*Raises hands in surrender* I know. I know. I know.😭 Na deadlines choke, and then, this chapter needed thorough attention. It wasn't something I could rush. I had to take my time to map it out. But, 🌚 I can assure that it's going to be worth the wait and the next chapter will be more better!😌🔥

I have been dying to get to this part of this story!😂😂😂

So, without further ado, let's dive in.🌚

The song for this chapter is- Unstoppable by Sia.

__________________𖧷________________

"𝐶𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑎𝑠 𝐼𝑐𝑒, ℎ𝑢𝑟𝑡 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒,
𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑐𝑒.
𝑆𝑜, 𝑓𝑢𝑐𝑘 𝐾𝑎𝑟𝑚𝑎.
𝐼'𝑙𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑥 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑡
𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑓."

___________________𖧷________________

           ~𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙺𝙸𝚁𝙰 𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙰 𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙺~

"Really?"

"Are you being serious right now?"

I was barely keeping it together. Barely doesn't seem to cut it. I wasn't keeping it together. Fuck that. My emotions were all over the place. 

The littlest things were getting to me. Getting on my nerves and as much as I hated it. I didn't have it under control and that was what made it so annoying.

I would have loved to blame it on the fact that I was ovulating, but I didn't think it was solely about that. The triggers surrounding it were making me aggravated.

In the history of shitty days, today would be ranking the first on my lips and if there was any word to qualify me right now. It would be an angry bird. Worse, an irritable bear.

All because you didn't talk to man? Na wa o.

"I swear to God—one word from you again and—" I paused when I realised that there was nothing I could do to the pest of a voice in my head, other than tuning it out.

"Just, leave me alone, please." My voice was infused with a tiny crack that was poking my tear ducts and acting as a propeller for the tears that were building up in my eyes.

"Oh, fuck." I exhaled and slumped on the stool, throwing my blow dryer on my dresser. Anyone who heard me yelling would think I was snapping at a living thing.

I wasn't yelling at anyone. I was screaming at my hair dryer. 

I was starting to blame myself for washing this hair in the first place. If I hadn't gone ahead of myself and washed it, I wouldn't be stuck at home by 7 am, on a school day, yelling at my dryer.

The day had barely begun and my mood was nothing to write home about. I was irritated. I was grumpy. I was frustrated.

I pushed the dryer aside and propped my elbows on the dresser, placing my palms on each side of my jaw. My lips were pursed in a frown as my eyes breezily moved from the body care products that were splattered on the dresser and swatted to the socket.

Something about it felt weird, causing me to furrow my brows in bemusement. I scanned the socket for a while and then, the realisation hit me like a harsh shove against my chest.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" I groaned, throwing my hands up in the air in exasperation.

Nothing was wrong with my dryer. 

Heck, it was working perfectly well. I was the absent-minded fool who didn't switch on the socket.

I have been so caught up in my drama after storming out of the bathroom since the water heater wouldn't work and I was forced to take my bath with cold water, that I barely noticed the socket wasn't on when I plugged in my dryer.

It's like I was jumping from one mess to another. Non-stop. Since yesterday. First, it was how my network was fluctuating. Courtesy of MTN moving mad, by the way. At some point, I couldn't even do anything because it was just gone. 

I couldn't text. 

I couldn't call.

None of my messages were loading. It was just stagnant. No notifications. Nothing!

Stefan and I—Oh, here we go again. My subconscious snickered and I sighed.

I didn't get to speak with him yesterday. I couldn't call him. I couldn't send a text. Not even an SMS. I mean, I knew how clingy I could be with the guy but it didn't occur to me how attached I was to him, until yesterday. 

It legit felt like I was going to go out of my mind. Oh, let's not forget the part where it took me convincing you not to go to his place." The infuriating voice reminded me again.

"Oh, I am sorry, what was I supposed to do? Sit at home and slowly go out of my mind?" I retorted sarcastically.

He must have been so worried…

The thought of him getting all worked up because he was unable to reach me spiked my anxiety and skyrocketed my aggravation a thousand folds.

You are low-key obsessed with this boy, Shakira. Just like a wave of breeze, it snuck in when I didn't even expect it, taunting me.

