

"I thought you said your Mum has been making breakfast all morning, so how did she leave just a few seconds ago?" I questioned him.

"What?" He frowned in more confusion, shook his head, "That's not what I said."

"Then, what did you say?" I fired back.

"Aurora, I just asked if you were okay, that's all," He swore. He sincerely looked at me so I knew he wasn't lying.

But..

Ehh?

"And where is all these talk about Breakfast and my Mum coming from? Who gave you that idea? My mum doesn't even cook," He said to me. He laughed about it actually.

"But you're the one who said she was making breakfast all morning," I defended myself, "I didn't come up with the idea. That's what you told me."

"Yes, Aurora, and that's exactly what she's been up to all morning," He spoke softly, held my arm gently, and looked at me, "Relax, soon, she'll be done with breakfast, and we'll eat and be gone to School, okay?"

I had no idea what the fuck was going on.

"Okay." Was all I said, and Marcus held me in a warm, gentle embrace.

I remembered Mum and how she always had it at my throat to always take my anti-psychotics, and Lord knows, something was definitely off about this morning, but I couldn't pin my finger on it. 

However, staying there in Marc's arms had a way of calming me down. I mean, as cliché as it was to say it over and over, the fact was that this boy's presence was so wholesome to me, and he knew so well how to take away such a large weight of burden away from me. So, I stayed in his arms..

Until the door opened to reveal Mama Acha walking in on us.

"Oh, hey kids!" She sounded cheerful and random as she burst through the door, holding up something that looked like female Castron High Uniforms in a hanger.

She stopped short, noticing me and Marcus in each others arms, and her eyes lit up, practically glinted in amusement at the both of us, as she tossed the uniforms right on the bed we were sitting on. 

"Mad oo!" She chanted, "So, I just left you kids for how many seconds and you're already cuddling like this, ehh!" Marcus was already laughing at his Mum's wits and the woman mock scolded the both of us, "C'mon, will the two of you stand up from there! Do you know what the time is that you're still sitting around here and doing Love In Tokyo!"

Marcus was laughing, but he stood up with his Mum's orders, although looking like he wanted to protest.

"You're the one that asked me to make sure she was okay naw," He said.

"Oya, I can see she's fine, be going, uncu!" She pulled him away from my side, "Dabi, you're good now, abi?" She asked me.

"I think so," I shrugged. I honestly wasn't even sure.

"Good, now leave her alone, so she can dress up in peace," She drove Marcus out of the room.

I wanted to ask a lot of questions.

"Thanks for the uniforms," I grabbed them slowly, looked over them, "Whose are they?"

Mama Acha closed the door behind her, instead of leaving.

"It belongs to my oldest child and only daughter," She answered me, her voice was softer and filled with more meaningfulness,  "She used to go to Castron High, years back before Marcus could even spell his name."

That made me laugh.

"Oh." I responded, "That's cool."

"Yeah," She nodded, seemed to smile at some memories, "And she was about your size, so it should size you really well, you know."

"Thanks," I smiled.

Mama Acha nodded briefly, and looked away from me, a bit too quickly, a bit too wistfully, muttered something I didn't hear and made her way out.

"How is breakfast going?" I asked behind her.

She stopped walking, turned around and looked at me like she wasn't following, cocked her head slightly to the side, "Excuse me?"

"Breakfast," I repeated, "Marc told me you were making breakfast."

Mama Acha smiled, sort of laughed and shook her head at what I said.

"I don't cook, sweetheart," She winked at me, got her hands on the door knob, and sassed with style before leaving, "Tell that boyfriend of yours to stop spreading fallacies."

************

I wasn't sure what I felt about the uniforms Mama Acha gave me.

The shirt was much tighter than mine, and it was like I was literally been compressed by it. Worst still, it brought out the entire contours of my skinny frame, I was certain that everyone and anyone would be able to see my ribs through this shirt

And the skirt was too short, hanging well above my knee, and it felt extremely uncomfortable to even look at myself wearing this. I mean, just look at how pronounced my skinny legs are in this. My classmates would turn me into a laughing stock.

"Everyone in School will think I've lost my mind," I muttered to myself, as I looked at the mirror, and couldn't stop staring at a reflection of myself that didn't look like myself.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

"The driver is still waiting downstairs though, but no pressure, love, take your time," Someone spoke, and I was reminded that Marcus had been in here, since the past thirty minutes that I had finished dressing up and was staring at this rubbish.

He had been waiting for me.

Marcus looked even more handsome this morning, with his skin glowing a bronze, gold beautiful colour under the candle lights of the room. His eyes,  lighting up with a brighter glint, and his full pink lips, curved into a smirk as he watched my little mental lashing session; He was already fully dressed in his complete school uniform - White long sleeved shirt, sangria red trousers, a well knotted tie, and the School's red blazer.

He looked good.

Very good.

In my opinion, he would have looked more 'school proper' if it weren't for the black socks I could clearly see he was wearing - something that was clearly breaking the uniform rule -  and instead of the regular men's shoes that most of our school scholars would rather come to School with, Marcus preferred to rock this neat, new-looking, black Nike shoes. I didn't know much about guys shoes, but I was certain that was the lastest kind and I was aware of it's ridiculously outrageous price.

