Second Update of the double update🤲🏿

Note: I already updated last night, so if you see this first, stop and go back. If not, nothing here and I mean, absolutely not a single thing here is going to make sense to you.

If you're not on this boat and you already saw the Last Night's update, carry on!😌❤️

~ACHA~

There was nothing better than having the total and complete trust of the person you adored.

It built up slowly in her eyes,  that trust. The fine dotting lights hovered all around us like stars in all the darkness and even with the intensity of all eyes and attention on the both us us, she nodded gently and put in faith into my words.

I don't need words... 🎶

Slowly, hesitantly, she started to loosen up. The first few words of the song started and she reacted to it vaguely, moving her head smoothly to the side and then, back to my encouraging gaze, her short head movement syncing perfectly with the tempo of the song.

A gentle smile drew against my lips. "Good girl."

You don't need to say it...🎶

The nervousness in her eyes were transitioning, I liked that. The skepticism in them was morphing subtly into something bolder, little by little, and with that next line, she had picked up impressively, surprising me with a hand play action.

One, two, three, her hands were tapping against mine in turns and then together, like those childish hand clapping games I remembered from primary school. Only that Aurora could make something so ridiculous look so artistic, creatively woven and crafted, perfectly exquisite, as she tapped and clapped according to the beat, slow and steady, and in style and sync.

"Hehe," I chuckled lightly, sweetly, when her hands remained in mine, holding them when she was finished. A gentle nod from me reassured her that she was doing absolutely great.

Go with the feeling...🎶

Hands intertwined with mine, she swayed her hips daintily, moving from side to side, rocking them to the rhythm and beat. My eyes were blessed with the movements of her body that were nothing short of angelic and as I watched, tipsy with awe, she played her hands against mine, sending electricity currents down my spine as she twirled from side to side with her tiny waist, moving with grace to the song, dancing to the feeling.

And I'll do the same... 🎶

I followed, copying her. Hand in hand, I swayed with her, to her tempo, to her speed, to her rhythm, to her move. Going along with her, just as I had promised her I would.

Whoa...

That's how this works, I put you first...🎶

Confidence was all I picked up off her demeanor, and it made me glad that she was comfortable. That was all that mattered to me, that she was having fun while conquering her fears. It was all about her right now.

And God, this girl was a work of Art. Her talent was a prized possession she had, a weapon of mass destruction. I watched, absolutely awestruck, as she eased her body flow into the song. She had barely even started and the hairs on my body were standing, goosebumps dotting my skin, as I tried to comprehend the magnitude of her potential.

She dropped teasers with her moves, with every feet slide, shoulder movements, body twists, leg control, she made it clear that she was just beginning, yet such short, effortless, sharp movements were enough to have you both dropping your jaw and waiting for more, waiting for her to snap, and slap you with the full blow of her capabilities.

"Wow," I exclaimed in silent wonder.

You twist and you turn...🎶

She tore away from me, spiraling out of my hold like a toy Barbie ballerina that had lost control. But damn it, she had control. Fuck it, she controlled control. How she managed to spin like that, even while on the tip of her toes, how she had the strength ability to hold up her entire weight on one foot while the other found its balance as it hung high in the air, how she carried her own body as though it were as light as a feather, spinning and spinning and fucking spinning.

The entire crowd was going CRAZY at this point.

Everyone was completely awestruck by what they were seeing this girl do; they were legit disoriented and scattered, screaming in shock and impressiveness, flashing cameras helter-skelter, all of them taken aback by the show, and basically, I could not blame them.

This girl was a demon in this art of Dance. A merciless one. Over and over, the shock waves that ran through me while watching her shook through out my body in a way I could barely control. Multiple times, I had gulped, gulped down an entire rock down the tiny space of my throat, as I took in all of this.

Dabeluchi Aurora Orji's talent absolutely terrified me.

And truth be told, I couldn't be a prouder boyfriend.

I wanna learn...🎶

The entire crowd was so wild that the ground was shaking, as she entertained. Their screams reverberated everywhere, making the roofs to even tremble. Their vigor was unmatched and their shouts, absolutely deafening. I watched as Dabeluchi sank into their praises, all the edging on, her growing confidence was evident with every move she made, in the way she smiled, the way her eyes crinkled with excitement when she looked at me, as she danced.

When I'm lost,

You give me order...🎶

She shocked me and everyone else with her next move. Like something had snapped in her, she tore her leather jacket away, flinging it onto a screaming, waiting crowd that nearly caused an uproar as they struggled for it .

"Oh, shit."

I was slapped right in the face.

But, I absolutely loved the sting.

Chuckling impressively under my breath, I watched her go.

God, was she stunning. Everywhere. That hand-less top and tempting shorts had the visible parts of her body gleaming and shining exquisitely in the midst of the flashing lights, and like a goddess that had been dipped in honey and oil, she glowed as she danced fluidly. All the edges and curves of her slim thick body were giving what they were supposed to be giving, all the way, making the pit of my stomach bubble in thorough excitement.

Excitement that made me shake visibly.

This girl's plan was to turn me into a full blown 'Mumu' in front of these people. Because, damn it, all I could do was drool and stare like an idiot. I couldn't get my eyes off the perfection her body was and how effortlessly, she could absolutely work it. The girl finished work, and had me drooling without control while at it.

And, I must say, for a girl who claimed to be 'scared' at first, she was outdoing herself right now.

Badly.

With those eyes that claimed innocence, she looked directly at me while stealing the crowd with her moves. As she danced sinfully towards me, her hands were caressing the fine edges of her beautiful body in rhythm, and her lips teasing me with a sly smirk, a lascivious look that nearly had me losing my mind on the spot.

Pull me back and push me forward...🎶

Back and forth, her hands pushed and pulled. Controlling me as she motioned me backward with a gentle push, seconds before pulling me back forward to her, with nothing more than an easy finger against my firm jaw.

