Hey, Fam!🖤

It's been a long while. I dunno. It does feel long.😂

Anyhoo, not to delay things further, here's the update, as promised. But, it's a short chapter. It ought to be a long chapter but I didn't want to stuff this chapter too much. I want it to be a standalone.🌚

Before we move on, I'd advise you guys to read this chapter extra carefully. Don't come later and say I didn't tell you o.😂😂

So, yeah. Leggo🌚

            ______________𖧷____________

                       "𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔.
                              𝑆𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑖𝑠
                            𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑏𝑙𝑦 𝑤𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔."

           ______________𖧷______________

          ~𝚂𝙷𝙰𝙺𝙸𝚁𝙰 𝙽𝙸𝙽𝙸𝙾𝙻𝙰 𝙼𝙰𝙻𝙸𝙺~

"WHAT!"

"No, no, no, no! You have got to be kidding me right now!" I cried, rising to my feet, my eyes skimming through the white form in my hands, clouded with horror. I blinked, rapidly, wishing the name that stared back at me in bold black letters, could somehow fade away and disappear into oblivion, never to be seen again.

I let out a frustrated huff and brushed my forehead with my palm, a little sigh escaping my lips. A familiar child-like giggle pierced my thoughts, eliciting an irritated hiss from me and causing me to spare the light-skinned girl seated on the brick seat, a glance, with her head hung low as she typed away on her screen, belittling my feelings!

She's supposed to be my best friend!

"Chizaram!" I screeched. The ear-splitting sound that left my lips, nearly had me wincing in pain and she jolted upright, her face creased in a deep frown at my disturbance.

"What?!" She shot at me, folding her arms across her chest, spotting a glare on her face. 

"Did you even hear what I said?" I queried, jutting my hip out and placing my hand on it. I didn't bother to hide my irritation. I wanted her to know how irritated I was. 

She exhaled, throwing her hands up in the air, in defeat.

"Fine, let's hear it. But, it better be worth leaving my boyfriend messages unread." She rolled her eyes, and I couldn't repress the urge to scoff.

"I can't deal with you, honestly. You two are so annoying! We know you two are obsessed with each other. You don't have to rub it in our faces." I deadpanned and she raised a disapproving brow at the words that left my lips. I gave a dismissive wave in the air at her disapproval.

My thoughts wandered back to the issue at hand, that was enough to plunge my entire mind and brain into a state of mayhem.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" I shouted at her.

"Tell you what?" She frowned, her brows creasing in confusion.

"That Quinn is the president of the uncensored project!!" I threw my hands in the air, for emphasis, maintaining eye contact with her. I watched as she heaved a sigh, shaking her head.

"Now, you are just being dramatic." She rolled her eyes and sat up properly.

"You knew when I signed this form, and you didn't say a thing." I stomped my foot on the ground, wagging my index finger at her. Her light brown eyes that were clouded with frustration, soon morphed into amusement.

"You are so adorable. You should see yourself right now." She chuckled softly and a light gasp escaped my lips.

"I__" She beat me to it, before I could utter a word.

"She's the president? So? That doesn't stop you from being a part of what Project Uncensored has to offer. You are going there for yourself, not for her,"

"Abi, am I missing something?" She quirked her brows at me, waggling them a little.

"You are not missing anything," I said, grouchily.

Then, her eyes lit up in excitement, disbelief swirling in them.

"You are intimidated! She intimidates you, doesn't she? Oh my God, I should have known." She divulged, her voice heavy with amusement.

"No, she doesn't." I debunked, immediately, taking my seat beside her with my arms folded across my chest, suddenly unable to meet her eyes.

"Yes, she does." She voiced out, quietly, this time around. My frown deepened, even more, as I struggled to keep my eyes fixated on the array of brick-like seats.

"Hey," She called out to me, scooting to my side, until there wasn't any space left between us. She pulled me to herself by the shoulder and dropped a soft kiss on my hair.

"It's okay to be intimidated. It's completely fine, my girl. Heck, she intimidates me too. I mean, doesn't she intimidate us all? It's alright and it's okay to admit that. It doesn't make you any less of who you are." Her arm glided back and forth on my arm, a soft giggle escaped her lips.

