Welcome to a long awaited chapter ð I just finished my exams don't blame me. Dedicated to Muffin1510, she knows why ð. Dive innn
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A/N this chapter begins from Erling's Pov in the last chapter
**
"You're sure you're not going for the dinner? You've never missed it before" I ask for the last time, with my body halfway in her room and the other part outside the door
"I'm not going" she replies without looking up
"I could be your date if you want?" I say with a grin
"Nah I'm good" she replies, again without looking up
I almost- emphasis on the almost- ask the most obvious question, why she's not going but I just don't- I've never treaded on that path and I don't think I'm ready to start, things will sort themselves
"Okay then, see you later"
"Sure, close my door" she replies
I do as she says and shut the door, heading back to my room to grab my keys and airpods to leave. I take a look at my reflection in the mirror as I walk past it- I never lose in the game of fashion
I have an entirely black outfit, black full sleeved button up shirt buttoned up to the third button from the end, leaving the top three undone with a two piece silver accessory hanging, one below my neck and the other further down my chest. The stones at the ends of my brand new Oxfords have a glitter that matches my rolex, the perfect bling. I grab the keys to my camry and casually step out of my room with my phone in hand
"Where are you going?" My father's voice stops me as soon as I get to the end of the stairs
"To the school's Valentines dinner"
"Is Idara not going? I thought senior prefects have to be present" he says as he gives my outfit a once over, probably condemning my style in his mind
He definitely would have preferred if I wore a suit, buttoned up to my neck and probably added a tie- not gonna happen old man
"No she's not, she doesn't feel well besides she already confirmed that her assistant would be representing them both" I assure him while walking away at the same time
"Okay then"
I quickly make it to the door before he says anything extra
"Tobe" he calls
"Yes sir" I sigh inwardly as I turn to look at him
"No drinking or anything stupid, I'm not gonna pack your shit" he warns
I nod my head slowly, grimacing how deadly that warning sounded
**
"Erling my man" Justin calls as he runs up to me, gently taking Ginika's arm out of his elbow link in the process
"It's a seniors party, why are you here?" I ask him teasingly- as if I didn't do the same in my time
"Come on y'all know your parties are incomplete without me" he brushes his shoulder with mine
"Wait oh Erling" he moves closer to stand beside me so our shoulders are touching "I go soon tall pass you oh"
Says someone that's still on his way to 5'11
"Dream large" I give his head a pat as he scrunches his face up like the little child he is
"Damn" he says lowly with his eyes fixed at the entrance, my eyes follow
His appearance this evening is, well unusual. I'd have expected him to appear in his usual boring fits, the ideal 'good boy' looks but this guy literally mirrored my style. Except he did it a little better
Edmond has a mocha coloured dress shirt, black bottoms and white Nike cortez sneakers to match. Unlike mine, the end of his shirt isn't tucked, his sleeves aren't rolled up and his hair still has the tips tinted. He manages to look good today
"Espn is hott!" Justin drools like the pervert he is
"You know she's your senior right?" I give him 'that look'
"Age is just a number dude" he hands his drink over to me "now watch me sweep her off her feet like a real man" he pats my back a little too hard as he walks over to the dance floor
I hold his cup to my nose and a wave of vodka scent hits my nostrils, not like I'm surprised- it's Justin
My eyes land on Espn and I can't help but agree with Justin, Espn is hot. I've never seen her in a dress or even a skirt asides school uniform skirt - till now- and she should definitely wear them more. She smiles at whatever rubbish Justin tells her and her smile causes a small one to break out on my face too. Espn is the most social butterfly of our set and still one of the most quiet when you meet her, she probably has no enemies in the entire school. I'm happy for her relationship though, most boys have even forgotten that she's a girl because of how well she flows with us. I'm happy Edmond is in a relationship too- scratch that, I'm happy he's taken himself off the market
