Lola's POV-- 8:50 am

One of the few things —if not the only thing—I had learned all my life was hiding my weakness. I knew many people thought crying wasn't a sign of weakness. People thought letting anger overshadow you was a sign of weakness. 𝑳𝒊𝒆. 𝑩𝒊𝒈 𝒇𝒂𝒕 𝒍𝒊𝒆. Crying and showing fear were the biggest elements of a weakling, and I'd rather flip off at people than break down and cry.

And at that moment, I felt weak and stupid next to him. I couldn't even meet his eyes. 𝑮𝒐, 𝑨𝒚𝒐.

More tears had flowed down my cheeks and I had kept wiping at them with the back of my hands. I had felt the dampness on my skin and the saltiness on my lips. The overwhelming feeling of sadness and despair had consumed me, and I had struggled to catch my breath. I couldn't get my mother's voice out of my head. That hateful voice that reminded me that I was nothing but destruction.

I shut my eyes, and the words she said constantly knocked my head over and over.

"You ruined everything."

No one could get over such a thing easily. Mom and I used to be buddies; we did almost everything together. Fine, maybe things changed after she had Demola, but things were far better before his death.

I could see Ayo staring at me from my side, and so I dried my cheeks. If I were in his shoes, many questions would probably have run through my mind. Was that it, Ayo? The questions... did you want answers?

Jerking forward, my legs got weaker with each step, and it felt like soon my legs would give up carrying me. My stomach kept churning. I should have sat down. I dug into my backpack, getting some of the paint from my locker all over my fingers. I grabbed the bottle of water in there, gulped it down, and rinsed some paint off my fingers. The cold water felt refreshing against my dry and parched throat.

Once satisfied, I threw the empty bottle into my backpack. As I continued walking, my head hung low, and I tried to ignore the looks people gave me. But every time I closed my eyes, I could hear the words that had become a constant in my life. "You ruined everything.

"Are you okay?" Ayo asked, concern etched on his face.

"Gosh, that's a stupid thing to ask," I replied, feeling a little embarrassed. He paused for a moment before continuing, "If it's about the stuff in your locker... don't let it bring you down. People are annoying... but stand up for yourself sometimes."

As he rambled on, his words sank into my brain. The truth was, I had been a pushover. But yesterday, I had taken control of my life. I didn't let my mom force me into calling him; I walked away from Seun, and I left class without a care in the world. Ayo was right—I needed to stand up for myself.

"I have to keep setting people straight until my last breath," I thought to myself as I whipped my phone out of my back pocket and sent a text to my friend.

'I'm not calling him. He's dead to me,' I typed before stuffing it back in my pocket.

Several seconds passed, but no reply tone dinged in my pocket. Ayo said nothing, and I still felt these drowning thoughts. It was too quiet. Truthfully, I wondered why he wasn't saying anything anymore, so I looked at him, and he was staring at the road ahead. The silence between us was deafening, and only a few cars passed by, honking as they passed one another and puffing fumes in the air.

"You don't know me," I said, slipping him a curious glance, which he returned with a half-shrug. "You think I'm weak, but I'm not." My voice trailed off.

He observed me for a moment before speaking, "Why do you let people treat you the way they do? Seun--"

When his eyes met my death glare, he shook his head and stopped talking. It wasn't his business. I knew this. He knew this, but I wanted to tell him I was afraid—always afraid.

"I don't let—" I broke again. The gravel beneath my feet dug into my sandals. I bit my lower lip, clenched my fists, and then continued, "Why am I even explaining this to you? Think what you want."

"I'll drop it," he said, starting to bounce sideways on his heels. The guy was playful. "Walking out on Ms. Jodi was a badass move, but you could get suspended."

I raised a brow at him, which made Ayo throw up his hands. "I'm just saying you're in deep shit when you come back to school."

"You're in more trouble than I am," I countered.

Ayo sniggered. "She excused me. There's a difference; I didn't walk out. Not that I'm saying you were wrong. I mean, it's wrong for walking out on her, but it was..." He trailed off when he met my gaze.

"So you weren't kicked out of class?"

He had this I've fucked things up look as he scratched his forehead and stopped bouncing. "I had to get out of class. You were angry; I've never seen you that angry."

"Still, you made it seem like you were sent out of class-" I sighed. "Never mind."