And with a charming, yet considerate and calming smile on his face, along with that familiar glint in his brown eyes, he looked me up and down, from head to toe, seemingly decoding the cause of my problem.

"I assume that you don't like the look of my sister's uniform on you," He grabbed the gist quickly.

Not one bit.

The look on my face said it all, and he got his answer.

"I mean, I'm sure it looked great on her," I tried to sugar coat my words, "But, I'm not feeling it on me."

He smiled calmly at me, nodded in understanding.

"I grab," He sort of laughed softly under his breath, gave me one brief overall look, and folded his arms and I tried to ignore the way that simple action caused the muscles on his arms to bulge through the sleeves so I could focus on the matter at hand, "But would you like to hear my own opinion, Aurora?" He asked.

I swallowed, folded my arms too, and became nervous, "Go on."

"Of course, I won't force you to wear what you don't want to wear and all," He started, "But believe me when I tell you, you look absolutely gorgeous in that, and I think everyone else in school would think same."

I stared at myself in the mirror one more time to see if I would be convinced into thinking same, but...

"No," I shook my head, turned my body around to look at Marcus, "Mm hm, no."

"I would love to advice you to skip school today," Marc was saying,"Especially since my Mum kept saying that a girl in your situation deserves to be excused with at least a  few days holiday-"

He was talking about the fact that I was on my period.

And in a nutshell, his Mum believes that menstrual cramps should be a valid enough reason for a girl to get a day off.

So, he knew I was on my period all along?

"-But, unfortunately, Class C has Math today, and there's speculation going around in the Class group chat that Stoneface wants to do a pop-up test in your Class today," Marc finished, and I had a whip lash.

"Fuck that man!" I groaned in frustration.

Really? Pop-Up Math Test? Who does that!? Stupid man! Stupid, good for nothing, bratty, rubbish, pathetic, annoying-

"Hey," Marcus cut me off laughing at my sudden anger, "Hey, it's just a rumour, okay? No one knows if it's actually going to happen, Aurora, so chill and don't stress it. Skip if you want, nothing will happen."

"I really don't want to be forced to School, but if there's rumour about Math Test, then I'm going. Everyone knows how wicked that man can get, and my grades are already crying out in agony, I can't make it worse," I admitted to him.

"Your grades?" He raised a brow, "I can help with that."

"Says the guy whose advising me to skip my test. No thanks, I'll pass." I sucked my teeth at him and turned back to the mirror to try to adjust this damned uniform to my taste.

Marcus laughed. He really, really laughed. But that was it. He didn't argue with me.

Meanwhile, I was almost in tears at the hopelessness of this uniform.

"If you insist you have to go, you can just manage the uniform for today," Marc suggested, "After School, I could visit to the School Store and help get uniforms you'd like better for you. And don't worry, you don't have to be there. I can send pictures or something to you, is that okay?"

I thought about it for a second.

"Yeah," I nodded quietly, "Thank you."

"Don't thank me," He said back, "You keep forgetting that I can and will do anything for you, Aurora."

"Then, godmother, please make me like myself in this uniform," I sassed him.

He laughed again, "I really don't understand why you hate it so much though. I don't grab."

I gave myself one thorough look in the mirror before deciding to break it down to him in details.

"I look like a mop stick in this," I started, "My hair is all over the place, and my head is too big."

Marcus' smile left his face immediately.

"And my arms and legs look like a single string of thread," I continued, "I can bet your whole hand can fit around my body, and my ribs are showing through this dress."

Let's not even start on how dead my eyes looked.

Marcus said nothing to me. Absolutely nothing. He just kept staring at me in utter disbelief for a long, long time.

"Yeah." I muttered in disappointment of his silence, "Of course, you don't have anything to say."

I turned around to look away from him, but was shocked when I felt a frame towering behind me and strong, yet tender loving arms, wrapping around me from behind, literally holding my entire frame into him in an embrace.

I stayed quiet. Let Marcus hold me, but didn't hold back. And that warm and loving gesture was closely bringing tears to my eyes.

"What are you doing?" I asked quietly.

"I'm not quiet because I don't have anything to say," I heard Marcus voice behind me, I felt the vibration run through my body through him as he spoke so closely to my neck and it was all my entire system needed to dysfunction.

It was all it needed.

"I'm quiet because I have a lot to say, and believe me, I don't even know where to start," He confessed.

He was so close to me. This way. Being close to me this way was too much for me to take in. It was too much to handle. I wasn't sure I could handle it.

"But, Aurora," He whispered, "Words are overrated."

I swallowed, involuntarily brought my hands up to rest them gently on his arm around me.

"No matter what I say, if you don't believe it yourself, it may not mean too much," He said to me.

My senses are heightened, and it was like I seemed like I was feeling everything ten times more than I should. Every. Single. Thing.

He breathed so close to my neck and it seemed like it resonated through me, into me, and spread out through out my body like a wild fire. He held onto me, but my body felt detached, but in a good way. Every single thing that was happening right now was wrecking my system beyond repair. Every single thing. Every word he spoke to me hit in ways I couldn't explain. Every single word.