No reason in particular, just happy for him
She has on a long glittery flowing green ball gown with off shoulders and black platform heels that give her a boost. Her black long curly braids bounce off her shoulders and flow freely to her low back, showing it off as she swings her head from side to side saying hi to everyone. Her face is lightly made up, with some eyeshadow a shade lighter than her gown and nude lipstick, school Espn is very different from dinner Espn. Her date has a green corsage attached to his shirt and very expensive looking green cufflinks to match. I pulled of this look better
Espn's Dress
I notice something off about the both of their vibes though, Edmond in particular. While he has his arm slung around her waist and her body leaning in as they speak to the rest of the basketball team already around, I notice his demeanour that is far from settled as he cranes his head, scanning the entire room multiple times. I hold my gaze till his eyes finally meet mine, giving him a very hard stare causing him to falter for a second then return his attention to the woman in his arms
I roll my eyes and drop the half empty glass cup on the nearest tray and walk over to where my best friend is standing, typing furiously on his phone
"Hey man" I say as I approach him
He presses the power button of his phone immediately before he returns my greeting
"Hey what's up gee" he gives my hand a firm squeeze and a little shoulder bump
I notice his tense demeanour as I cast suspicious glances between him and his phone which appears new
"You got a new phone?" I eye the new iPhone 13 in his hand
"Yeah my dad got the gift, you know the old man now he doesn't know what to use his money for" his laughter breaks awkwardly as he laughs a little too much to his own joke
I join in with a chuckle to clear the weirdness in the air
"Who did you come with?" He suddenly asks, looking around to see if I came with any attachments "oh your single ass couldn't get anyone to come with ya" he teases
"Oh shut up, we both anyone would be thrilled to go with me if I'd asked" I roll my eyes and push my fingers into my front pockets
"Even Trip?" He wiggles his eyebrows, causing me to almost choke on saliva
"Where's Amaka?" I ask, switching the topic cleverly
He gives a devious grin then looks towards the door. He holds his watch up to his face
"She should be here about..." he clicks his tongue three times "now"
Almost immediately he says it, the spotlight flashes at the entrance to welcome a very eye catching Amaka. My mouth hangs open as the scene in front of me unfolds
Amaka has never been modest, even as Juniors in 7th Grade she always had that 'exposed girl' vibe, she got the entire school talking when she pulled up in booty shorts and a knotted net top for our 9th grade camp out at the Gremlin Resorts but this
Thiss??!
The pearls on her silver heels shone as she took each calculated step into the hall, aware that all eyes followed her. The slit of her gown stopped few inches below her waist that you'd have to start wondering if she wore any underwear underneath the velvet material. Then finally, what really made everyone stare, her very full cleavages had nothing covering them, they were on display for the world to see and stare
Who allowed this lunatic in?
Her eyes meet mine and she gives a triumphant smirk when she finds me staring, I peel my eyes off her immediately walking towards the table the rest of our classmates are seated, a call comes in
It's an unknown number, probably one of my classmates calling to ask if the party has started
"Hello?" I tap the loud speaker icon and place the speaker on my ear
The caller says something that doesn't sound like real words
"Hello?" I call again, sticking my finger in my other ear to block out the loud music
"-in front of your house" I pick out from the voice of someone I recognise
"Amanda?"
"Yes---" I don't hear the remaining part of what she says
"Hang on I'll call you back" I end the call to step out of the hall
She's probably at home already, why is she calling me though? Idara is right there or did she go out?
