As promised. It is the first of July and TORI IS HERE!!!!!!!!!

Are you guys ready for this one??? Are you sure?? Okay oo! Dive in! 

~DABI~

"Dabz....."

I think I heard my name, but I could not have been fully sure. 

All through the night till this time, it had been quite difficult for me to differentiate between external and internal voices. There was a thin line, or no line at all, between them.

"Dabz....."

My eyes were wide open as saucers all through out the night, and I could literally feel them burn. I could feel it all thoroughly, all the lines like shapes of daggers and lightening that practically tattooed itself into my drying eyeballs, outlining its edges with blood red highlights.

Bloodshot could not even cut it. In all honesty, it could not do justice to what I felt and knew my eyes looked like.

"Dabz....."

A thousand thoughts of horror swarmed through my mind, dominating every bit and piece of it and disorienting me beyond repair. Mortified, I could only rock my seemingly lifeless and weightless body back and forth as I hugged my trembling, feeble frame, shuddering relentlessly at the millions of voices and distorted scary faces that tortured me without mercy.

"Dabz....."

 The voices had never sounded this aggressive before. This violent. This angry. Never have they been this triggered, and for some reason that I failed to understand, they came at me. Like they always did. Whispering, screaming, laughing, mocking, their voices were like sounds from the pit of hell and each word that slipped out was a sharp spear coated with poison and aimed at my heart, effectively breaking down whatever I may have had left of my spirit.

"Pathetic, pathetic Dabeluchi," They would say, "Everything that's ever gone wrong is all YOUR fault!" And, I would try to mute them as hard as I could but that proved to be completely useless. 

This time around, the voices came with faces too. All of them had a few things in common, the fact I could not recognize them no matter how hard I tried and the fact that they were right about the scariest things that my eyes had ever seen.

Where were they? Scattered into the air all around Chika's room. It made no sense, but it made sense to me somehow.

I looked around me, frantic, and while I shook in panic at all the strange, monster-looking creatures that somehow looked like just faces, they stared right back, every one of them in their multitudes, the most sinister plastered smiles on their faces as they laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed.....

At me.

They all mocked me.

They mocked the joke that I was. 

They mocked the lie that I was.

They mocked me.

"Dabz....."

Shivers ran through me and my own blood was so cold that I seemed to be freezing to my death.

"Dabz...."

Maybe death would have been a better option. At least, if I was dead, I wouldn't have to relive the torture that was to unfold from all of this. Maybe I wouldn't have to walk around having not only Castron High, but the entire country, judge me for something that I had no control over. 

"Dabz...."

Mum, Stephen, how would we—

"DABELUCHI!"

Chika's voice was sharp and piercing enough to snap me back into earth, but with the intensity, weight, and heaviness of her voice, all I felt was a threat.

A thorough threat.

My heartbeat sped up a beat, and panic set in. I wasn't sure why. 

Trepidation overwhelmed me and with one glance, I was sizing up and down, the sharp pointed mouth of the ball point pen that stuck out halfway from the middle of Chika's biology textbook, the very one that sat there on the top of her dresser drawer. 

I hated the thought that came to my mind.

Chika should not be a threat to me.

So, why were my hands shaking, palms sweaty, heart pounding, and anxiety rising so badly that all I wanted to do was lash out on her?

"It's okay," She shut me down with two words.

It was a contrast to her previous tone of panic and with this sound, soft, patient, and calm, coming from her, I felt a huge burden lift off me. 

It was like magic. A cloak of darkness seemed to just be torn off like a hood from my shoulders, and as I stared into brown, serene eyes that were sincere and kind, syncing with the tone of her voice and giving more weight to her assurance, like a drug, she calmed me down.

Immediately.

"It's okay," She repeated again, her neatly manicured hands found its way to my shoulders and with the softness of her touch, I felt even lighter. "It's okay, Dabeluchi."

It felt okay.

It felt okay, even if it wasn't.

"It's 6am in the morning," She said to me, "You haven't had any sleep."

It felt like two minutes had passed. Not hours. Where did all that time go to? How did all that time pass so fast?

"I can't sleep." I told her.

Her look on me never wavered and each second that she followed the movement of my eyes with hers, I felt my shoulders loosening up. A sign that tension was leaving me slowly.

It almost seemed like Chika knew exactly what she was doing.

"Well, you should sleep." She whispered softly  to me.

I nodded, deeply assured and for some reason, believing her. 

"I should sleep." I nodded to her words.

"Yes, you should, Dabz." She nodded right back, softly.

"I should sleep." I repeated a second times.