No. I believed he was wrong. Words were powerful.

And I was speaking from experience. Including right now.

He touched the band on my wrists and my breathing stopped for a while.

"You are nothing that you think you are, Aurora," Marcus whispered to me.

Immediately, the door burst open and Marcus and I, with the speed of light, jumped away from each other's arms on seeing Mama Acha.

"Chineke nna me! O gburu kwa ngini bu iha kwanu! What is all these!"

Too late. I think she already saw what we were doing.

And Jesus, that Igbo sounded STRONG!

"You people are here romancing when the driver has been waiting for the past one hour? You don't want to go to School today or what? Lekwa umu aka aa oo! See these children, my God!" 

Marcus was already laughing his head off and I wasn't, because his Mum looked very serious. It was only for a moment that I saw that tiny smile forming at her lips, that I was able to crack the tiniest laughter ever.

"Oya, see I've closed my eyes," She shut her eyes dramatically hard and moved from the door, "By the count of five, I don't want to see any of you here; One, two!"

We were probably going to stay there in that room and die of laughter if Marcus didn't hold my hand and pull me out himself.

Together, we ran down the stairs and out from the living room into the main compound to get into the car before his Mum had our head on a platter. And Mama Acha, being the woman full off goodness and courtesy, insisted that for my sake, she would make herself comfortable by the passengers seat and she would follow us, or me, to School.

It felt like my first day of Primary School.

And seeing just how far she was going to make me comfortable, acting as though nothing had happened between us during that phone call with my mother, it almost started to feel like....

It never happened?

I was so confused. I couldn't tell what really happened and what didn't. I couldn't even tell what was real and what was not this morning. Everything made sense, but didn't, at the same time.

However, all the way through the ride that I didn't even concentrate on, there was still one thing that plagued my mind. One person I couldn't stop thinking about.

"Can I see your phone?" I whispered to Marcus who sat with me at the back seat of the car.

"Sure," He quipped, easily passing his phone to me without a stress.

"Thank you," I whispered back, cleared my throat when his Mum had turned back to look at us, clearly picking up the noise from out little conversation.

The first thing I did with his phone was to check the class group chat. My goal was to see if there was any certain kind of news, any kind of news that may perhaps have to do with me.

I figured that if the news about what I did had already escalated, considering how prominent a business man my father was, it probably should have been everywhere on the news. And if it was everywhere on the news, then it was typical for my classmates to carry the whole matter on top of their heads.

So, if my guess was correct, then, probably, in the Class group chat, my classmates would have been tearing me to pieces and slandering my name like they were possessed right now.

I opened the group chat and hoped for the worst.

..... But no one was talking about me.

Infact, no one was talking about anything that even had the slightest correlation to me.

It was just the usual stuff that had been going around throughout the week: Trending gossip about the latest couple and Shade Onam's big party Tommorow, and also, as Marcus had mentioned, there were also speculations about a test we were going to have today and a few other academic announcements that had nothing to do with me.

So, nothing was viral about me?

Still left unconvinced, I proceeded to hit his Google search. Involuntarily, his past few searches couldn't help but catch my eyes, and I had to take a little moment to scoff at his history, wondering what his obsession about expensive shoe brands and hair gel was all about.

Focusing on the matter at hand, I typed in my father's full name in the search box.

And waited.

And waited.

And wait-

"Nothing." I whispered to myself as I looked around the profile to see anything suspicious, "Absolutely nothing."

"Everything okay?" I heard Marcus voice ask beside me.

I honestly hoped so.

And if not, then, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

"Hello?" His voice came again, "Are you okay, Aurora?"

Ayanis and Queen Naija 'Lil Boi, big talk' started playing subtly from the car speakers, distracting me for a moment with the overwhelming feeling the bass of the beat brought. 

For a moment, I was actually stunned that Mama Acha would allow such music with such language to be playing in the car, and even more stunned when I heard her humming to Ayanis' chorus, but then, I had to quickly remind myself that the woman wasn't like any other regular Nigerian parent.

"Aurora," Marcus was rather unfazed by his Mum as he called me again. 

I turned to the big, brown eyed mini god.

"You haven't answered," He punctuated his sentence with a little encouraging smile, "Are you good, Love?"

I had a whole rage of emotions, contradicting emotions running through me. Anxiety and relief. Fear and calm. Tension and Warmth. I couldn't answer the question.

Yet, all I answered him was, "I'm splendid."

******

It felt odd.

Driving in through the gates of Castron High, in the same car with Marcus Acha who sat there, right by my side, I mean.

It felt very odd.

It also felt uncomfortable. Like somehow, somewhere, I was being watched, and this was the last line for me.

But I knew it was all in my head.

I mean, having that Marcus and I actively had to always ignore each other in School, the way we did all the time, it just felt unusual and unreal actually being this close to him inside School Compound. And not that awkward kind of close where we got stuck in the same Biology group or some shit like that, but I mean, deliberately holding hands and being so close at will, inside School Compound.

I wouldn't lie. In as much as it felt sort of odd, it also felt good.

I liked it.

