Hey, everyone. I'm here again 😁😁. I know it's been long since I've updated but I don't have any excuse other than the fact that I was just not feeling my writing. The story is in my head but putting them down and making them go according to the plot has never been so difficult.

But yesterday, a friend of mine and a reader of my book messaged me, telling me about how she has been checking Wattpad over and over to see if I had updated and it honestly made my day. In fact, she's the reason I'm updating by this time because I promise her that I would and I didn't want to disappoint her.

Y'all should be grateful to her because she's the reason you're getting an update this soon. Of course, I was planning to update but the reason I didn't stop mid writing like I always did was because of her.

Maybe now that I've gotten past the difficult part in this chapter, writing the other ones would be easier.

Pardon my long talk and start reading. Hope you enjoy it!! 🥰😘.

Chapter Twenty Five

MICHAEL

As soon as I get home from school, I'm greeted by Maggie who immediately comes to meet me in the sitting room and urges me to go into my room to freshen up and eat lunch because my tutor will be arriving in a hour's time.

True to her words, on the day that I had told her that I am really interested in being a science student and it's not only because of Cynthia, she had immediately spoken to Henry who had also opposed the idea at first because he knows my father won't like my decision at all, but after much persuasion from both Maggie and me, he had finally agreed to me being a Science student and he had also gotten the responsibility of finding the tutor for me.

Not surprisingly, he found one the following day and the tutor was asked to resume today.

Honestly, I am not in the mood to listen to lectures right now. I am not even in the mood to do anything. I just want to be on my bed, play games on my phone or surf the internet until I fall asleep. I've been feeling strangely lethargic since after my make out session with Dorcas and it's probably part of the reason why I wasn't in the mood when she had come looking for me after school had closed to continue what we had started during lunch break.

In the end she had stormed off angrily because of my lack of interest and I had slowly made my way out of the class. The guys left way before me because I didn't answer them when they had asked us to go together.

So what the hell is wrong with me?

My mind won't stop going to Cynthia and I can't help thinking that if it wasn't for what she had to do at home today, she and her friend would be here already and I definitely won't be feeling this way.

But I also can't stop thinking about the fact that she had also looked a bit nervous about the whole issue she had at home and I will be lying if I say I'm not really curious to know what it is that came up at home to make her all worked up.

Should I just call her?

No. She probably just also got home and isn't even settled yet. I should leave her to deal with it and not try to be too nosy. I will just call her in the evening.

But I realise just then that I've been standing in the same spot for a while now and haven't even made an attempt to get out of my school uniform and freshen up. Breathing out a huge sigh, I drop my school bag on the bed and head towards my bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, I'm all freshened up and changed into a t-shirt and shorts. Maggie knocks a while later asking what I would like to eat for lunch but I can't think of anything as I am not really hungry. She however insists that I take something before the teacher comes and tells me she will be back soon.

My phone rings then and I remove it from inside my bag, I haven't even touched it since I came back from school. I see Wole calling and I immediately groan. Wole is sometimes like the mum of our group and although I'm appreciative of the fact that he actually cares about us enough to do certain things, sometimes it all just seem overbearing and suffocating.

And right now, I would rather not listen to him nagging about me and Dorcas making out in the class because I know that's surely what he is calling about.

The phone starts to ring again and resignedly, I decide to pick the call and just get it over with.

"Hello." I say into the phone.

"Hey. Are you okay?" He asks and I raise an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"You looked like you had something bothering you back in school. I didn't want to say anything then because it looked like you wanted to be alone but I feel like you might have cooled down a little now that you are home."

Wow. So he only called to check on me?

I smile slightly at the thought.

"Thank you." I tell him and he chuckles into the phone.

"There's really something bothering you, isn't it?"

"Honestly, I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't even explain exactly how I'm feeling. It's crazy."

"Did something happen today?"

"Something?"

"Yeah. Something that happened to put you in that kind of mood." He explains.

I think back to all the events of the day and I instantly know what or probably who had ruined my mood.

"Yeah, I guess so." I mumble.

"Does it involve Cynthia?"

"Well..." I trail off.

Peter was the one who ruined my mood and started to make me think things, but our discussion definitely involved Cynthia.

I start to reply before staring skeptically at the phone like he can see me, "Wait, why are you asking?"

"So it does involve her?" He says knowingly.

"Why do you sound like that?"

"Because you like Cynthia." He announces.

"Hell no. I don't." I instantly refute his words and he bursts into laughter.

"Well, you might not exactly like her but you sure are starting to." He pauses, probably waiting for me to say something in response but nothing comes to mind, I can't even defend myself and state that I really am not starting to like her because deep down I know it's true.