"I heard you the first four times....." She said to me, "And agreed, you should sleep."

"Will you sleep beside me?" I asked her.

"We will all sleep right by your side today, Dabeluchi," Chika said, confusing me.

I frowned. "We?" 

A smile so beautiful brightened the features of her pretty face.

"What do you mean by we?" I asked her.

Chika's hands never left my shoulders and with a soothing, calm voice, she informed me.

"You have company, Dabz."

I barely had time to properly process that bit of information she laid on me.

With a loud bang and an aggressive swaying of Chika's poor and innocent room door....

The Onuoha Twins barged into the room.

"Word from the streets says that some bullshit warriors who live on the damn Internet have some shit to say about you, Dabi," Ebere sashayed into the room like a diva, propped her huge fancy sunglasses over the baby pink hoodie that covered her hair as she snapped bubble gum loudly in her mouth, "So, what do you need a Sister to do? Because Ebube and I are looking forward to ripping off weaves, stuffing bras in mouths, snapping necks, and cracking spines. So, what's up, biatch?"

Ebube, beside her, popped her gum on cue, hooded her navy blue hoodie over her head like a thug, sat on the bed, an unfazed look plastered on her face as she looked dead at me through emotionless cat eyes. One word was all she said in all her deadness.

"Seconded."

 A little smile instinctively appeared on my face as I felt some sort of relief wash over me.

"I don't support the violence, but I guess I am all in sprinkles on jam donuts and cherries on velvet cupcakes if it's going to make us all feel less blue and more sunshine."

I felt a weight drop in my chest at the sound of that voice.

I was not sure if it was a good feeling or a bad feeling.

"It's just Donuts and Cakes, Sisters," Soma walked in, weak smile on her face, and a mixture of light and darkness in her eyes, "I promise, I am working really hard on staying sober now that the entire school knows my, you know, big secret." She air quoted the last two words and as much as she tried to stay bright, I saw a drop in the energy that her body usually gave off and a slight pinch of dullness in her voice.

But, she was still somewhat bright. 

And sweet.

Just like the Somadina Best that I have always known.

"You are not alone, Lulu Bear," Her eyes twinkled with something that I dared to conclude was hope, her smile was genuine and sweet, even though wistful, "I know how it feels for people to judge you for things that you can't control." She gestured to herself, "A drug addiction?" And, then, to me, "A broken home?" 

I felt a pang in my chest.

I had not looked at the Internet since my mother had told me.

Chika did. She had refused to tell me what she saw. All that was needed for me to lose my mind the way I did was leave it all to my imagination. Think of how awful my classmates were responding to it. That was all I needed to lose my mind.

The entirety of Nigeria was not even my problem.

The smaller population of Castron High was.

That would justify everything they ever thought about me. It would add a confirmation to all the conspiracy theories that they ever had about me. Crazy? Manic? Mental? All of that.

I mean, if the word about how fucked my family was had gotten to them, the least I would expect would have been sympathy, right? But, who would give me sympathy when all the fake smiles and hugs that acknowledged me over this small fame I managed to garner were all haters in disguise, looking for the smallest reason, the most trivial fuck up, to have the leverage to turn against me again.

And turn me back to the old, off weird Dabi who had no social class. No rank in the Social Hierarchy. To turn me back to the old Dabi before the popularity and fame that came with Marcus Acha came to be. 

How on earth was I going to even resume for the second term of the session at this rate?

"Come here, Lulu,"

I had not even noticed that I was shaking until Soma's soft hands wrapped around me to pull me close to her in a warm hug.

Once again, being a calming force for me.

I breathed, rested on her as she held me in her arms and I could hear her heart beat against the side of my head. It was precise, and painfully to note, hard.

Soma's heart was pounding.

That made it clear enough to me that she was still hurting.

Even more than I probably would ever even know.

Yet, here she was, comforting me.

Even after everything that happened.....

"Soma, I'm sorry," I whispered in her arms and I knew that she heard me even if all her response was a comfortable and calming tightening of her hug, "I am really, really sorry, Soma."

With a soft kiss on my forehead, she sealed our deal of reconciliation.

"I understand." Was all she said to me.

Her voice was soft, broken, but sincere. 

She understood. Even if I wasn't sure what she understood, the fact that she understood was encouraging. Why I was apologising, I was not even quite sure. But seeing her be so supportive broke my heart in ways I could not even explain.

How could Somadina Best be such an angel?

I wanted to ask her so many question. Like, how she had been doing? What was going on all these while? How she was coping in general? I just wanted to know the details of how Soma had been doing. I wanted to know everything.

