(023 - Go To Hell)

We haven't had Simi's POV in a while and I am so glad to write in his POV. Like I said in the previous update, for the next few Chapters, we'd be having more Hilary and Simi Screen time. It's good for Hilary, I mean, she needs a break from everything.

(I kinda feel like this chapter is a bit tacky, so bear with me 🙂💀)

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

𝐒𝐈𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐋𝐀
(Simisola André Jordan)

It took a while to get Hilary to calm down.

I didn't expect her to cry for so long. She wasn't just crying, she was wailing. Wailing is when a person is crying with so much grief, pain, sadness, and anger inside of them. Hilary was in so much pain, I could feel it. It was so damn obvious she had so much to let off her chest.

Good thing I wasn't in so much hurry because there was no way I could leave her to herself. Not when she was this way. I didn't have to say anything to her, wasn't sure what to even say. But I still stayed. I felt compelled to. That was why I stopped her from leaving in the first place. I had to make sure she was okay.

I wasn't sure where the sudden interest came from but I didn't wave it off. It would have been heartless of me to do.

Now, we were both sitting on the floor with our backs leaned against the door, me staring at the clear white wall ahead. On a normal day, I wouldn't sit down on a toilet floor with anyone, not even Gloria. But thankfully, this floor was pretty much neat, and there was no other place to sit down.

After what felt like hours of crying, Hilary became calm, just breathing softly, trying to get hold of herself. I let her be. Didn't say anything because I wanted her to take her time to be fully calm. As I said, I wasn't in any hurry at all. Besides, Gloria had told me she had something to take care of and wouldn't be done in a long while.

So, if there was anything I had, it was time. Lots of it.

And I wasn't complaining.

"I'm sorry," Hilary's voice came out in a whisper, barely audible, alerting me. If I wasn't close to her I wouldn't have heard. I turned to look at her, watched as she hung her head low like she was avoiding looking at me. She was.

Was she embarrassed about what happened? I thought, watching her for a bit as I tried to gather my thoughts about what happened.

She was embarrassed, I figured that much and I understood why she was. I mean, she cried in the arms of someone she wouldn't count as a friend. For someone who cried a lot in the confines of his room, I knew how embarrassed I was when Gloria found me crying that day at the pool.

Still, I wanted to hear what she had to say. So, I asked.

"For what?"

That question was probably a shocking one to her because she looked up and at me, her eyes meeting mine. I saw the confusion in them like she didn't understand why I asked that question when the answer was pretty obvious.

But I wanted to hear her answer. I wasn't sure why, but I wanted her to be comfortable enough to tell me.

"For breaking down like that," She answered and I exhaled slightly, still watching her. She held my gaze for a bit before she looked away again like she was feeling another wave of embarrassment wash over her.

"And for ruining your shirt." She added in a whisper, causing me to finally glance at my shirt.

There was a large wet spot on the area of my chest from the crying, but that wasn't all. Even with the wet spot, there was a huge brown stain that was very noticeable, courtesy of Hilary's makeup. It almost looked like I used my hand to scoop a bit of mud and stain my shirt with it.

But honestly, I didn't care about my ruined shirt. I was more concerned about the fact that she had apologized for crying... or breaking down. No one should apologize for venting out their frustration, pain, hurt, or anger through tears.

Especially Hilary.

This past month hasn't been the most favorable for her. She lost her brother. Found out how much of a jackass her ex-boyfriend was. Didn't take an entire day for the classmates that used to sing her praises to turn on her.

It was too much to handle all at once. I know I wouldn't be able to handle it if I was in her shoes.

"Crying is how your heart speaks when your lips can't explain the pain you feel," I told her, causing her to look at me.

I had read that quote somewhere and this was the time it came in handy. I needed Hilary to know that she had nothing to apologize for. I took a short glance at the white wall ahead before turning back to look at her again and found her watching me.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Never apologize for letting out your frustration through tears." I continued, knowing within myself that I had first-hand knowledge about this. "I told you earlier, it's completely okay to cry." I reminded her, watching as Hilary nodded slowly, letting me know she understood what I was saying.

She was quiet as if digesting my words slowly. I just needed her to know that being this emotional wasn't a bad thing. Being emotional just shows how human you are. And Hilary had every right to be emotional at this point in her life.

I couldn't help the curious part of me that kept wondering why she had broken down like that. I saw her earlier at the party. I saw the way she was having fun with her friends. She was happy. Genuinely Happy, I was so sure. She was radiating so much positive energy, that even I felt it from where I stood several feet away from her.

Yes, I was watching her. She made it pretty hard not to. I mean, she looked stunning.