And maybe I wasn't particularly shaken up and anxious because it was very early, so early that the skies were still partially dark; the sun hadn't even risen properly, and the Disciplinary Prefects who were usually at the gate as early as 6:40am weren't even there, so early in the morning that the gatemen let us drive into the compound so we could be dropped directly in our senior block.

I started to have a feeling that Marcus deliberately asked to be this early for my sake. Just so we wouldn't cause too much commotion coming into School in 'broad daylight'. 

I found that thoughtful.

And even the SS3 Block looked deserted, almost haunted. The lights were not even totally up yet and it was just a few of the fluorescent lights and street lights, at the edges of the top of the building and at the sides, respectively, that brightened up the entire building so that we could even see it at least - This tall and large, yet one floored, white and red building that was Castron High's Ss3 Academic Block.

Staring at the building, I got reminded that everything looked better in the dark. 

Or, at least, at really early hours of the morning.

"Sweetheart, you can open the door now," Mama Acha laughed sweetly at me from where she sat.

Embarrassed and awkward as I suddenly was, I laughed and muttered an apology I didn't even hear, and before I could even get to the handle to open the door, it was opening already from the outside and it took me a moment to realize that Marcus was already out of the car, and was opening the door for me.

I blushed at the way this guy found the slightest opportunity to be sweet.

"The men in this family are just so dramatic, give me a vacation!" Mama Acha laughed so heartily at her son's actions, and even if I could see that smile tugging at the base of his lips, he sure did a good job at keeping his laughter in check.

"I agree," I quipped rather and Mama Acha heard and laughed even more, and I stepped down from the car, tuning out the little childish squabble that was going down between Marcus and his Mum.

He had such a beautiful relationship with his Mum.

So far I knew, he had such a beautiful family.

"Have fun in School, Kids," The woman cooed behind us, "We will come back for you two in the evening, okay?"

Evening? I was most certain that Marcus already arranged this whole thing.

"Oh, and Dabeluchi," She called out to me, I turned back to her hopefully, and she said to me, "You look amazing, though!" Blew a kiss at me and the car drove off as the window winder rose up to shield her from sight.

"Thank you," I muttered to myself, meaning for it to be a response to her.

For a moment, this amount of Love shown to me, just made me forget everything that was ever wrong with me or my life at the moment.

The mini god by my side took my hand subconsciously, and damn right took my entire mind and soul along with it, all he legit did was hold my hands and it felt more. Feeling a large sum of burden lift from my shoulders, I walked with him as he led me into the School Block.

I couldn't explain what I felt, but it was all a rush. It was like I was high on something I couldn't decipher. I don't know? Liberty? Freedom? I don't know what it was, but it made me happy. It was like the ultimate calm in the midst of the storm.

"And for the record..." His voice sounded like velvet to my ears, "You always look good."

The lights at the end of the hall went on and brightened up half of the entire Hallway, bringing the clean white walls, classroom doorways, and ceramic tiled floors at that side of the block into clear view, and I would have had a heart attack thinking that someone had caught the both of us red handed, but I realized that it was only Marcus, and he was the one who turned those lights on.

I figured that the light switch for this side of the hall were at the other end of the hall, and I became even more confused at the architectural structure of this Block. I mean, it had always been a mystery case why the entrance of the Block led you to Class F, and the exit led you first to Class A. And now, this?

But all that aside, the comfortable silence between me and Marcus as we walked ever so slowly down this partially dark hallway was something I wanted to last forever.

"You know it feels kinds surreal though..." I started a small conversation, watching with this tiny excitement, how our hands clasped together and swung by our sides as we walked, slowly, slowly, like two, little children.

"Yeah?" He seemed unusually interested in what I had to say, I felt it in is voice and in that gentle squeeze he gave my hand in his'. For a moment, I got lost watching how perfectly our hands fit into each others' - Art.

"Being with you like this in School," I said, "It feels surreal, like I'm dreaming or something."

"Best believe this isn't a dream, Aurora," Marcus laughed softly beside me, "And if it was, then it should be right about the best dream I have had in a long, long time."

I blushed at what he said, surprising myself how hot my cheeks felt.

"I feel the same way, Clyde," I told him, "It almost feels like such an accomplishment though, like something that should be ticked off a bucket list-" 

I didn't even know how to elaborate how this felt to him.

"I mean, I just-" I searched of ways to express myself with all my heart, "It makes me just want to break free and lose my mind and scream out loud to the whole of CH-"

"Aurora-" Marcus tried to stop me.

 "-SCREW YOU, CLASSMATES! I AM WITH MARCUS ACHA!" But he was too late; I had already belted out those words in the loudest voice I could muster, giving in my last breath into it.

And it felt good.

Very good.

"You sure seem hyper right now," He didn't fail to note that, and together, we laughed at it.

I guess your period does that you...

However, Marcus pointing out my happiness to me was enough to remind me of reasons why I should not be happy.

And like a heavy, dark cloak came upon me, I immediately shut down.

"You know? What you just did was a whole damn mood though," Marcus was still caught up in the euphoria of our freedom to even realise I had switched moods.

I believe he lost his mind.

Because the next thing, this nigga broke free from our hold and spread his arms out wide to the heavens, and shouted at the top of his voice, "SCREW YOU, CLASSMATES!-"

God of Mercy.