But, I couldn't bring myself to.

A part of me felt strongly like I had absolutely no right asking her all that.

Why? I could not even properly say. 

As I just looked at Soma, I felt hot tears brimming at my eyelids. I felt myself slowly breaking, and letting my guard down, embracing the overwhelming feeling as it came at me and caused me to—

"God abeg, don't tell me this babe is about to cry for us now," Ebere snapped me out of my reverie immediately. 

And, fortunately, completely ruining the mushy, sad, and emotional mood.

"Fix your face, na. We didn't come here to cry, biko nu. We came here to renew our Sisterhood pledges and be BFFs again, so don't loose focus, baby girl." The twin had a bright smile on her face as she came at me with a playful, but sassy tone of voice.

That earned a collective laugh from the other Sisters in the room and I saw myself, giggling through a stuffed throat and smiling through wet eyelids.

"Ebere is right," Chika said to me, "I promised that I would bring the Sisters to you, and your babes are here and here to stay, alright?"

Happiness didn't cut it.

The fact that I knew that my life was falling apart, and I had the Sisters to help me pick up its pieces encouraged me and gave me more confidence. 

I wasn't jolly and rainbows, but I felt relieved in this aspect.

I felt relieved that things did not blow out of proportion, with them, the way that I was afraid it was going to. 

"I was scared that you all would never speak to me again," I voiced out to them.

Soma had disappeared after her secret got out. The last of Ebere I had seen was a horrible death glare, and Ebube had blessed me with a middle finger. The three girls made it a mission to ignore the fuck out me after all that.

Now, suddenly, here they were, backing me through this.

A part of me felt that this had more to do with something that Chika had done, than the predicament that had befallen me. I strongly felt it so. 

"And, break the Sister Code?" Ebere scoffed, looked over her newly done acrylic nails of assorted colours, "That's a whole shit load of generational curses coming as consequences, and your girl ain't ready for that."

"Soma says unspeakable things happen when you fail to commit to the Sister's pledge," Ebube who was sitting quietly on Chika's bed butted into the conversation, "Whether Soma is crazy or not, we are not ready to take chances, please and thank you."

Well....

"And, Dabi, don't think too much on what has happened. The whole family secret exposure thing. I can bet you, next week, one celebrity's sex tape is going to be go viral and no one will even remember that your deranged father exists." Ebere said bluntly.

That was a bit harsh, but it made me feel a tad bit better.

"And about school?" Ebube took over, hands thumbing away at her iPhone as she spoke, "Always keep in mind that, in Castron High, rumours die faster than they spread. School's already vacated and Christmas holiday is knocking. By the beginning of next term, nobody is going to give two flying fucks about who Dabeluchi Orji is."

Ewo.

I mean, that was even harsher, but, um, it actually also helped.

"Poor choice of Words," Chika came in, "But, I grasp the twin's point. By the beginning of the new term, everyone is going to want to start all over again. Classmates are going to be focusing on new ways to climb to the top of the food chain, acquire a higher rank in the hierarchy, or bold their already significant status quos."

"True," Soma nodded at me, "They will be thinking of new clothes. New friends. New reputations." She shrugged briefly and added, "Even new rumours."

"Yeah, no shit, you and Marcus Acha could literally shag in public and you won't be making headlines like you did this term," Ebere said and my eyes widened in shock at her vulgarity.

Chika frowned at the twin.

"What?" Ebere came in on the defence, "I am just saying 'Aurora and Clyde' will be old news, and Classmates won't give a shit about them anymore. They will look for the new set of people to gush, banter, cry, and rip their hairs off over. That is literally how the cycle always goes."

"How sure are you?" I asked her.

"About a 99%," Ebube answered speedily for her twin sister.

Hm. That still left the possibility of a 1% that they could be wrong.

"Speaking of Clyde," Soma danced over to my side, her eyebrows wriggling playfully in an obvious attempt to cheer me up, "We haven't heard gist, na. Don't dull us, Lulu Bear!"

"Oh, Soso, didn't you see the MASSIVE Headlines?" Ebere gushed to Soma, jumping around and squealing about my own love life like I was not even there, "Aurora and Clyde be making mad waves. Some EPIC power couple shii!"

"Let's not use idea and forget Mrs Godson over here oo!" Soma suddenly pulled Chika into this, and the latter immediately toppled over her throw stool, laughing her heart out.

The girl was dying. Chika was laughing so damn hard, and it was the most contagious thing ever.

"'Talmabout Mrs Godson, what about you and your overseas boo. You sneaky little biatch!" Ebere fired back at Soma and it was suddenly a fest of stray bullets.