I'm definitely attracted to her. I was thinking of her while I was kissing Dorcas, that definitely means something.

"Your silence definitely means you agree but you do know this situation is ironical right? You set out on a mission to make her fall for you but here you are getting attracted to her while she likes that... son of a bitch. I refuse to mention his name."

I chuckle at how he had trailed off when he was referring to John even though I know his relationship with him is actually so fucked up and is far from a laughing matter.

"Anyways, I just wanted to know what's going on in your head and to let you know about my observation. I think it will be best if you call off this thing you've got going with Peter and just tell her everything before it's too late and it gets all complicated."

Maggie opens the door to my room just then and steps in with a tray of fruit in her hand and heads towards me, placing the tray on my lap.

I know I have to end the call now and I still don't know what to say to him.

"Thank you." I mutter into the phone, that's the only thing I can think of in the moment.

"Alright. Talk to you later." He says and then hangs up.

"One of the boys?" Maggie asks, referring to my phone call and I nod in response. "Eat the fruits and be ready in the next thirty minutes, the tutor is already on his way."

"Alright, Maggie."

"I'll be downstairs. Call me when you need anything." She says and I nod before she walks out of the room.

I pick up the fork and stab a piece of pineapple with it before placing it in my mouth.

'I think it will be best if you call off the thing you've got going with Peter and just tell her everything before it's too late and it gets all complicated.'

I muse over Wole's words while I eat the fruits and it really just unsettles me. Being attracted to her isn't really a big deal, she's an attractive young girl and we basically spend more than enough time together so that's bound to happen. It's probably infatuation that will pass with time.

The only thing Wole said that I can't agree with is he telling me to explain the whole situation to Cynthia.

Because I'm not explaining anything to her.

I don't want to explain to her.

I can't explain to her.

I'm scared of what might be the outcome.

CYNTHIA

I slowly open my eyes, wondering where I am and carefully studying my environment before discovering that I'm in my room.

Normally I would be under the warm duvet waiting for the alarm clock to wake me up before I dare to open my eye, so I don't understand why I am here leaned against this wall and feeling an onset of a headache?

I notice it's barely morning as it's still dusk. The day is still not clear and that's when the events of the previous day come rushing back, reminding me of the fact that I had cried myself to sleep.

I stand up wearily, my arms and legs hurting from having to be positioned in weird angles so I could get comfortable on the floor and against the door. I head to the bathroom and sigh at the reflection of myself in the mirror. My eyes are so red and puffy that if I tell someone that I had gotten punched in the face, the person would not have difficulty believing it.

Splashing water across my face, I head back into the room and step out of my jeans, not wanting to sleep in it again. I change into something lose and comfy instead then lay down on my bed with a sigh.

I can still feel the dull headache starting to grow but I'm feeling too lazy to go downstairs to take paracetamol. Noticing the red blinking light of my phone signaling notifications, I grab my phone to see messages and missed calls from Grace and John. The only two constants in my life right now.

I scroll through the messages, trying to see if my mum or dad had sent a message apologizing for not being able to make it today but as usual, there is nothing. I drop the phone beside me and pull my pillow to me, then I begin to wonder why they act the way they do. The last time I've heard their voices is over six months ago when they had come back just the way they had promised to do yesterday.

Why did they give birth to us when they know they won't have time for us?

Sam was practically nurtured from birth by Nanny, my mum barely taking care of him. She is only interested in being with dad and travelling with him. We definitely don't matter to her, that is why it's so easy for her to not talk to us or ask after us when we practically exist.

My eyes begin to close slowly as I think about them until I drift off to sleep. The sound of a phone ringing wakes me up again and with a groan, I reach out on the bed to see who the caller is. The day is now very clear and we are now far into the morning. I check to see that it's Grace calling me and I contemplate picking it before swiping across the screen.

"Finally." She breathes into the phone. "Do you know how worried I was? I came over to your place yesterday because Nanny explained everything that happened to me yesterday and I didn't leave until late at night but I still didn't get to see you. That was the first time you will act like that and I was so anxious." She rants but I say nothing.

"I'm so sorry." She sighs. "How are you?" 

"Not fine." I reply matter-of-factly.

"I should have known. Don't think about them too much. I know you were really looking forward to seeing them and you are disappointed because you didn't get to see them without  even an explanation. But I just want you to know that you have us. You have me, my mum, Nanny and Sam so don't dwell too much on that, okay?"