But, all of a sudden, she's dashing into the restroom, breathless, disoriented, teary eyes. Then, the way she started crying... It scared me to bits. Scared me like the day she had fainted outside the pool in my arms. Scared me just like yesterday, when I found her outside the pool, having a panic attack.

I was terrified but I had to maintain my cool.

Something happened, something big that must have triggered this outburst. But in as much as I wanted to know what it was, I wasn't going to pressure her into telling me. Especially if it was as bad as letting her break down like that.

I didn't want her to relive it. That was the last thing I wanted for her.

"I'm not going to ask you what happened," I found myself saying, causing Hilary to look at me again. Her eyes held a particular emotion, an emotion that looked like gratitude. That's proved to me that I made the right decision.

"The last thing I want is for you to relive any bad moment," I added. She shook her head, a sad smile playing on her lips.

"Those bad moments have now become memories." She said, her voice coming out in hushed tones. She glanced at me again and I cocked my head to the side, waiting for her to continue. "It's going to be hard to forget them," She added. I hummed in understanding, nodding slowly.

It takes time to heal.

"No one is rushing you to, Hilary," I said, and she sighed. "No one should rush you to heal," I told her, and she hummed slightly but didn't say anything else.

There was absolute silence for a moment, the only that could be heard was the faint sound of both our breathing. I watched as she nodded slowly like she finally digested everything I said, watched as she visibly calmed down...

Watched as she visibly relaxed.

And I knew she was finally calm... mostly at least.

"Thank you, Simi." She started, her voice in a whisper as she turned to look at me. She opened her mouth to speak again but, but closed it like she wasn't sure how to express herself. But watching her, looking at her, her eyes did all the talking.

Her eyes held a lot of emotions.

"T-Thank you for staying here with me." She stuttered out, letting out a breath afterward. "You had no reason to, yet you did. It... means a whole lot," she stopped, glancing at me again.

I couldn't help it, couldn't help the smile that stretched across my lips.

"I told you I wasn't going to leave till you're okay." I whispered, "And I'm glad you are now." I added, watching the small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, confirming that she was now okay. The smile was small but genuine.

And dare I say it... Beautiful.

What? I'm not blind. I say things the way they are.

"I..." Hilary started, and I looked at her, "I should get back to my friends. They are probably looking for me already." She said and I nodded. She was okay now, I guess it was time to leave.

Standing up from the floor, I glanced at my watch, widening my eyes slightly in shock when it read 1:45 am. I had no idea that time flew by so fast. It made me wonder where Gloria was. She's been gone for an hour and a half. I brought out my phone and went through my call log to see if she had called me.

Strange, no missed calls. I mused, a small frown creasing my forehead, then shrugged, shoving the phone back into my pocket.

She can't sly me, anyway. I drove her here.

I looked back at Hilary, still seated on the floor, typing on her phone, probably alerting her friends that she was okay.

"Come on," I whispered, stretching my hands out to help her up just as she looked up. She gave me a small smile before resting her hand in mine to hoist her up.

"Thank you," She muttered and I smile, nodding.

I walked ahead of her and unlocked the door, but stopped her from going out when she tried to. She looked at me, confused.

"I need to make sure the coast is clear," I clarified and her face brightened in realization. "The last thing we want is for these guys to misunderstand us out of the male restroom together." I teased with a smirk and she chuckled.

"Yeah, good idea." She agreed. I looked outside and when I confirmed that the cost was indeed clear, I walked out before motioning for her to come out as well, shutting the door right behind her after she did.

We began to walk down the hallway, slowly and in comfortable silence. I let her walk ahead of me while I got lost in my thoughts. Everything that had happened in there began to play in my head, scene by scene. My curiosity was getting the better part of me but I knew I had to stop myself from asking her what triggered the breakdown. She was fine now and that was all that mattered.

But that wasn't the only thing on my mind.

My words to her kept ringing in my head repeatedly. They were familiar words my mum... my sister, and Gloria, use on me anytime I'm having one of my bad days. And, It... saddened me how I was able to use those words to calm Hilary down, but those words have never calmed me down... never made me feel any better in my bad days.

Most of the time, I would even feel awful for crying. Because it made me feel weak... helpless. Made them treat me like I was helpless. The first time my Dad had seen me cry, he didn't say anything, but his look gave away his disappointment.

Wasn't it okay for me to cry too? Do I have to hide my emotions because I am a guy? What if I can't help it that I am emotional? I am a literal walking emotional wreck. Hiding the way I am is... hard.

Very Hard.

I can't do it.

"I think I should wash my face," Hilary's voice jerked me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see that she had stopped walking and I was now on the same pace with her. I was confused for a bit, trying to register what she had just said.

