Selena

"My dad's always busy you know, we don't have a bad relationship and we don't have the nicest relationship too, but his a nice guy, at least the few times he stays at home" I saw the wistful smile on his face.

Zion was always smiling and always so nice.

I was sitting beside him at some empty swing in the school away from the prying eyes of students

"Your brothers?" He had four from different mothers.

"I've seen just two,last two years at New York,the other two are younger,4 and 6 respectively,I've never seen them and they don't stay in Nigeria"

"And mum doesn't really flow well with the other women,she's just the loner among them,just does her things and she doesn't know I know but I think she's seeing someone,not like she's cheating though.."He paused

" I just don't want to share her with another man"

My eyes flew open and then he laughed

" That came out wrong right?" He laughed some more and I joined him

"The thing is that, I've never had my dad's total love,his rarely around,I don't blame him,I mean his job takes too much from him,never attended more than three of my birthday but he never forgets to send me gifts and call me and he has other four sons to attend too. So you see,it has always been me and my mum"He pushed his swing, looking so deep in thought

"If somehow she falls for another man, she'll want to pay attention to him over me,she's already doing that and it's messing with my head,plus the fact she's always telling me I'm a grown dude"

He stopped and faced me.

" I sound selfish don't I?" He was smiling now, looking like a kid caught stealing.

"Your mum loves you,I'm so sure about that, she'll never leave you"I reassured him

"You sound as though you know my mum"He was laughing now

I paused and thought of my own mum, I wasn't the best person to advise people or reassure people about their mums after all mine has left me but he sounded pretty close to his mum.

"I'm sure she's a good person" I told him and he nodded. He was about saying something when I felt my phone vibrated against my pocket

I received the beep on my phone and checked it

+47645768
We need to talk Munachi,it's urgent

I tossed the phone back in my pocket, didn't want anything or anyone ruining my mood.

I looked around the deserted swings,no one was passing.

"How come you know all these empty places,do you perhaps kill people"I teased and he laughed

" I'd never kill you,so fear not" He said in between laughs

"But I didn't want to attend St Louis at first,mum wanted me to get quality education and also connect with my roots"

He made air quotes on the last word.

"So she checked the internet and also St Louis got recommended to her by some of her friends and here we are. I tried to convince her I didn't want to attend the school but that woman,she's so stubborn trust me. So the first week was spent in class,by the next week I was exploring the school, trying to play the stubborn card oh,greatest mistake, my mum flogged that shit out of me"

I smiled,I was trying to imagine his mum,  flogging the 12 year old him and it made me laugh

"So you are laughing at me?" He tried to frown and it made it more funny.

I also slipped from the swing and he was soon out of his swing, trying to hold me in place

Well,that was what it was supposed to be until our faces were few meters apart,he had this look, the kind I was seeing recently, I noticed how dark his eyes were, his lips and somehow I was really uncomfortable

And he was actually going to close the gap between us. I had to stop him and I did.

"I can't..we can't.." I was stuttering. Kissing him would add more confusion to my life, moreover I liked Yobanna.

He closed his eyes as though he was feeling the impact of my words.

And then he opened his eyes,his shoulders slumped.

"And I thought I had a chance." He smiled "I thought I could help it,I'm sorry"He was apologizing now.

"It's fine"

We were quiet for a while

"Do you like him that much,I mean,maybe he doesn't even like you,it's always been Cynthia since Jss1, everyone knows that"How he had gone from sweet to annoying in one second was what I couldn't explain.

"You don't have any right to judge or make conclusions"I told him calmly

" Of course I fucking do!It's because it's him right, you've fallen for his looks and charm and you think you are in love"He snapped

"So why are you yelling at me!?"

"Because I thought you were different,why you all obsessed with his looks?"He was angry now,his dark orbs raging and then calmly he said;

"Just this once,I still can't get any love"

And then he stormed away, leaving me there.

***
Ken

In St Louis,there were boundaries or rather territories.

Okay,how do I explain it, everyone knew where each belonged and that boiled down to sport, basketball players hung around together and if you as a football player wanted to join us, you had to be respectful,no shouting around as though you own the court.

Everyone in St Louis knew that the court belonged to two people, Yobanna and Precious, Yobanna the king and Precious the prime minister,that kind of rulership. They were the star players,no one could dispute that.

There were about 15 people in the court, no,we weren't all playing, that would be rowdy, some SS 2 students I wasn't exactly fond of were seating at the benches.

Only SS 3 students were playing while the boys cheered on, I wasn't playing,I was fiddling with the Bluetooth speaker, playing any damm song I deem fit.

Some SS 2 boys would raise their brows anytime I repeated a song like thrice or like I change a song when it was already half way.

I was sitting alone, holding the bottle water for Yobanna, Precious and even Dozie,of course Dozie played sometimes,just that I feared for his glasses sometimes.