She isn't wrong. They have always been the ones that have been there for me from the start, not the parents that I was crying over. Thinking of how I had ran into my room yesterday instead of staying back for Sam who surely didn't take the news well also, makes me feel a bit ashamed.

"Okay." I respond.

"Are you just waking up?" She suddenly asks.

"Yes, why?"

"Because this is past 10 already and I'm on my way to your place." 

"You don't have to come over." I mumble quietly.

"Oh, I have to. And make sure you are all dressed up and ready before I get to your place." She says into the phone.

"Why?" 

"We are going out. All of us including Sam and maybe, Nanny. I was thinking we should go to an amusement park or the mall. What do you think?" She asks.

"I'm not sure."

"At least you aren't saying no, that's something. Just make sure to get dressed up before I reach there." She says and hangs up before I can indeed say 'no'.

I stare at the phone, knowing there's pretty nothing much I can do about that and begin to sit up. A sudden knock to the door startles me, followed by the knob of the door turning but to no avail and that's when I realized that the door is still locked from yesterday.

I climb down from my bed and head towards the door to open it and I'm immediately pulled into Nanny's arms, her familiar scent and warmth enveloping me in her embrace.

She says nothing as she hugs me, just patting me soothingly on my back and kissing me on my head.

After spending a while in her arms and she showing no signs of letting me go, I break free out of her embrace with a smile and she smiles back at me.

"Are you feeling a headache?" She asks, probably guessing I might be having one after the way I had cried yesterday.

"Yes." I reply, my voice sounding a little croaky, almost like I'm on the verge of tears again. She smiles sadly at me, pats my cheeks caringly and tells me she will be right back then hurries out of the room. It's not until she has turned around and is about to leave, did I notice that Sam is standing next to her the whole time.

He looks a little weary and also looks like he had cried a lot last night. I should have been there to cheer him up but I was too busy wallowing in my own sorrow and not thinking of anything else.

I bend down to his level and also pull him into a hug and I can't help smiling when his small hands hug me back.

"I'm sorry." I tell him in a whisper and he quickly breaks the hug.

"Mum and dad should be sorry, not you. They are the ones that don't want to come home." He says and I smile sadly at him. The fact that he is also correct makes me unable to come up with the right answer to tell him.

Thankfully, Nanny arrived at that moment with the sachet of paracetamol and a cup of water.

"Here you go." She gestures to me and I stand up to collect it. After taking two tablets and swallowing it with the help of the water, I look down at Sam again.

"Would you like to go to the amusement park?" I ask and he is quick to nod in agreement.

"I want to ride that horse thing that goes up and down and keeps turning." He replies enthusiastically.

I stare at him a bit confusedly, "You mean the merry-go-round?"

He gives me an innocent look, "Is that the name of the thing?"

I burst out into laughter then and nod my head, "Yeah, that's the name." I reply and look up at Nanny who is also smiling too. "Have you taken your bath?" I ask him.

"Yes. You are the only one who has not taken her bath. Grace said she's on her way." He responds immediately.

"Yeah, she told me too. I guess I better go and take my bath and dress up so we can beat the traffic." I tell him and he nods repeatedly, as if giving me the go ahead.

I smile at him as Nanny tells me that she's going to pick out some dresses that I should consider wearing.

Without saying anything, I turn around to grab my towel and as I walk into the bathroom, I remind myself that I'm really very lucky to have the people that surrounds me now as my family.

It doesn't matter if my biological parents are kilometres away and refuse to come back home, these people here are more than any parents one can wish for.

And at that moment, I know it's all going to be okay.

***

Monday comes and it's like the whole saga of our parents visiting and not showing up never happened. Everyone is back to their regular routine and I can't be more grateful.

I arrive at school a little bit late and head straight to the assembly hall. Thankfully, the assembly is just beginning and I go to stand on the queue. Grace is already on her class's queue so we can't talk to each other.

The principal announces that the Sports practice will be starting after lunch break today and she gives us certain instructions. Each team members, that is, students belonging to St. Matthew, St. James, St. Joseph and St. Paul will gather in the School's stadium and meet with their team master and team mistress where there is the colour of their team.

After all instructions were given, we file to our classes. I wave at Grace since I've left her behind and follow the rest of the SS3 Science students into the class. I'm surprised to find Michael already seated although his head is on the table.

I go to my side of the seat and drop my bag. I glance at him and see that he isn't sleeping but playing games on his phone. He looks up at me and smiles, a simple smile that actually evokes a weird kind of reaction from me.

I quickly look away, not dwelling on that feeling.