Enthralling, she was. How it seemed this girl had summoned a spell over me. Easily, I moved according to how she swayed me, controlled me. And back, forth, she had me moving exactly the way she wanted.

Take me in and hold me...🎶

My Aurora was moving away and I wanted to continue being closer, I was addicted to her spell. When she attempted to spin away from me again, I halted her twirl with a perfectly hooked hand around her waist, pulling her back to me, close enough to feel the enthrallment her eyes threw me into and never wanting her to leave again.

Hold me Closer...🎶

Stuck with one another, we paused in our arms. Savored the moment while basking in the choking energy that emitted between us, the sweet flowing music, the flashes of light that illuminated all around us in the darkness, and our classmates' deafening screams of excitement.

I'll follow you up and over...🎶

She danced, I was all over her, following. The only thing that kept her away from losing close proximity with me was my hand that held hers, as she beautifully lost control in her world of Dance. She blessed the eyes of me and many more, carrying me along with her every direction she twisted and turned in. I absolutely loved it.

You'll control me fast and slow...🎶

Her tempo was changing up in between intervals. One moment, the tip of her feet were moving very fast like a minx against the ground, her body keeping up with the impeccable speed as it broke into the rhythm and beat in perfect co-ordination, and the next moment, she slowed down, dramatically, bending her back rainbow-style over my arm that wrapped around her, and like a skilled acrobat, she spurned her self around slowly in a semi circle.

This was a complete show of trust she had for me.

Her feet were inches away from the ground, the only thing that kept her at a balance in the air was my forearm that her back bending against like a contortionist, resting her entire body weight on, as she showed off her flexibility.

Man, if I decided to let go of my arm, she would drop to the ground, paralyzed or possibly dead.

It hit different to me knowing just how much of a risk Dabeluchi was going to take, knowing that I have got her. Knowing that I could never let her fall. Knowing that she could completely trust me.

Even with her own life.

It both flattered and scared me.

When you move, I move...

Move...🎶

The beat dropped as the chorus started and together, I danced with her. Our flow was in sync, flawlessly matching with one another. Bodies close to one another, we twisted and turned in all directions, and with every step of the way, I took after her, mirroring her co-ordination, imitating her steps, following her moves, letting her lead the way while I followed her groove.

I'm caught in your groove...🎶

Dancing with this girl was the most refreshing thing to me, I had nearly forgotten just how much of a rush I always felt. I flowed with her, dancing according to her lead, and loving every minute of it - the nearly sickening rush that came with him, filling my body up and shaking it with fervor, submitting myself into the intense effects of its energy.

Yeah, I'm gonna stay right next to You...

Wherever you're going, I'm going too...🎶

It was certain she felt it too, the chemistry in our movements made that very clear. The happy smile on her face, the fluidity of her moves, the way she shamelessly touched me as she grooved; the song was flowing in, and so were we. The crazed cheers and jeering on of classmates were like fuel to our fire, triggering more passion, more energy, and more confidence, in to us, and it was safe to say that, together, me and my Aurora were delivering.

There was absolutely nothing else right now that was capable of driving an anticipating crowd of classmates even crazier than a boy and a girl, madly in love, and drunk with each other's passion of Dance.

I can't believe that I've found someone like you...

Oh, someone who needs that somebody like I do...🎶

The cheers may have been louder than the song itself at this point, and somehow, Aurora and I found more fun in what we were doing. At this point, our excitement was over flowing its cup and even with heaving chests and heavy breathing, we were laughing non-stop, dancing with each other, and savoring this moment of pure, undiluted ecstasy.

I can't believe that I've found someone like you...

Like you...

When you move, I move...🎶

Aurora and I were high in this. There was no better drug to lose one's self in, to better euphoria to drown in. Losing myself in her and having her do same was all I needed. All we needed.

It reminded me of the very reason we got so sucked into each other. The escape we got from each other, the healing effect like medicine that our Love, our passion, our presence in one another's lives, had on us. I danced with her and felt our souls connect, felt it coming together as one, intertwining into something so beautiful and soulful. Something only our eyes could see.

God, I love this girl.

And forever, I wanted to keep loving her. I wanted to feel this insane rush till eternity.

Screams and shouts at their peak brought me back to my reality, reminded me that I was not sinking into an unearthly realm with Aurora, and I was actually still with her, in the middle of the center of attraction of our classmates. That we were being cheered on, praised, loved and adored, by a mass of people that I would have never ever thought would ever support us.

Would've brought tears to my eyes, but I am a big boy.

The song had long finished and that was why all the screams and rounds of applauses seemed to have gotten even louder. Me and Aurora, whom had temporarily sent each other into a different world, were standing there in the midst of it all, with hands wrapped around each other and our bodies so close that one single action of a head drop collided our foreheads together. Together, we panted, breathless, but mad with joy and satisfaction, exhausted, but itching to go even another round. The fire in us was burning non-stop, and with such closeness of our bodies, we were bound to set each other ablaze.

I wanted her to be the one setting me on fire every day of my life.

But most especially, I was glad I had made her step out of her comfort zone.

Dancing in front of Classmates was probably a utopia goal for Dabeluchi, until today. She looked up at me, with eyes that spoke deep into my soul, and I knew that she could not comprehend it too. How I managed to get her to lose herself like that, even when she firmly believed she couldn't.

That was all this was about. That was all we were about, bringing out the best in one another.

"You did it, babe," I softly said to her.

The screams and shouts were loud, but she could hear me crystal clear, as though we were the only ones in a room of total silence.

Her eyes filled with appreciation, she stared at me like I was gold and silver.

"Thank you," She said back.

I laughed, softly, loving this moment more than ever.

"You're thinking something." I picked up off her.

"I am," She agreed.

"Share," I urged her on.

"So many people, so much noise," She told me.

