Lola's Pov--4:45 p.m.

"Ayo! No!" I scream, my heart pounding against my chest as I watch John return a punch, throwing Ayo to the ground.

The court is now chaotic; the guys rush towards the two exchanging punches as John stands over Ayo now.

I sit glued to a spot as my breath shakes and wishing I had the strength to stop this fight. What is Ayo thinking about starting a fight with this monster?

"You want more?!" John barks, punching him even more. Ayo's only saving grace are the people trying to hold John back. Even at that, blood trickles down Ayo's bottom lip. "Don't play with me."

"Stop this mess!" Mr. Adam runs to them too but the guys have pulled John off Ayo. "Kiss the springs goodbye. Both of you!" He jerked a thumb towards Ayo then turned to John.

"He threw the first punch," John bellows, trying to get free from people holding him. "If you know what's good for you, then avoid me."

"Out," Mr. Adams jabs his finger at the door. "Both of you."

I jump from my seat on hearing him, grabbing Ayo's backpack. "I have your bag, Ayo."

***

After a few exchanges of punches between John and Ayo, and an excursion to the nurse's office, we sit in his car, holding an ice pack to his face. There are bruises on his knuckles, above his right eye and lips, and from the way he's wincing, I know it hurts.

"It's my fault," I take a deep breath and almost regret it. The car smells of sweat and his masculine perfume. Yuck, a bad combination.

Scrunching my nose, I let out a breath through my mouth.

"It's not your fault," his face breaks into a smile and he winces at the same time. "And sorry about the smell." Rolling down the window, Ayo leans forward then kills the air conditioning system. "The fresh air is better."

I laugh and press the ice pack to his face again. "Yea, absolutely better."

"Sorry, you had to see that. That guy is a dick."

I lower the ice pack from his face and he shifts back from me. "Stop running, jor."

"I stink."

I snort and drop the ice pack on the dashboard. "Yea. But you don't have to run. It's no longer bad."

"I'm not running," he says

"Yes, you are."

"I don't want you to puke from the smell."

I laugh and reach out again. This time he lets me touch his bruised face. Whoever knew Ayo could even try to take another guy down? John almost ruined his face but I'm glad Ayo gave him a purple cheek.

"You've broken too many school rules today," I say, counting with my fingers. "You walked out on a teacher, missed all your classes, and punched your teammate."

"He deserved it." His face stays neutral, trying his best not to show how mad John made him feel. I understand him.

Iknow Seun and his friends are assholes with no regard for anyone but I never knew John would treat Ayo that way. Was that why Ayo wanted me to leave the court? Maybe he knows something like that would happen because they taunt him every time too.

"Plus, I hate him, " he finishes.

"I know but Mr. Adam pulled you out of the tournament."

"Worrying about me already?" He smiles at me but then flinches in pain. "Fuck," he says, watching my face. "I like you, Lola. I don't know why...I followed you around today... it's stupid I waited this long but I like you."

Instead of feeling butterflies like every silly romantic novel in the world describes, I feel a jab in the pit of my stomach. It hurts to know after today, nothing good will come from this sudden friendship.

Tonight, mom will find me lifeless in a bathtub filled with bloody water. She will scream, try to save me and every member of Carters' family will run into my room to help mum get me to the hospital. But by then, I'll be dead.

"It doesn't matter," I say, then slip him a glance.

His eyes go round. "Yes, it does."

"No," my gaze drops to my hands and it stays there like it's the most fascinating ever. I can't look at him right now, not when his gaze is beginning to affect me. It's weird... Ayo really likes me.

"So why are you here?" He's staring straight ahead and then I do the same.

The park is almost empty except a couple resting on the black Chevrolet. Smiling, the girl links her arm around his arm then rests her head on the guy's shoulder. It's almost repulsing for me but I can't blame them. I was once in love with Seun.

"I came to apologize for shouting at you. It was stupid."

"And..."

"I'm sorry."

"And..." He raises a brow at me. I know what's next.

"I don't want to tell you about my mom," but after seeing him that way on the court, standing up to John, I know I'm not alone in this. Ayo and I are similar in a lot of ways. His father hates him too. "And I don't really hate my mom... Ayo, promise not to judge me with what I'm about to tell you."

He takes my hand in his and kisses it. Which causes the knots in my stomach to tighten. What if he doesn't understand me?

Mom never understood me and after so many years, she still hasn't talked to me about Demola. They say grieving takes five stages before you heal: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Sometimes, I think mom is stuck in the anger stage.

"I promise."

So I tell him about the day Demola died. I tell him about the time mom and dad took me to the pastor to cleanse the evil spirit in me, and how dad got mad when I ran away from the pastor's house.

He opens his mouth to say something but says nothing anyway. I tell him about mom and dad's separation. I tell him mom never confronted the pastor but I leave out anything that has to do with Ayo.

By the time I'm done talking, my mind fogs up and my eyes feel heavy with tears. Then, I see Demola run after me, screaming his lungs out as he crosses the road to meet me. But before he gets to me, the car runs him down.

And I'm back here in the car with Ayo who just stares at me for a while then looks away.

Say something.

Nothing.

If he says nothing then I know what he's thinking already. He blames me. I blame me too.

If he says something and tells me to leave, I'll just keep running and allow the pain to sit in my heart. It's been that way for a long time anyway. Every morning feels like I've woken up into misery and forced to live yet another day. Every night, I want to go to sleep and never wake up. But what makes everything worse is waking up another morning only to watch people treat me like I'm garbage.

"I...I have to go," my lip quivers. But as I reach for the door, his warm hands hold me in place. Blowing a huge breath through my mouth, I turn to see him staring at me with glossy eyes. "Ayo... I don't even know..."

"Wait."

"I don't hate my mom. She's the one who hates me. And I get it, I really get it. I just wish it was me who died that day. Demola should be alive... breathing." My whole body vibrates and each time I try to hold the tears and not show my weakness, something in me cracks wide open. "It should've been me. I shouldn't be alive."

"Stop it."

He pulls me in close. I don't mind because getting a sweat on my cheeks is nothing compared to the pain crushing my heart. I'm broken and nothing can fix me.

So I let him put his hand around my neck and I wrap mine around his abdomen then rest my head on his chest. We stay in that position, and I listen to his heartbeat and it is nothing but music to my ears.

"You can't be sure she hates you," he says. "She didn't sound like she hated you when we talked on the phone."

"Yea, right," I say, wiping the remaining tears off my face. "A woman who told me I ruined her life. She won't even look me in the eye to talk to me. My mom has never talked about Demola's death."

"Have you ever tried to talk to her about it?"

I take my head off his chest and gape at him. "Are you kidding me? Okay okay, so what do I say? Mom, do you miss Demola?" I scratch my forehead.

"Not exactly... but you need to get a lot of things off your chest."

"Will you ever forgive someone if they hurt you?"

Ayo says nothing for a second but then says. "If it's not that bad-d"

"See? I killed my own brother. My mom will never forget that."

"I know... I know.... but she was worried about something. She had something urgent to tell you."

"Did she tell you?" I ask and respond with a shake of the head.

Something urgent? For all I know, it's some annoying rant about me walking out on my teacher and leaving school. She's worried, ehn? Where was this energy when the pastor tried to hurt me? She never intervenes.

My head is heavy with questions and thoughts. I want to get out of this car and scream towards heaven, at the supreme force causing all these things happening to me. Why today? Ayo is hell-bent on being my friend and I even suspect he wants more than that. My mom is suddenly worried about my whereabouts. Kim waves at me in school and apologizes when she got the chance.

What else does the universe have in plan for me?