How lucky am I to have met someone who makes saying goodbye so hard.

A.A. MILNE

Prologue

Two years ago.

CYNTHIA

I feel like shit.

No, seriously. I don't feel good at all.

My head feels like it's being hit continuously with drum sticks, my eyesight has suddenly gone bad, my throat hurts and my insides are churning.

Can someone tell me why I am here again?

Wait, I think I know the answer. It's because I can be stupid sometimes, that's why.

Before I can continue to wallow in self pity, someone rushes outside from inside the house where the party is going on and the sudden loudness of the music that was muffled just until the door opens makes the headache I'm feeling stronger.

The person who ran outside from the party hurriedly move towards a flower pot and retches inside it making a loud gagging sound.

And do you know what made it even more disgusting? The fact that I see it happening in two places.

I don't know how but the person vomiting seems to have a clone standing next to him, copying his exact movements.

It's kinda creepy.

I fight to hold in my own vomit as they wipe their mouths at the same time and straighten up, both of them slightly stumbling.

I look away from the person who I've come to realize is a guy and begin to regret my choice of coming here again.

How did I manage to get myself convinced by Grace to attend this party?

I can remember how she had told me it was going to be fun and insisted that it would be thrilling since we aren't meant to be there in the first place. She had declared that I might even meet my soulmate at the party and had reassured me that nothing bad is going to happen.

And now that I think back to everything she had said, none of them had turned out to be right. Not one of it.

I let out a scoff as I think of what has happened since I arrived at the party.

Meet my soulmate indeed.

Why did I even listen to her?

On a normal day, I would have insisted that I wasn't going anywhere with her and she shouldn't go either. I would have told her that a 15-year old in SS1 has no business going to parties thrown by the seniors in SS3.

But no, the curious part of me had wanted to know what the hype about those parties were really about, especially since Grace just wouldn't stop talking about how fun the party is going to be.

Needless to say I got disappointed five minutes into the party. All I've gained since I stepped into the party is a throbbing headache and a constant feeling of disgust.

We had lied to Nanny that we were going for a sleepover at the place of a new friend and she had been surprised that I had made a new friend. She knows I don't like or talk to any of my classmates and I was sure she wasn't going to believe Grace.

But that surprise had quickly been replaced by delight and she had been pleased that I was actually making an attempt at socializing and making more friends.

She had easily bought Grace's lie and even helped us pack everything we will be needing for the night, including snacks to share with our new friend.

I can imagine her reaction when she finds out the truth and I can't help chuckling at the image of her having close to a heart attack and scolding the hell out of us.

I immediately stop laughing.

The image of Nanny having a heart attack isn't supposed to be funny.

But then, I will give anything to rather be having a sleepover with our imaginary new friend than standing outside alone in the cold. Eating snacks, cuddling in warm blankets and exchanging girl stories sounds very appealing compared to having to deal with the muffled beats from the party that is strangely echoing in my head and increasing the intensity of the headache I'm feeling.

I let out a deep sigh and hug myself together to keep warm as the night breeze has suddenly gotten colder and glance back at the door, wondering what was taking Grace so long.

She had left me here ten minutes ago saying she had to get her purse and my jacket that we had somehow both forgotten inside the party and she is yet to be back.

I bring out my phone from my pocket and try to dial Lanre's number again so he can come here to take us home. But after many futile attempts to even read out his name since I can't make out a single word on my screen, I just end up shoving the phone back into my pocket.

It's only when I've put my phone in my pocket and start to hug myself again that I realize I had company. I've been so lost in thought that I didn't notice the person approach me and if I'm not mistaken, the guy who just finished vomiting into one of the flower pots in the compound is the one standing in front of me with the sickest smile I've ever seen.

I can't really make out who he is because of my sudden bad eyesight but something about him just makes me take a step back, I can feel that he isn't up to any good.

He takes a step forward, bringing him closer to me than he even was before, then he puts his hand forward to grab me by the waist, yanking me towards him so I'm pressed up against him and the irritating smell of vomit invading my nostrils.

Gross. 

What does he think he is doing?

"What do you think you are doing?"

I let out a groan, realizing I sounded like a baby. It had definitely sounded more firm in my head. 

The guy starts to laugh at me and I give him what I presume is a murderous glare.

