KHALID

"See you later," I waved at Kikiope as she entered her house while AY drove off.

Few minutes later, I got down from the car and entered our house only for me to meet my mom sprawled on the chaise lounge.

Without greeting her, I headed towards my room until her voice stopped me.

"Khalid, you're back," she said with beaming smiles before standing up to hug me but I retreated from the hug even before she could embrace me.

"What's wrong?" She asked with a questioning look.

"Nothing," I replied quickly before disappearing to my room ignoring her calls behind me.

Someone that hasn't been home for the past months, ever since we resumed this term, I haven't set my eyes on her and my dad, and she expects me to readily welcome her like nothing happened.

"Khalid, are you okay in there?" Her voice came from behind the door.

"I'm fine."

"But..."

"I said I'm fine!" I shouted before hearing her retreating steps.

I sighed before deciding to do my assignments, the stupid teachers even gave us lot of assignments today as if it's Friday.

After taking a shower, I brought out my physics assignment, minutes later, I was done with it so, I moved on to Maths and then English.

Well, I think our English teacher just learnt about essay, the one that she's been giving us all forms of essay this past week, she gave us article writing today, I'll just have to take it to Kikiope.

"Where are you going?" My mom asked as I headed to the door.

"To Kikiope."

"Won't you eat? I prepared Jollof rice," she said with a convincing smile.

"I'm not hungry."

"But, you haven't eaten anything since you got back from school," she pestered.

"My stomach is still full," and with that, I walked out of the house.

Immediately I got to Kikiope's door, I heard voices from inside.

"Ah, sorry, but you came late, today is Thursday and tomorrow is the Valentine dinner, I already have a date, why did you come late?" I heard Kikiope ask.

"The thing is, I was scared that you might treat me like Bimpe," Okay, that's Tunde's voice, is he trying to make her his date?

"And that's not true oo."

"The thing is, I..."

I opened the door that instant and traipsed into the house.

"Hey," they both greeted in unison.

"Hi," I replied before sitting on the sofa.

"I think I have to leave, thanks anyway," Tunde said as he stood up, he flashed me a smile which I returned almost genuinely before he walked out of the house.

"So..." I drawled.

She shrugged, "So what?"

I wriggled my brows.

She pursed her lips before talking," He came here to ask me to be his date to the dinner but I told him I already have one."

I nodded, "Hmm, so, who is that person?"

She narrowed her eyes, "You na."

"What!"

She shrugged,"What's what there?Doyin and Abee would be going together even Bimpe and Kunmi who hate each other's guts gan are going together, leaving only the two of us."

"But you know Abimbola would run mad na."

She pressed her lips together, "And so? It's her problem."

"But..."

She cut in, "No declining, that's your payment for all the essays I've been writing for you this week, tell me aren't you having good marks? Were you flogged? I know you brought another one today, right?"

I nodded.

"So, that's your payment, you can't decline it, bring the assignment so, I'll do it quickly oo," she rose to her feet and traipsed to her room even before I could think.

I should get prepared for Abimbola's wrath tomorrow, I stood up and followed her to her room.

"So, it's even the same assignment," she uttered after collecting my notebook.

"Yeah," I nodded before resting my head on her pillow.

"Okay, let me quickly do it, you can chill on the bed like you always do," she stood up and sat on her study chair while I chuckled.

She did some research on her tab and jotted down some things before proceeding to write the article. While her pen danced in her hand, all I did was stare at her.

"I told you to chill not stare at me oo," she shouted with her attention still focused on what she was doing.

"How did you know I was staring at you?" I rolled over to her side.

She glanced at me before responding, "My instincts."

I chuckled," Well, your instinct is wrong."

"My instinct is right."

"It's wrong."

"Whatever," she gave a dismissive wave of her hand while I chortled.

"Stop distracting me," she pointed her forefingers at me in a warning gesture while I smiled.

"So, staring at you is distracting?"

She nodded, "Yeah, why are you even staring at me, not like this is the first time you're seeing me, we practically grew up together."

I chuckled, "Staring at you is amusing."

She glanced at me with a small smile, "Abimbola should be the one to amuse you."

I laughed before she returned her focus to what she was writing while I watched her till she was done with everything.

"Oya take, be going to your house, it's getting late," she threw my notebook on the bed alongside the sheet where she'd written the article.

"Are you sending me out of your house?"

She nodded, "Go home."

"I don't want to."

"Why?" She raised her brows.

"Mom is home."

"Really?" A surprised expression appeared on her face before she jumped on the bed to sit beside me.

"Yeah."

"You have to go and meet her then, it's been months and I know you missed her, and she missed you too."

"As if," I snorted.

"Just go," she nudged my shoulders and I glanced at her before leaving.

As I opened the door, I saw my dad walk into the living room. I blinked several times to be sure I wasn't seeing things. When did he get back?

"Khalid, you're back, I already served dinner," Mom called and I walked into the living room without glancing or acknowledging the presence of my dad.

He joined us on the dining table, and we all ate in a deafening silence.

"Why are you home?" I voiced out after taking forever.

"What do you mean?" My dad questioned and I turned to my mom.

"I called your dad that we should spend some days with you whereas your birthday is in two days time, so, we could have a family time."

I scoffed a laugh, "Really? Are you sure you'll be staying till Saturday? I know you'll be leaving tomorrow evening or something, so, it's better you say it now, not like I look forward to it, I've gotten used to not having any family to call my own."

My dad banged his spoon on the table, "What's wrong with you? You know we only work because of you, everything is because of you and is this how you want to pay us back?"

I choked out a scoff, "You work for me? Dad are you sure you work for me, is everything for me or your selfish reasons, you wouldn't do anything that would bring harm to this family if it's just for me."

He snapped his brows, "You don't dare talk to me like that, I'm still your father."

"Then act like one," with that, I stormed out of the dining shutting out my mom's incessant calls behind me.

So, it's a triple update
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