It doubled even more. And, coupled with all the camera flashes that blinded us silly, we were like celebrities in the midst of crazy, possibly, psycho fans.

"I know what you're thinking, my love," I said to her.

Dabeluchi blinked at me, she knew I knew. The girl was an open book at this point.

"In 3..." She started a count down.

I joined her. "2..."

"1," She continued.

We shared a look, our minds alike and in one, as we simultaneously chorused.

"Run."

I dashed like a light ball with Aurora by my side, carrying her along with me, as I sped off towards the stairways.

All the way, ignoring the manic shouts and screams of classmates at our back.

***

I'M A FAN by Pia Mia and Jeremih was playing downstairs at full volume and there was no better way to spend the night by running away from the crowd of crazy classmates obsessing over us and retiring to spend some time alone with Dabeluchi.

In my bedroom.

Vaguely, we could hear Pia Mia from downstairs as it seemed like the room there was blasting with her and Jeremih, and while I sat there, by the window of my room, keeping myself busy with a cup of Zobo as refreshment, Dabeluchi was at the other side of the room, playfully dancing all around my Gold and Orange Lighted Vanity Mirror, laughing, and having the time of her life, and singling along.

"...The way you're dancing in the mirror, yeah I'm a fan already, I'm a fan already, yeah yeah..." She sang along, off key if I must add, while trying to mess around with the most ridiculous and hilarious dance moves I had ever seen.

I chuckled to myself, my smile never faded for a minute.

She was too happy.

Dabeluchi was really happy.

If we had drinks here, I'd have concluded she may have been drunk... But nah, this was pure, diluted, and innocent happiness.

And truthfully, seeing her happy made me happy.

It was so rare to see this side of her, dancing freely like that, admiring her reflection while at it, and being so confident to even make herself look funny in my eyes. This Dabeluchi was free and wild, and extremely hilarious too. Watching her was capable of curing any type of depression.

And she was everything to want to admire right now. No matter how silly she tried to make herself look, she still looked stunning. As far as I was concerned, she had lost her jacket for good, and with nothing on but that skimpy attire, she flaunted her body for me, whipping those now flowing long weaves back and forth like a rock star.

I just sincerely could not and would not stop smiling.

Forever, I wanted her to keep being happy. This happy.

I was beyond flattered that I could bring out this part of her. It was a blessing to witness.

"Marc!" She shouted my name, whipping her head towards me, without warning.

I looked at her, smile broadening even more.

"Love?" I answered her.

She feigned sassiness with both hands on Akimbo.

"You're just watching me and smiling," Came her accusation. "You're obsessed with me!"

"I'd love to know when that became a crime," I responded with a bit of laughter.

She laughed too, the corners of her eyes wrinkling from such genuine, hard laughter.

I laughed too. Why? I have no idea. Watching her laugh just made me feel the need to.

"Well, be careful," She said to me, a tinsy tiny note of seriousness was laced in her voice, "Before you end up falling out through your window because of me."

I held the edges of the wide opened window where I sat on, watching her in captivation.

"Well, I'll die a happy man then," I easily told her.

She laughed, snapped her fingers in a motion of 'rebuke'.

"God forbid, abeg, you won't die," She said. "God genuinely forbid."

And once again, she was back to her whining and twisting at my mirror, continuing to bless my eyes without having me even ask twice.

"Marc?"

Again, she called.

She had her hands around her hair, packing it up into a pony tail as she talked, her back turned to me as she focused on wrapping her hair by my mirror.

And again, I responded, "Yeah?"

"Should I twirk for you?"

My eyes bulged, nearly popping out of its sockets.

Like she knew exactly what she was doing, her hands were paused up there on her potential ponytail and her head cocked a bit to the side, in a bid to get a good view of me through the Vanity Mirror.

She stared at me through it with a sly, teasing look in her eyes, as she waited for my answer.

"Yes!" Came my answer.

And well, fuck me for not even trying to sound the least bit not desperate about it.

Meanwhile, Dabeluchi burst into terrible, uncontrollable laughter, having her hair fall back down her back and around her face as she laughed and laughed and laughed me to absolute shit.

"See your yeye mouth like YES!" She out rightly mocked me in all her laughter.

"Wow," I said to her, embarrassment hitting me like a wave as I tried to laugh through it all. "I see what you did there. Ride on, Aurora."

My girlfriend laughed non-stop at me, and oh well, whatever made her happy.

Even if meant having her mess with me like this.

And, if I must admit, she did get me good.

"Gimme." She snatched my own cup of Zobo from my hands, drinking right from my cup and gulping its contents down at one go. "Oops!" She paused in a freeze, just as she had some of it drip from her now zobo-stained lips onto her black top.

Together, we laughed at her own mess. I tried to help her clean off the stains from her shirt, dusting my hands off the cheat area of her shirt as she did the same.

"Gosh, I am so thirsty," She said to me.

"Well," I said to her as I held her waist to carry her effortlessly into my arms, "You could have just had water, instead of Zobo." I lifted her onto me, making her to sit on my thighs, as I adjusted myself by the window.

Our position was sweet... But dangerous.

My window was wide open and having my room was way upstairs, me and Aurora had at least three floors to fall from, if we dropped from here.

I was surprised that she was not complaining.

Maybe she trusted me enough to have faith that I knew what I was doing.

I had done this countless times anyway, sitting here by the window of my room and staring into the landscape of the city. It was a perfect view of everything from up here.

The backyard pool was visible and at night, it shone a very fine blue color and had the sickest waves rushing through it and then there was no better way to admire the gold hues around the front yard too and the dozens of cars that trooped out and mostly in to the compound, if you looked to the right.

Not even only those, but the entire view of the City of Lekki from up here was absolutely divine, with the streetlights and flashy posters all perfectly blending to make a pretty mixture of city lights, and having it was the season of Christmas, the city couldn't look more beautiful.