"-I REALLY LIKE DABELUCHI ORJI!"

I couldn't help it, as I slouched down against the wall to sit down there on the floor, a small laugh escaped my lips at how absolutely silly and adorable and stupid he looked.

"SCREW YOU, CLASSMATES!-"

The werey was still shouting to Oblivion, and with a smile tugging at the base of my lips, I sat there on the floor, knees tugged to my chest, watching the idiot, and shaking my head.

"-I AM IN LOVE WITH DABELUCHI ORJI!" He screamed again and I covered my face and was laughing my heart into my hands, uncontrollably.

"SCREW YOU, CLASSMATES-" This guy wasn't even planning on stopping.

"Stop shouting, abeg!" I was dying with laughter; I was literally rolling on the hallway floor.

Marcus heard me and turned to me, seeing me dying on the floor, and rushed to me, probably in an attempt to get me off the floor, but ended up getting there with me.

"Stop playing around, though, I actually want to talk to you about something serious." I said to him.

My serious tone and sudden switch of moods again seemed to confuse him for a bit and he sat on the floor with me, interested in hearing what I had to say.

"Whatever you say, Princess," He gave me all ears, moped into my eyes with those big brown eyes of his'.

There it was again.

The way this guy looked at me.

He looked at me, like he was looking at gold. That powerful, happy glint in his eyes - a strong glint of  admiration and excitement in his eyes - as they stared at me, completely, thoroughly, like no detail, no smallest hint of my face should even be missed. 

He didn't even need to tell me he loved me for me to confirm it. The way he looked at me said it all. 

And it meant a whole lot.

Although, I couldn't stop to ask myself once more, "Why me?"

"You should know why  I ran away from  Home though..." I hesitantly brought it up. I had to. 

Marcus nodded, listening to every bit of what I was saying.

"Are you ready to tell me?" He probed softly.

"Maybe," I said inaudibly, "But first..."

He listened.

"I want to understand something," I told him.

"Well, you know you can talk to me about anything. I'm ready when you're ready," He said to me.

Okay, then....

"Why did you tell your Mum I'm your girlfriend?" I posed the question and was straight forward with it.

Marcus backed up for a second.

"You told her I was your girlfriend, right?" I asked again.

"Well, she insinuated it and I let her," Marcus let me know, "Because definitely, I cannot call you a friend. I am well certain that we are wayyy past that."

"But still...." A teasing smile tugged at the base of my lips, "I'm not your girlfriend."

There was an equally teasing smile at the base of his lips as he looked at me and responded to that, "Well, you could be."

I rolled my eyes and scoffed at what he said, looking away from him.

"So, is that what you do?" I fired at him.

"What?" He laughed.

"You just bring girls home and introduce them to your Mum as your girlfriend?" I teased him more, "So, that's your way of asking girls out, huh?"

"I have never asked a girl out before," He told me, sounding like he was stating a fact.

I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly popped out of my sockets.

"Liar." I accused him, scoffed in disbelief.

"I'm serious," He told me earnestly.

"You've dated half the girls in Castron High," I decided to educate him on his own records, "Neche and Vanessa? And let's not even forget Funmi who would wish me dead if she had the chance to? Should we even get started on the junior girls that have been rumoured to be with you?"

Marcus smiled. He actually smiled.

"First off," He said, "I am actually really impressed at how much you paid attention to my life before I even met you.."

"Oh, please." I scoffed in dismissal.

"And secondly..." He held a gaze I was avoiding, "I haven't actually asked a girl out before, it's not a lie, Aurora. But, if you are dying so much to know..."

Nonsense.

"I did date Funmi," He told me.

Shit.

"But because she relentlessly kept asking me out," He exposed her without a heartbeat.

So embarrassing.

"We didn't even last a month," He explained.

"Why?" I got curious.

"Funmi makes it so difficult to be with her and I feel like an asshole for having to say it," He told me, "And in as much as I was being patient with her, I couldn't keep it going. I had to call it quits."

I didn't ask for more details.

"Neche and I never really dated, it was all rumours," He went on to tell me, "We were never even a thing at all, but I guess she was too much all over me that our classmates didn't have another explanation to give it other than a relationship."

Our classmates and never minding their business. Typical.

"It was easy to see through her," He went on, "She is just the typical CH girl you know; the ones that'll only want to have something to do with you because of peer pressure and popularity boost. You know the 'qualifications' most girls in this School before they go after a guy?"

"Yeah..." I sighed and listed, "Fine, popular, and rich."

"Typical," He nodded in agreement, "It was more like she was trying to tick me off her list or something, and when something that fake, it is so easy to read through."

"I can envision that," I scoffed.

"I did play along with her for a while though," He confessed, laughing in embarrassment. 

"Neche and her friends are so fake," I just had to point out, "Class B girls are right about the fakest and most vain girls in our set, honestly. I feel the only reason why no one calls them out for it and attacks Class F girls instead is because Class B girls happen to be popular and Class F girls are tagged the wannabes."

"True," He laughed in agreement, "Solid point, though."

"But Ziba is in Class B, and she's nice..." I looked back on my words, "And the Chapel Prefect too, Ella.. Oh, and also..." I stopped when I realized I wasn't the one telling the story, and laughed, "Sorry, go on, carry on, what about Vanessa?"

