THE GALA

Jessie then asked Jacob,"So, when so we meet?"

Jacob then said,"Don't worry bro, I'll handle everything and thank you very much for this, you're really helping me out."

Jessie then smiled nervously, being eaten by guilt for Lilith but before he knew it, he was being prepared for Zeinab's fifteenth birthday gala at a four star beach resort with an entry fee of two hundred Ghana Cedis for children under twelve.

He was driven to the venue in a limo and all eyes were on the new rich kid in town.

Jessie walked in under the guidance of Jacob who was speaking to him through a Bluetooth device in his ear.

He looked around through the crowd till his eyes fell on the lady of the gala standing on the stage, giving a speech.

Zeinab was a pretty petite girl, much prettier than himself, but not as much as Lilith, in a beige gown which would definitely be a nightmare in the laundromat, with her dark black hair tied up in a bubbly like flower arrangement which probably wasted hours of her life styling.

Analysing her, he realized she was the shy, perfectionist type who kept her opinions to herself unless direly needed.

She also seemed to be close her mother, but her relationship with her father was shaky.

Jessie's brother told him to move to ' the target '.

That was an odd noun for the situation, but Jessie played along.

After her short speech was done, he took a drink then walked forward with confidence and his head held high.

When she saw him approach, she seemed to be intimidated by his dominant aura and that was exactly what his brother wanted.

He then said,"Hi Zeinab, my name's Je..."

"Don't tell her your real name!"Jacob yelled.

Jessie winced silently but continued,"...rome, Jerome Mampong."

"...I don't recognize that name."Zeinab said.

' Of course! Only friends were invited! ' He yelled to himself.

"I'm from your old school, Golden Gate, remember me from the first grade?"He asked.

"Great job Jessie, she wouldn't remember, but she'd pretend to to cut the conversation short, then there's your que to liven it up."Jacob said.

She looked distant, as if remembering then said,"Oh Jerome Kwame Mampong, my sitting pa for the first half of the first semester, now I remember you! Remember that science project we did together? I don't quite remember, maybe you could freshen my memory?"

"Uuh, right, the science project... Jacob, help!"He yelled in a whisper.

Jacob had evaporated from the other end of the line and she was waiting for him.

Jessie gulped quietly then said,"Wasn't it the...oh sorry, I have to take this."

He had literally been saved by the bell as his phone rang, but then, he saw it only made the situation worse...it was Lilith.

He was hyperventilating and Zeinab realized his plight and asked if everything was okay, he then said,"Oh yes, everything is perfect, that's just my clingy little sister trying to remind me to mention her name in one of my movies."

Then he hung up.

Lilith was very worried. Jessie hadn't answered any of her calls, neither had he returned them and she hadn't heard from him in days, maybe she could go to his home.

"Oh, yeah, wait, you're an actor?"She asked.

He nodded then she said,"My dad's a director, but..."

"But you don't want to work in show business, do you?"He asked.

She shook her head and said,"My dad wants me to become a famous actress or director like himself, but I want to be a firefighter like my mother, she had to stop when she got married to him."

Jessie smiled then said,"That's very brave of you."

"Really? My boyfriend thinks it's stupid."She said.

' Wait, what?! Jacob didn't tell me she had a boyfriend! ' He yelled to himself.

When she saw his facial expression, she frowned then said,"I knew it, you boys all just want to date me for my dad and his money and connections, you don't even care about me! You're all the same! I don't have a boyfriend and I don't want one!"

She then ran away.

All eyes were on the guy who just ruined Zeinab's birthday party but Jessie didn't care about that, he just followed after her.

She went to the docks then he called her but she didn't listen till he held her arm.

She struggled to break free but he said,"Please Zeinab, just listen to me, my real name is Jessie Boadu and I have never met you in my life, I came here to help my brother, Jacob Boadu because of a conspiracy theory that had been hovering above his head. He really needs this movie opportunity, and I really need you."

She then rolled her eyes then said,"Of course, I'll tell my dad to hire your brother, then will you leave me alone?"

"No, like I said, I really need you, I like you Zeinab, much more than I have ever liked anyone else and I don't know why, but there is this connection I feel with you, please give me a chance."He said.

She looked into his eyes, trembling,then leaned forward and kissed him, in the scarlet sunset and her foot popped...

***

Lilith hd already sensed Jessie's absence in the house but knocked the door just to be sure.

His twin brother; Joseph, came to answer, then widened his eyes in surprise, then licked his lips looking Lilith up and down.

She already knew he was a pervert, but she just wanted to slap him through the wall.

He then asked,"What does an angel like you want here?"

"I'm looking for my boyfriend, emphasis on boyfriend, your brother; Jessie, please can you tell me where he is?"She asked.

"Oh he's on a date, but I'm here, and available."He said, biting his lip.

"What?"She whispered,"Please where's the location?"

"First, give me a kiss."He said.

He rather got a dirty slap on his mouth before she vanished into thin air.

He knew she was powerful, but that slap was that of a goddess! And he loved it!

Lilith had already read Joseph's mind to find the location and when she was close enough, she sensed Jessie chasing a girl in a uselessly huge gown.

Lilith appeared besides them and saw them kissing and her heart broke into a million pieces.

She then whispered,"Jessie, please..."

He was surprised and turned to face her then said,"Lilith, what are you doing here?!"

"You weren't answering any of my calls so I came to check up on you only to find you cheating on me!"She yelled.

"Don't you know when you're being ignored?! I don't want to see you again!"

"What? Why? What did I do? Please tell me so I could make it right."

"You did everything wrong and you could never make them right, you the greatest of the greats thought you could make yourself look better by manipulating a peasant like me, but now I have found true love and true joy."

"What are you talking about? I did love you and I still do, but how is it my fault that you feel insecure about me? You never told me anything and now you expect me to stop being myself just to make you pleased about life? Who are you?"

"I'm Jessie Boadu, second son of Mr Alfred Boadu and Mrs Sandra Boadu, a normal human who you, a multi human thought you could keep under a spell, but my chains are broken now."

Lilith was crying tears that glowed white and blue as she said,"Fine, it's time to make your choice, her or me."

"Her without a doubt."He said.

Lilith chuckled and placed her tongue in her lower lip then said,"How could I have been so stupid? Thank you for showing me the true meaning of love, I hope you two are happy together."

Then she flew up using jet propulsion and blew a powerful wind which Jessie had to defend Zeinab from.

He asked if she was okay then she asked,"Who was she?!"

"Lilith Oppong, Zeinab."

"I know that, I mean who was she to you? Your little sister?!"

"..my girlfriend."

She slapped him across the face then asked,"How could you do that to me?! To her?! In these few moments, I saw that she really loved you!"

"But I love you."He said.

"Oh and you were just using her to sweettalk her dad into liking you? How could I have been so blind? I never want to see you again, security!"She yelled.

The guards rushed to them as if they had been eavesdropping on their conversation all along then started dragging him away, but he begged Zeinab to forgive him, because he really loved her.

How many times had she heard those words in that evening? A lot.