I don't blame you. Alcohol is responsible for making me like this.

He stops laughing and smirks, "Now that you're drunk, let's see you try to give me a kick again."

I freeze at his voice, immediately remembering who it is.

Seriously? It's this guy again?

***

Thirty minutes ago

Grace's boyfriend - the actual reason I am here, the one who had invited Grace to the party even when he is well aware that she's too young to attend such gatherings but claimed he had to flaunt his gorgeous girlfriend to his classmates - had given both Grace and I a drink to 'loosen up' immediately he had seen us arrive at the party.

I didn't know what was in it so I was skeptical about drinking it but Grace didn't even think twice about it. She gulped everything down at once, twisted her mouth like it was bitter and then made an exaggerated show of breathing out from her mouth, claiming it was refreshing.

I should have known she was just trying to impress her boyfriend but I found out too late. I also drank the drink in one gulp, bracing myself for the bitter taste because of Grace's reaction, but it was more than I bargained for. I know my face had immediately scrunched up in disgust after drinking it and I had to blow out air continuously from my mouth to reduce the sting in my throat.

He had offered me another drink that I had quickly rejected, not ready to assault my throat again and I was feeling so hot from the inside that I didn't think twice about removing my jacket and dumping it somewhere.

And it didn't even make me feel better.

Suddenly, Shake Body by Skales starts blasting through the speakers, followed by the shouts of approval from the students and they start singing loudly and dancing along to the music, forgetting all manner of discipline.

Grace and her boyfriend are soon on the dance floor, both of them laughing and giggling as they start to dance to the music. It looks like they are having fun, but I'm not interested in any of it.

I waded through lots of people as it seemed like everybody had all stood up to dance. After being pulled by two different strangers to come and dance and successfully freeing myself from both of them, I finally got to sit on one of the sofa.

I couldn't even sigh in relief because I was starting to feel woozy. The song has since switched to Sofa by Kiss Daniel and it felt like my head was connected to the speakers. 

Sitting on the other side of the sofa is a guy who I feel I should know but can't seem to remember. He is sipping on what I presume to be the drink I had downed in one gulp and is outrightly refusing the girls' invites to dance with them. I instinctively shift to the other end of the sofa, not wanting to have anything to do with him but he seems pretty chill.

"Good for him."

The speakers were now blasting 'If' by Davido and that seems to be the only explanation to the quick change in the party's atmosphere. Everyone went from jumping and grinding to the music to moving slowly against each other and whispering the song lyrics to each other, some even went ahead to kiss their partner and soon, it was a full make out session on the dance floor.

Yuck.

I glance around, wondering if Grace's boyfriend was also shoving his tongue into her mouth and worrying that it might soon lead to something else if there's no one to caution her but a sudden light tap on my shoulder stops my search.

"Wanna dance with me?" A greasy looking guy with the slyest smile I've ever seen looks down at me expectantly, like he is sure I'm going to say yes to him. I don't even bother hiding my distaste for him.

"No, thank you."

I turn back to looking for Grace but then a finger slowly begins to trail down my shoulder - successfully making the nonexistent hairs on my body stand in repulsion - and halts my movement.

I glance down at the finger with absolute disgust then at the boy who seems unable to take the hint to fucking leave me alone.

I grab his finger to stop it from moving on my shoulder and hold in the urge to just bend it backward. "What do you think you are doing?" I ground out and he smiles.

The fucker actually smiled.

"Babe, I can help you loosen up a bit, you know. We are at a party, you should be enjoying yourself but you don't look like you are."

Who is this one's babe? And what's with everyone and loosening up at this party?

"Look, I'm not interested." I say firmly, hoping the words will finally go through his skull and he will just leave me the hell alone.

Unfortunately, he has a thick skull.

He forcefully pulls me from the chair so I'm smack against his chest and then buries his head in my neck, running his disgusting mouth on it.

I have never felt the amount of repulsion that I felt that moment in my entire life and I so wanted to rip his lips out from his head just there and then. I really wasn't going to get violent in this party but some people just really need to be taught some lesson.

With all the strength in me, I pushed him away from me and before he can even begin to process what's going on,  I give him a kick in the chin.