Marcus was laughing with me, but at the mention of 'Vanessa', there was suddenly this saddened softness in his eye.... A terrifying softness that greatly bothered me.

"What?" I braced myself to ask.

Did he care about Vanessa? Did he still care? It was rumoured that they had dated once upon a time, so does that mean he still had feelings? Did he?

"Well, it's just..." He laughed sadly as though some memories came to him, "It's just that Vanessa genuinely actually liked me.."

 "So, you still care?" I asked, hid the jealousy sipping into my tone.

"I don't wish I dated her, if that's what you're asking...." He clarified.

Oh, so they never dated too..?

"It's just that she really liked me and I didn't feel the same way. I never did, and that was.. That was too hard for her to understand...." He explained, and again there was that sadness in his eyes again.

I didn't understand what he meant by 'too hard for her to understand' but I didn't want to ask questions.

"I don't wish I dated her," He said, "I just feel bad because she really liked me and I couldn't feel the same way. I never did; I mean, it's not nice when someone is so relentless and you just have to keep breaking their heart over and over again."

"Oh." I understood now.

"It's not nice to make people feel so bad," He twitched a wistful smile, "But I couldn't date her out of pity, that would have been unfair to her. However, I tried to be as nice as possible to her so she doesn't feel so bad about my rejection, and that made things even more complicated... I feel like I led her on, she did too, and the whole set also thought so.... and that really messed up with her head."

I swallowed... But again, I didn't ask why. 

"In reality, I have only officially dated two girls in CH, the rest of them, like Neche and Vanessa were just complicated situations we wouldn't get into this morning," He wrapped up.

Two girls? He dated two? He only talked about Funmi.

But, you know what? I didn't even want to know further.

"And rumours say you dumped all girls," I brought it up, scoffed at the misconception, "That Marcus Acha is the biggest playboy in CH History."

"I guess there's nothing like hearing it from the horse's mouth, right?" He laughed subtly, smoothly ran his hand through his full mane of hair, "But I did hurt Vanessa though. But I was just trying to not make her feel bad. After Funmi, I made a resolution to myself that I would never start an official relationship that has a boyfriend/girlfriend label with someone if I wasn't a 100% that I wouldn't regret it eventually. I don't just want to hurt anyone. But, I guess you can still hurt someone even though you aren't official yet."

"Is that why you haven't asked me out officially yet?" I couldn't help but ask.

He blinked, stunned, seemingly taken aback by my question, "Huh?"

"Is that why you haven't asked me out officially yet?" I repeated my question, "Because you think you'll regret it.. You think you'll hurt me?"

"But I thought you were my girlfriend already, didn't we already establish that fact," The mumu teased.

"No, we didn't," I pushed him away.

"Why are you rejecting me?" He was still playing around.

"Because you haven't even properly asked yet!" I snapped.

I actually snapped. Just like that. I was so stunned at how harsh my words came off, like a dead on attack.

That was when Marcus got the hint that I wasn't playing around.

"I'm serious now," He looked at me and I avoided his gaze, ignored the electricity I felt when he touched my hand and took it to fit into his, as perfectly as they were fit to be together, "Will you be my girlfriend, Dabeluchi Aurora Orji?"

I was quiet.

I stayed quiet for a long, long time. 

It felt unreal having someone ask me that. It had never happened before. Someone wanted me, me of all people to be their girlfriend?

I wasn't even sure how to handle this situation. And for a long while, I was just stuck.

Then, I gave my answer..

"I don't know, I'm not feeling it yet." Was what came out of my mouth.

Marcus burst into laughter, and without even wanting to, I joined in.

"I'll give you time to get creative with it, dazzle me," I teased him.

"Alright, alright," He accepted defeat, mock surrendering, "I think I have the perfect plan to do that."

I had no idea what he meant and I didn't ask.

All I could do at that point was take a mental note of my surrounding and realize that it was starting to get brighter, and my time with Marcus was counting in seconds.

"What's the time?" I asked Marcus.

He looked at his gold wristwatch, "6:34am,"

"We shouldn't be here," I suddenly got on the alert.

By this time, our classmates should already be trooping into the Hallway. Or, at least, the early birds amongst them.

"Relax, Aurora," Marcus didn't stop holding my hand, "If anyone comes in, we'll notice them before they notice us, so there's no need to be afraid."

This is risky.

"Okay?" Marcus probed gently.

I sighed. "Okay."

There was that comfortable silence between us for another while.

A sad moment for us to remind ourselves of how much we hated having to hide from everyone.

"It sucks." I told him.

"It does," He certainly agreed, "But in moments like this, I just like to live in the moment. They're not here yet, so why worry?"

I stayed quiet. I was sad.

"And besides, even if you may be temporarily living with me now, I'm not ready to go a whole five hours of School ignoring you." Marcus deadpanned.

"Me too..." I muttered.

Both of us sat together on the floor, our backs to wall, and our hands clasped together, holding one another tightly and resting on the tiled floor, like two hopeless, exhausted children who were desperately seeking freedom.