Traffic had never looked more pleasant to look at, the flashy lights, busy cars, and even somewhat noisy Lagos Roads. And then, when you looked upwards, the skies seemed even prettier too from my room, with shining stars, blinking and glowing all the way.

It was a blessing to the eyes here.

And with the way that Dabeluchi just sat there with me, on me, resting her back against me, laying her head upon my chest and sinking into the fine tranquility of the night along with me, I knew she felt the same way too.

So we sank into it together: the pleasure, the quiet, the tranquility and serenity of the calm atmosphere around the two of us.

And, I closed my eyes.—

"—YO! MAN LIKE ACHA! WHAT'S UP NA!"

Up like a light bulb, they blinked open again.

That shout coming along with the loudest BANG! was enough to intrude into our peace and quiet and steal it as a whole. I noticed Dabeluchi jump slightly in my arms and I held her protectively.

The door of my room burst open, the stile of the door slamming into the other side of the wall with brutal force as a line of set boys barged their way into my bedroom like a troop of shoulders, hollering my name, shouting profanities and aggressively-excitedly storming in, literally pouring themselves into my room.

"What the fuck is going on?" I asked.

By the time, Dabeluchi had jumped down from me, and I was in alert mode, holding her tightly, while trying to see and understand for myself what was going wrong all of a sudden.

"What is going on?" I had to ask again.

No such luck of an answer.

Aaron Godson, I noticed, led the 'Wolf Pack'. With a dozen guys behind him like an entire army following their higher ranking officer, the boys were crowding into the room while taking his lead, and thereby, ignoring me without actually ignoring me.

My question was basically thrown into the air because it was for everyone and no one particularly. They were ignoring me without actually ignoring me.

The only thing close to an answer I got were the dozens of hands that slapped mine in a violent handshake and shoulders that aggressively slammed into my sides all in the name of 'bro hugs', as these boys all marched their way into my room, filling the place up in no time, and dominating the entire space.

Or dominating one space of the room.

"Huh?" My eyebrows furrowed together in more confusion, as my head subconsciously moved to that very spot.

That very spot I was formerly in with Dabeluchi, just a few minutes ago.

All Aaron greeted me with was a scream of 'Man Like Acha' and a powerful slap to my back, and he and the rest of the boys were raiding one direction of my room with urgency and deliberacy. I noticed how they all seemed to be moving that same direction of the room, one by one, packing themselves there basically, and jeering in excitement.

Lost, my hands were bait to the random hands that slapped it right, left and center, as more boys strolled in like they owned the place, rewarding me with more abusive handshakes as they joined the others right there, at that same corner of the room.

The window side of my bedroom.

"BRO! MAN LIKE ACHA!" JJ had appeared out of nowhere too, shouting into the air like a madder man than the rest of the boys here.

I stared blankly at the kid and without any form of explanation or regard whatsoever, he just shoved past me, knocking shoulders with me, and walked in ahead into my room to join the boys at the window.

With the most idiotic grin on his face.

"What's all these guys...?" I tried to understand, asking questions that were not answered into the air.

All I wanted to do was see what it was that was suddenly calling all their attention, and why they all were desperately and excitedly looking outside of my window.

Without even talking to me.

And I mean, all of them, no less than 15 boys in my room, were crowded there at my window, throwing my curtains to the side and jamming their heads together to hustle for space, some of them, standing on their tip toes to look over other's heads, all of them fighting for a view of something in such a noisy gathering.

I knew nothing of what they were up to and why their business was in my room, but with the way they screamed praises at something or someone, whom they hyped up as an 'Walking ATM machine', I think I got an idea what these boys were doing.

The loud voices of hype that followed their rowdiness at my window was a clear give away.

"Omoh! See Yure Adediji's ride na. Sharp car!"

"See the monochrome window! As if they polished it with shoe shiner!"

"The guy is not even in ANYBODY'S level! Walking ATM machine!"

"See how the thing is White and clean. Man's just out there driving somebody's school fees and acting like its nothing!"

"Enter inside the car first and see what its like in that shii. Omoh, the smell is so new and sweet, e fit high you! Ask me and Ayo na. Yure brought us here!"

For some reason, I knew already who to bombard with questions and demand explanations.

I turned to JJ who looked guilty as charged.

The big head boy was very quick to talking.

"Yure made headlines with his new ride when classmates found out that Aaron and Casper asked him to help drive classmates from their homes to the Christmas Party," He had his hands in a gesture of surrender as he talked, "And, the guys just wanted to see the car for themselves."

I kept my look on him, waiting for the rest of the story.

"So," He laughed nervously in continuation, "I may have kinda told all the guys at the party that the best view of the Front Yard where cars are coming in through the gates is from your bedroom window..."

I face palmed, absolutely fed up with JJ.

Because of the little wench and its big mouth, I had half the entire set of boys in my set crowded in my personal bedroom.

Ironically, the person whom all these noise was going on about did not even seem to be in the mood to humor them.

Yure Adediji had been another topic in the mouths of Castron High Students so far tonight, after me and Dabeluchi of course.

The last I saw Yure's Bentley drive into the house, everyone was screaming on top his name and for even a second, the head boy did not even step out of the car to feed from the praises. In fact, all through it all, I didn't even see Yure's face, not even a shadow of him.

But I damn knew that he was well aware of what was going on.

He just somehow managed to stay hidden in there in the car each time he parked in and waited for classmates to hop out of his ride and join the party, with his windows wined up and sealed dark, and drivers seat in lock mode. For some reason, he did not step out of his vehicle, nor even let the hem of his cloth or a hair on his body show to the outside.

Boy, if Yure Adediji was hiding deliberately from something or someone, our classmates screaming would have given him away completely.

Something told me that the boy was not even planning of coming for this party.