I almost lost my balance after the kick - definitely the effect from drinking whatever it is that Grace's boyfriend had given me - but someone stopped me from falling. Just one firm hand on my waist to keep me from landing on my butt and then it was gone as soon as I was standing upright.

The shocked expression on the pervert face is the last thing I see before his eyes closed and he fell backwards to the ground.

I turn around to see who had held me in place but there was nobody behind me. Even the guy sitting at the other end of the sofa was no longer there.

No one even seemed to be looking my way. I was sexually harassed in their presence and everyone was just minding their fucking business.

I begin to wipe aggressively at the slimy trail the bastard had left on my neck, shuddering in repulsion as I remember how he had licked me with his tongue and I scurry around, looking for a rest room to clean the grime off me.

I was getting frustrated because I couldn't find the bathroom when I saw a red cup half filled with what I had drank earlier, resting casually on one of the table. I don't think twice before taking it and drinking every single drop in it, anything to take my mind of the disgusting feeling of his mouth on my neck.

And it had worked perfectly too. I was too busy trying to walk straight to actually think about what had happened.

Then I had went off looking for Grace.

MICHAEL

"Kunle, let's go."

I tell the head of my bodyguards as soon as I step into the Mercedes Benz that has been parked a bit far away from the party, away from the eyes of the prying seniors.

He glances back at me, looking uncertain. "Are you sure? You haven't even spent up to an hour at the party."

"It's boring." I reply flatly and wait patiently for him to start the engine and get moving.

I can feel his questioning eyes on me through the rearview mirror but I refuse to meet his gaze. He knows I like to party and I know he is confused because I had changed my mind last minutes when I had declared during the day that I wasn't moving an inch from the house till the next morning. I'm sure he is even more confused that I hadn't spent a lot of time in the party before coming back.

The truth is I had slept and had a short nightmare, the nightmares that always seem to keep me company these nights. I had woken up and discovered that it was just past 10 and the night was still young. Staying in my room and waiting for sleep was definitely not an option and I wasn't even in the mood to watch movies.

That's why I had decided to come to the party.

I had thought that the change of scenario might help me forget about the nightmare, maybe I would see a girl pretty enough to catch my attention and follow me home. A girl that will be willing to help me take my mind off sleep by doing a lot of, you know, other things.

But sadly, none of them caught my fancy.

Well, except that one girl.

I had seen the discomfort on her face as she fought her way through the clusters of people dancing and knew immediately that parties weren't her scene. The look of relief on her face as she came to sit on the same chair I was sitting on only seems to confirm that.

I had noticed how she had slightly shifted to the other side of the chair and I couldn't help smiling into my drink. I had even been tempted to tell her that I don't bite.

I'm pretty sure she would have been all over me if she had recognized me. I know she stared at me, probably trying to figure out who I was. 

Did she recognize me and just didn't care or did she not recognize me?

I'm convinced it's the latter because that seems to be the only reasonable explanation on why she ignored me. There's no way she would have recognized me and not made an attempt to talk to me.

They all do.

She had surprised me later that night with the way she had dealt with the jerk who had harassed her. I was getting sick of the guy myself and was about to come to her defense when she had landed a kick to the guy's face.

Saying I was stunned was an understatement and I had pretty much only gotten out of my shock when I saw she was going to fall. The innocent image of her in my mind had quickly changed to a bad ass one. She definitely knows how to fight, probably knows some martial arts.

Kunle finally starts the car and begins to drive. I'm looking out the window, staring at nothing in particular until he drives past the house where the party is still going on and something on the yard catches my attention.

"Kunle, stop."

He immediately steps on the brake and I wind the car's glass down to confirm what I thought I had just seen.

Which turns out to be true.

I had just seen that girl in the compound in an embrace with a guy and she is literally pressed against the guy's body with the guy's arm on her waist.

I scoff in disgust as I watch them.

Innocent, my foot. They're all the same.

I'm about to wind up the car's glass when I notice their movements, they actually don't seem to be in a romantic embrace. She looked like she was struggling with the guy and he seemed bent on keeping her in that position.

That's when I looked at the guy, really looked at him, and I discover that it was the same jerk from the party.

My hand immediately goes to the door's handle to open it... but I stop myself.

She had defended herself like a pro in the party and she could surely defend herself again. There's no need to get involved.