I simply could not believe how much these girls were making me laugh even after I was having a major life crisis, glaring at me. 

And, I mean, speaking of Marc, I had no idea if he had responded to my messages or not.

I hadn't checked. I didn't only not have the heart to chest the things my classmates were saying about me, but I could not set myself for a double dose of heartbreak in case he, yunno, left me on read. 

The first thing I wanted to do was update Soma and the twins on my potentially crashing relationship with my boyfriend, but with the way everyone was happy, with the way that the Sisters toppled over one another, laughing their hearts out, wrestling on the bed and attacking one another with throw pillows and unfortunately, pulling me into their charade, I wanted to live in the now of all of this.

This Happiness and Laughter.

Even if it was just for the now.

So, when Soma hit me with a pillow and nearly cracked my spinal cord, I laughed through the pain and threw two at her, swinging at random and joining in the fun, yet brutal pillow fight that was springing from all of this. 

Soma made us recite all our Sisterhood Pledges from top to Bottom. Made us recite all our declarations of love, and our promises to stay faithful and kind, forgiving one another and living in one harmony, all from start to finish. 

And with our hands, placed one after the other in oath and commitment, we sealed our pledges.

~ACHA~

CH FINALS GROUP CHAT

{50,345 unread messages}

080********: Wait o. Do you guys know that 80% of the popular blogs in Nigeria are carrying around this thing about Dabi's father? See how powerful our School Blog is? An 'anonymous person' exposed this online, and they picked it up to air, and now, the whole country is talking about it!

080********: My guy! Dabi and her family gist is setting the Internet on fire. Everyone is talking about how Beanie girl and her  'deranged abusive father'. See fame na!🔥

091********: Can you believe that the man is even a very well known renowned business man? They say his name is Chief Ugochukwu Elliot Orji. Headlines are everywhere. Dabi is just blowing up and getting mad fame. First it was for dancing, now it's family tea. Na wa oo!

090********: Who else heard that her father is in hiding?👀

070********: Eh?💀

090********: Yes o.😂 They said that some time ago, abi like a month ago or so, there was an incident in the house. Something happened with her father's mistress or so. All I know is that they said there was screaming. Someone was hurt, apparently. Abi, they said it was iron burn or so. And when they came in, Dabi's father was not there, and her Mum and brother were taken away. The house has been empty since then o.

070********: Taken away, keh. Where did they take them to?

090********: Ah, me I don't know oo. 

080********: Oya, Dabi, nko? Where was she when they took her Mother and brother away? Why didn't they also take her away join? And if the house has been empty since, then where has she been staying?🤨

090********: I swear, me, I don't know o. I'm just saying what I heard. 

070********: Be like say the man burn the mistress iron? Who knows the full story, abeg? Gist us.🙏

090********: Me, I have just been hearing different things o. It's odd to me. How can they be leaving in the house and be suffering and they won't talk? It's like they wanted the abuse sef.🙄🙄

070********: But you guys, I heard her father has money o.🔥 Mad money. The guy is a billionaire. He and Casper's father even co-own multiple businesses together, and are acquainted with so many politicians in the country.

090********: Can you imagine? The man has so much money and Dabi cannot even take care of herself? That babe just doesn't even have an excuse. I was even pitying her thinking she was poor and maybe on scholarship, sef. She's just fucking weird, abeg.

081********: What is all these, abeg? Can we stop being insensitive? The net worth is not even the issue here. The issue is that the man is abusive to his family. All of you have practically seen it in multiple blogs that he beats up his wife on a daily and sees women outside of his marriage. This is something that I am sure Dabeluchi has had to put up with everyday and all that bothers you all is the fact that she doesn't take advantage of her father's money? Or that Dabi is getting more fame? You guys should get yourself checked.

070********: Na wa o, Vanessa.😑 Why r u now making it look as if we are bad people. Everyone here is just joking, plx.

080********: Exactly. No need to create a mountain out of it. Calm down, abeg.🙄

080: After all, its facts sef. So, I don't know why you're so triggered. Abuse or not, broken home or not, Dabi has no reason coming to School looking like Cruella De Vil😂💀

070*********: Cruella De Vil, wtf!😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

081********: Tch. @Aaron, @CasperB, please add me back to the group when all of this nonsense is over. Thank you.

070********: What is this one even saying?🙄

*081******** LEFT THE GROUP*

080********: Why did she now leave? Drama girl. Tch.