A part of me strongly believed that all he was wearing in there was his night wear and after he was done dropping off classmates, he was certainly going to be running back home and away from all of us. I only wondered why he seemed to 'hiding' so much.

It was also odd because I didn't think I had seen his 'girlfriend' anywhere near this vicinity either.

Speaking of Girlfriends...

Where is my girlfriend?

"Aurora?" I looked around me, spinning on my tail in sudden panic mode.

She...

She had disappeared.

Did...

Did Aurora run away again?

"Man like Acha!"

On cue, my head whipped itself back to the direction of the subtly familiar energetic voice that shouted my name, immediately finding its owner.

"The Lord told me I would run into you today!" His grin out shined the brightness of his disturbingly green shirt as the curly haired set boy whom I hardly ever talked to made his way towards me, spreading arms out wide like we were old, long lost pals.

"Marcus Bruno Acha!" He called my name like it was a whole trophy., "The man responsible for all of this," I knew he was talking about the party and with a small laugh under my breath, I stuck out a form hand towards him for a solid handshake, acknowledging him thus.

"Nova Igwe."

The light skinned kid countered my basic pleasantries with a more solid bro hug, pulling my body that hovered about a head over him into an unexpected embrace.

"Long time no see," He grinned even more at me, eyes lighting by the second as he looked at me. "What's good, 'Mate? How have you been all these while? Look at you and your girl getting your groove on back there! You two sure know a thing or two about finessing up a stage, for real!"

I chortled, flattered by his overwhelming flattering words.

"And you, brother, know a thing or two about buttering people up with way too many compliments far from necessary," I accused him back playfully.

"But at all costs, I never speak a lie," He insisted, hands in a playful gesture of surrender.

"Na so," I scoffed mockingly, shaking my head at the boy. " I didn't even know that you were there."

"Pft!" Nova scoffed in the obvious, waving his iPhone in front of my eyes as he told me as a matter-of-factly, "Was I there? I recorded the entire thing in here from the beginning to the end. Are you playing with me or what? Wouldn't have missed an opportunity to, even if there was an AK 47 to my head!"

"Oh come on," I shook my head, the corner of my lips lifting in a side smile as I tried to feign some 'humility' for the life of me. "I'm sure it wasn't really all that—"

"—Save all that humility for the trenches because I'm not buying it!" Nova cut me off in a heartbeat.

We both burst into quaking laughter simultaneously.

Crazy really. How someone I usually talked to once in two blue moons could actually make me laugh with them like Nova Igwe was doing right now.

"Oh, and how's your boy, Sean?" He suddenly brought up out of nowhere.

And, that did it for me.

Completely sank my heart into my stomach and threatened the regression of this conversation between me and him that proved potentials.

He may have picked up my sudden change of mood, the shift in the bubbly emotions his eyes portrayed made that clear to me.

"Um, this is me hoping this isn't a sore topic..." He spoke with hesitation. "I just want to check in and hope everything is alright. Haven't seen you and Sean together in a while, and the last I really heard from him, he was choking on my Hennessy..."

I laughed a bit, more like a short snigge sound. Had to appreciate the fact that Nova was still trying to lighten the mood in which he had sensed had been adulterated.

And I recalled what Nova was talking about.

Months ago, in Yure's party, when Sean kept snatching drinks out of the hands of classmates and gulping it down like he had gone bonkers. Nova was his bus stop, after he had coveted his cup of Hennessy and got punished by the most high when he started to choke on the drink.

Those were one of the times when I remembered being truly happy with Sean, I remembered laughing with it. With everything that had gone down, those moments felt like far stretched, almost forgotten memories. Almost like History.

"Look, I know we aren't that close and all, but I seriously felt an urge to stop by and check up on you for a bit..." He told me, his head tilted a bit to the side as though he was observing something about me. "But, so far, on a general outlook, you seem okay. Living up to the High School popular kid story trope, giving that King Pin/relevant kid vibe in some way; it's almost like all there is around you is love, attention, adoration, and a fire of never ending excitement..."

I was taken aback by what sounded like such a surprisingly shallow analysis of me.

"I guess," I responded, resorting to leaving it be.

"So," Nova pressed on surprisingly. "What's really going on, Acha?"

I blinked, momentarily puzzled. "Huh?"

"Forgive me to say, but it all sounds too good to be true. Just a little," He pinched the air to emphasize, "And I fear that it just may be."

I stared at him and he seemed to not be capping. Now, this was something I rarely even related with.

"I feel there may be more to all of this," Nova insisted. "Maybe something deeper concerning you that even God wishes to have me put my hands on and be of some aid to you... So, tell me, Acha, asides all these surface charade... Are you actually okay though?"

The question was a choke hold for me.

'Are you actually okay?'

It was a simple question with a multitude of answers.

And truth be told, I felt compelled to speak, almost by some greater force of some sort, but there was some restraint.

Because it made no sense to me...

How do I tell a guy whom I seldom talked to that I was scared? Scared of many things? Scared, the most, of losing my best friend for good?

How do I confess that I hated myself for lying to my girlfriend when I had a truth she had every right to learn?

How could I open up to the fact that I was confused where my life was heading? That my father had contorted my confidence into nothingness? And that only thing, the only girl, who was giving me some stability in life, some sanity, some direction, was the same girl I was letting live in the dark?

How do I tell him that I was living in a pitiful bubble of forced happiness? That I was deliberately trying to cloud and ignore many things and focus on the brighter side?

How would I suddenly start crying on Nova's shoulder and telling him how I was slowly hating myself by every second of the night, but trying to force in that euphoria, that joy, trying to suck in all the happiness I could, from the very girl that I was deceiving?

No...

I could not tell him all of this.

Nova Igwe was nobody to me to hear all these kind of information.

"I'm fine."

Point blank period, I told the boy.

He calmly looked at me. I could not strongly bet that he was convinced. He just looked.