We haven't spoken to each other since he had abruptly left us while we were going to the cafeteria together and he never made any attempt to call me. Strangely, I had felt that a call from him would have made me feel a lot better but then I doubt he even has my number.

"Good morning, Cynth." He greets, putting his phone in his bag and turning to me with all of his attention.

"Good morning."

"How was the weekend? Did you miss me?" He asks and I roll my eyes, not answering him.

"Come on. You didn't miss me?" He asks again.

"No, I didn't miss you." I finally reply. "How would I even miss you? You are nothing but troublesome."

He looks away sulkily and I try not to smile. I guess he is in a better mood this morning.

I open my bag to bring out my books and suddenly, he is looking inside it. He takes out my sports clothes from it and I snatch them back from him before returning them to my bag. We have to change to our sports clothes for the tryouts and that is why they are in my bag.

"You are a team member of St. James?" He asks, pointing to the green cloth that is now in my bag.

"Yeah, why?" I ask, putting my bag inside the locker.

"What a shame." He says and then starts to unbutton his shirt.

"What are you doing?" I ask, eyeing him suspiciously.

After unbuttoning the first two buttons, he points to the blue vest he is wearing underneath.

"Just that I'm a member of St. Joseph. "

"You belong to a team?" I ask with surprise, remembering that I've never seen him and his friends actively take part in any of the sports competition.

"Yeah, I thought everyone in the school does."

"Well, I guess I didn't know because I haven't seen you take part in any sports." I voice out my thoughts and he just shrugs.

"I was never interested in it." Then he pouts. "It would have been cool if we were on the same team though." He says sullenly and I hide a smile.

"No, thank you." I reply instead and he gives me a look of hurt.

"It's not like you will contribute to the winning of our team if you are in it. You don't take part in the sports." I add with a light tone but he doesn't reply and then all of a sudden, he smiles.

"Maybe being on different teams isn't so bad after all." He mentions, looking very pleased with himself which makes me give him a wary look.

"What do you mean?"

"I was thinking we can use the fact that we are on different teams to make - "

He doesn't complete his sentence as a teacher walks into the class at that moment, ending whatever it is he was about to say. I can't help wondering what it is that he wanted to say though.

What are we supposed to make?

After the exchange of greetings between the teacher and students, the teacher turns to write on the board and Michael also turns to me to finish what he was saying. But as much as I'm interested in knowing what he wants to say, I can't help stopping him from talking by shaking my head vigorously.

"What?" He asks, looking amused.

"You are not talking to me until lunch break." I tell him firmly.

He looks a bit confused, "Why all of a sudden?"

"You really don't know?" I ask him and he nods his head.

"Alright then, I'll spell it out for you. You are not going to talk to me because I don't want to get into trouble with another teacher."

"I didn't-" He starts to say something but I beat him to it.

"You are going to keep quiet and not say a word to me when a teacher is in class." I insist firmly.

"Alright." He says finally.

"Better." I sigh and face our teacher.

"But what about..." He starts and I almost scream.

"Michael?" I warn.

"Relax. I was only teasing." He says and starts laughing. "You should see your face." He adds amidst laughter and I can't help smiling.

"Idiot." I mumble.

But he keeps his word and does not speak to me until lunch.

MICHAEL

I had a terrible weekend. One of the main reasons being that Maggie had included Saturdays among days for me to receive extra lessons, and worse, for longer hours.

So basically all my Saturdays are no longer a relaxation day for me. The sad thing is that I was hardly paying attention to what the teacher said, my mind only kept playing over the conversation I had with Wole on the phone and I find myself really wanting to speak with Cynthia and wanting to know if what came up that caused her to be all nervous has been settled.

Sadly, I didn't have her phone number and none of the guys had it too. I and the guys weren't added to the school's general group too because I don't want random people seeing my number and sending me DMs. So what should have been the easy way to have gotten her number is already out of it.

I resignedly accepted the fact that I won't get to talk to her until Monday and so on Sunday, I had invited the boys over and we had headed towards the secret room to pass time. All so I will stop thinking about Cynthia.

But by night, when the others had gone home and I was literally left with nothing but my thoughts. I begin to go over everything from the start. From the party that had happened two years ago and to the present where I'm now currently her seat partner.

I realised that I had possibly been attracted to her since that night and the fact that I had gotten close to her again had only awoken that affection.

But I also realised then that more than me getting attracted to her, she also has to get attracted to me and to make that happen, I have to do everything within my power to make her fall for me. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't think of anything until I fell asleep.