"My face feels very sticky," She continued, touching her fingers, not noticing my confused state. I finally got what she was talking about.

Her face did look pretty messy due to all the makeup running because of the tears. I didn't even notice earlier, I could have just told her to wash it off before we got out of the restroom earlier.

"I can't even imagine how bad I look right now." She murmured, more to herself than to me but I heard anyway. I suddenly felt the urge to tease her.

Why? I had absolutely no idea.

"You look pretty much okay to me," I said, trying to make my voice as convincing as possible. Hilary finally looked at me, a knowing look marrying her face with her eyebrows raise in suspicion.

"You are a terrible liar, just like me." She caught up immediately and I couldn't help the fits of chuckles that escaped my lips, blowing my cover even more.

"You are right. I'm a terrible liar." I confirmed and she laughed. I was the worst. I couldn't lie to save my life. "But honestly, you don't look that bad. You've just looked... better." I shrugged, smiling and Hilary rolled her eyes.

"Gee, thanks. That makes me feel so much better, Simisola," She drawled in sarcasm. My smile automatically deepened at the way she had called my full name. Fluently and Perfectly.

Simisola. Hmmmn.

No one called me my full name, except Mum... and sometimes Gloria. Not even Dad called me Simisola. It felt new coming from Hilary.

And I kinda liked it.

"Well thankfully," I started, noticing the Ladies' room right in front of us. "You can wash your face right in there," I told her, nodding towards it and she sighed in relief, before looking at me, a smile of gratitude stretching across her lips.

"Thank you," She whispered, her voice not only holding a tone of gratitude but her eyes also. Her eyes were saying thank you too. I couldn't stop the smile from tugging my lips as well.

"Thank you for everything. I'm so grateful, Simi." She added, almost as if she was saying bye. But I wasn't sure I was ready to leave her all by herself yet. I didn't want to leave her.

"Don't thank me just yet," I told her and she looked at me in confusion. "At least, not until you get back to your friends, safely." I clarified and she sighed, her smile back on.

"You don't have to wait out here for me." She said but I shook my head.

"I want to," I answered, shrugging, and she smiled again, a way of saying thank you again before turning to open the door.

Only for her to freeze, her mouth hanging open.

"Hilary?"

I called to her, wondering why she was just standing by the doorway, staring inside like she had just seen something shocking. I was about to ask when she pushed the door open even wider, giving me a clear view of the inside of the restroom, and whatever had shocked her.

Shocking me too as well.

Wow!

I had to bob my head to the side and squint my eyes to be sure I was seeing clearly. But I damn right knew I was. Kizito was in the restroom, the LADIES room, but he wasn't there alone.

My best friend was right there with him.

Now I know why there were no missed calls. I mused.

My best friend, Gloria Hadiza Esho was seated on the marble counter with Kizito Alade-Martins, the school's hunk she has been head over heels for, for the past four years, standing right in front of her, between her legs... shirtless.

They had not even noticed that Hilary and I were at the doorway, standing there with our mouths literally on the floor because they were busy. VERY BUSY.

Kizito and Gloria were making out in the Ladies' room!

"Kizito!" Hilary yelled.

"Gloria?" I called, utterly confused and shocked.

Our calls were enough to alert them from... well, that! because they flew apart immediately. Kizito legit ran to find his shirt wherever he had thrown them to and Gloria jumped down the counter, adjusting her dress and patting down on her disheveled hair.

Uh.

I saw their relationship coming but I damn right didn't see it happening like this.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐘
(Hilary Idara Eghosa)

Wow! Color me Shocked!

That was the only thing I could think of as Simi and I stared at the duo right in front of us, still collecting themselves from being caught making out in the LADIES room. Kizito was awkwardly buttoning up his shirt - in the wrong way if I may add, and Gigi just looked at anywhere but our faces.

The air was tensed with awkwardness.

While Simi looked pretty much amused at the duo, hands folded across his chest, leaning lazily against the doorpost of the restroom, I, on the other hand, couldn't bring myself to close my mouth in shock.

Kissing during spin the bottle was one thing. But this? THIS?! I didn't see it coming from a mile away.

I mean, yeah, I was shipping them after they gave us a mind-blowing show during the game. They had so much chemistry than a science fair. But I didn't expect it to be so soon! Or, has this been going on before now?

Oh Kizito, you have a lot of explaining to do!

"This isn't what it looks like,"

Kizito spoke after what seemed like hours of awkward silence, his voice sounding raspy and extremely breathless, clearly from the kiss. I cocked my head to the side and shifted my weight on one hip, peering right at Kizito who was intentionally avoiding my gaze.

