Life Of Jiji

All Rights Reserved

©2021 Tena Ifiemi

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peaches - justin beiber & daniel ceasar  ♪

montero - lil nas x  ♪

*just because* 😗

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SϾHФФŁ HΛS БΞΞЛ ЯΞΛŁŁЏ busy these days in preparation for Inter house sports and even though I'm not participating in any activity, watching your house compete is exhilarating.

"Blue house!" Ms Chioma shouted, her baby bump making her look funny as she jumped up and down cheering for our house.

Throughout the week, inter house sports heat has been going on and today is blue house against green house for first place in guys basketball.

"Blue house has lost already abeg." I heard someone say a little below me on the bleachers and I frown.

"Why would you say that?" His partner asked.

"Are you not seeing Senior Damian there?"

And at his words, I looked to the court and sighted Damian in all his sexy sweaty glory. Why doesn't this boy have a girlfriend again sef? It's like I'll go and set compass o, because all this cannot go to waste abeg.

"Don't you know Senior Damian is the king of basketball?" I was pulled back into their conversation again. I turned to Katherine beside me,

"I thought Damian was the king of football?"

"Nigga is the king of sports bruh... Look he has made another basket." She said, her voice drowned into the loud cheers from left, right and center. I snorted and rolled my eyes since after all, he's against my house.

"Blue House!" I hollered. "Richard! Mide!"

At this, Damian glanced at me and then I'm not certain but I think I see him wink at me. I shake my head. Yeye boy.

First half of the game was over and green house was leading us with two points. Me and some other blue house girls run towards the guys with water and glucose.

"You guys were amazing!" Amarachi said, with high fives to the the boys and a hug to Mide even though he was really sweaty.

"Ejiro doesn't think we did well." Richard says and I smile shaking my head.

"Why would you say that? You were my best player." I told him as I poured two spoonfuls of glucose powder into his palm.

Leaving him, I gave glucose to the rest of the guys while Amarachi and Katherine gave out water. Chisom is also in blue house but she's cheering for green house... Damian in particular. Yeye girl.

"Can I have glucose please?" I didn't need to turn to know it was Damian.

I laugh, "See this one that is playing against my house o. Do you really—" I swallowed the rest of my words when I turned to see a very shirtless Damian pouting in front of me. "Damian seriously?" I groaned, refusing to meet his eyes, my shoes now becoming very fascinating.

"What? They said we should cool off. Abi is this too much for you?" He said and I could see his hand hovering over his chest, indicating that that's what he was talking about.

Seeing it as a challenge, I raised my head, staring him right in the face but not before taking in every inch of his chest and how the sweat glistened and rolled down it. Trying my best to look unfazed, I say;

"You're not all that Damian. Please put your jersey back on."  Giving him a light push, I sashayed off trying not to laugh.

Damian stayed rooted to that spot where I left him for 1 whole minute with a very dazed expression like he did not believe I just said he wasn't all that.

But he isn't na...

From the beginning of the second half of the game, Damian seemed off. He kept on missing passes and throwing the ball very halfheartedly when it got to him and he didn't make any baskets again even though he scored four whole times during the first half.

During the break, Damian received a call from home since it was Saturday and he has been in this bad mood ever since. Everyone just kept on throwing annoyed comments about the way he was playing, I wondered if I was the only one noticing that there was something wrong with the boy?

I know I was mad at Damian that day he came but that was two weeks ago and I'm over that. Besides, na me mumu. Putting so much effort in my appearance for what? I can't tell you how stupid I feel about that day. I still cringe anytime I remember it.

And then I had actually gone ahead to beef Damian for two whole days. I mean, who was I kidding? So now, just like when he hadn't resumed after so long, I was worried.

Did something bad happen at home? I wondered, saying "God forbid" in my head soon after.

Seven seconds to the end of the game and Mide scored a very clean three-pointer causing us to win very narrowly. Amarachi jumped up with such a speed that she would've fallen if I and Katherine didn't hold her soon enough. The boys had lifted Mide and were throwing him in the air and the whole of blue house, plus our supporters were jumping up and down cheering. I didn't join in. Not because I wasn't happy, I was but I was also worried about a certain friend of mine.

Scanning the area, I finally spot him with a towel around his neck, drinking from his water bottle before stalking off the court. I run after him.