"I'm not intimidated." I lied through my teeth and she scoffed.

"And she keeps forgetting how well I know her," She said in a sing-song voice, eliciting a loud snort from me.

"She's not that bad, for real. She's just…" she trailed off and I aided her in completing her sentence.

"Yeah. A total bitch." I retorted dryly.

"Okay, maybe a little bit," she answered and I took my head off her shoulder, sparing her a look of disbelief. 

"Whose side are you on?" I asked, arching a brow.

"Your side. Always. I'm just stating a fact." She defended herself and I snorted.

"Better," I mumbled.

"So," She spoke up after a while.

"Are you going to speak with her?" She inquired and I exhaled, bobbing my head in response.

"Now, dust the non-existence crease off your dress, adjust your crown and go talk to her, okay?" She urged and I chuckled.

"Anybody wey see you as you dey advise me like this, dem go think say you get sense." I said, my voice filled with amusement, earning me a pinch on my ears.

"I have sense, nah!" She whined and I rolled my eyes.

"Sureeee," I answered, my tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Small. I have small sense." She was sitting upright now, grinning from ear to ear.

"And you really think that someone that doesn't have sense will be friends with someone that has one?" She smirked and I smacked her.

"Silly me thinking it was probably Jasmine. That Barbie doll is a piece of cake. I can handle her. You can imagine my surprise when I found out that it was Quinn." I said, deviating from the ongoing subject of discussion, to the previous one.

I couldn't help but pick up on the swift change in Chizaram's demeanor, dread crawling all over her face and marrying it. She appeared a little disturbed, guilty even, causing me to furrow my brows.

"Is everything okay?" I mused, and she nodded her head, spotting a faux smile that I could see right through.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She brushed it off.

"You are sure?" I pressed on, and she nodded her head. Her smile was brighter than earlier. She hopped off her seat like a little girl, smiling brightly at me.

"Yes, mom. I'm sure. Now, let's go talk to your partner in iciness." She sassed and I flipped her off. We left the school's garden, heading to the main building.

                                        •••••

I stepped out of my class, heading to the pool, where Zee told me I would find Quinn. I raced down the stairs, my fingers deep in my braids as I tried to pull them into a high ponytail. The familiar back view that graced my sight had me halting in my tracks, my hands leaving my braids that dropped down my shoulders with a bounce.

I was too stunned, and curious to move.

"This is the tenth voice note I'll be sending to you. Just…just respond, please…" He paused, running his fingers through his hair.

"God, I thought we were cool. I thought everything was finally going on fine. For God's sake, you even texted me first, and then you just switched up on me, again. Where did we go wrong, again?" He sounded exasperated, the underlying frustration in his voice couldn't go undetected, filled with…longing?

He paused.

"Just…return my calls." He added, his voice drawn to a whisper that held thousands of emotions that I could barely pinpoint.

What's going on?

"Abasi?" My mouth moved on its own accord, my voice filled with bemusement. His back stiffened, toughening up, the moment he heard me call him. And then, slowly, he whirled around to face me.

It was as though the air in my lungs was being punched out, causing me to veer backwards a tad bit, without being shoved by anything. I couldn't recognize the light-skinned boy that stood in front of me. He was different. So, so different from the boy I knew, from the boy we knew.

His melted chocolate orbs appear dull, void of life, trails of exhaustion hanging in them. His shoulders were sagged in defeat. His Blazers was draped over his shoulder, he wasn't wearing it. His black curls looked so messy, like he had run his hands through them so many times. He… he had bags underneath his eyes.

"Abasi…" I trailed off, still unable to find my voice. I couldn't bring myself to speak. 

"Hey," He croaked, taking a step forward. He tried. He tried really hard to spot a faux smile on his face but he failed miserably at it, then he stopped.

What's with people giving me faux smiles all day? Do I look foolish?

"Abasi, don't do that." I said sternly. I was pissed, and I was starting to get so irritated and sick of the lies. He sighed, tucking his hands into the pocket of his trousers.

"It's…" He paused, hesitantly, a conflicted look marrying his face. But that wasn't all, something flashed across his face, but it was so swift, I couldn't pick up on it. It was so hard to decipher.

