Your mouth's a gun
And no war and anger
Was ever won...
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There was a type of explosion happening inside Chimdi's brain at the moment. And no, it wasn't the good kind. It was the type that had her hating the idea of being part of any activity relating to the world of glitz and glamour.
Talk Naija blog, alongside every other active blog in the country had carried the news of her nomination to participate in the coming ANTT award, to all and sundry.
It didn't help that there were a lot of false rumors going on, especially after her rival on red carpet had been MIA for quite a while.
Was she ecstatic that Ella Edidong wasn't around to cause her life loads of drama? Partly.
Was she happy that everyone in and oustside the four walls of her school were talking about the coming award? Definitely a no.
She felt like she was being watched. Periods like that came with judgemental stares and creepy fangirl shows.
She couldn't walk for a good minute without being bombarded with questions she was in no mood to indulge in. Hers and Ella's name on everybody's lips.
It'd take a matter of time before she snapped, replacing the faux smile with a scowl.
Speaking of snapping, it didn't take a second before she spotted her least favorite person in school, taking confident strides to were she was.
She let out a frustrated sigh.
Seeing her flirt around with TJ the other day at the common room, had the skinny girl grinding her buccal cords together in rage. And the stupid boy, she thought, was busy playing along, encouraging her to carry on with making an absolute fool of herself.
Why do you care? You don't own him.
She nodded, concurring with her subconscious mind. She didn't care, even if he flirted with the whole female population in Pacesetters.
Liar!
But the image was evergreen in her memory, she felt like hauling the fatter girl to a desert, or even, the north pole, where she'd feel enough pain.
Jeez Chimdi, you sound like a sick ex.
Respiring in and out, slowly, she tried to clear her mind. She didn't need a useless jealous bone at the moment. Not when there were eyes monitoring her every move. Her mother would kill her if anything jeopardized her chance of winning.
Any wrong act could make her get on her mother's bad side. She didn't want that. Not even when TJ was involved.
She'd thought avoiding him would erase him from her memory, how wrong she was. Barely looking at the girl he'd flirted with had her thinking of the cruelest things.
No devil, not today.
She watched the slender girl make her way to where she stood, and as ironic as it sounded, their outfit spoke of how different they were and how the skinny girl viewed the situation at hand.
Chimdi put on a fake smile, she wasn't going to create a scene and definitely not with her.
"Hey Aby..." Chimdi greeted in a sweet voice that sounded so faux to seem genuine.
Abike's face mirrored a confused frown for a split second, before clearing up. "Oooh, I see where this is coming from."
Chimdi scrunched her face in confusion as well. "I don't get..."
"Save the fake sweetness Gentry, I'm not voting for you."
Seriously,
"Fine." Chimdi shrugged, tucking her thumbs into the tiny, almost non-existent pockets of her white Terry robe. "You don't deserve it."
The fake smile was still in place. There were eyes everywhere, following her every move. She almost felt like screaming at them to let her be.
Figuring that the fatter girl didn't have anything reasonable to say, she decided to continue her journey back to her room.
"Not so fast Barbie," Chimdi cringed at the ridiculous endearment.
She sighed. "What now?"
The fatter girl patted the smooth surface of her black velvet short. The black fishnet tank top she had on revealed a black crop top and caramel abdomen.
Aside the resting bitch face, one thing was certain to Chimdi, Abike was a beaut. A face that'd make one stop and stare. Caramel lids housed wild catlike orbs, which fit dark long lashes. Perfect button nose that gave way to round plump lips which reminded her of a ripe cherry.
Abike had a face that was envy worthy, the kind that had her self esteem having doubts. Too bad her attitude made everything go to waste.
Abike's lips curved into a mocking smile and Chimdi immediately anticipated trouble. "Tell me Gentry, how does it feel?"
Chimdi sighed in utter annoyance. Nothing good came out of the slender girl's company.
"Care to make a meaningful sentence?"
Abike gestured around them. "How does it feel getting all these attention. Everyone is talking Gentry, guess who's the prime topic?"