091********: As if they are paying her to defend Dabi oo. Na wa🙄

070********: And that Dabi sef. Something is doing me as if all of these things are not true and its just for Clout. 

090********: Exactly. E get as the story be. The story is not clear. That Dabi sef, it's like she is trying so hard to be noticed. Let's all  come together and shut her down. She dey overdo now. She's doing too much. At the end of the day, all of these things sef fit be cap😑

Well, I think that was enough Social Media for me for one day.

Certainly, I was more than done with my classmates and the bullshit messaged that they had been piling up the group chat with all morning.

So, you know what I did? 

I left.

I left the Class Group Chat.

Thereby, with the act, I could only leave it to my wide imagination, the amount of commotion, chaos, drama and madness that my leaving was going to cause in the group chat.

I mean, my classmates were so predictable. I was only counting in seconds for them to start blowing up my private messages, and it did not even take up to three seconds.

One after the other, strange numbers came from all angles, piling up on my Whatssap, filling up my DMs and leaving no space to breathe and each of these messages reeked of the same thing: Fake concern and cringe consolidations.

To be honest, the last thing that was on my mind was texting back a response and giving these classmates in my DMs the satisfaction that they got a response from me. Never. 

I only wondered how Dabi was doing and how she was coping.

She had texted me last night.

I saw her message. Or, messages.

Aurora had practically gotten me rolling on the floor with laughter the most of Last Night, and I was surprised at how easy and fast it was for me to forget about everything that had gone down with us in that class.

I was surprised really, because I know how strongly I was reluctant to speak to her. I knew how awful I had felt that yesterday when I had put my whole life on hold and rushed to School for Dabi when I felt that she needed help. It kinda hit different realizing that even after going out of your way for people that you loved, you could still have all of that thrown into the trash, for the most trivial reasons.

Truthfully, I wasn't even angry with Aurora; I was majorly disappointed. 

I didn't think I would have wanted to talk this out with her anytime soon. I really didn't.

However, all that was needed for me to melt again in this girl's arms again was the bunch of silly messages she had sent me last night.

I left back a message of my own. I had texted back, but she had not been able to respond. Dabi had not been reachable either. It was practically impossible to call her. Knowing her the way that I knew her, I was aware that she was doing everything that was in her power to avoid the Media because she knew that the things she would see on them would not be good. Her phone was probably switched off all night. 

I understood the logic, but I only hoped she was okay. I wished there was a way I could have known.

****INCOMING NEW WHATSAPP MESSAGE*****

It was Casper Bassey, and while a part of me knew why he was texting me and had minute feelings that it had to do with the pending Christmas party, another part of me felt like I was not even in the right head space to talk about that with him, right now.

However, his message was rather the opposite of what I expected.

CAS

My guy. Just saw you left the group chat. I just woke up right now to see everything set 'mates are saying about your girl. Sorry about that. I'm just disappointed that our classmates are taking this news this way. Wouldn't have expected so much insensitivity. Hope you're good?

<<Sent 7: 16 am

I couldn't even pretend that Casper texting me was not odd. It wasn't usual for Casper to want to check up on me, but, that did not make me appreciate the act any less.

However, I barely had a chance fully text back, because at that exact moment that I got my thumbs on my screen and ready to type, my room door creaked open and a sleepy eyed Mum,  in her long, white night robe and bogus bonnet, stepped into my room unannounced, rubbing her eyes in tiredness, scowling tightly while oozing off that morning attitude of hers'. 

"Is everything okay, ma?" I had to ask her.

"You tell me," She raised a brow at me even through sleepy eyes, "Baby. Are you cheating on Dabeluchi?"

I backed up with a frown. "Eh?"

"There is a pretty girl downstairs, in the living room." Mum said, a dismissive, fairly accusatory undertone lingered in her voice, "She is not prettier than me, of course, but I don't like the competition."

I still could not grasp what she was trying to say to me.

"Tall. Dark Skinned. Slim, model figure. Large afro hair. Talks like she is a descendant of Queen Elizabeth?" Mum recited like it was all a bore to her.

One one girl was on my mind, meanwhile.

 "And, well, she insists that she wants to talk to speak to you," Mum said.

"Kelechi?" I called the name of the only girl who came to mind, "Kelechi is downstairs?"

What did she come to my house for?

"By 7am in the morning," Mum did not sound pleased one bit, "She's been ringing the door bell ever since. Someone cannot even have some damn rest."

Jeez.

"I just hope whatever brought her here is a matter of life and death," She said to me, "She looks like a nice, decent girl, but hanging around girls as pretty as her is dangerous. Nobody should come and steal you from Dabi, because me, I'll vex. Good night."