"I was trying to reach my mom." His voice was quiet, breaking even. I inched forward and closed the space between us, enveloping him in a warm hug. He looked like he needed it.

His breathing had gotten heavier, but not even a sound exited his lips. He was struggling to hold back his tears. He enclosed his arms around me and sighed.

"Thank you," He whispered and I chuckled.

"You don't have to say thank you," I answered.

A long silence ensued between the both of us. He didn't say anything, and I didn't want to probe him into talking more about it.

"You can't tell Stefan and Jeremy." His voice was lighter now, but it was filled with something else. Something that scared me about what was more than this that he was hiding from his friends, from us. Fear.

"Why?" I queried, pulling away from him slightly.

He was taken aback. Like he didn't expect my reaction.

"I…" He paused, sighing softly.

"I don't want to bother them with what's going on with me." He finally spoke up, flashing me a faux smile.

I shook my head, countering him.

"You should tell them," I spoke softly, trying to convince him.

"I'll tell them. I promise. I just need a little time. More time to collect myself and wrap my head around all these." He countered me, his voice coming off so subtly.

He was lying.

He wouldn't tell them anything.

I'd know because it was a reflex action of mine.

I looked him in the eye, my eyes locking with his, and those melted chocolate orbs that were always filled with life, with excitement and mischief, were blank, I couldn't read them. I didn't see that goofy boy. I saw a boy I didn't recognize. A boy…with secrets. So many secrets and it scared me, the secrets he held. 

Somehow, I wasn't just convinced. I knew there was more to what he was telling me, but even I knew that if I were in his shoes, I would appreciate not being asked about it. So, I did the one thing I didn't know I could do. I let it go…

"Sure, whenever you are ready." I smiled at him and he nodded, his eyes lightening up with gratitude. 

"Thank you, Kira." He voiced out softly, smiling at me. I patted him on the shoulder, and walked past him, sauntering out of his sight, unsure of what to do with what I had just heard.

                                       •••••

Cove's Pool.

I have been here twice. One, to watch my best friend swim like a fish in water, and then the second time, oh well, this is the second time. I don't know if that counts. It doesn't. My brain is probably overreacting because I'm about to have a one on one encounter with the school's Ice witch.

What are you?

Pot calling Kettle black!

Fuck. Off.

I stepped through the door that was slightly ajar, setting foot into the ridiculously large space that housed the Pool. I have been here once, but I still get taken aback by the massive space. The whole place was void of any single being. 

The huge pool with light blue water looked even more pronounced, with the rays of sunlight that was filtering in through the giant see-through glass, giving it this hint of Golden-Blue. The light wasn't so bright, and it wasn't so dim either. Something in between.

The sight was enthralling.

And then, I turned around, my eyes dropping to the bleachers and zeroing in on the masculine frame that was towering over someone. I would know because a pair of unclad legs were shooting out like he was standing between them. My brows furrowed unconsciously, plunging me into a hole of confusion. 

And before I knew what was going on, my feet started moving toward the duo, my mind plagued with a thousand thoughts and questions. 

Who were they?

"Rome…" The familiar voice breathed like she was finding it so hard to even breathe. Her voice was wavering, holding a hint of underlying frustration in it.

On G, my face lost all the initial colour it had, the little breath I had left in me got punched out of me and I veered backwards without being shoved by anything. I was appalled to the core. I couldn't wrap my head around the scene in front of me. 

What the fuck was going on?!

"You were saying something?" That was the Half- Caste's response, filled with taunt and a tad bit low. I could almost picture a smirk on his face, the moment he asked that question.

"I__"

"God Forbid!" 

It took me a while to realize that it was me who shouted 'God Forbid' I gasped softly, and then, I slapped my palms over my mouth, taking a step backward. The duo broke apart, without wasting a second like they were abruptly set on fire. Rome practically jolted upright, stepping out of his initial position; between her thighs. 

He landed on the next seat with a thud. If it were in a different circumstance, I would be on the floor right now, laughing my ass off. But right now, nothing is funny. I was utterly stupefied. He looked like a deer caught in headlights. I didn't miss the look of utter embarrassment that crossed his face. He wouldn't stop massaging his nape.

I swatted my gaze over to hers, our eyes locking in a stare. Maybe during the course of the time I had been so focused on Rome, she had gotten the time to collect herself, because, bitch, what the hell?!