"So, I'll add this to the long list of random weird things we've done..." I said to him, "Sitting down on the cold, tiled floor of our School Hallway and sulking about our situation.."

I laughed weakly at my joke and so did he. It was a brief, tired, sort of sad laughter, and even though we absolutely hated our predicament, laughing with him, sulking with him too, was something. I wanted this to last. Forever.

Again with that sad silence.

This time, I broke it.

"Imagine..." I started, my voice so soft that I would have been shocked he heard. 

But I knew he heard. He heard everything  had to say. I almost started to fear that this boy could hear my thoughts as well.

"Imagine..." I repeated, my voice softer, weaker, as I stared hopeless on our hands clasped together, forced myself to not tear up at just the sight of it, "Imagine we didn't have to hide what we felt for each other..."

He said nothing. But that gentle squeeze of my hand made me realize just how much impact that statement had on him.

I refused to look at him as a lone tear dropped down an eye and I didn't even understand why I was crying. I didn't know. I couldn't understand it.

"Imagine..." I swallowed hard to not make my voice waver or shake with the tears that were threatening to fall down my cheeks, "Just imagine we didn't have to run from classmates. Imagine we could walk down this hallway together, holding hands like this..." I paused at our hands once more and for a moment, my vision blurred with tears and when I blinked, I felt them drop, I tasted them on my lips.

"Imagine we could have fun without being afraid of getting caught," I continued, "We could argue about the dumbest things, laugh at the dry-est jokes, talk about the most random things...."

"And Zendaya," He added, his voice breaking slightly as he forced a stiff laughter to lighten up the mood.

"Right," I did the same, "Of course, and Zendaya. She's a queen."

I turned to look at Marcus, to stare back into his big, brown eyes that were now red and moist, and even in that state of despair, with red eyes that were threatening  to spill out tears, he still cracked a smile in it for me.

"Imagine we weren't scared to be us in public, Marc....." I said softly.

He noticed the wetness of my face, and he placed a hand on it, melted my heart with that simple action, and got up a tear drop right there on his thumb as he tried to wipe my tears.

"Imagine a world like that.." I whispered, closed my ears as I felt his soft hands on my face.

Marcus rested his forehead against mine and we were at such close proximity, and we stayed that way for an awful amount of time. And for a moment, I didn't care about anyone else. I proceeded to rest my head by the side, and I loved my face fit so well on his neck.

"Aurora, I am not afraid to be seen with you," I heard him speak.

I only listened.

"The only difference between me and you in this situation is that you're afraid of the drama, and believe me, I live for that..." He said, and I laughed softly against his neck. He laughed too.

"My point is, being afraid wold mean that I am ashamed to be seen with you, and I'm not." He clarified, "Now, I won't lie to you and say that I don't care about people's opinions of me, because I have never been one to not care..."

I laughed again.

"But, believe me, Aurora, when I say that I absolutely do not care one bit what our classmates are going to think about us," He confessed.

That was a pill to swallow. It hit different.

"And I only hope that you will learn to do that too," He whispered, simultaneously grabbing me gently by the shoulders and making me look at him, "Aurora, I am literally just doing this hiding shit just for you...." He looked me in the eyes, and I could see the sincerity in them, "I'd do anything for you."

This was so much for me. I could feel everything about me shaking with nervousness and a big overwhelming love, but I couldn't move. All I could do was ask him one question that had always plagued me...

"Why me?" 

He looked at me, clearly not following, "Why you?"

"Why did you pick me?" I rephrased my question, "I'd never be like Funmi or Neche or Vanessa or any other of all the stunning girls that you have been with before. What makes me so special?"

He smiled and didn't have problem giving an answer.

"You've said it yourself, Aurora, it's the fact that they're not like you ," He said to me.

"I don't get it," I said.

"You're different," He told me.

Oh.

There was it again. Those tears that were threatening to drop. I didn't understand why I felt like I needed to cry. I didn't understand.

"Something about you just knows how to keep me enthralled, trapped in your maze and unable to get out. It's like you have this hold over me, like you cast a spell on me, and I'm not trying to be poetic, I am literally telling you what you do to me..."

My eyes burned with tears, but his words were so sweet that they exploded in my heart like confetti and I couldn't help, but laugh with those tears in my eyes.

"You're like a cube..." He went on.

"Not trying to be poetic, my ass!" I jabbed at him as I laughed and turned my face away from him to wipe out the tears that dropped back there.

I heard him laugh too, before he continued.

"There are just so many sides to you, and yet, every time, I am just so excited to see which side I'd get, you know," He smiled at me, "You keep me wondering what's next, and honestly, that makes me think a lot. And the more you think about someone, the more you fall deeper and deeper in love, and you, Aurora, my God, you have me literally trapped in a web."

"Yeah..?" I may have been an ugly crying mess, but I couldn't help, but laugh at how sweet and creative his words were.

He sure did have a way with words. He really did.

"And you're deep.. And real..." He wiped another tear from my face, and looked at me, thoroughly, looked at every inch and quarter of my face, like he could see something else beneath me, "And you're beautiful too..." He whispered, "Aurora, you know you are beautiful, right?"