There was a lot of swishing and footsteps,boys running around and sweating. Yobanna was wearing the St Louis sport kit,he wasn't even the tallest in the court, though he was really tall but some dude from his class was the tallest

Everything was going fine, until Zion Ayo came in wearing his own sports kit, everyone knew Ayo,he was popular, partly because his dad was a popular singer,his mum a supermodel and owner of Donce Footwears,but he was an excellent foot ball player,like Yobanna he was the king of his own kingdom which was the field.

Guy, Zion was born to play football.

So there wasn't supposed to be any problem,we were are all guys after all and we knew the unspoken rule.

He joined the game after exchanging pleasantries with few people,it was exciting for a while until I noticed something.

The game was getting intense and Zion seemed to be focused on marking Yobanna aggressively. No cap Zion was also good on the court too.

It went on for a while until Yobanna threw the ball aside, silence descended on the court at once. Some boys were going to protest but stopped when they saw him walking to Zion,just some meters apart

Yobanna was good at keeping his emotions at check,but this time,I could tell he was beyond frustrated and angry.

"Why did you throw the ball away?" Zion asked,hands akimbo, what's his problem?He seemed to be ready to start a fight.

"Have you got a problem with me perhaps?" Yobanna asked. He was standing at the same height with Zion.

"And why should I,it's not like you are that important"

Okay,this was probably not going to end well

Yobanna chuckled,not in amusement I knew,he was amazed,our paths never crossed with this Zion guy, Yobanna was the last to pay attention to people,he would have probably not known Zion if his dad was not some popular singer. So where was this beef coming from?

"Go straight to the point dude,I don't exchange too much words"Yobanna told him.

"If you know you are in Ss2, leave this court this minute!" My voice rang out and yes,they all left,if somehow a fight breaks out,it has to remain within us, within this court.

The two boys were locked in an eye contest,a heated one,each waiting for the other to make a move,I tried to compare them in my head,in a fist battle, Yobanna had more advantage,first because he was looking lighter and oh,I had to root for my friend.

"You must really feel like a king,your head must be in cloud nine with the mass of girls that can't keep milling around you"

Yobanna didn't say anything. His hands in his pocket, watching the boy speak

"It's high time you stop deceiving her and let her be,it's Cynthia you want,and we know it"

"And since when did you start knowing what I want or not?"He sounded bored now

Yobanna could be annoying sometimes.

"And if you want to know,it's Selena I want"He added.

"You claim to like a girl yet you make her cry?"He chuckled " You really know how to show your love"

I watched Yobanna expression soften a bit,I knew how much he cared about her and somehow he I wasn't even hiding it anymore

"Look" He started on a calmer tone "I know you probably like her,it hard not to like her but I don't make her cry intentionally or shit,I'd never hurt her. If you care so much about her, you'd let her go"Yobanna was seriously negotiating

"And give you the satisfaction that you can get any girl you want?"

" Bro I'm not in a competition with you"Yobanna said calmly, that tone of his indicated disinterest and we all watched Zion storming off

I ran after him.

"Gee wait" I called after him and he actually stopped, his eyes were damn red and he was annoyed.

He had his hands in his pocket and somehow I knew what I would say would shock him next.

"When are you going to stop this silly game?" I asked him, his eyes snapped at what I said. I was still calmly observing him.

"What are you talking about?" He asked me.

"Everyone knows you aren't a fan of Yobanna and it started even before Selena came into this school"

He was still looking at me, I knew I was hitting the right chords.

"I know much stuffs than you think Zion Ayo and one fact is that you hate Yobanna, the guy you are competing with doesn't even know you are in a competition with him"

That was one plain truth I had to tell him. He glared at me, if he had asked about me,he would have known that glaring doesn't make me shiver.

"And why would you think that?it's not like his important"

"Oh,yeah,for starters he was the reason why Cynthia rejected you in Ss1"I dropped the bombshell

And of course,I folded my hands waiting for the reaction and I got it, surprise,more surprise and shock plastered on his face.

"Ho..did..?" He was stuttering.

"I overheard the conversation. Well don't be worried, your secret is safe with me,not even my friends know."

He still looked shocked

"His not the cause of that,so trying to get Selena to prove a point is absolutely unnecessary and childish of you ask me"I shrugged.

He was quiet for a while, trying to coordinate his thoughts.

"That was my intent at the beginning but along the line,I fell for her. This is more than Yobanna"

"But getting her would make you gloat,heal your brusied ego, wouldn't it?" I was chuckling now.

" Stop saying sick things,I totally dispise him but I like her,it's hard to explain,and why are you talking to me, aren't you supposed to be with your friend?"

I was quiet, observed him a little more

"You look lonely that's all"I told him and he did flinch

"Don't severe the relationship you have with her trying to get other things, I'm not saying this shit because Yobanna is my friend but because you don't want to be more lonely"

" And who told you I'm lonely?"He snapped. I was still looking at him " I'm not giving up on Selena, Yobanna can't stop me and neither can you"

He was already walking away and I called him,he halted.

" I just wanted to tell you,you will lose"

I couldn't see his expression but he had angrily walked away from  me,now I had just one person to talk to and I knew just when to talk to her.

***
Thoughts anyone?

Zion? Yobanna? Ken?