I give the hall a brief visual sweep to ensure everyone is doing okay and everything is going well before I take long strides out of the hall to somewhere more quiet, behind the hall
My eyes catch an already snuggled Aidan at the corner with his date saying stuff in hushed tones. I should walk away cos it's really not my business and maybe it's invasion of privacy but when did I start caring about his privacy? I lean forward a little to catch words fall off Amaka's lips
"Is it because of her?" Almost instantly my mind picks up and my pulse rate rises to 120 beats per minute
Her, her is Idara or maybe it's just some other girl, no need to overthink it
Like film trick, Amaka closes the gap between the both of them and just as I'm about to start questioning my sight, their lips meet. My eyes widen in shock as Aidan's close as he kisses her back. Almost like he realises what he's doing, he detaches himself from her and mouths an 'oh my goodness' looking up to find me staring at him
The look on my face is probably giving every single emotion I feel, for one I feel a little stupid for believing each time he said there's nothing going on between the both of them, but over all, I feel betrayed, on my sister's behalf
His face tells he wouldn't have wanted me to see that by how tense he has become all of a sudden. I take a few steps back then away from both of them, to the other extreme to make a call
"Hello?" Her voice speaks from the other line
"Amanda?" I ask to make sure she hears me this time
"I'm in front of your house, I've been trying to call Nana but she's not answering and the security guard is not going to let me in unless he speaks with you" she rambles into the speaker
Oh trust Nnamdi to be extra dramatic with his duty
"Put him on the phone let me speak to him" I say
"Hello sir"
"Hello Mr Nnamdi, please let her in she's my guest" I say once for him to hear
He affirms and probably walks over to open the gate after giving them a stink eye
"What are you doing mum? You can just drop me off here, I'll go in myself" I hear her say
"Don't they have parents? I need to know in whoms house I'm dropping my daughter" I chuckle a bit at her mum's statement before hanging the call up since she apparently forgot to do it herself
"Hey man what's up" his voice greets from the back
I roll my eyes then almost gag from the thought of what I saw earlier, turning around to face him
"Look what you saw there wasn't what it look like, at all" he says, trying to convince himself definitely not me he's tryna convince like that
I fold my arms across my chest, listening to what he has to say
"It was totally unplanned, I didn't even know she-
"Is there a reason you're explaining this to me?" I cut him off in a stern tone, catching him off guard
"Uhm- so that- yeah cos-
"It's okay, it's really none of my business" I say and casually walk away, back into the hall
He's lied to me everytime I asked, there's no need for him to say the truth now just because I caught them.
They can keep smooching for all I care, when two players are involved, no one is hurt but he better stay away from Idara
If not someone WILL be hurt and I can't let it be her, not when my fists are alive and working
The slow music is on and every gent has his lady in his arms, dancing to the rhythm of the music playing
A particular girl standing apart from the crowd catches my eyes, to an outsider she probably looks cool, collected and in control of everything that goes on but I see the little twitches she's been making with her eyes and how her legs haven't paused tapping on the spot the whole evening.
Her dress is a brown satin asymmetrical wrap body con dress, slayed as usual and very modest at the same time Amaka see your mate oh
Her demeanour is far from calm as she chews a grape berry from the plate she's holding, taking mental notes of everything going on in the hall at the same time
We are probably the only two people in the hall without attachments, here for duties only. Knowing how much Toke hates school parties she's probably only here because Idara called her to fill in for her, again she's terrible at saying 'no'. She probably had her day planned out, given that she has everyday of her life planned out but a single call from Idara to ask her for a little favour must have had her redraft her entire schedule and cancel whatever plans she had made
I proceed towards her
"Hey what's good" I ask as I get close
She appears startled a bit, collecting herself almost immediately
"Hey" she says nonchalantly and goes back to chewing the grapes
"You look good" I compliment her
She looks at me for a brief second, shakes her head slightly then replies
"Thanks, so do you" back to the nonchalance
"Did you come with someone? Or Valentines is not for you this year" I ask with mockery in my tone
"Did you come with someone? Or you're alone in this world, as usual" she throws the shade right back, smirking confidently
"Shade successfully caught" I laugh, she joins in
"Do you want to dance?" I ask her
She could use a dance partner, cos for as long as I've known this girl I don't think she's ever had a partner to any school function since we stopped going together as kids
"Nah, I'm good here" she drops the empty plastic plate
"Okay then" I cross my arms and lean on the table too, copying her stance but in a more manly way
"So" she says after a moment of awkward silence "how's your arm"
We know where this is going to
"It's good, I could swing a punch to show you"
She rolls her eyes
"Good, the competition is here already" she says with her eyes fixed ahead, avoiding eye contact
I pick a different plate on the table and pick a huge slice of chocolate cake, I extend it to her. She looks at the plate then at me without speaking
"Do you want some?" I finally ask
She looks at me in confusion, a frown forming on her face. I look back at the plate, wondering what could be wrong. She gently pushes it away from her face
"I don't eat chocolate, you've forgotten" the simple statement instantly makes me feel like a bad person
How could I forget she doesn't eat chocolate?! We used to be best friends for Pete's sake
"Oh shit I forgot" I place the cake down on the table
An awkward silence ensues, again
"Uhm so-
"Hello?" She holds her phone up to her ear, walking away
From where I stand I see her homescreen photo on display so she's obviously not on a call, she just wanted to get away
Oh great
I do a final visual sweep of the hall before retreating to the technical room like I always do, just for some peace and quiet.