"Mum, it's morning.—"

But, she had already slammed the door on my face before I could complete my sentence.

Leaving me to wonder what the fuck Kelechi Uwa was doing in my family house. 

Quickly, I made my way downstairs.

And as a matter of fact, Mum was not even capping. From the brink of the stairs that led to the large living room, I could already see her dainty silhouette.

It was no joke.

There Kelechi Uwa was, sitting there in the living room.

With ankles crossed against one another, back straight in the most upright sitting posture, and her eyes straight ahead, staring quietly at nothing in the air, she waited on one of the couches.

Strangely, like she sensed that someone was looking at her, she turned to look at me, her body stationery and unmoving and her head, curving a 180 towards my direction. The first thing that met me were the pretty colours that glowed in her eyes, under the gold lighting of the room.

"Hello."

The girl stood up on cue, after her own greeting, placed her hands respectfully in front of her, holding them regally, and with the tiniest, prettiest smile on her dark face, she blessed me. 

...... Was I dreaming?

"I am certain that you must be thoroughly bewildered to see me here," She said to me.

I pulled down the hood of my dark sweater, narrowed my eyes at her and tilting my head to the side in order to observe her closely, I responded, "Yeah, no shit." 

"I wanted to speak to you about something," She explained, raised her perfectly arched brows in permission, "May I?" 

"You could have called," I said to her, "Coming here seems a bit extreme."

"I apologize," She softly said, "It was just really important. I had to see you in person."

Worry couldn't cut it. I got so disturbed hearing that for some reason.

"I got your home address from Sean," She told me. "I called him."

There was a shift in the emotions in her eyes when she said that and I knew why. I felt a rock where my throat was supposed to be, and I let it stay there and suffocate me until I had the strength to muster and tell Kelechi.

"He talks to everyone, except me." 

Her eyes told it all that she felt sorry for me. I couldn't pin down what it was about Kelechi's eyes, but they were always so beautiful, yet looked empty and lost, most of the time. Yet, every emotion she felt was evident in them. It was like the biggest mystery for me.

"Have you tried reaching out?" She asked me.

"Multiple times," I confided in her, "He's unreachable everywhere. Considering you called him and it went through, I am guessing that he blocked me. Everywhere."

"Tried visiting him?" She asked me.

I chuckled humourlessly at the question.

"What?" She wanted to know why I laughed, perhaps.

"Kelechi, we don't go to Sean's house, unless he tells us the coast is clear." I told her.

She frowned, confused. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"His mum does not appreciate visitors." I said.

"Visitors," She repeated.

I nodded in affirmation. "JJ and I are not so welcomed by Sean's mother. We are considered 'distractions'. He could get into trouble for having us over and I can't afford to make things worse for him because I think I have done enough already."

"Dear, Marc..." She commented, her sympathy warming. 

With a sigh, I elaborated, "Until Sean is able to let me know if it is safe to come visit, I can't make a move. But, apparently so, I am dead to him now, so that won't ever happen."

"He will come around. I am most certain it is not the end of your friendship. I feel it." Kelechi said to me.

Nah, she was only saying that because she didn't know that because of Ada, Sean was probably now also aware of everything that had gone down with Ada. If Sean could forgive me for missing out on such an important day for him, I wasn't so sure he'd be that lenient with the Ada matter.

Anyways.....

"What did you want to talk to me about?" I asked Kelechi.

I noticed that the diversion to the matter at hand caused her some form of nervousness, and with the way that she sifted from one foot to the other, I confirmed it.

"I have a confession." She said to me.

I raised a brow. "Confession?"

"Sit?" She suggested, gestured politely to the sofa she was sitting on before she saw me, and only then had it occurred to me that I was still at the brink of the stairs, talking to Kelechi. 

"Sure." I quipped.

And, without waste of time, I walked down towards her and joined her there on the large sofa.

"Yeah?" I made sure  to keep a distance between us, enough for another human being to sit between me and Kelechi, "What's up?"

She extended her smartphone to me.

I stared at her hands and the phone in confusion.

"Take it." She said to me.

Unsure of why she would ask me to, I did as she asked. Took the phone and stared at it like somehow, it would tell me what to do next.

No such luck. Kelechi's phone looked like a foreign object in my hands. I was aware it was a Huawei phone, because I could spot one in my sleep.  But, everything about it seemed new. Customized was the word. Just like her car, her phone was also customized.