"Wait Damian!" I called as I neared him, causing him to slow down while I caught up with him.

Panting, I turned to him, "Hey, are you—"

"See someone that said I'm not all that." He smirked. "Chasing me."

I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up." He chuckled at that and I remembered why I had 'chased him'.

"Hey Damian?"

"Hmm?" He asked raising a brow but not looking at me. He seemed lost.

"Are you okay?" His face morphed from confusion to hurt.

"Ah, Jiji. I know I flirt too much but it doesn't mean I'm mad nau." He said and I tried not to hiss. Counting to five, I tried again.

"No, Damian. I mean, are you okay?  Is everything okay?" I asked looking him in the face and for the first time, it wasn't me looking away.

"Why won't I be okay?" He asked with a tone I couldn't decipher. It was a bit edgy though, like he wanted to tell me that I was prying but he didn't.

"I mean, you've been quite moody since you got that call and..." I trailed off when I noticed that I wasn't helping. No, seriously, it looked like I was doing a very bad job because Damian sighed and scrubbed his face aggressively with the towel.

"Ejiro, look I appreciate your concern but it isn't anybody's business what I talk about with my family. Not even you." He said and trudged on, leaving me standing where I was...where we both were two seconds ago but not before I hear him say, "You should be happy your house won."

♠♦•♣♥•♠♦

When I saw Damian again it was during dinner and it was as though the whole thing after sports never happened because halfway through dinner I looked at his table and he waved at me, a giant smile on his face as if he had been waiting for me to look up this entire time. I raised my brows at him and before you know it, he was walking towards me, tray and all.

"Ejiro, my favorite dessert." He cooed as he plopped down on the seat beside me. I choked on my chips just as Katherine's fork clattered on her plate as she dropped it and Ayo's eyes widened. Khadijah on the other hand, actually had the nerve to wink at me.

"Are you crazy? What did you just call me?"

He scratched his head and then as if  realizing something he smiled shyly, "Sorry, that's not what I meant. Of course, except..." He winked.

"Please shut up." He pressed his hand to his chest in mock hurt.

"You wound me, Ejiro."

My glare was interrupted by a very annoyed throat clearing.

"Oga stand up abeg, that's my chair." We both turned to see Richard.

Damian sucked in his lips and raised his hands in the air as he stood , "Sorry bro." And then he turned to me, wearing his Damian smirk. "If you get tired of your food, you know where to find me" He says just before he picks up his tray and leaves.

"What was that!?" Practically all the females on the table whisper-yelled immediately he left.

I shrugged nonchalantly, "Just Damian being Damian." I said, dipping a forkful of chips into ketchup and then proceeding to stuff it into my mouth.

"Yeah, right." Richard grunted, the same time Khadijah said, "Yeah, right." But hers was accompanied by a suggestive wink and a wiggle of her eyebrows. I slapped her hand and she laughed, along with Katherine and Ayo.

"Damian just being Damian leads to little Damians and Ejiros running around." Khadijah just had to say and I blanched.

Richard coughed and started choking dragging my attention away from Khadi. I quickly grabbed a cup and poured water from my bottle into it while patting his back. When he had calmed down a little, I passed the cup to him and he downed it immediately. His eyes were red and I glared at Khadi.

"Kill him oh."

"Sorry Richard." She said along with every other person. Then two seconds later, she added, "But you sef. It's chips o, there's no pepper. What is even making you to choke?"

"Your dirty mouth." Ayomide said and then continued eating like she had said nothing.

I snickered.

During prep that night. Mitchel told me that he and Reya were dating again and they've been for two weeks now. To say I didn't know how to react was an understatement.

"So, you just forgave her?" I had asked him, hoping I sounded as calm as I willed my voice to be, after over a minute of silence on my part and Mitchel begging me to 'say something'.

"Well, not just." He said scratching his head. "She explained everything... She was really drunk that night you know? And she's really sorry for it too. Besides, Ejiro I love your sister. I'm willing to try again."

I pretended not to hear the L-word which basically stood out in that statement. "So did you tell her I wasn't the one that told you about that night?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah, I told her that it was this girl, Rhoda, I think." Then he shook his head, "No, it was Rachel."

"Rachel?" I grit my teeth. I was so overwhelmed by anger, I didn't know I had been scribbling on my jotter until the page ripped and Mitchel called my name.