"I think this is exactly what it looks like," I answered. He raised his index finger and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but probably thought against it and closed his mouth, putting his finger away.

Yeah, exactly what I thought.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," Simi mused, reminding me that he was beside me. I caught the hint of amusement in his voice and looked at him, watching him peer at the duo with an interesting look.

He looked like he was having a field day, watching their discomfort. Especially Gigi's, who hasn't spoken since.

He was right. This was certainly something you don't see every day. The Conservative Head girl and the School's Hunk in the restroom, making out like horny teenagers.

Well, they are teenagers and they are clearly horny, My subconscious told me.

"You know what," I started again, wanting nothing more but to wrap my head around this entire situation. "We'll just give you guys a bit of privacy to gather yourselves..." I trailed off when I noticed something a bit off about my friend. I sighed, scratching my temple.

"Kizito, your fly is open." I gestured to the area below his belt.

He followed my gaze, saw what I was talking about, widened his eyes, and quickly placed both his hand over it as if that will make it less conspicuous. Simi placed his palm over his mouth to stifle the laugh that wanted to force its way out of his mouth.

What, in God's name, were they doing that his fly is open?

Not wanting to think about all the ways one of my best friends has been extra sleazy, I just closed the door, leaving the both of them inside with Simi and I still out, then leaned my back against the closed door. I felt Simi mimick my pose and felt his eyes on me.

I turned my head and met his eyes, looking back at him.

Three...

Two...

One...

We burst into laughter.

We were wheezing, rolls and rolls of boisterous laughter making its way out of our mouths and echoing through the empty hallway. My eyes even began to water and my tummy began to hurt. In all honesty, everything that happened in there was funny and epic.

Unexpected, but funny still.

"That was unexpected," I stated when my laughter subsided a bit. Simi's chuckles trailed off as he looked at me, eyebrows raised in question.

"Unexpected?" He seemed rather confused at my claim, and that also confused me a bit.

"Yeah, unexpected," I repeated with a slight nod. Then I shrugged, "I mean, they kissed during the game of Spin the bottle but I..."

"Wait, are you saying they kissed before now?" Simi's confused expression had been replaced with that of shock and surprise.

It made me realize that he hadn't been there earlier tonight at the game. So he didn't see the steamy show Gigi and Kizito had put on for all of us. Semeeha's claim that himself and Gigi had something going on would have made me think he was upset, but Gigi already refuted that claim.

Besides, she wouldn't be kissing Kizito if something was going on between her and Simi. And Simi wouldn't have looked amused earlier after we caught them.

"Yeah," I affirmed, then chuckled when I remembered how everything had gone down during the game. "Gigi was dared to kiss any guy for twenty seconds and Kizito just happened to be passing by at that moment. She picked him, shocking every single one of us. Especially me." I chuckled again.

"Wow!" Was all Simi said as his shocked expression began to morph into one that looked something between amusement and pride.

"Gloria really went for it," He muttered, more to himself than to me and my face scrunched automatically, wondering what he had meant by that. But that wasn't the only thing that caught my attention.

It was the fact that unlike everyone in school, including Sir Isaac, the Principal, Simi was the only one that called Gigi by her real name, Gloria. I noticed it earlier when he had called her attention after we caught them but it didn't register till now. It made me wonder, and admire, how deep their friendship bond was because Gigi would never let just anyone call her Gloria.

Just as I was about to ask what he meant by his earlier statement that meant he knew something I didn't, a knock came on the door behind us, alerting us. Simi and I exchanged a knowing look.

Seems like they are done.

Simi and I moved away from the door, allowing the duo to push it open from inside. I watched as Kizito and Gigi made their way out of the restroom, Kizito's hands buried in the pockets of his jeans, suddenly looking shy. Gigi looked more composed than she did before, her usual demeanor seemed to be back.

She walked straight to Simi as soon as she was out, the both of them changing some sort of look I didn't miss.

The both of them knew something.

No one spoke for a moment, with me looking between Kizito, who wouldn't meet my eyes, and Gigi, who had a rather cocky smirk playing on her lips. Simi just leaned against the wall behind him and watched, that smile of amusement back on his lips.

"So, no one is going to talk about the elephant in the room," I started with a teasing smirk, breaking the silence and causing Kizito to look at me, his eyes telling me to stop with the tease.

Yaff enter today, Kizi boo.

"I'm not going to allow you to tease me," Kizito said, looping his hands with mine and a chuckle escaped my lips. "Let go," He added.

"Are you not going to say bye to Gigi?" I asked, wiggling my brows at him teasingly. Kizito gave me a look, opening his mouth to speak but Gigi beat him to it.