"I am doing great," I added on, forcing a smile for corroboration, "Thank you for asking though, but I can't think of anything wrong in my life right now."

Gratefully, he didn't push it.

"Rather, a smile stretched out his lips.

"That's the spirit!" He slapped my hand in a shake. "Live and Let God. One day at a time."

I wasn't sure I understood what he meant by that...

"I'll try," I simply responded.

"We all try everyday," He said, encouraging me. "And between you and me..."

He looked around us conspiringly, shifting a foot closer to confide easily in me.

"Shade Onam, the girl I'm seeing?" He started off with a subtle whisper.

I listened in. "Hm?"

"I haven't been able to speak to her or reach her in a month now," He told me.

"A month?" I exclaimed in shock.

"She isn't even here today as I hoped that she would be," He elaborated.

Well, considering that kind of fame and status that came with the girl's name internationally, it was not a usual thing to see her lurking around our flimsy high school parties much.

Shade Onam was a Nigerian, but, International based super model a d A-Class star who allegedly 'stooped herself low' to attend Castron High.

And after finding her footing into the Alpha female clique of the set, rumours had it that she was even dating none other than Nova Igwe standing before me.

"She doesn't pick up my calls or reply my texts, nothing. I get absolutely nothing back, bro," Nova told me sincerely. "It's like she's really cut me off for good."

"Without a reason?" I asked.

"Nah, she's not like that," He shook his head in insistence. "The truth is that, our lives don't really mix in well. And factors keep trying to tear us apart..."

Sounded a lot like me and Dabeluchi in the start of our relationship.

"We had a talk about 'breaking up' the last time I heard from her," He told me, "It surprised me, really, especially since just the night before, she had posted on her Social Media and told everyone about me; she got the whole of Nigeria calling me 'Mystery Boy'..."

I laughed softly, thinking of how much this seemed to line up a lot with me and Dabeluchi in the start. How I was tagged as 'Wonder Boy' when everyone failed to recognize who I was because of the face mask I wore during the Wonder Coast dance.

"...So, it surprised me how she suddenly had a change of heart and decided to call it all off with me. I feel here is someone instigating things," Nova continued telling me. "But, of course, I won't give up that easily on her. Not without a fight, you know."

"For sure," I urged him on, our fists bumping.

That was the kind of language I was used to.

"But, why though?" I had to ask him. "Why are you telling me all of this, Nova?"

"With the hopes you would cut the cap and spill what's really going on with you too," He told me directly.

I laughed.

I had to laugh. He didn't even try to be less obvious about that.

"But it's all good," He said to me. "Hopefully, you understand that I get it too, I know what it's like to feel that void within you that seems like it's eating you up slowly. But, no pressure, bro," He tapped against my shoulder encouragingly, "If you can't talk to me, talk to Jesus. Believe me, when he is in control, you tend to worry less about those little things."

And with that, he mock saluted me and hopped out of the room like the boys crowding and suffocating themselves at my window side had nothing to do with his coming to my room.

And maybe truly, it didn't.

Maybe Nova just came specifically for me.

And in some way, I wished I had opened up more to him. 

"FEJAUN!"

The blood running through me ran cold and multiple lashes tore my back.

The world would have been fair enough to me to at least let me sink in and process the little moment that I just had with Nova, but no. No such luck. Aaron Godson had screamed out that name I loathed to hear at the top of his fucking lungs and out thus came an outburst of madness from the rest of the guys around him who followed after his footsteps, shouting and jeering the name of the boy whom I had almost forgotten I loathed with every fucking fiber of my being.

Aaron and his troop followers were tormenting me, with all their shouts and praises.

Even in my own bedroom.

But what tormented me even more was the audacity of the boy on whom all showers of praises were poured and vomited on.

I hated that I didn't even have to look up to see him and yet, I was able to feel the maddening aura of his presence. The choking sensation that it brought into the room.

Into my room.

Ivandor Fejaun walked into my own bedroom, uninvited and unbothered, hood over his full mane of foreign hair and hands stuffed coolly into his pockets. With a face, stoic and unimpressed, he stood there at the foot of my room, body leaned against the door frame as he surveyed the room of his 'worshippers' in total undisguised boredom.

He couldn't have the decency to at least 'pretend' like he gave a fuck.

"The fucking audacity," I said to myself, scoffing in outright irritation.

The entire room had their heads in their hands and their voices at the tops of their lungs all in his name and he was not even in the slightest, fazed. With eyes that were deader than the Egyptians who died in the red sea, the mixed race boy scanned the room quietly, and waited for them.

Waited for them to shut up.

And I hated to admit that for the first time in along time, I felt anger towards attention that was not given to me. 

Or maybe I felt the anger because it was rather given to him.

Just some minutes ago, these guys were exchanging pleasantries with me and giving me credit over everything and anything, and the moment that he walks in, it seems like everyone had subconsciously and 'accidentally' forgot that I existed. 

I wanted to crawl up in a hole and die when some people started to call him the 'G.O.A.T'.

All through out my stay in CH, no baller and I mean, not even a single freaking one, had called me a G.O.A.T before. 

I had busted my ass and worked as hard as I could to be the best in the world of CH Sports and be celebrated for being the best, just so that my father can be less hostile and angry towards me, and I had barely even had such luck. I could kill to be called the 'greatest of all time' and here I was, staring at the guy who hardly put in effort and still somehow managed to be on step ahead of me, soaking in all the kinds of praises and accolades I wanted, and worse...

Not even giving two fucks about it.

Ivandor Fejaun simply could not even care less.

It made me all he more angrier.

The bastard cleared his throat, an indication that he wanted to speak, and the entire room fell silent.

"My girl called..." He started by saying.

The entire room had burst into a frenzy again.

The kind that fired up at the mention of me and Dabeluchi.