As we crossed the T-junction that led to Cups and Saucers, the sound of a moving engine got closer, and tires crunched on the gravel near me. Ayo turned, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw the red Wrangler, which turned my blood cold. 𝑺𝒆𝒖𝒏. 𝑵𝒐. 𝑵𝒐. Why did he ditch class today of all days?

I kept walking, but Ayo stopped just a few meters away. My neck was rigid. The hair on my back was stiff. The sound of a car door opening and closing got my attention, and for a moment, I looked back to see Seun. Something thickened in my throat.

He had a stupid smirk on his plastic face. Sometimes, I wondered if Mrs. Carter had taken Seun on one of her trips to the cosmetic surgeon. Unlike Ayo's carefree, casual look, Seun came off as threatening, stockier, and with a wider face. They were twins, but the kind that didn't look alike.

"Hey! Lola," Seun waved as his friend, Garry, stepped out. "What are you doing out here... with my brother?" His eyes traveled from mine and rested on Ayo, who gave him a pointed glare.

"Leave her alone," Ayo said, then walked towards me, and for some reason, I leaned closer to him.

As Seun caught up with us, his expression was menacing and his body language was aggressive, making my heart race. "Brother, this is not your fight. Lola, come here," he said, his eyes fixed on me. "Did you get my message, Lola?"

I swallowed hard, feeling a lump form in my throat as I tried to calm my racing heart. "Y-yes, I did," I stuttered, trying to sound confident, but my voice came out weak and shaky.

Garry's cold stare continued to bore into me, and I could feel the fear coursing through my veins. I tried to steady myself, praying that Seun wouldn't make any sudden moves.

"Good," Seun said, his voice laced with a hint of malice. "I need to talk to you about something."

I took a step back, trying to create some distance between us, but Seun closed the gap menacingly, and I found myself frozen in place.

But I froze to the spot next to Ayo. The fear sped up in my chest. I wanted it to stop, but it wouldn't. I peered at Seun when he didn't respond to Ayo's warning. The pulse on my forehead hammered. 𝑷𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒆, 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑰 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒓𝒖𝒏. 𝑹𝒖𝒏.

Seun attempted to grab my hand, but Ayo held him back, which made Garry, the big guy--and when I say big, I mean tall as Ayo, broad as Seun--step forward, ready to defend his friend.

As Ayo's gaze locked onto Seun, his rugged jawline remained striking despite the tension in his expression. The sparks in his eyes flickered with an intensity that matched the clench of his defined jaw, sending a clear message. "Seun," he spoke again, his voice cold and unwavering, leaving no room for misinterpretation.

I couldn't even look at both brothers. They'd always been at each other's necks since I could remember, and after Seun and I fell out, their fighting intensified. Ayo got in his face whenever he found Seun torturing me. If only he knew his defense meant nothing when Seun wanted something.

Garry had gotten in Ayo's face too. The only thing he needed was a go, and he would pounce. The tension was palpable as I stood frozen, trying to figure out what to do next.

"It's not that serious," Seun said, the scowl on his face disappearing as he chuckled. I studied him with a gaping mouth, wondering how he could be so relaxed in this situation. "Garry, chill out. We're all cool, right, Ayo? Lola, we're cool, right?"

I should have said something, screamed at Garry, or hurt him in some way, but I was frozen in fear. My eyes darted to Garry, who still had his eyes on me, and I quickly looked away.

"Yes," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

"What?" Seun snapped, snatching his hand from Ayo. "Lola, I need to hear it."

"Yes... w-we are cool," I stammered, looking down at my feet.

Ayo must have been disappointed in me, but he didn't say anything. Instead, Seun turned away, his feet making a noisy crunch as he walked to his car. The doors opened and slammed shut, and I braced myself for the sound of his engine roaring to life, but nothing happened. The world around me was still.

"Lola, happy birthday!" Ayo shouted, and I looked up, surprised. "I have something of yours with me. You'll like it," he laughed. "Everyone will like it."

Seun pulled out of the curb, and for the next several seconds, I stood there, hoping Ayo would just walk away. It was annoying how accurate he was with his words.

"Where are you going now?" Ayo asked, his voice soft.

"I don't know," I said, closing my eyes and taking a shaky breath. The silence was deafening, and I couldn't help but think of the pictures.