"Oh, we already said our goodbyes." She stated, her lips still turned in that smirk of hers.

But that wasn't the only thing that caught me. It was the suggestive tone in her voice when she made that statement. My eyes widened as I turned to look at Kizito, who was now looking at Gigi, the shy look completely gone from his face.

He was now looking at her like she was Suya.

Blood of Jesus!

"Oh wow," Simi muttered, clearly reading the same meaning I did to what Gigi had said, an amused chuckle following his words. The duo didn't look fazed one bit by our reactions.

So the time we gave them to gather themselves, they still went ahead to...

I don't even want to think about it.

"Okay," I drawled, an awkward laugh escaping my lips as I tried to think of anything else asides from Kizito and Gigi's escapades. I looped my arms with Kizito. "I'm getting you out of here," I told him, and his smirk stretched, his brows wiggling in a teasing way.

"Oh, I thought you wanted to talk about the elephant in the room," he teased and I scoffed, muttering for him to shut up as I began to drag him away. He was laughing at my expense but his eyes were still locked with Gigi's till they were no more insight.

I don't even want to imagine the unholy thoughts going on in their minds.

When the girls hear this, they are going to flip! I thought to myself.

"Can you at least slow down!" Kizito whined, trying to stop me from dragging him rather aggressively. "For a tiny person, you walk really fast," He added and I stopped, shooting him a look.

"You and Gigi just had some really intimate moments in the ladies' room, Kizito and the only thing bothering you is the fact that I'm walking fast." I reminded him, just in case he had forgotten. He rolled his eyes at me, breathing out short laughter.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, young man," I added, giving him a small punch on the shoulder, unable to stop the smile from making its way to my lips.

"Forget about Gigi and me for now," He said, rolling his eyes again. "What I want to know, however, is how come you and Simi were together? The both of you found us together, which means you were together before then." He paused, watching me. I chuckled, crossing my hands over my chest.

"Are you insinuating that Simi and I also had some sort of sexual escapade?" I teased, laughter in my voice. Kizito laughed, shaking his head.

"God no!" He waved that claim off, and soon, a serious expression was back on his face.

"I'm just saying, from the experience of the past few weeks, Simi has a knack for finding you when something goes wrong," The smile on my lips began to dissipate when he said that, but he wasn't done. "And the mascara tear stains on your face proves it."

My hands automatically went to my face and I cussed within me. The reason for going to the restroom in the first place was to rid my face of anything that would educe questions like this. But everything that happened distracted me and now, Kizito was seeing right through me.

Kizito has always been able to read emotions and right now, he knew something had happened and he wanted to find out what. Everything about me at this point was giving it away.

"Something happened, Hilary. Didn't it?" Kizito's voice jerked me out of my reverie and I looked at him. He wasn't asking, he was certain.

That statement brought back all the moments before I rushed into that restroom. Everything that happened before Simi calmed me down. I began to remember what happened in the circle, the entire reason why I broke down in the first place. The truth that was revealed. What Jidenna hid from me. What he did to me.

But I couldn't tell Kizito.

If I tell him what happened... what Jidenna did, he'll go on a rampage. He'd murder Jidenna, who doesn't stand a chance against him at all. I trust what Kizito can do when he's furious. But in as much as I wanted to see Jidenna suffer, bleed in fact, for the pain he has made me go through, I couldn't risk Kizito getting into trouble because of me.

Jidenna Okojie was the son of Senator Kingsley Okojie, a very powerful politician. The man clearly won't take it easy on anyone who hurts his son. Kizito's family was influential, but they didn't stand a chance again the Okojie's. This only meant that Jidenna was getting away easily, even after everything he has done.

It made it seem like he was winning.

At that moment, a dark emotion began to grow inside of me. An emotion that I wanted nothing to do with. Hate. It was an emotion that wasn't worth wasting on Jidenna Okojie.

I'd rather he just doesn't exist to me anymore.

"Hilary," He called me and I looked at him again, him looking back at me as if waiting for me to spill. I shook my head and mustered a smile. Not telling him was the best thing. For him... and most especially for me.

"It's nothing you have to worry about," I told him. A frown creases across his forehead, as he didn't buy my words. I just had to convince him to let it go. "Honestly Kizito, It's all over. Don't worry about it." I added.

"I want to believe you Hilary, but I know you are lying to me." He was adamant, unwavering. He wanted me to tell him what was going on.

I sighed, about to tell him again to let it go when we heard footsteps approaching us. In a matter of seconds, Dawn and Semeeha came to view, rushing to me.

