11-S-x god

"Hello there, Fayth." The nice Librarian lady smiled at me the moment I entered. I forced a smile back, greeting her then making my way over to the very back of the library.

I opened my biology textbook and just stared at the words and illustration. My eyes were glued to the same illustration for almost five minutes, my mind elsewhere even though I really tried my best to focus and read.

Why.

Why on earth did I have to witness that.

Gawd. I really should've just minded my business.

Why did I stay back and watch?!

My mind was racing with so many questions, and half of them were me blaming myself and calling myself foolish, then the other half was me wondering why she'd involve herself with a teacher. A teacher!

If the school board found out she'd be in so much trouble. Didn't she know the consequences of her having an affair with a teacher? How could she be so foolish?

I left the library less than ten minutes later. I couldn't concentrate. My head was going haywire. I was going crazy. More crazy than I was when I was in the jungle.

I sighed, picked up my books and left the library, returning to the jungle. I kissed my teeth when I noticed there was a teacher already In class, yelling at my classmates.

"Ss3, what Is your problem?! You want to disturb the peace of this school. Bia, oghini. What is the color of your problem?" Our Igbo economics teacher, Mrs Onyiye Izunna demanded, her hands on her hips and her eyebrows raised in questioning. My classmates thought it was a good time to joke, and so they did.

"Orange,"

"Yellow!"

I pressed my palm to my mouth to silence my burbling laughter.

Mrs Onyiye didn't look annoyed anymore. She eyed them, trying to bite back her smile.

"Don't let me come back here. Next time I'll ask all of you to sit on the floor in the basketball court outside." She warned, rolling her eyes and leaving the room. I stepped aside sending her a sheepish smile as she walked away.

~•~

Riri 🥺❤️🔐🌹

It's happening again, Fayth.

I knew the moment I read that message right away what she meant. I excused myself from the dining table and ran up to my room, video calling her right away. Aarin looked so tired when her face showed on the screen. Her face so dull, and her eyes lifeless.

My heart broke everytime I had to see my best friend like that. It hurt more that I couldn't give her a big hug like I used to because of our distance.

"What happened?" I asked softly, carefully. Riri sighed, she rubbed her eyes and forked her fingers through her now loosed, natural hair.

"Mom brought this guy to the house yesterday. The guy could basically be my older brother, so fucking young and foolish, and then Dad came home super drunk like usual and the two of them had a fist fight. Obviously the younger, sober one won." She sighed again, her eyes welling up with tears. I think mine was as well.

She's been through way too much.

"I'm so tired, Fayth. So fucking tired. I just want to run away from here and never come back. It's getting so exhausting having to witness my parents ruin each other like this. I'm tired." Her voice broke at the end and she burst into tears right in front of me. I bit my lip, a wave of sadness taking over me.

"I'm so sorry, Riri. I wish I could be there for you. I wish-" I blinked a few times, an idea forming in my head.

"It's fine, Fayth. You're not here physically but atleast you're here for me emotionally, and that means a lot to me." She made a useless attempt to smile.

"You want to go with me to a party?" I asked her suddenly.

Riri raised her eyebrows at me, "A party." She mimicked.

"Yes," I nodded, "A classmate of mine is throwing a birthday party and she basically invited the whole set. I'm sure she wouldn't mind you coming along with me."

Riri stared at me for a while, a long time. And then, a full-blown smile appeared on her face. A real one.

"That's a great idea! I get to meet your new friends, spend time with you andddd, meet cute boys." I snorted.

"I thought you said you had a boyfriend now." I quirked an eyebrow. Riri made a face at my statement.

"I can still admire them, can't I?"

"Admire your boyfriend."

"Fun sucker!" I laughed. "I'll text Matteo so he can drive us there. When is the party?"

"Saturday," I told her. "And what do you mean drive? How old is this boyfriend of yours?"

"He has a name, which is Matteo." She sassed and I rolled my eyes in response. "And he's nineteen."

"Wow, you're into older guys now?" I raised an eyebrow at her.

"He's only three years older. What's the big deal? Plus he's wayyyy better than the fools here in Ojodu. He's rich, hot, sexy and he's good at what he does." I scrunched my nose in disgust as she waggled her eyebrows at me suggestively.

"Please, I do not want to know about you and Matteo's sex life."

"Babe! He's like a literal sex god. Gawd! His abs and his-"

"Shut up!" I yelled, cutting her off. Aarinola Zakariya laughed like a maniac on the other line.

"I hate you." I glared at her.

"I love you too, baby. I'll be over at your house by ten am, prompt. Send me your address so I can forward it to my sexy Matteo."

Annoying human being.

I already asked Dad and Mom for permission and they immediately agreed. I thought it'd be a lot of work convincing them to let me go to a party, but mom said as long as I didn't get drunk or pregnant, I was free to go. Dad said I wasn't allowed to stay past eight there and I told him I was okay with that.

I plugged my earpods in and played Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars' smoking out the window as I cleaned my room.