It was pretty. I liked the pearly white of it, and the bits of shimmer and shine around the phone and on the pouch. I also liked the illusion effect of her pouch; it was like a camouflage, showing different slides by the second, ranging from water falls to colour splashes to assorted illuminations of lights, to a Barbie and Winx Club sticker collections. 

It was all cute and fancy. Agreed. What I didn't understand, however,  was why her screen had so many tiny beads. It made absolutely no sense to me. No fucking sense. 

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked her.

She took it away from me for a moment, and when she traced her fingers subtly against the beads and had the phone unlock in an instant, I understood that it was her own 'fancy' way of unlocking her phone.

I almost laughed at how adorable it all was, but with the serious look on her face, I figured that this was a serious matter. 

"Do you have a good Laptop?" She asked me.

"I believe a Mac Book is quality enough," I answered.

"And a flash drive?

"Yes."

"Bring it, please."

Hm.

I had no idea where all this was leading up to, but I did as she asked and without hesitation, I got my Mac Book down for her, alongside the flash she also asked for.

"What is all of this for, though?" I asked her.

Kelechi responded by giving me back her phone, and once again, I was lost.

Until she spoke to clear the air.

"I want to show you something," She said to me, "I have to send it to your flash, so it shows on your laptop."

Nodding, I responded, "Um okay."

I only hoped that my curiosity didn't reek as badly.

I was very curious.

"My password is Aurora256," I told her, as I gave her the Mac book.

"You type that." She dismissively said to me.

"Oh." I backed up. "Okay." 

I typed in the password myself.

"Okay, so all you have to do is just plug in the flash into your phone, and—"

"You do it."

Kelechi cut me off.

On cue, she turned to me, and with a face solemn, yet firm, she said, "That's why I gave you my phone. Do everything."

Ah. "Okay, sure."

I was fixing in the flash into her phone when she told me.

"My phone is customized." 

I chuckled. "That bit is clear enough."

"I am telling you because it operates with voice signals," She elaborated, "Just like my car."

I stopped and looked at her, unsure of how I would work the phone then. I had never used a phone that needed me to speak for it to work. Ironic for a guy like me, but it was plain facts.

So, yet again, I was lost.

From one look at me, Kelechi could tell right off. With a sigh, she fixed that, and right before my eyes, started a full on conversation with the smart phone in my hands.

"Open Kelechi's files," She spoke to it, "File 396096356271256384536."

I didn't question her on how she managed to get the exact number of the exact file in her head, considering that there were so many numbers to memorize.

It was easier to conclude that she was a robot.

"Opening File 396096356271256384536," Siri, we'd call her responded to Kelechi, and I watched her phone operate itself, open her file manager, scan through the files, as she requested.

Kelechi did the rest of the work, basically. All I did was hold her phone, and she conversed with it to do as she wanted, and soon, the files she wanted to show me were in my flash.

I took over from there, worked everything else, and in a few seconds, the file was in front of my Mac Book screen, and I was about to open it to view.

Suddenly, Kelechi reached out desperately to stop me, before I did. Literally, she gripped onto my hand so hard, I thought she was having a seizure.

I turned to her, alarmed for a moment. Scared, to say.

But, all she did was let go.

"Sorry," She said to me, "I was just nervous. Go ahead and see the file."

I nodded slowly. "Sure."

"And, read it out," She added, "Out loud."

"Um.... Okay." I replied, agreeing, even if it suddenly felt so awkward.

"Go ahead," She whispered to me, hugged her frame like there was some unforeseen dread she was mustering the courage to face.

I clicked on the file to open it.

And a lump stiffened in my throat.

I read the about a half of the things in there in one breeze, scanning through the little I could to get to the whole point of it and when I did, I suddenly couldn't breathe. I felt a whiplash on my back and chills were rushing down my spine, freezing the marrows of my bone.

"Read it out loud, please," She sounded like she was begging at this point. Her voice was weak, strangled, and heavy. She seemed disoriented. "Start from the beginning."

I obeyed. I read it out loud to her, just the way I saw it on the screen. I started from the very beginning. From the very first note that was written five years ago.

..... Written Five Years Ago {16th of September]

We had a combined Social Studies Class with Jss1 D today. I saw a girl today for the first time. She had dreads and her uniforms were a bit bogus. But, she had the prettiest eyes.

Something was odd about her. But, for some reason, when I saw her, I got called to her. Something about her called out to me. She sat behind me in Class, right beside Hassana and Haliya, and I noticed she kept talking to herself. I don't know her name. But, I think she is a loner.

I paused there and caught side of Kelechi, who was slightly shaking from my peripheral vision. Taking in a breath, I continued to the next ones after it.