"Hilary!" Dawn shrieked, her face and her tone filled with worries and confusion. "I've been looking everywhere for you! Where did you go to? Are you alright?" She was frantic, taking my hand and surveying me from head to toe as if she wanted to be sure I wasn't hurt.

Semeeha also moved closer to us, to me, looking remorse.

"I'm so sorry I went MIA. I should have been there with you. How are you feeling?" She asked, looking at me with so much concern. All these actions elicited a knowing look from Kizito as Dawn and Semeeha's worry solidified the fact that something happened.

"So, something did happen." He started, peering right at me. I exhaled, rolling my eyes at him.

"As I said, it's not something you have to worry yourself about. I'm fine as long as I don't talk about it. So please, don't make me talk about it." I pleaded with them, flashing the girls a look because they might decide to tell Kizito what happened behind my back.

I needed them to focus on something else asides from me, to distract them from me. And I knew just how to do that.

"Besides, what happened to me is nothing interesting compared to what happened between you and Gigi Esho in the ladies' room." I looked at Kizito with a smile. He threw his head backward, groaning while the girls had a look of shock on their faces.

"Kizito and Gigi Esho in the ladies' room?!" Dawn exclaimed, her mouth agape like someone about to catch a fly. "Am I missing something?" She asked, looking between Kizito and me.

"Gee, thanks, Hilary!" Kizito flashed me a sarcastic smile. "You just wouldn't give up." I flashed a grin back at him.

"Not when you and the head girl are suddenly all over each other, no I won't," I replied adamantly.

"So, you guys couldn't wait to just bone each other after the show to gave us during that game, abi?" It was Semeeha that spoke and unlike Dawn and me that were grinning from ear to ear, teasing Kizito, she didn't look too pleased.

This her dislike for Gigi, ehn.

"Bone each other?" Kizito asked incredulously, before letting out a soft chuckle. "It's not that extreme na. We only kissed."

"And you felt the best place to do that is in the oh so romantic ladies' room. How classy." She rolled her eyes.

Semeeha was being sarcastic now, but that was it. She wasn't teasing, she wasn't smiling. She was just being extremely sarcastic. Dawn and I exchanged a confused look. Even Kizito looked confused because she was taking it a little too personally.

"Semeeha, it's not that deep," Kizito said, looking between all of us. "It's not like we just happened to jump into the restroom and started kissing. We were talking before then." He explained.

"Talking about what?" I asked eagerly, wanting to hear every detail. Kizito wanted to start talking but Semeeha beat him to it.

"If at all you want to talk your escapades with the head girl, can we at least be on our way home first? I'm exhausted." She drawled, looking bored of the entire discussion, walking away from us. Kizito looked at both Dawn and me, confused.

"What's up with her?" He asked us. I shrugged and Dawn gave him a look.

"You kissed Gigi Esho, Semeeha's mortal enemy. What do you expect?" Dawn chipped, "Don't let it bother you. She'll come around." She added, looping her arms with mine and Kizito and together, we made our way out of the building.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

We were already on our way home, seated inside Kizito's car. Kizito was still mopping over his lost donuts. Semeeha forgot to lock the car and someone stole Kizito's box of donuts. He didn't take it likely, and if not for all of us, he'd have probably turned Tekena's house upside down, looking for the culprit. Dawn had to promise that she'd get him a brand new one on Monday from her Mum.

That was enough to at least pacify him a bit.

"I swear, Kizito, I'll have my mum make you another box," Dawn promised for the umpteenth time. "First thing Monday morning, you'll have them." She added, trying to stop his mopping. Kizito sighed, still looking a bit annoyed.

"I just don't understand how someone will have the audacity to enter my car and steal my box of donuts. Who does that?" He kissed his teeth, keeping his eyes ahead.

"The person is just a petty thief," I chipped, reaching out to place my hand on his shoulder. "Maybe talking about Gigi will get your mind off it," I was just teasing him, but it seemed to do the trick because a smile stretched across his lips automatically at the mention of Gigi's name.

"Oh My God, Kizito is blushing." Dawn squealed in excitement, bouncing on her seat. I heard Semeeha slightly scoff but she didn't say anything.

She has been awfully silent since we left the party. On a normal day, she'd ride shotgun, sitting beside Kizito. That's where she sat on our way to the party. But when we were leaving, she asked us to exchange. Knowing my bad experience with sitting in the passenger's seat, I told Dawn to ride shotgun while I stayed at the back with Semeeha. And even when Kizito was lamenting about his stolen donuts, she didn't say a word about it.

Was this all because Kizito and Gigi kissed? I asked myself, glancing back at her for a bit. She was staring out the window.

But it's not that deep.

