Kora

I stood in front of the huge brown door. If I had followed the directions one of the old money juniors was kind enough to give me, after I had lied to her that I was new and had lost my way correctly, I was standing right in front of the door leading to the basketball court.

I looked around, taking my time, just to make sure I wasn't being followed, even though I could still spot about three cameras watching me at every corner. I drew a deep breath. The hallway was so empty. There wasn't even a single soul in it.

I held my breath when the door opened, and a girl walked out with her phone on her ears. She was dressed in her activity wear. I could hear the sound of a ball being bounced around from inside the room, followed by tiny laughs. If Jeremiah was really inside that room, then there was no way he was alone. I didn't wait for her to be completely gone, before I pushed myself into the room, the door closing by itself behind me.

The room was so bright, and it had a big basket ball court in the middle, with just two guys playing in it. I squinted my eyes towards the bleachers, making a quick scan around the place to see if Jeremiah was anywhere in sight, around the almost empty room. There he was, sitting in the middle, watching those playing. There were about two boys around him, laughing, and I could recognize them both. One was Kingsley, and the other was Sadiq.

I had no idea Jeremiah was friends with Sadiq. I had no idea anyone was friends with Sadiq. I mean, who didn't know Sadiq? One of the biggest play boys in the country, handsome, spoilt and according to people that had actually met him, he was really proud of himself all the time. I mean who wouldn't? I would, if I was the last son of the president of the country, or the only child out of the president's six children that actually schooled in the country.

Imagine being friends with the president's son? No wonder Jeremiah was like a demi god around here, that's what you become, when you roll with, and have ties with people that really matter, influential people. I wasn't surprised at all.

I ignored the rest of them, as I found my way towards the tiny group. Kingsley was the first to notice me. I came to a stop right in front of Jeremiah, who happened to be busy, so concentrated on the court. I stood in his way. I was going to catch his attention whether he liked it or not. I held my breath, as I watched him raise his head to me, the frown on his face thickening when he saw me. I had to be the last person he wanted to see at that point.

"Can we talk?" I asked him. If I was going to get into a lot of trouble so far so good for sneaking into that place, I knew. I just had to get on with it. You should have seen the way he scoffed, and then pushed himself back, so he could relax in his seat.

"You." Kingsley pointed at me. "Aren't you the girl from the other day? The one from the football field?"

I wasn't even paying him any attention, because I obviously wasn't there for him. He turned to Jeremiah.

"Jerry, how do you know this girl?"

"I don't." Jeremiah's voice was so cold, and his eyes were boring a hole through my forehead. Did he just tell them he didn't know who I was? I didn't blame him anyway, he wasn't entirely in the wrong for feeling that way. Anyone would feel the same way about someone else, if they had ever found out that they had been deceived all along.

"I know you're mad at me." I continued. "I know I'm the last person you want to see right now, but I can't help but feel I've wronged you, and given you a bad impression about me. I want to explain why I did what I did. If you can just let us talk in private, somewhere more-"

"Why would I go anywhere with you?" He didn't even let me finish. I watched him fold his arms, and cross his legs. High definition of chilling. "Who are you, that I'd have to go to somewhere private with?" He chuckled faintly. That was mean, really mean.

Who I was?
I exhaled.

"Jeremiah-"

"Why would I want to go anywhere with someone like you?" He went back to frowning. "A fraud. A complete nobody."

I watched how Kingsley turned to look at him, while Sadiq couldn't take off the smirk on his face. He looked like he was enjoying this.

"There's no reason at all why I should ever be seen with you. You'd be nothing but a dent to my reputation, an embarrassment, and a criminal, so tell me why I'd ever want to waste my time with a lying, deceptive and highly manipulative person like you?"

I shut my eyes for a second. That was the thing with me and insults, I've heard a lot of them over the years. that none of them even got to me anymore.

"In case you haven't checked the stats, by now you should know that I'm not someone you can casually talk to."

"What do I have to do?" I cut him off before he said anything else. For a second, he stopped talking, and gave me all his attention.

I watched how his Adam Apple moved when he swallowed hard.

"What do I have to do to make you listen to me? To get you to forgive me?" 

He scoffed.

"I'm not asking for things to go back to how it was. You don't have to go back to talking to me, we don't have to be friends."

"Friends?" He whispered.

"I just want you to give me a chance to explain myself. I was going to tell you. I really was-"

"I don't care."

"I'm sorry." I told him. "I'm sorry, and I'll do anything to make it up to you, because I'm tired of fighting with you. I don't want to ever fight with you."

He scoffed out a chuckle that turned to a frown almost immediately.

"Fine." He told me after hesitating for a second. "Get on your knees."

I stopped talking. I looked him in the eyes, hoping I didn't just hear what I thought I did. 

"W-what?" I asked pretending not to hear him.
With the way Kingsley turned to look at him too, I could tell he was surprised.

"You said you'd do anything, didn't you?" He asked me, looking right into my eyes too. "Get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness."

"Jerry." Kingsley called his name.

"What?" Jeremiah asked me, the moment he noticed I was hesitating, obviously because I was still in a lot of shock. "You don't want to?"

It's not that I was too big to, I was just- I had never imagined it had gotten to that extent. His frown got worse.

"If you don't want to, then get out of my face-"

"I'll do it." I blurted out. I didn't know why I was hell bent on getting this extremely arrogant guy in front of me, to look at me, and forgive me, when it was so glaring that he didn't care what I did anymore. I didn't know why I was trying so hard, why I cared.

It was just to kneel anyway. It's not like he was asking me to cut one of my hands off, besides, the room was almost empty. The five people in it, I didn't think my pride was going to hurt that bad I mean, I was running out of friends, out of good friends, and at that point, Jeremiah was among one of them too. He was a part of me now, and I was going to do everything I could to get him back. I wasn't in control of my will or body anymore, but It was slowly pulling itself to the ground. I went on my knees, bowing my head, and not bothering to look at the people that were staring at me, so I could walk out that door without remembering the look on their faces. Without my shame.

Was that it? Was that all he needed me to do? Was that all I needed to do, to make everything okay again? Why wasn't he saying anything?

"I'm sorry." If he wasn't going to break the silence, I was, and I wasn't going to stand up, until I got him to hear me out. "I'm really sorry."

"Guy." Kingsley was obviously calling for his attention. "You really don't have to do this."

"No." I looked at Kingsley, forcing a smile on my face. "It's alright. I'm fine."

The way they all looked at me, I was so sure that they thought I was too weird and easy for them. Now I was trying to turn it to a joke. I turned back to Jeremiah. He was surprised too. What was it this time? Was he going to forgive me or not? I bit on my lip.

"Have you-"

"Stay away from me." He told me. I raised my head to his. His frown had even gotten worse. "Don't show up in front of me ever again. Don't act like you know me either, don't call my phone, or text me, or I don't know what I'll do to you."

"Jeremiah-"

"I don't know you, never did, and never want to. You're dead to me."

I stopped breathing for a second. Did he just-

"Jerry." Kingsley called him the moment he watched him get up from the chair quickly. I wanted to move with him, to try and stop him, but I was too weak to. I watched his friends get up after him too.

It didn't work.
Jeremiah hated me. It was official. That was the end of everything, the end of us. I felt my strength leave me, as I fell to the ground. Everything was ruined. I ruined everything.