I fall back on the car's seat and I'm about to tell Kunle to start the car when I see her finally break free from the guy's hold and stumble a little before falling to the ground.

And that's when I realize that she must have had another drink at the party and is surely drunk.

I watch the guy move closer to her on the floor and he starts to...

I bring my head out of the window to see what he is doing clearly and the profanities come flowing from my mouth subconsciously.

That idiot is already unbuckling his belt and jeans.

Without thinking twice, I get down from the car and sprint towards them. I hear Kunle's voice call after me but I ignore him. I bet he doesn't know a rape was about to happen right before his eyes or he would be running ahead of me to beat the shit out of the guy.

I can always do that.

I get to them just as he starts to bend towards her and I push him away from her immediately. The girl quickly scrambles from the floor and comes to hide behind me and that's when I notice the slight trembling of her arms.

She's scared.

"Hey! Why would you interru-

I cut him off with a blow to the mouth and he staggers back, shock written all over his face.

Sick bastard.

"Do you think it's okay to take advantage of a drunk person?!" I yell.

He sneers, shooting daggers with his eyes, "You think I was taking advantage of her? She wanted it too."

I practically begin to shake with fury, "Are you fucking kidding me?"

I lunge forward to land another blow to his mouth again but I feel a slight tug at the sleeve of my jacket. I turn around to see tears on the girl's face and she looks like she's trying hard not to cry.

"Take... me home." She breathes out then suddenly hugs herself. I pull off my leather jacket and use it to cover her and she pulls it closer, like a shield. Giving the idiot one last look of scorn, I lead her towards my car and put her into the back seat.

When we are both settled into the car and I ask Kunle - who won't stop asking me questions with his eyes - to start driving, I turn to look at her and find her dazed.

She must be feeling so shocked right now.

"Are you okay?"

She has been staring down at her fingers since we entered into the car and is still staring at them, she made no inclination that she even heard me.

Kunle raises an eyebrow at me in the rearview mirror and I roll my eyes at him.

Can't he see the state of the girl?

I have to take her home but I don't know where she stays. How am I supposed to ask for her address with the way she is?

I scratch my neck slightly, feeling a bit awkward, "Um... Where-"

"Do you have alcohol?" She cuts through whatever I'm about to say.

"Yes." I respond then realize what she just asked. "Alcohol?!"

"Yes. I need it, please." She says quietly, angrily wiping at the tears that has started rolling down her cheeks again.

I glance confusedly at Kunle and meet his gaze in the rearview mirror.

Should I give her the drink?

Why are you asking me?

I hiss at him before leaning forward to take the wine from where it is in the box between the driver and passenger seat.

I hand her the wine bottle and I'm still trying to look for a cup when I hear the sound of the bottle opening and turn to see her drinking directly from the bottle.

There's total silence in the car.

I watch unsurely as she drinks, taking long gulps at once. I feel the need to tell her to stop but I can't even bring myself to talk.

There's just something unnerving about how she's behaving.

Halfway through the bottle, she's already totally drunk and she won't stop chuckling randomly.

Does she even know she's in a really vulnerable state right now with a stranger who could even be worse than the person she just got away from?

And there's no way to find out where she lives now.

Her head is slumped on the chair and she looks like she has fallen asleep. I remove the wine bottle from her hand and she stirs lightly on the chair. 

"Hey." I tap her gently. "Are you asleep?"

She opens her eyes slowly and I'm taken aback by the sudden intensity of sadness and hurt in them. She notices my reaction and I expect her to quickly mask her expression or just close her eyes, no one wants to be seen at their most vulnerable after all, but she does none of those. She only continues to watch me.

"You were the one in the party right?" Her words are slurred and almost too quiet to hear. "You prevented me from falling then."

I raise an eyebrow in question. She knows?

"I can smell the same scent from your jacket that I did then." She smiles slightly. "I probably look stupid right now. Getting drunk and making myself vulnerable to the exact same thing I ran from."

I quickly shake my head, "No, I'm not like that. I wouldn't do that to a girl."

My voice came out low to match hers and I don't even know why. If someone was looking from outside, they might think we are lovers exchanging sweet nothings with each other.

"I know." She drawls. "And that's why I allowed you to take me away. It might also be because you look kind of familiar."

"Really? From where?" I ask, my voice sounding a bit apprehensive.