Deciding not to entertain its stupidity anymore, I switched on the socket and began drying my wet hair. I was done in no time, trudging into my closet to go get dressed.

For a girl who suddenly craved teleportation powers to go meet her friend, I was awfully slow in getting dressed. 

There was this feeling of dread that just lingered within me. It was cold and made me so uneasy. Pinpointing why I felt this way was kind of hard because I couldn't think of anything, other than the fact that I had been feeling that way since yesterday.

But then, it was more like a dull ache yesterday and, today, it felt like it had intensified. This feeling was very off. I mean, it wasn't far from me to want to ditch school at times but today was different. The wave of uncertainty that enveloped me grew more potent as each second passed.

It was a bad feeling I couldn't shake off, no matter how hard I tried. I knew I couldn't dwell on it much and the best thing I could do for myself was to act like it wasn't there. Just like I had been doing since yesterday.

After styling my hair in a neat bun and making sure I looked presentable, I retrieved my bag and my phone, which I had thrown into my drawer, yesternight, out of frustration. I proceeded to leave the room.

"You are…a little late." Mama Heather's eyes didn't leave mine as I descended the stairs. I shrugged my shoulders casually, walking to the dining table. I took my seat, dumping my bag on the next seat.

"I slept in, I guess," My tone was a little unsure. "Good morning," I sent her a small smile. She flashed me a bigger one in return.

I fixed myself a cup of tea and some slices of bread, eating the little I could before getting up. I was met with her scrutinising gaze that made me uncomfortable. I didn't conceal how edgy I felt.

"Are you okay?" She pressed further, squinting her eyes at me. The urge to roll my eyes was hard to suppress.

"I am fine," Although my voice was calm, it held a little bit of irritation. I sighed, not liking the way I went off on her. "I am sorry." I apologised. She chuckled and responded with a nod.

"I'll see you in the evening," I told her, picked up my bag and strutted out of the house.

It was a good thing the paper I had today was in the afternoon. I would get a little chance to collect my thoughts before proceeding to write any traumatising exam today.

David was in the car already when I got to the garage. I didn't get in through the backseat. I went around and tapped on the window gently. The window was rolled down immediately.

"Good morning," He smiled at me.

"I want to drive today. You don't have to take me to school." I said monotonously. He looked surprised, but I just stared back at him blankly.

Allowing him to drive me would only make me give in to the uncanny feeling brewing within me and I didn't want that. Driving wouldn't give me any room to be distracted and at this point, I would take anything I get, just so I wouldn't feel.

"David," I gritted my teeth when I saw that he was delaying me. He exhaled and unlocked the door, stepping out. He had a look of uncertainty on his face. I barely bat an eyelid because I couldn't care less. I stretched forth my palm and he tossed the keys onto it.

"Good," I deadpanned. He stepped aside and I got into the car, throwing my bag on the passenger's seat. I shut the door behind me.

I ignited the engine and retrieved my phone from my bag, connecting the Bluetooth with that of the infotainment system. I pressed the play button and Sia's Unstoppable echoed in the confines of the car, eliciting a smirk from me.

"Now, that's more like it." I mused.

With that, I drove out of the compound.

                                         •••••

Driving into the school compound felt like all my emotions, which were attached to its outside walls were stripped away from me, leaving me with nothing.

It was very weird.

And there it was within me, that ominous feeling that felt so overwhelming back at home. What I felt back at home was nothing compared to how I was feeling right now. That sense of foreboding thickened. It felt like something was fuelling it, making it stronger and stronger.

I turned off the music at once.

It was at that moment that I noticed how my hands were shaking violently. There was a wave of dizziness that hit me, making me feel so sick to my stomach. It made my stomach churn with nerves. I tried to remain calm in my seat, not wanting to give in to the dread that ate at me.

Maybe my heartbeat wouldn't have spiked if I hadn't noticed that familiar golden brown curls tamed in a bun, from afar. What wreaked havoc within me further was how she was pacing around in circles. 

She was restless and it was painstakingly obvious.

I was pulling over in no time. The sound of the engine garnered her attention and she spun around, stopping my heart in the process.

My hands went stiff around the steering wheel. My eyes were fixated on her frame through the windshield. Willing myself to move, I picked up my bag with shaky hands, stepped out of the car and shut the door.