My thumb hovers over my screen for a few seconds before finally tapping on the WhatsApp icon to check for anything engaging. I reply a few direct messages, leave some read and completely ignore some, perks of having off read receipts
Looks like someone updated her status- 45 minutes ago
I place my thumb on the screen to keep the picture from scrolling- wow
Wow
I catch myself staring at the picture seconds longer than I should, almost a minute before I snap out of my reverie, scrolling past it to the next person's update- Noel
It's a repost of the picture on Idara's status, the one she took this evening shortly after I'd left the house. The caption is two emojis, one of a queen and the other a red heart (ð¸â¤ï¸)
A sigh escapes my lips
Both of you would have been perfect for each other, why doesn't she see it?!
Noel- although we aren't close per se- is one of the goodest boys I know, somebody that actually sees front! He's had something for my sister since for ever but apparently Idara likes idiots.
**
AMANDA'S POV
(Amanda Aderinsola Akinde)
"Goshhh I need my own Xenk" Idara whines as she rewinds Dungeons and dragons just to see Rege Jean Page take his shirt off a second time
"If he doesn't take his shirt off like that I don't want" she says dramatically, causing both of us to burst into laughter
"If he doesn't speak like that I'm not doing" I add with equal drama
"Exactly cos why-
A knock on the door interrupts us
"Girls" a man's voice calls
"My uncle" Idara whispers as she goes to get the door
"Whaddup old man" she opens the door only slightly to see him through the hole
"I'm going out for a company dinner and I won't be back till midnight"
"Oh okay"
"My card is on my desk just in case you need anything thats not in the house, don't disturb Freya with your demands she's a bit under the weather" he states gently
"Ah she has malaria?" She gasps
His palm lands on her head, he squeezes it playfully
"Under the weather does not necessarily mean malaria, its just cold" he takes his hand off and peers into the room
"Hey Amanda is it" he says my name exactly the way his son says it
He stares at me for a second for me to realise I've not responded
"Oh yes sir Amanda" I shoot off my seat quickly to walk closer to where He and Idara stand, but not too close
"Okay hope you're having a good time?" He grins widely like he's talking to a child
I can't help but return the energy
"Yes sir I am" my eyes fall to the floor out of shyness
"You guys can order whatever you'd like to eat okay? Have fun" He says finally then blows a kiss towards Nana's direction, bolting away
"Hear what he said?" She smiles cynically "order whatever we like" she throws her arms up in excitement
I let out a hearty laughter from how she pumps her head and arms in excitement
"Let's go ladies" she yells
"Lady" I point out "it's just me"
"You're going abi you're not going?" She laughs aloud as she exits the room excitedly, I follow close behind her
Hours later
"Guess who finally decided to come home" Idara says as Erling drives in
He drives in so stealthily and carefully, like he's trying to protect the ground, contrary to how Nancy drove us last time like a maniac
The both of us decided to take her uncle's offer and order whatever we wanted which is why we have in front of us two bowls of KFC chicken, a box of pizza, one massive bowl of vanilla ice cream with one still sitting in the fridge for later consumption. Erling walks towards the both of us playing with his keys in his hand. His face looks like he's shocked to see me in their house
Ode weren't you the one I called when I was coming?
He checks the time on his phone
"It's 7:15pm, Sule you no dey go your house?" He gestures towards me
"You're the one that is Sule" I hiss
"She's staying over" Nana squeals and claps in excitement
He looks at me to confirm if she's saying the truth, I don't deny or confirm so he probably picks what the answer is. He smirks then sits on the third chair, picking a piece if chicken as he does
"Is the party over already?" I ask as he chews on the meat silently
"Nope, it'll be on till 9 pm"
"Then why did you leave?"