....Written Five Years Ago{23nd of September}

I found out her name today. I sat beside her today again in today's combined Social Studies Class and I saw her name on her book. Her name is Dabeluchi. But, we didn't speak. Or, at least, I said hi. But she did not respond to me.

......Written Five Years Ago {15th October}

Dabeluchi really likes to be on her own. I don't know if she is happy being alone, but she looks really lonely. I feel bad for her. I want to be her friend.

.....Written Five Years Ago {6th November}

There is something off about that Dabeluchi girl. I can't place it. There is a vibe about her that makes me a bit uncomfortable. But curious. Is it wrong that I want to get to the bottom of this?

I had seen that before, but for some reason, it made me just as uncomfortable reading it a second time. There were a bunch of things after, and they all basically had the same format: They were practically observing every detail of Dabi, practically taking note of her every move, where she sat in class, when she stepped into the girl's bathroom, how she isolated herself during breaks, how she hid at the back of the block during Sports Times; every one of them showing hints that Dabeluchi had been basically followed and stalked, right from Jss1 to Jss2 to Jss3.

One of them particularly caught my eyes.

.....Three years ago {February 6th}

Dabeluchi stabbed a girl today in Class today. It was brutal. Jelanie Jarah and her mean friends were making jokes off her, and when Jels called her mental, she lashed out on her with a Mathset compass. It was so gory. Jels is in the Clinic, and she hasn't stopped bleeding. Dabeluchi may get expelled. The entire set hates her. I heard Chebelu and her friends want to beat her up after School. 

Why do I feel bad for her? She injured someone else badly. But would it ne crazy if I justified it saying that she was triggered? I saw it in her eyes. That word 'Mental' seemed like a trigger. I have a trigger too. Dabeluchi and I are similar.

I stopped there and so many questions flooded my head. I looked to Kelechi who could not even dare to look me back in the eyes. Her body was still shivering. Was it cold or was it dread? I had no idea. I continued reading, quickly surveying through the long list of events written that Dabi had done all through out Jss3, and moving over to continue from some things that were documented from SS1.

...........Written Two Years Ago {April 18th}

I just hate doing this. Seeing her makes me so uncomfortable. It makes me so sad. We are so alike. The sadness turns to anger. I am not angry at Dabeluchi. I am just angry. I am bitter. I am so fucking bitter.

I froze up for a moment as the dread started to rise because I had already read this the first time to know where exactly it was heading. I continued;

.......Written Two Years Ago {20th April]

I hate seeing her. I really, really hate seeing that girl.......

"Kelechi." I called her name, my voice coming off colder than I intended it to.

"Continue, please," She pleaded with soft whimpers, "Don't stop reading. Just continue."

I swallowed a hardness in my throat, anger causing me to stiffen as I went right ahead to read a bunch of bullshit on how much Dabi was unbearable to behold, and how her existence was a torture. It was sickening to read. I felt sick to my stomach.

July 20th of this year got me.

What was written there made me question every trust that I had ever had for the girl who sat beside me.

......Written this year {July 20th}

I found out something today. It has to do with Dabeluchi's family. —

Something in my head snapped.

Like twigs.

I couldn't even continue reading at that point, because I had seen enough.

Whatever it was boiling up in me, I could not be sure. Anger? Resentment? Hatred? God, it could not even cut it. I felt every negative feeling there was to feel in this life. And all of them were hoarding on one person......

"Kelechi."

I called her name again. My voice was low, hard, and unamused. Livid.

"Yes?" She answered.

Her voice was a whisper. Soft. Like an Angel's touch. 

But damn it, she was no Angel. At least, now, that it all became clear to me.

"What is this?" I asked her.

Suddenly, she couldn't find the voice to answer me. I looked to her face and saw that it was glistening with wetness. A sign that she was crying.

It made me even angrier.

Why was she crying? How dare she even cry?

"So, tell me, Kelechi," I said to her, my voice icy cold, "Why have you been stalking Dabeluchi?"

God have Mercy.

I know at this point, you are questioning sooooo many things, but put your hand on your head as e hot and say 'The Lord is my Strength'. Amen? Amen!

Conspiracy theories. One, two, three, leggo!

I am using laptop, so I can't use emojis, so this feels weird to type lol. But How was this chapter? Give me a summary of everything that went through your mind!

And who noticed Haliya from The Golden Series? I know, I know, I was screaming too!

Anyways, now that we have gotten here, it is of great pleasure that I announce that Book ONE of Too Many Broken Things has.....

SEVEN CHAPTERS TO GO!

So.... When should I update next?