"Giwa Falade and the others are on their way," He continued nonetheless,. "And, while on the phone, Hassana Alfa kept insisting that I remind the Sports Team, specifically Aaron and Casper, before she arrives, that she wants 'sugar'. She's not very discreet, so I can assume it's a code name for something. Again, since its hardly my business, I believe I have done my part in passing down the message."

The room was in shambles again and a bunch of boys jumped up ahead with Aaron, everyone practically filling the peace of the atmosphere with lousy and unnecessary noise.

Meanwhile, I was just fuming in anger.

Anger that could not even be disguised.

With that fury, my eyes were in a death stare, glaring down Ivandor Fejaun, as it seemed as though he was about to make his way out of the room. 

I had actually forgotten how much I disliked the kid until I heard his name again and saw his face. What infuriated me as how much he seemed to even upgrade each time I encountered him: the last time I had seen him on the field, he was faster, stronger, more skilled. And now even the most smallest things about him, like his perfect mixed skin, god-like chiseled face structure, sharp jawline, unique hazel eyes, even down to his perfectly built body structure, strong and firm shoulders, royal stance and posture, and his magnetic aura, they irritated me. 

I saw myself even taking into deliberation the kind of fabric he wore, down to the brand of his outfits, the newness and cost of his shoes, in a bid to compare it with mine and see, maybe, if there was something I could use to stand out over him.

But, no...

Nothing.

No matter how much I tried, absolutely nothing.

All I could do was stand there and glare heavily at Ivandor Fejaun.

Until,

He caught me. 

"About fucking time," I commented to myself.

Ivandor Fejaun was just about turning around to leave, but stopped right here abruptly. The next second, he turned himself around and with hands still stuffed there in the pockets of his sweats, he transferred his look from nothingness, and landed it, directly, at me.

I fought the urge to break into a sick smile.

For the fact that it was almost impossible for him to get a guy like him to pay you any mind, talk less of noticing your petty hatred for him, I felt, well, accomplished.

Very accomplished.

He stood there and watched my glare, with total and absolute calmness.

If he was affected by my heat stare, he barely showed it.

Even the boys around us started to break into whispers and confusion, that only rose in intensity by the second, and like Ivandor just looked at me, eyes relaxed and untriggered, like I was a flat, boring beach rock.

He cocked his head to the side, hands in pockets, eyes never giving off a single emotion as he boredly observed me the more.

I didn't back down, challenged him in the stare down that he was bringing on.

If eyes could kill, he should have been dead by now. However, he seemed fairly relaxed. Hardly fazed. With that impassive stare, his eyes started to travel down as he slowly scanned me from head to toe, rendering me feeling uncomfortable and somewhat, naked.

I started to feel like I was the one losing now.

Ivandor's eyes only stopped scanning when they rested there on my shoes, eyes hovering around my white Air Jordans.

Losing confidence, I broke eye contact at this point and my eyes fell to my shoes, watching them too and wondering what was suddenly wrong with them.

I... I could have sworn they were new. And solid. And expensive too. I mean, it was not the most expensive shoes I had ever gotten and I would admit that when I ordered them online, I was not aiming at wearing the most expensive shoes to the Christmas Party. I just wanted to wear some nice shoes...

But now, I wished I got more expensive ones to show off.

I was snapped back to the present when I heard Ivandor laugh under his breath, and my eyes shot up instantly, to see what it was that a guy like him could possibly sound funny.

Our eyes met again.

For the first time, I saw something other than deadness in them. Was it amusement? Was it mockery? It was hard to distinguish.

However, Ivandor Fejaun surprised me with his next move.

"Nice shoes," He said. "I like them."

The lightness in his eyes suddenly made sense to me.

The amusement and mockery I had formerly married to them was starting to clear up in my eyes, and shade softly, into something more sincere.

However, it confused my anger and scattered its basis, left me moping at him like a fool.

He...

He was trying to be friendly.

To me.

 I stared at him with a head as blank as air, defenses broken down.

Torn, I was, between saying 'Thank you' and biting back at him. But, what was I biting back for? At someone who only was trying to compliment me? Someone who was only trying to be nice?

Clearing my throat, I stood my ground and adjusted my stance.

I had no idea what game he was playing, but I wouldn't have him confuse me like this.

As far as I was concerned, he, Ivandor Fejaun, was the bad guy here. 

"So?" I asked him, forced in hostility into my tone of voice and sized him up with a stubborn forced look of anger. "Why should I care what you like and don't like?"

The room had dropped in temperature, at least down by notable Fahrenheit.

I hated to admit that I instantly regretted reacting like that.

And indeed, the room was cold enough for anyone to have picked up easily on the tension.

"Ah!" One of the boys exclaimed. "What's all the attitude for? What's happening? "

Apparently, to Ivandor Fejaun, nothing.

Nothing had just happened. 

Without a word or comeback or argument, the mixed race kid just blinked, and looked away from me, and with hands that stuffed in and never left his pockets, he turned around and walked out of the room, without a bother.

Dismissing us like he could not care any less about me or anyone else in the room.

The way Ivandor Fejaun just dropped me...

I wanted to crawl up in a black hole, stay there, and die. 

"See you all."

That was an ashamed and embarrassed me to the boys in my room.

Right before I left the room for all of them to own.

***

Downstairs was the last stop in search of Dabeluchi.

It was the least expected place to check in because truthfully, I wouldn't have expected that Dabeluchi would run away from my room, because of the boys that intruded in, only to go downstairs to the main party area that was a jungle itself.

But my girlfriend was full our surprises.

The place had turned twice as lousy when I met them downstairs.

And the first thing that nearly bumped into me was a slithering, convulsing Mena Kafe, who had resumed her 'twirking' of torment.

I had to give it to he girl for trying so damn hard to get attention.

Even if roughly any was given to her.