"Ejiro? Are you alright?" He asked prying the pen away from my murderous grip.

"So Reya has known that it was this Rachel girl that..." I trailed off glancing at him.

"She sent me a video." He said getting the memo.

"For how long has she been aware?"

"About two weeks."

Two weeks.

Reya blamed me for ruining her relationship. She said I was the problem with our family. She said she hated me and I understood. I understood that she didn't know what really happened but now, she has known for two weeks that it wasn't me who snitched on her and she still walks around school acting like she doesn't know me.

"I need to use the bathroom." I said to Mitchel getting up.

"Hey, Ejiro... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner." He said with his palm over my hand.

I cracked a smile, "It's fine. I just need to use the bathroom." I told him, freeing my hand from his.

I felt very uneasy. My chest was tightening and I just felt so wronged...

I wanted to scream.

The waterworks started right there in the hallway and I stuck to the walls all the way to the toilets where I just crouched on the floor inside one of the stalls. Silent sobs wracked my body and more than once people came in but thankfully nobody noticed—I was that quiet—because that's the last thing I would've wanted. I stayed there till prep was over.

You see, the thing about crying when your life is as messed up as mine is that one sad thing leads to another. What I mean is that I never cry for just whatever made me sad at the moment because once the tears fall for that one thing, more tears follow for every other thing I go through. It's messed up, I know but there in that stall, I remembered everything. From my former school to my dad to that night to Reya to everything and I was tired, you know?

But when the bell was rung indicating that prep was over, I got up, dusted my shorts, washed my hands and my face and put on a smile... Like I always do.

When I got to class to get my stuff, Mitchel was still there and it seemed like he was waiting for me because every other person had left.

"You took forever." He said looking worried.

"Number two." I said and winked at him causing him to wrinkle up his face. "And I forgot to wash my hands." I smiled mischievously, while walking towards him.

I could swear that he paled, "Ejiro..." And then I burst out laughing. I just couldn't with the look on his face.

"I was joking." I said picking up my bag and making for the exit. Looks like I'm walking alone tonight, because someone has to go and meet his girlfriend.

"You ehn." He complained, grabbing his own stuff, just as Damian walked into the class.

"Ejiro..." He trailed off, looking at Mitchel. "I was looking for you."

"Oh?"

Mitchel excused us then, after he and Damian had a brief staring contest. Or glaring, perhaps?

"Hey." He said, "What's up?"

I nodded, eyeing him warily just because Damian is confusing as hell and even more so these days.

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling, "Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked bending his neck to look me in the eyes. I turn away.

"Like what!?"

"Like you want to eat me." He said and then immediately burst out laughing. I looked at him, the hearty sound of his laugh making me smile. "I'm joking. I mean like you're trying to figure out why I'm so handsome."

I rolled my eyes. Was I expecting him to say something sensible? Sadly, yes.

We walked without any particular conversation except for Damian throwing stupid pick up lines here and there and me trying my best not to laugh until we got close to the hotel gates and Damian turned to me with a serious look.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier today. I know you were just looking out for me a—"

"Damian." I cut him off. "It's okay..." I trailed off, utterly surprised at this turn of events. He was apologizing?  "I wasn't even angry." I added quickly.

He smiled and for some reason it was contagious, "Peace offering." He said presenting a bar of chocolate that he just brought out of his pocket.

I gasped and I swear I would've hugged him if that won't mean me having a panic attack soon after.

"It's white chocolate." I said, still staring at the bar and he laughed.

"No, it's green." He said sarcastically. "This one that it's still in my hand, it's like you don't accept..." He was saying and I grabbed it off him immediately.

My tummy accepts.

Then restricting all common sense, I had to switch to that concerned mode that got us here in the first place, "But Damian," I started,"Are you sure you're—"

"Ejiro, please don't." He was quick to stop me, before I could even complete the statement. I swallowed.

Have I fucked up again?

But Damian didn't look angry, "Just forget about it." He smiled. "Goodnight."

"Night." I whispered back as he started to leave and then feeling the chocolate in my hands again, I shouted, "and thank you!"

I heard the faint sound of his laugh as I peered at the bar in my hands unable to keep myself from smiling.

Lindt swiss white chocolate. My favourite.

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