I'm scared she might have known me for something bad since I've gotten into a fair amount of trouble and some of them had even made the news. I don't want her to suddenly think of me as a bad person especially now that she already trusts me as a stranger.

"I know now." Her voice has gotten surprisingly sadder and I start to become anxious. "It's that look."

What's she talking about?

She startles me by suddenly placing her palms gently on both sides of my face and staring straight into my eyes.

"It's the same scared look you always had in class then, only it was more intense than this. Back when we were in JSS2. You distanced yourself from others, acting all snobbish towards our classmates when you were only protect yourself." She explains with a sad smile. "And when you think no one was watching, you would let your guard down and everything would be so clear in your eyes."

I stare down at her, shocked by her words, at their accuracy. Dad hadn't become a Senator which means he was always around. And only those who were close enough to me knows what that would mean, why his presence or thinking about him would make me scared.

And that was why I kept a distance from the other classmates. I didn't want more people to know about me and my secret. I never knew there was someone who could find out all that just by watching me.

"I was always watching you, curious to know what you were so scared of." She continues. "Even though I was in no position to talk to you then, the look of apprehension in your eyes made me want to tell you that I would be your friend and we would face whatever you were scared of together. But you ended up moving to another class before I had the chance to."

Her smile suddenly turns shy and her voice grows quieter, "That wasn't the only reason why I wanted to talk to you then. I also liked you." She giggles. "Every girl in class had a crush on you then and I guess I was one of them but  I was an outcast."

I'm... Speechless. Don't know what to say to her in response.

Everything just seems crazy. How am I supposed to deal with a drunk girl who is suddenly confessing that she had a crush on me back in JSS2?

And not when I'm smiling like a fool at her words and realizing that I like the fact that she liked me.

I look down at her and my heart almost stopped beating. The space between us has gotten smaller and her sides are now pressed to mine. There are only inches separating our faces and I see her glance at my lips. The rhythm of my heartbeat increases.

Is she about to kiss me?

No, don't allow that. She's drunk and doesn't know what she's doing.

My mind is telling me the right thing to do but my body wants something else and I'm agreeing with it. I want to kiss her too.

I close my eyes and await the feel of her lips on mine. My body tenses in anticipation and my lips part a little in excitement, waiting for that collision to occur. I'm practically holding my breath.

But it never came.

The feel of her hands on my face begins to get lighter and lighter until they drop from my face and that's when I open my eyes and discover that she has fallen asleep.

For real, this time.

After getting me excited by her words and actions, she fell asleep. Just like that.

I let out a small sigh as I watch her sleep, tempted to just close the space between us and kiss her all the same. But I know that will make me no better than the guy who had tried to take advantage of her so I fall back on the chair instead, wondering what I'm supposed to do with her.

My heart refuses to calm down after the almost kiss and it almost jumped out of my chest when a phone starts blasting a song that I presume is in Korean.

It is definitely not mine because I don't have a Korean song has my ringtone and I don't think Kunle is into Korean music too. I glance down at the only person whose phone could be ringing and notice the phone in her jean pocket.

Now, how am I supposed to remove that from her pocket?

"Are you going to keep watching her until the call ends and lose what might be the only chance of you finding out where she lives?

I start to roll my eyes at Kunle before realizing he is saying the truth. 

Why didn't I think of that?

Trying as much as possible to not touch her inappropriately, I lean forward and remove the phone gently from her pocket. I can perceive a faint smell of vanilla from her and I try not to blush when my head almost hit her boobs.

What's wrong with me?

"Should I pick the call instead?"

Oh, yeah. The call.

The caller ID reads Nanny and I immediately swipe to receive the call.

"Cynth, I wasn't going to disturb you at your sleepover but I'm really curious to know how things are going with your new friend."

Sleepover? I snort. Was that the lie she told her to come to the party?

"Hello?" The curious voice of her Nanny sounds from the phone.

"Um... Hello." I respond and there's total silence on the other side of the phone.

Shit. I probably scared the poor woman.

I immediately try to explain things, "Good evening, ma. I'm glad you called. I'm friends with her and want to take her home since she got drunk but I can't seem to get her address and-

"She got drunk?!"

I wince from the shrill that came from the other side of the phone and stare helplessly at Kunle.