The way I was seeing it, Giwa Falade and her Alpha female clique were stealing the show. They were entering into the building and coming along with them high pitched voices of delights from classmates and even noisier welcomes. The girls had walked in here looking like the queens the set had crowned them, and the place was firing up like gasoline on flames. 

All the charade was hardly my business, and all I searched intently for was for Dabeluchi.

And, easily, I found her.

But something felt wrong.

A smile had initially spread across my face when I recognized her frame from the back view, standing here by one of the Punch Dispensers with a cup, and I was about to walk on over to her in excitement and surprise her by wrapping my arm around her from behind her, but when I noticed it, I stopped on my tracks.

Dabeluchi seemed frozen on her spot.

It gave me the sense that all was no well.

Curiously, I followed the direction her eyes set in, but nothing looked out of the ordinary.

Just a number of boys, and a few girls, at the Sofa at one corner of the room, playing with champagnes, pouring it all around the place and on anyone who was unfortunate to be on sight.

And, Dabeluchi was staring at them as though they had horns and fangs.

I chuckled, amused by her paranoia.

With boldness and a grin on my face, I bounced over to the dispenser where she was and jump scared her with my arm aggressively cuddling around her from behind.

Dabeluchi gasped, jumped, died, and resurrected again in two seconds.

I laughed heartily at her reaction, swaying her back and forth, while teasing her.

"Fear Fear," I teased her. "It's just me, relax!"

Even in my arms, she didn't seem relaxed. I didn't hear her laugh or cuddle me back. If anything, it even seemed like she was trying to make me stop. Like I was pestering her.

So, I stopped.

Immediately I sensed that off her, I stopped. Let go off her. 

"Everything good, babe?" I had to ask.

Reflexively, I turned her around to face me, and immediately, shuddered at the dread in her eyes. It sent chills down my spine in a nano second, causing me to stop with a gulp.

"Aurora," I called her name, anxiety rising in my body and passing like current from her and into my bones.

Dabeluchi didn't answer. With shaky hands, she pointed.

Behind me.

With a speed that nearly cracked my neck and killed me, I whipped my head to my back to see what she was showing me.

And...

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Just the same Sofa, with the same boys and girls, messing around and spewing bottles of Champagne.

I deflated and looked back to Dabeluchi, raising a brow at the girl. 

"Are you trying to scare me?" I asked her.

She suddenly looked confused, conflicted, looking around that space crowded with delinquent Class F boys and girls, messing around insensitively and drenching people with alcohol.

"I..." She spoke for the first time, her words coming off as a stutter. "I thought I saw someone."

I chuckled at that, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Is that it?" I asked her, playfully sucking in m teeth and wrapping my arms around her, this time having her slowly ease into my hold. "The only person you should be seeing is me, babe."

She laughed. Hesitantly, at first. Before easing into a more natural laugh.

"I'm sorry," She said. "It probably was just all in my head..."

We disregarded whatever that could have been temporarily, momentarily, focusing on one other than the both of us. 

So far so good, there was nothing to worry about.

It was just a harmless Christmas Party anyway.

Or so I thought at that moment.

My arms were around my girlfriend and the moment that I had looked up to give regard to something else asides her, a shock wave went through my back.

The second I saw him.

I couldn't move, I couldn't think, and I hoped it was all just tricks my eyes was playing on me, but it looked too real to be all in my head too. 

Right there in the midst of the rowdy  champagne spilling Class F boys was JJ, and right beside him...

"Marc?—"

I heard Dabeluchi call my name, her voice shaking with growing panic.

My arms were still around her though I had frozen in my spot, and my eyes were stuck on him, watching that dreadfully and painfully familiar grin as the champagne shot right out of the bottle, spewing into classmates. Hearing that painfully familiar laugh as he manically scorned at everyone who was at his mercy, guffawing like a crazed man.

Dabeluchi's hands shook slightly in my arms, her voice in whispers, ringing loud and clear as she said to me.

"—Isn't that your best friend?"

Red.

I saw blood fucking Red.

It was him.

Sean Ayomide.

And I thought I was dreaming seeing him here, seeing him live, but this was too lucid to be a dream. He laughed, and laughed, and laughed, and I feared he had turned into a full blown mad man. All the way, I watched him, with laugh so loudly and disturbingly, nearly distortedly , while an oblivious JJ joined him to cause havoc and bring doomed destruction.

And like he knew it, like he could feel it...

Like he could sense our dread filled eyes boring holes into him, he stopped.

Sean just stopped.

Legit, as if he was suddenly possessed.

For a moment, his stare lingered on into nothingness, stared blankly into he air.

One second passed.

Then another.

Then another.

"Okay..."  I relaxed, calming down visibly.

He probably just zoned out, I thought.

His sudden glitch mode had absolutely nothing to do with me and Dabeluchi who were staring at him...

Right?

However...

The moment that I completely settled on that notion, he proved me the fuck wrong. 

Without heads up, Sean Ayomide whipped his head to his right, marking me and Dabeluchi down directly, in one deadly eye contact.

I heard Dabeluchi gasp in my arms.

In an iota of a second, I saw death in his eyes. Something sinister and dark, possibly demonic. Absolutely diabolic.

But before that second was up, it disappeared. Like it was never there. 

There was a full ground of madness going on behind him, all the boys and girls laughing and shouting and popping every drink on sight, exploding it on anyone and everyone. Meanwhile, like Sean Ayomide was the devil who came to instigate and initiate all the chaos, he came forward with arms wide open for Welcome, proudly marking the chaos infected area behind him as his domain and drawing against his lips, the largest smile I had ever seen on him.

He watched me, his estranged best friend, in the arms of the girl he hated the most...

With a stunning bright smile on his dark, dark face.

And with five petrifying words, he hailed me and Dabeluchi Orji. 

"Brah... Long Time no see."

Lmao.

#Drinks Generator Oil and Kerosine.

Five more chapters to go.