And now that it's Monday morning, I still can't think of anything that can make her attracted to me. I know the school's practice for the sports competition is starting today and I also know my decision to partake in it when I usually don't is strongly influenced by the fact that I want to impress Cynthia with the athletic part of me. Once she discovers that I'm an amazing runner and footballer, she might start to like me.

I know that sounds a bit shallow but it's the only thing I can think of. Hopefully, we are in the same team so we can end up winning together. I've never really been interested in the school's sport competition so I usually stay at home when it's holding, I guess it will be fun to partake in it this first and last time.

I continue to play the game on my phone absentmindedly while waiting for the assembly to be over so Cynthia can soon join me and sit next to me. When I finally begin to hear lots of footsteps across the corridor, I readily begin to anticipate her presence.

I try not to dwell too much on how I'm feeling and to put all my attention on the game I'm playing. But that's until the familiar scent of vanilla attacks my nostrils and I know immediately that she's in the classroom.

'Don't look up immediately.' My subconscious tells me. 'Your eagerness to see her is probably written all over your face.' It mocks me but I find myself agreeing with it. I shouldn't act too eager around her.

So I basically force myself to continue to rest my head on the table until she comes to sit beside me.

I notice her drop her bag on her desk while glancing at me. Deciding that my eagerness is now gone and I'm feeling more composed, I raise my head from the table and smile at her.

A weird look crosses her face at that moment and she quickly looks away, leaving me confused. I didn't even say anything.

Should I not have smiled at her?

I have been waiting for the moment to talk to her again since I had gotten home on Friday and this is all I get from her?

Does she really not like me in any way at all?

"Good morning, Cynth." I greet, putting my phone in my bag and turning all my attention to her.  I didn't become her seat partner to get ignored.

"Good morning." She replies monotonously as she opens her locker but I'm not put off by her behaviour. I'll continue to talk to her until she drops the attitude.

"How was the weekend? Did you miss me?" I ask again, hoping that at least she had missed me too even if it's only a little bit. She rolls her eyes, not answering me.

Is that a yes or no?

"Come on. You didn't miss me?" I ask again.

"No, I didn't miss you." She finally responds. "How would I even miss you? You are nothing but troublesome."

Does she mean that? I look away from her, trying not to feel too bad about the fact that she had just told me she doesn't miss me while looking like she actually didn't.

Or is she not just in a good mood this morning?

I turn to her again and notice a green fabric in her bag. Without thinking, I take the clothes from he bag, confirming the fact that it's indeed her sports wear and I start to get disappointed. She snatches the clothes from me and put it in her bag and I try not to sigh heavily.

"You are a team member of St. James?" I ask to confirm, maybe the clothes belong to Grace or any of her other friends.

"Yeah, why?" She replies as she puts her bag inside the locker.

"What a shame." I say, putting it in a mid sentence. But it's honestly not only that to me, I was really thinking of winning her over with my skills.

What happens now that we are rivals?

I start to unbutton my shirt so I can show her my own blue vest that I had worn underneath it.

"What are you doing?" She asks me with a wary look as I unbutton the first button and despite the situation, I had to stop myself from smiling.

After unbuttoning the first two buttons, I point to the blue vest that is now showing

"Just that I'm a member of St. Joseph." I finally explain, hoping that the disappointment wasn't too evident in my voice.

"You belong to a team?" She asks with surprise.

"Yeah, I thought everyone in the school does."

"Well, I guess I didn't know because I haven't seen you take part in any sports." She explains and that's when I realise she isn't wrong to think that way.

"I was never interested in it."

Until now. And it's all because of you.

"It would have been cool if we were on the same team though." I add sullenly because I just had to say it out even though she might not see it as something serious.

"No, thank you." She replies instead and I'm immediately hurt by her words. "It's not like you will contribute to the winning of our team if you are in it. You don't take part in the sports." She explains but I wasn't really paying attention to her anymore and it's only because I have gotten the perfect idea that can help both of us.

I smile and give myself a mental pat on the head for coming up with something like that.

"Maybe being on different teams isn't so bad after all." I tell her and all I earn in response is a wary look.

"What do you mean?"

"I was thinking we can use the fact that we are on different teams to make - "

I don't get to complete my sentence as a teacher walks into the class at that moment, but it doesn't faze me whatsoever because I know by all means that I'm going to get her to agree to what I say before the competition.

I'm going to make a deal with her based on our sport teams.

***

This is a long chapter and some mistakes might come up. I'll finish correcting it tomorrow. I don't have strength for a long Authors note too.

Don't forget to share, vote and comment. I really appreciate all of your supports. Thank you ❤️.

Until next time,

Love you guys 😘.