"Cos you're here" he replies immediately, causing my eyeballs to expand and Nana to stop what she's doing
He chuckles then goes back to eating
"That was obviously a lie, I came cos the party was getting too loud, I even expected you to have gone home by now"
Ouch
"Coach came sef"
"Our coach?"
"Hmm-hmm" he nods in affirmation as he muches on another piece
"Why?" I ask
"He came to collect his list" he drags the ice cream bowl to himself, Nana stops him mid way
"You just came and you want to eat everything on the table, are you a werewolf?" She spanks his hand then drags it back to us
"There's another one in the freezer you can take that one, this one is ours" she covers it and shields it in between us
He hisses
"Eat your ice cream"
"That's exactly what we're going to do"
He stands up from his seat, grabs the bowl of chicken he was eating then runs into the house
"Tobe if I catch you I'll pluck your eyeballs out" she yells
"Omo tests are starting in less than two weeks" she groans
My mind immediately darts back to Toke, we've had only two tutorials together! I have no idea what is going on in Further Math and Math this term, the Chemistry is becoming to bulky and yet I have tests and a mock exam coming up Wow
"Is something wrong?" She asks with a concern laced tone
"I have to make a call" I excuse myself, walking towards the car park
I don't know why, but I dial Toke's number out of distress, she always knows what to do in times like this
"The number you're trying to call is not reachable at the moment" the annoying MTN woman says
I try it again and again, still no difference, I let out a loud groan of frustration and almost throw my phone at the fence
But self control cannot allow me
What if something happened to her? Is she okay? Was her phone stolen?
Millions of thoughts come rushing in my mind
"Trip calm down" Nana says, already behind me
I massage my temple with my fingers
"Who are you trying to call?"
I let out a huge sigh
"Never mind, it's fine"
"You're sure?"
"Yeah"
"Okay" she squeezes my shoulders "Let's go in, it's getting chilly out here"
**
My eyes stay wide open hours after Nana has slept off beside me, she said she usually has troubles sleeping but this girl literally fell asleep as soon as she got a pillow like she was on a doze or something.
That's something I could do usually but my mind can't stop racing from the decathlon, tests approaching and how much of academic danger I am in. Toke came online later, about thirty minutes later but by then the boldness to contact her had totally faded away.
What would I even say to her? I was the one clearly told her to leave me alone
I peel the duvet off my body and climb down the bed, fixing my feet into the nearest slippers I find. I exit the room quietly into the hallway then boom! Power goes out
I switch my phone flashlight on and proceed towards the stairs when I hear a sound from the other side of house. I flash towards the source of sound because apparently animals like rats and cockroaches won't approach me when they see I have light with me
That's right, fear me you vermin!
A figure approaches me then groans
"Guy you're flashing the light right into my eyes" a husky voice I recognise as Erling's says
I take my phone down immediately, muttering a sorry
"I wanted to get some water from the kitchen" I say, pointing the light slightly so I can make out his face, he shields it
"The kitchen is that way, are you trying to blind me?" He whisper yells
"Sorry" I say again pointing the light at the ground
I stand fixed to the ground
"Go now what is it?" He asks when I don't move
I almost admit I'm scared to go downstairs alone in the dark but then- the power comes on
I let out a gasp of relief, he bursts out in laughter. I crane my head towards him in confusion
"Lemme guess, you stole your dad's shirt?" I look down at the shirt I'm wearing and realise it's one of my dad's former shirts whose short sleeves get to my elbow and the full length almost at my knees- the same length as the shorts- a wave of embarrassment hits me but I quickly mask it by hissing and marching down the stairs
"It doesn't look bad actually I didn't mean to laugh" Erling says as he rushes behind me
"Why are you following me?" I quicken my pace towards the kitchen
"It's my house, I can go wherever" he says and I scoff
We get to the kitchen, he turns the light switch on. I walk over to the highstools by the kitchen island attempting to sit