Chimdi could swear the girl knew the right buttons to push. "My societal status requires people to talk," the skinny girl shrugged. She could feel the Abike fight back a growl. "Let them talk. I'm glad to know you care about my well being-"
"Do you sleep well at night knowing you caused someone sleepless nights?"
Chimdi tried so hard not to snap. Breathing in and out to calm her nerves, she could see the triumphant look in the fatter girl's eyes, a satisfied smirk making an appearance.
Chimdi not letting Abike's taunt get to her, put on a confident smile. There was no need defending herself, when the slender girl wasn't going to listen.
She'd learnt the hard way that society's opinion couldn't be swayed by mere words. They ate in whatever they were served, struck without valid point and judged without solid reasons.
They were simply like clueless infants.
So she preferred to dance to their rhythm.
"If you're so curious, you should try it out yourself. Who knows, you might get yourself a perfect answer."
This time, it was Abike's turn to tighten her jaws. The steely look in her gaze causing ripples of fear to creep Chimdi's skin. It spoke volumes, the hate screaming.
"You'll get your cold dish soon Gentry," Abike's voice as cold as steele seethed out. "This time, your over ambitious mother and Aunt won't save you." It sure did sound like a threat.
Chimdi could feel the fear sink in. What she'd done wrong, still a mystery.
"You'll never be happy stupid hoe!" She could still hear Ella Edidong's venom laced words.
Abike's words triggering what she'd tucked away.
She'd felt dread so real, gotten drained of the little happiness left in her instantly.
She could still picture the hurt look on Ella's face -- she never forgot and will probably never. And she'd seen something more, a look that was part of who she was too. The girl had looked broken, bittered, defeated -- like the universe was being weighed on her shoulder.
And she'd lost a friend that day, she'd lost someone who understood her -- though she loathed the pitying looks and preferential treatments, yet, she missed the girl a whole lot.
Sometimes, memories of that night would sneak into her dreams, haunt her senseless till her brain became frazzled and her mind incapable of harboring more thoughts.
But she held up the frontings. She wasn't going to falter, not even for a second.
She held her head high, staring the slender girl straight in the face "Does it look like I'll waste my care over flimsy threats, hmmn?"
Abike let out a cackle. "Of course you won't," sarcasm dripped. "Three measly nominations has suddenly got you feeling like you have a god-like complex."
"They are not measly Abike, they were hard earned." She hated to be that girl, but she had to. "Every sweat, every effort, every goddamn pain," she held back, shutting down the memories. They weren't worth it and she wouldn't let Abike see her crack.
"And maybe this god-like complex of mine is what has got you making an appearance wherever I am."
She palmed her freshly scrubbed face. "Tell me, does it hurt knowing that all your tactics aren't working on me?"
Abike growled. "Bitch..."
"Don't stress darling," Chimdi clicked her tongue, head shaking in mock sympathy. Her enemy's anger fueling her bravado. "I'll be out of your face right away."
Satisfied with the sheer look of annoyance on the fatter girl's face, she made to walk away. But Abike's viselike grip had her stopping.
"Stay away from mine and Aisha's business," Abike released her wrist. "You don't want to get your suit life ruined."
Chimdi froze.
How the Abike found out she was tailing the endowed girl was what was hard to fathom.
Chimdi stared at anything but the slender girl. She'd given up already after her first attempt. She didn't know what she was thinking when she made the decision to trail the Aisha Lawal.
At first, it felt exciting. Like she was trying to figure out a mystery. But it had been a futile mission, since every route led to her male classmates, who were albeit impatient, but eager like her. But unlike her, they were eager to unravel the mystery that was the endowed girl's clothing.
So she'd gladly saved herself and eyes the indecency.
Abike's dark orbs smiled at her in victory, taking her silence for a good enough answer. "Does it hurt to agree with me for once?"
Looking her in the face, Chimdi raised a perfectly shaped brow. "Would it hurt to burst your self imposed bubble?" She feigned thinking of an answer for a second, finger tapping thoughtfully on her jaw.
The smirk on the slender girl's face faltered for a second, before blossoming into a scary smile.
"Ever asked why the stubborn grasshopper never made it out alive? Think about it Gentry."
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