I was willing to believe that my windshield was probably faulty, and that was the reason my vision felt a little obscure. But, it wasn't. I was standing a few feet away from my best friend and I barely recognised her.

Her light brown eyes were unnervingly pale. If I didn't know her so well, I would have mistaken them for red because of the redness that surrounded her sclera. It was evident that she had been crying non-stop. The way her light-skinned was flushed gave it away.

However, despite how pale and out of place she looked, somewhere in those dull orbs, I could pick up on the confusion etched in them.

"Are you okay?" I was taken aback by how I sounded. My voice was more like a squeak.

"Uh–hey…" 

I didn't get a chance to dwell on her quivering voice because she was closing in on me in no time, drawing me in for a hug. I didn't hug Zee back. I just stood there, frozen, trying to comprehend what was going on.

"Is everything alright?" My question prompted her to detach her body from mine. She tilted her head backwards, looking bewildered. She stared at me like I had grown two heads.

"Zee, what's going on?" I demanded. My voice came out sterner than I intended, bringing a frown to my face. I didn't like how off she was acting. It didn't sit well with me, neither did it quell my pounding heartbeat.

"You didn't—" She was taking back her words in no time. Like she was struck by an invisible force, her jaw slackened and she let out a gasp, stepping out of my arms.

"Oh, my God…"

"Oh, my…fuck!" She cried.

*What the hell is going on?" I couldn't hold back from snapping at her. I hated the way I was so worked up for no reason. I hated how I was slowly giving in to this dreadful feeling.

I didn't want that!

"Zee, for goodness sake!" I yelled, losing my cool.

"You didn't see it. You didn't see it. It explains—oh, my God." She was rambling. She wasn't even trying to catch her breath. The words that flowed breezily out of her mouth left me so confused and racked with impatience.

"Just say something!" I croaked. 

"I think you should see it yourself." She whispered and my heart dropped to my stomach. A thousand thoughts were running through my mind. All at once. All of which I had no control over.

It was like an unceasing wheel that spun endlessly, making me really dizzy.

Zee reached for the pocket of her cardigan and retrieved her phone, unlocking it. I could read the hesitation in her eyes and her body language. I was reaching for her phone in her grasp like an agile pickpocket in no time.

"Why are my hands shaking?" I mumbled to no one in particular.

My eyes darted to the screen and a surge of coldness shot through me, freezing me up. Colour drained from my face and my veins suddenly felt like they had dried up because I could have sworn I didn't feel anything anymore.

I was just there, staring into the phone and absorbing every inch of the picture that haunted me with the happiness that oozed off it.

I was staring at myself in Alvin's arms. I was flushed against the taller boy's body, wrapping my legs around him, so tightly. My hands were tossed in the air and the laughter on my face mirrored his. His hands rested on my ass, cupping it. My blood-red nails were a clone of his beach shorts. It depicted an enchanting blend with the flowery beach dress I was clad in.

The memory was so vivid.

I was reliving it like it just happened for the first time.

We had gone to the beach with his friends during the festive period and I could remember that the picture was taken by one of his friends.

It was totally unaware.

The picture captivated every inch of my soul when I saw it and I couldn't resist getting a copy of it on my phone. I posted it on my Instagram page, immediately.

It was one of our pictures I couldn't bring myself to delete from my page. It had remained a forgotten memory until today. The picture was a major trigger that sparked every repressed thought of him, of us, tossing it at me in horrendous waves.

The caption beneath the picture that was posted in the finalist's group chat felt like a hard jab against my guts, knocking my breath right out of me.

"Pensworth's transferee and Blue Cove's self-acclaimed Ice Queen, Shakira Malik isn't so perfect after all. The oil magnate's daughter is far from an embodiment of perfection.Who would have thought she ran for the hills and transferred to Blue Cove because she couldn't handle the heat of being dumped by her ex-boyfriend, Alvin Horsfall, who left her for another girl?"

I staggered backwards like I was being shoved by an invisible force. The incessant vibration of the phone, indicating numerous messages that kept trooping into the group chat, suddenly fell in sync with the shrill voices that occupied my head, sucking me into the depth of my mind with their mocking chatters.