"If you're not tall enough to sit there, sit on the floor, I won't judge you" he says with a mocking tone as he opens the fridge
I roll my eyes and prop myself up with my arms, settling on the chair- which is not that high by the way, he's just dramatic
"Water or juice?" He asks without looking back
"Water" I reply
I watch him as he picks a bottle of water out, stretches it towards me and continues to search in the fridge. I grab the bottle from his hand, muttering a quick 'thanks' but my eyes catch something that makes me look back immediately
A large, long scar shaped like a sword wound ran across his shoulder blade to the other side. It's covered partly by the arm of the black singlet he has on but that does not conceal how horrendous it is, if this is the way it looks after months of healing, I can't imagine how deep it was when it actually happen. That'd be traumatising for anyone- gosh
"That's the scar from the accident?" I ask quietly as he walks to the microwave with the plastic plate of chips
He pauses in his steps startled, takes a brief look at me then nods his head without saying anything
I kinda feel bad for him
"It doesn't make me less of a fine boy though"
I take what I said back
"You look like an ogre" I gag to express how disgusting I feel he looks
"You look like a donkey" he grins
"The donkey looked better than shrek at least" I laugh
"And he was stupid, I see the resemblance more now" he wiggles his eyebrows
I'll shave those hedgehogs one day
"So how was the party?" I ask as I gulp some water
"It was lit to an extent, Edmond and Espn won best dressed-" he catches himself mid sentence then looks at me then continues "it was okay I guess"
"I know they won best dressed couple, I saw it on people's snaps and statuses. I know they also had their moment right there in the middle of the crowd, I saw it too" I drum on the marble top with my fingernails
"Hey" he calls "it doesn't bother you does it?" He let's out, his voice sounding concerned
"Nah I'm good" I spit the lie out
"Good, it shouldn't" he says then walks over to the microwave that just rang
"Care for some chips?" He asks
"Yes please" he shares the chips into two plates, placing both on the counter for me to pick, I pick the smaller share since it's his food
He casually reaches to the top shelf to take the bottle of ketchup- Nana and I had to climb stools this afternoon
"How tall are you?" I ask, trying not to sound too amazed
"6'2" he replies as he opens the bottle
"Wow" same height as my brother
"How short are you?" He grins boyishly
"I'm not short, I'm average" I scoff, stabbing the chips with my fork
"Okay how average are you?" He asks, still grinning stupidly
"5'5" I reply with pride
"Wonderful" he chuckles
"Oh shut up" I roll my eyes
We eat in silence for a moment
"Can I ask you something?'' I say carefully
"Shoot" he replies
"Does your mum not live here?" My breath hitches up as his expression drops at the question
After a moment of pin drop silence, he replies
"She's dead" he stares at me squarely
Oh God I shouldn't have asked
"I'm so sorry" I say, silently cursing my curiosity
"It's okay actually, she's been gone for almost seven years now" he nibbles on one chip
"Oh" I tear my gaze off him to my empty plate on the table
"Your mums were sisters right?" I ask, referring to the picture I saw earlier
"Yeah but we don't talk about her mum, don't ask her" he packs both plates off the table and takes them to the sink
My last question about her dad is begging to roll off my tongue but with the awfully cold demeanour switch I wouldn't even dare
"I think I'm going back to bed" he stretches a bit and yawns- fake yawn by the way
"Okay goodnight" I reply with a wave
"Goodnight" he smiles slightly then exits the kitchen
Oh well, let's have another attempt to sleep shall we
**
End of chapter ð®âð¨
Yess it's been a while, I know and I'm sorry but well...
ð¤ Give it up for our power couple Edpn with the award of best dressed couple *coughs in urhobo*
I see something blooming tho, hope I'm not the only one seeing it?
But just remember that flower wey dey bloom, e no mean say e go grow goat fit chop amðð
Aidan hmmm... ðyou'll be seeing more of him ehn, be ready for drama
At this point Toke is my bestie ðna only me know the kain thing she dey go through
And finallyyyy, Erling didn't exactly say why the coach came or what their interaction was, you'll find out in the next chapter ð©and yes I'm promising drama cos some people are already moving mad
Thanks for making it this far, vote and comment ð¤ see y'all next time