This babe's face is as blank as a white sheet! Her brown eyes were cold, piercing even, like she had all the time in the world to assess me with those eyes that reminded me of Gunmetal. Like she could see right through me. Her hair wasn't even in view because of the silicone cap on her head, her swimming goggles hanging right in the middle of her head.

Her rich melanin skin looked wet. It was clear as day that she just got out of the pool, judging by how her black swimsuit clung to her body like a second skin, showcasing every inch of her body curves. Her lips were pursed as she tilted her head to the side a little, causing my frown to deepen, even more.

Bitch, hol'up, I wasn't the one making out with the headboy on the bleachers in the school's pool. Okay, maybe I exaggerated a little bit, but she doesn't get to act like I didn't just walk in on her and Rome in an overly compromising position.

It's her pretence for me!

"Okay…I'll just go." Rome spoke up, wanting to ease the thickening tension which only got worse with each passing second. I reluctantly moved my gaze from her and turned to Rome, who didn't waste a time in rising to his feet and sauntering out of the Pool premises, leaving us all alone.

Then, I reverted my gaze from his receding frame, to the tall girl who sat so gracefully on her seat, while waiting for me to state my case. The more I looked at her, the more I got intimidated by how she looked and the way she carried herself. The aura that surrounded her. It was...enthralling in a way.

She was so beautiful…

Intimidatingly so.

"Would you rather take a picture? I was told it lasts longer." I was astounded at the words that left her mouth, not particularly at her words, but her tone. There was something about it. It held a little sarcasm but it was more of amusement.

I watched her lips twitch in a smirk.

I scoffed, rolling my eyes.

"Hey," My tone came out bored and dry.

"I'm not going to say 'Hey' if that's what you are waiting for. Get on with it. I have somewhere to be." She said, monotonously, making an air quote, while her gaze remained fixated on my face.

Bitch.

I couldn't resist the urge to snort in her face.

"Zara, the health prefect, approached me a few days ago, with a brochure about a health club, Project Uncensored. I signed the form already and I'm interested in being a part of whatever it is that you guys do. She didn't get a chance to put me through the whole thing, and she suggested that I meet up with you." I told her, and she nodded her head in response. 

She rose to her feet, and descended the rows of bleachers, while I trailed behind her, utterly irritated.

"It's a health club that basically encompasses orientation and awareness about relatable issues like Puberty, teen relationships, safe sex, the pros and cons of it anyway, hygiene and the likes," She paused, and turned to me.

"In a nutshell, it's a safe space to discuss about these things, to shed more light on it and just learn from each other, by putting our twos and threes together. Do you get it?" She queried, arching a brow.

"I'm not dumb. I understand everything you said." I rolled my eyes, and boy did she seem a bit fazed.

"We'll be hosting a seminar for our new members in two days, and we'll be needing some speakers. You want to volunteer?" She asked.

"Sure. I'd love to do this." I answered, an unconscious smile creeping onto my face. The thought of enlightening people about the whole thing was appealing to me.

It made me giddy with excitement.

"Great!" She chirped.

"Let me have your number, so I will add you to the group and we can talk about the whole thing." She handed me her phone and I typed in my number.

She typed a few things on her phone and then, looked up from the screen, giving me a curt nod.

"I have added you," She said curtly. 

And with that, I twirled on my heels and proceeded to leave, but her next words robbed me of my movement.

"Hey," She called.

I looked over my shoulder, arching a brow at her.

"Thank you for doing this. It means a lot, Shakira." Not giving me a chance to process the fact that she knew my name, she flashed me a warm smile, rendering me speechless.

I couldn't find my voice, so I nodded at her and sauntered out, releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding, once I was out of her presence.

It's been one hell of a day.

A/N

Hehehehe😂😂

What's everyone hiding?!

What in God's name is going on?

What was that with Quinn and Rome?😂😂😂💔 Omo, I rest my case and leave it up to you guys to come up with conspiracy theories, as usual.🌚

Abasi though...

*Sips Lipton*

Omo, it is well.😂 Let me know what you guys think in the comments section. Do well to do vote, comment and share!✨

Adiós✨

Love, Didi.