"Thank you," I whispered back, as I felt his thumb grazing my skin softly again, and he didn't say anything other than just stare at me the way he did that murdered me softly.

He looked at me like he couldn't get enough of me, and his eyes slowly traced down from my eyes, softly broke that intense contact it held with my eyes, and trailed down slowly, slowly, slowly, until it was resting there on my lips, and my heart picked up in pace. 

"What are you thinking?" I dared to ask him.

A little smirk curved at the corners of his lips as he breathed a brief soft laughter out and answered me, "If I told you, you'd be freaked out."

That sounded familiar...

Even what it did to my body felt familiar too.

"Yeah..?" I whispered, "Then, don't tell me. Show me."

He looked surprised for a moment at my courage, and there was that teasing smile just there on his lips.

Unable to hold his stare, I looked away, shy, and decided to jab at him.

"I guess you're not ready yet.." My face was away from him, hiding, as I dismissed what could have just happened, "Because if you were, you would have used the opportunity to-"

My heart stopped beating and my breathing choked up in my throat, halted in cue, as I felt lips as soft as velvet brush against mine ever so softly, ever so tenderly, yet intense enough to trap me in a way I couldn't break free, even if I wanted to.

OH. MY. GOD.

It was like the whole world had stopped around me as Marcus drew me into him gently with the hold both his hands had as they cupped around my face, and he took me whole into him, literally drawing out from me every strength, every will power, every single bit of energy I may have had left in me, with just one kiss. With one hell of a powerful kiss that left me stunned senseless second by second.

His lips too time to taste mine, passionately and intimately nibbling against it like it was the sweetest thing in the world, and his tongue, grazed against mine, softly, dancing with mine ever so talentedly, intertwining with mine, kissing me ever so deeply, like he was trying to reach my damn soul. He kissed like it was Art, and even if I hadn't ever been kissed before, I was certain that this was the most amazing feeling I had ever gotten from anything.

And then, he stopped. He just stopped the kiss abruptly.

No!

No, no, no! Why did he stop!

"You can stop if you want," He said to me, like he just remembered he had to ask permission before doing this.

And that's when it occurred to me that I hadn't even kissed him back the whole time. I was just taking everything he had to give, and not giving back.

"No..." I let out, breathless from what I just went through, "I don't want to stop..."

That seemed to make his day, because his eyes lit up hearing me say that.

Immediately, our little session was cut short when a group of classmates, boys and girls, burst through the entrance of the Hallway, laughing and talking ever so vibrantly.

"Shit." I cursed under my breath as I jumped to my feet, with Marcus helping me up.

They hadn't noticed us yet, and without even giving Marcus a proper goodbye, I raced like a horse, and disappeared into the closest class I could, just to make sure I wouldn't even be seen that close to Marcus Acha.

All the way, my heart was racing wildly and I didn't know if it was because of what happened back there with Marcus or the fact that the Hallway was getting fuller and fuller by the minute, noisier and noisier too, and clearly, my classmates were already starting to fill it up. 

"I pray the Lord my soul to keep," I pressed myself against the door of the class and when I heard banging from the other side, it was clear enough to tell me that classmates, most likely the people who were in the class that I was blocking their door, were outside and ordering to be let in.

I let go and dashed out of the classroom like a dove, and ran with lightening speed, passing through bodies of classmate, sliding through and through, until I was able to run into my class safe and sound. 

Luckily, there were just a few people in class, a countable number of people who didn't look like they were much interested in me, and I quickly found my way to my seat, to sit down and breathe. Breathe in and breathe out all the air that I had been holding from the moment that Marcus kissed me and down to this moment.

Thinking about that kiss though...

I was about to get lost in my thoughts, I was about to swim right back into that intensity that was everything to me, but something stopped me. Successfully caught my eyes.

"What?" I stopped, looked at the piece of note that was sticking out from my locker.

Instinctively, I opened my locker to push whatever that piece of paper was back into my locker, but as I opened my locker to get a better view of it, I realized that something wasn't quite right with it.

For starters, it was folded in half like someone intentionally meant for it to be a letter and when I picked it up and looked to the back, I saw, boldly written in bold, capital letters, "FOR DABELUCHI."

"The hell." I opened it immediately, curious to know what this bullshit was supposed to be, and the moment that I got sight of the one sentence and phone number beneath that made up this entire letter that was supposedly for me, my blood ran cold.

That one sentence repeated itself over and over in my head;

"I know everything."

Before you go on, go back and re-read that conversation at the beginning of this chapter, the one between Marc and Dabi before they went off to School. Go back and re-read it seven times. That's all I'll tell you sha😂♥️

On side note; Who else has noticed how much Dabi tends to 'run away' from situations she can't control?🙂💔 She can't deal with whatever her classmates may do to her if they find out about her and Marc, so she runs away from it. She burns Delilah's face, and she runs away. She just had her first kiss with Marc and when classmates start to show up, without warning, she runs off without even a proper good-bye. Well guys, we still love her anyways, even if she has a lot to work on.

Speaking of which, show me a better kisser than Acha, I'll wait 😂♥️

On side note, someone recommend movies I can watch on Netflix. That aside, see you guys oo, lemme goan buy food! See you next week!♥️♥️