It was unceasing. There were unrelenting. Every voice thrashed around torturously in my head, struggling to be heard, struggling to overpower the others. They were like cackles of maniacal laughter, rendering my head so heavy, and a loud house.

"There's nowhere to hide now, sweetheart!"

"Did you really think you could outrun your past?

"Silly little girl who thought she has finally bolted the door on those memories!"

"You do not get to have a happy ending after everything!"

"So pathetic, so foolish, so weak!"

"A fucking loser. That's what you are..."

Having one voice chip in unwanted opinions at times has a tendency of tugging at my nerves, but having multiple voices echoing in my head, incessantly, made me feel like my own mind was turning against me. It made me feel like my mind was my greatest enemy, brewing with so much toxicity that impaled me to a spot.

I was drifting in and out of my consciousness. Dizziness cocooned me in its embrace. Looking towards my best friend, her face felt like shards of glasses I was struggling to piece back together. The more I tried, the more obscure it became.

My thoughts which were running haywire, like hundred miles per second, felt so scattered, and amidst those pieces, all my mind could zero in on was the fact that everyone knows.

Everyone knows.

I had everything under control. Those memories were thoroughly shrunk into a ball, stuffed into an abyss where they were never supposed to see the light again. I had my demons tucked away safely where they couldn't get out, where I had bolted the door on them and tossed the key into the sea. 

What happened in Pensworth was supposed to stay in Pensworth. It was never supposed to come out. My past ought to stay dead. It was never supposed to resurface.

But then, I was geeking to think I could keep it all covered up for long. I was so stupid to think I could outrun my shadow.

"How does it feel to work so hard to suppress your demons, yet all it took was a trigger from your past, for everything to let loose?" That tiny voice in my head had morphed into something much more sinister, posing a question, to which I had no answer.

I was falling apart!

The taut, protective barriers, which I had struggled to mould around me, to shield myself from external influence, resonated in my ears with a terrific crack. It started with slow cracks, which doubled up my heart rate, causing it to slam heavily against my ribcage. The cracks got heavier and scarier. It shed off heavily, and in one swift move, it crumbled, sounding like a building had just collapsed.

It left me bare, exposing my vulnerability to the world.

The realisation was striking me again, and it struck hard. The weight of my reveal pressed upon me like an unyielding force, nulling my bones.

The scorching, heavy tears that gathered in my eyes mirrored a stormy sea that was absorbed in the throes of a tidal wave. The depth of my torment was replicated in the welling tears that threatened, so badly, to spill over. The overwhelming surge of emotions that enveloped my being acted as a catalyst for my suppressed feelings, which were now pressing for release.

My body system was plunged into overdrive. My feelings were thrown all over the place like a sudden splash of paint on an artist's canvas. My body trembled violently with an unceasing quiver. The tremors had lumps lodging in my throat. The air in my lungs dispelled. The organ was closing in on me and rendered breathing a herculean task.

My breath was faltering heavily, but I was struggling to regain my composure, to pull myself together. It was very hard to grasp control over my emotions. The more I tried, the harder it became, ripping me apart. There was nowhere for me to hide. I couldn't keep it controlled because it was bursting through me, absorbing me and I was spiralling, so badly.

The death grip on the gadget in my hands lured me out of my head, drawing me back to the present where I was reminded of how shattered my life was, currently. My eyes slowly moved from the screen of the phone I was clutching in my hands, averting to Zee's frame, a few feet away from me.

She veered backwards with a gasp. Her expression was heavy with a mixture of horror and confusion. Her glistening eyes pooled with so many tears. Her flushed face looked like it had all its colour milked out of it. My best friend looked at me like she couldn't recognise me.

Like I was a stranger…

There was a hint of struggle clashing in her light brown eyes, indicating her effort to mask that look, but it was faltering.

"Who did this?" The coldness those three words carried ought to terrify me, but it didn't. I couldn't even bring myself to care about how I sounded. 

It was detached, infused with a nerve-wracking authority that made it clear to her that I was only going to ask once and I needed an answer. Now. 

I had an inkling of who it could be, but I was willing to hold on to the benefit of the doubt. 