"...After the kiss during the game, it's not like we planned to have a second round," Kizito had already started the gist and Dawn was listening with rapt attention. "She told me she wanted us to talk and yeah, I saw the need to as well. I wanted to know why she had picked me."

"It was pretty shocking when she did." I butted in, "You were not even playing the game from the start. You just happened to walk by and she chose you."

"That's what I wanted to find out," Kizito said, glancing at me before looking back to the road. "We talked and she told me some things..." He trailed off, a small smile stretching across his lips like he was reminiscing.

"Some things like what?" Dawn prodded further, clearly wanting to hear the full gist. Kizito chuckled, shaking his head.

"Apparently," He drawled, that smile still playing on his lips. "She has feelings for me and she has had those feeling for a while now." He revealed, throwing Dawn and me into another round of shock.

Gigi has feelings for Kizito. Color me Intrigued.

"Oh wow," Dawn muttered, a smile stretching across her lips as she looked at Kizito that just wouldn't stop grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes, Wow." He answered in a whisper. "I was just as shocked as you are when she told me everything. I had absolutely no idea. I didn't even suspect a thing, but now, some things finally make sense." He muttered, more to himself than the rest of us.

"And you believe her?" Semeeha finally spoke, raising her head from where they were rested on the window to look at Kizito. The latter glanced back at Semeeha, eyebrows raised in question.

"Is there a reason why I shouldn't?" He asked a question that Semeeha didn't have an answer to. She just turned back to her former position, going back to leaning against the door of the car, her head resting on the window.

Her behavior was strange.

"There is nothing for her gain if she's lying to me about her feelings." Kizito was still speaking. "Gigi is an amazing person with a good heart. Besides, some things she did for me in the past now make perfect sense. Her feelings are clear."

"What a conclusion," Semeeha muttered, but loud enough for all of us to hear. The sarcasm wasn't missed in her voice. We all heard it. Kizito and I sighed at the same time while Dawn shot Semeeha a look of disapproval.

"Semeeha!" She chided. The darker girl scoffed again but didn't say anything. Kizito, who knew better, didn't bother indulging her. He just kept calm and kept driving. I looked at him, feeling a particular question at the tip of my tongue.

"What about you? Do you have feelings for her?" I asked. Kizito took his eyes off the road to look at me through the mirror. "You know it's one thing for her to have feelings for you and it's another for you to reciprocate those feelings," I explained, and he sighed.

"Well Hilary," He started, glancing at me again through the mirror. "I wouldn't have kissed her a second time if I didn't have feelings for her." He said, his voice coming out in hushed tones, equivalent to a whisper.

At that point, I couldn't stop the smile that made its way to my lips.

"Kizito," I cooed and he chuckled softly.

"And it just happens that she isn't the only one that has had these feelings for a long time." He revealed and I gasped at the revelation. Dawn in turn slapped him on his arm.

"Kizito," She whined. "Why didn't you tell us?" She queried and he laughed.

"I didn't see the need to," He answered. "I had no idea she felt the same way... well, until now."

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked and he grinned, glancing at Dawn and me.

"We'll just have to find out, won't we?" He didn't say anything in the positive or the negative, but the radiant smile playing on his lips and the beam in his eyes told me that the reply was more positive than negative.

And it made me happy.

Till we got to Semeeha's mansion, we made small talks, though Semeeha didn't talk again all the way. She just kept to herself and typed away on her phone lost of the time. I told myself I'd ask her what was up, though I had a pretty good idea what was up with her.

When Kizito parked the car, She didn't even waste time before she got down. She didn't say goodnight to Kizito, she just began to walk off. But Kizito wasn't having that.

"Semeeha, come on." He called to her, causing her to stop on her tracks and turn around to look at us. "Can we just talk for a bit?" He pleaded.

She stayed in her position, but the fact that she didn't ignore him and walk away into the house was a good sign. Dawn and I exchange a look before we decided to excuse them and go inside. It was 2:30 am and tiredness was already kicking in.

With Kizito and Semeeha still outside, talking, Dawn and I made our way to the room. As soon as we got in, Dawn headed to the showers while I made my way into the closet to clean up my makeup and put back everything I borrowed from Semeeha.

"What do you think they are talking about?" Dawn's voice filled the closet as she walked in, already freshened up and clad in an armless pajama top and matching shorts.

I shrugged, "Kizito is probably trying to appease her about the whole thing," I answered, staring at my reflection in the mirror as I cleaned my face with wipes. "You know Gigi isn't her favorite person, and Kizito knows that.