"What do I do?" I whisper to him.

"Keep going." He whispers back.

"Yeah, actually. She was at a party and-

"She was at a party?!"

Another shrill sound from the other side of the phone and I mentally begin to recite the Lord's prayer.

"Yes ma-

"Are you kidnappers?"

Wait, what?!

"I should have known immediately you answered and said you were her friend. For your information, Cynthia doesn't have any male friends. You don't have to cook up stories about Cynthia and try to make her look bad. Just state your price for the ransom but if you as much as touch a hair on her body, you are going to rot in a police station."

I let out a deep breath and glance down at the girl who has the mind to sleep peacefully when I'm being threatened for something that never crossed my mind.

"I'm Cynthia's friend, ma. We both attend Dreamers' High School and I actually just met her at a party. She seemed lost and drunk and was about to be taken-

No. Telling her that she was almost raped would only make her flip out.

"She was drunk and I didn't want her to fall into bad hands and that's why I took her."

Another total silence on the other side of the phone.

"Where's Grace?" Her voice sounds strangely calm and I begin to get goosebumps.

"Sorry, ma...who- who is Grace?"

"What do you mean who is Grace?! They left together for the sleepover!"

I remove the phone from my ear and put it in Kunle's hand, "I'm not doing this shit anymore. You talk to her." 

He looks at me then at the phone and with a sigh, steps out of the car to talk to the woman.

I'm not going to talk to her even when we get to her place. There's no way I'm facing such a scary woman.

I look down at Cynthia again, and remember the words she said to me before she fell asleep.

The look of apprehension in your eyes made me want to tell you that I would be your friend and we would face whatever you were scared of together.

I liked you. Every girl in class had a crush on you then and I guess I was one of them.

She liked me? How come I wasn't aware of that until now.

...but then I was an outcast.

What did she mean by that?

I try to remember back to when we were in JSS2 and my eyes widen in realization.

Was she-

Kunle steps into the car then and gives me a wary look. "Why do you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Oh My God! I can't believe it. 

Is she really- Is she really 'orphan'?

"I've gotten the address to her house. It is actually not far from here." Kunle says but I'm in so much shock to really pay attention to his words.

Why didn't I recognize her? She didn't even change that much.

Would she believe she is the sole reason I had moved classes? Why I was so disgusted with my classmates and had decided I didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore?

Wow! My mind always wandered to her once in a while, wondering what had happened to her.

Wait, what had happened to her?

I look at her, thousands of emotions swirling inside me and then I realized I'm mainly sad. Sad that I didn't do anything to help her then. Sad that I was so caught up in my own messes that I couldn't stand up for someone else.

"Did you even hear anything I've been saying?!" Kunle shouts, startling me and earning himself a glare from me.

"Why are you shouting?"

"Because I've been talking for a while and you haven't been responding."

The flashlight pointed at the car diverts my attention and that's when I realize that the car is already parked in front of a house and the person who is flashing a torchlight at us is a woman, presumably, her Nanny.

"I've been telling you to get her out of the car."

"And face that woman and her questions? No, thanks." 

Kunle lets out a groan, "I guess I'll be doing it myself." He says before coming down of the car and opening the side of the car where Cynthia is sleeping.

He gently carries her from the car, bridal style, and approaches the woman standing with a flashlight. With the help of the street light, I'm able to see the worried expression on the woman's face and watch her exchange words between Kunle before he comes back to the car.

"What did she say?"

"She thanked me." He replies and I stare at him, shocked.

"How did you even get her to give you the address?"

He shrugs in response and I give him a dead glare.

Showoff.

"Can we go now?" He asks.

"Yeah... sure."

He starts the engine and drives off while I fight the urge to look back one last time to get a glimpse of her face.

I don't know why but I have a feeling we might never cross path again.

We might attend the same school but I haven't seen her since JSS2.

So, what are the chances now?

***

Pretty long for a prologue right? 

I just kept on writing and writing and before I knew it, I was typing almost six thousand words. I even tried to shorten some of the things but then, it ended up this way.

I hope you enjoyed it though.

So... thoughts anyone? I want to know what you think about this prologue.

I'll upload the first chapter sooner than you think so anticipate 🤗🤗.

Until next time, see ya ❤❤.