"I—"

With my eyes set dead on her, one of my brows developed a mind of its own, tugging up at her in question. The hesitation that oozed off her was like a needle poking my nerves, pricking my irritation.

"Do not make me ask again, Chizaram."

My malice-induced words were like whiplash for her, despite how calm they sounded, eliciting a cuss word from her. "Fuck," She whispered.

Her hesitation was getting on my nerves, causing me to narrow my eyes on her in deadly slits.

"Jasmine,"

I saw it coming. I did. But, it didn't prepare me for the impact of that one word. It struck me like a bucket of ice, drenching me all over and freezing me from the inside out. And just like how that icy feeling enveloped me, it was quenched with a sudden brewing of fireballs shooting through my vein and tossing a surge of heat in the pit of my stomach.

The heat fuelled me and dispelled that coldness.

"Where is she?" I asked through gritted teeth. My words were seeping with so much anger, serving as the shove she needed because she inched forward in the blink of an eye, gently cradling my shaky hands against hers.

"Kira, listen to me—"

"No, you listen to me." I cut her off coldly. She wasn't fazed by my emotionless tone. She kept her eyes on me. Those brown orbs held silent pleas she was imploring me to hearken to.

"You cannot give her what she wants. This is what she wants you to do. This is the reaction she wants to get from you!" Her voice raised an octave higher, entrenched with shakiness.

"So, I should be the bigger person?" I arched a brow at her. "If I be the bigger person, make I bend." I deadpanned. Her eyes dimmed at my words.

"She asked for it. So, whatever she gets afterwards is all on her." I told her without mincing words.

"Kira, please…" Her voice trailed off. "I don't want you to get hurt." She choked out in a whisper. A mirthless chuckle flowed breezily from my mouth.

"One of us is bound to get hurt, no doubt, but that can never be me. It's either her or her." I sounded too calm for my liking. My calm composure was unnerving. I wasn't raising my voice, but it was coated with utter resentment and revulsion for that tiny little wrench.

"Kira—"

I cut her off, flatly.

"I might prance around like a descendant of Queen Elizabeth, but it doesn't change the fact that I am my mother's daughter. We aren't only alike in mannerisms. I also happen to inherit her madness." Every word I uttered was laced with assertiveness, dripping with a conviction that had her hands freezing against mine.

My eyes displayed not even an ounce of emotion as I said those words to her.

Zee was terrified by my coldness. She couldn't mask it. There it was again. That look. That dread consumed her because she didn't know who she was speaking to.

"Babes, you are better than this." She was trying so hard to convince me, to get me to listen to her, but my rage had completely clouded my reasoning.

"No, I am not," I deadpanned. "I am not going to let this slide and I am not going to walk away. So, fuck being the bigger person." I said coldly.

"She wants a battle?" I scoffed. A frigid, detached sound that shot through my mouth like splinters of ice.

"I'll give her war." With those words, I tossed her phone in her hands, unbuttoned my blazer and stashed it against her chest.

The defeat. It was evident in her eyes. She knew it was useless trying to talk me out of it. Her tears rolled down her cheeks effortlessly.

The corner of my lips quirked in a cold smirk, and I told her, "Don't worry, I am not going to throw hands.  I am just going to be asking her a few questions." 

A/N

*Munches on raw pepper aggressively*
Whooooooshhh!😂🔥 Gegeunnnnnnnn! *In portable's voice*

See ehn, wahala will just be on its own, sipping margarita and some people will just choose to go and poke it!😂 Why?😂

Tbh, I don't even know what to say. I will reserve everything for the next part.😂👍 In the meantime, can you guys take a wild guess on how Jasmine got to know about it? Obviously, it can't be Chizaram who told her.😌

Butttttt, who knows? She might have been the one. You can really trust people now, can you?🌚 Besides, with the questioning sly behaviour everyone has been putting up, we don't know who is who.🙂

Oh, and you guys should peep the new cover! It's breathtaking, right?😭♥️✨ Yeah, Iyanuoluwa-Temi  made it!😌💞

So, storm the comments section, my lovelies! I will be waiting! Don't forget to vote, comment and share.

I don't know when the next part will be ready, but I will try my best to hasten up with it.

Adiós✨

Love, Didi.♥️