So if at all something is going to happen between Gigi and Kizito, Semeeha will have to deal with seeing more Gigi and trying to tolerate her. I think that's what Kizito wants to make sure of." I explained and Dawn hummed in agreement. That seemed to be the best explanation for whatever they were discussing.

Kizito was aware of Semeeha's hostility and despise for Gigi. But if he wants something real to happen between him and Gigi, he'd need to appease Semeeha in some sort of way. The last thing he would want is to have to choose between one of his best friends, the closest one to him at that, and a girl he likes.

He won't let it come to that.

"Well, I still feel whatever Semeeha has against Gigi is rather petty," Dawn chipped. "Till now we don't know what exactly she has against the girl. It's totally pointless." She added, picked up some things from her overnight bag on the couch, and made her way out of the room. I sighed.

In a way, I agreed with Dawn. But I have known Semeeha long enough to know that she always has a reason for all her actions. Some of those reasons, however, tend to come off as petty and childish.

As I continued to clean my face, I noticed something on the table. A sketch pad I didn't notice earlier in the night, probably because Semeeha was so focused on making me up. I reached over and picked it up, dropping the stained wipes in my hand.

But just as I was about to open the sketch pad.

"What are you doing with that?" Came Semeeha's edgy voice. Startled, I dropped the book and looked at her. She came closer and snatched the book from the table, hiding it while glaring right at me.

Okay...

"I was just going to have a look..." I started but she hissed, causing me to frown.

"Don't ever touch this book again." She didn't snap, but the tone she used on me spelled out the words back off. My frown deepened as I got confused, wondering why she was so defensive over a sketch pad.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea it was off-limits." I apologized still but she completed ignored me, disappearing into an inner room in the closet, leaving me even more confused.

What's up with her?

I decided to leave her be. She was obviously in a sour mood and the best thing to do whenever Semeeha is in that kind of mood is to leave her alone. I finished up cleaning my face and changed out of my dress to a towel before going to the bathroom.

By the time I came out, Semeeha still wasn't out of the closet and Dawn was on a phone call with someone at a corner of the room, someone I suspected was Sochima especially with the way she was smiling. I smiled, shaking my head, and changed into my nightwear. Soon, I was ready for bed.

Lying down on Semeeha's bed, I picked up my phone and chatted my mum up, just giving her an update that I was fine and I'd be back home first thing in the morning, in time for my therapy session. As I was texting her, two messages from an unknown number came in. Even though it seemed creepy for an unknown number to message someone at 3:00 am, I still went ahead to check the message.

And I didn't regret it.

+2349036***77
Hey Hilary. It's Simi.

How did he get my number? I asked myself, an unconscious smile quirking at the corners of my lips as I remembered everything he did for me back in the restroom. How he had calmed me down.

How he had stayed with me.

I read the next message.

+2349036***77
Uhm... So, I just wanted to check up on you... well, since we didn't get to say goodbye, but I'm guessing you are already asleep. Please, do take care of yourself. Goodnight.

Gosh, I totally forgot to thank him again! I mentally scolded myself for completely forgetting about him because I was so wrapped up in Kizito and Gigi's drama.

From his last seen, I saw that he was still online. I wanted to text him back, reply his messages, and thank him for helping me back there. I wanted him to know that I was grateful. He didn't have any reason to help me... has never had any reason to help me, but he still did. Simi was selfless, one of the very few selfless people around me.

I wanted to let him know all these and I could have sent it all as a message, but something stopped me. A message from a rather familiar number. Jidenna's number.

What the fuck! My blood began to boil.

Enraged, I opened the chat.

Jidenna Okojie.
Hilary, I'm so sor...

I stopped reading, knowing I'd get even angrier by seeing his half-ass, sorry excuse of an apology. I began to type, furiously and without any remorse.

Me.
Jidenna Okojie, do the entire universe a favor and GO TO HELL!

Then blocked him everywhere, threw my phone to the bedside table, and went to sleep.

𝐀/𝐍

Hilary has finally decided to completely forget about Jidenna Okojie after giving him a short, but rather effective piece of her mind 🤣.

Simi is an amazing human being. He helped Hilary calm down and I hope all of that moment leads to a strong friendship. Well, their moment isn't over yet sha😌. They still have some things to talk about before they become friends. And well, there's also the tutorial.

Kizito and Gigi's escapades 🤣. Trust me, those kids won't have an off switch. But then, it would be to the detriment of Semeeha who seems to have started falling apart slowly🤧 (sigh).

I feel so bad for making her go through this... especially since she's going through so much already. Oops 😬🤐.

I'll start working on the new update as soon as possible but I can guarantee when I'll update. But in the meantime, don't forget to VOTE! COMMENT!! SHARE!!!

See you when I see you 😘.