Gifty
Lagos, Nigeria

"Your mind isn't here, Gifty and it's affecting this session negatively, " the violin tutor stopped to complain in the middle of the rehearsal where we were playing the violin version of Taylor Swift's Wildest Dreams.

I knew very well that the violin was a pristine instrument that required perfection from whoever handled it. If one violinist wasn't playing the right note, it didn't matter if ninety-nine others were on track. It ruined the unity of the performance.

I packed my violin into my bag and rose from my seat.

"I'll...just take my leave, sir."

I knew I wasn't going to concentrate if he gave me another chance so I didn't want to waste every other person's precious time.  Everyone looked at me as I stepped down from the stairs with different thoughts in their head. Most of them were probably pitying me because they felt I was going through a lot.

As I made my move to walk out of the classroom completely, I felt a hand on my wrist. When I turned, I saw that it was the music tutor holding me back. I gave a bow for the sake of courtesy. I feared that he was going to criticize me for regressing in my musical abilities when I was amongst the best instrumentalists but his countenance did not look like that of a reprimanding teacher.

That made me soften a little.

"Are you and Kosi okay?" he asked.

"Me and Kosi?" I repeated, confused.

"Yes. She was absent for today's rehearsals."

I wanted to repeat the word "absent" because it came to my hearing as a surprise. I was so absent-minded that I didn't notice anything about my best friend being absent for lessons. I was oblivious to anything that reminded me of her presence.

"I don't know about Kosi sir but I'm not okay."

"Will you be okay soon? How much time do you need?" he freed his hand from my wrist.

"No, I won't be okay soon but I won't be taking any break."

"Will you be able to manage? This practice requires you to put in your all."

"I will put in my all. Don't worry about me, sir."

"How can I not worry when you said you won't be okay anytime soon?"

"The competition is drawing closer by each day. I can't back out now. Today won't repeat itself neither would any of the days when my attention span was low. Don't worry sir."

He patted my shoulder in a friendly manner. Afterward, I exited the school premises.

***
I was hoping to get some tranquility on my way home because I was weak, frustrated, and heavy on the head with draining thoughts. If I get some good amount of peace, then I can equally get some sleep and check on Kosi afterward.

But it was the blasting sound of music from the speakers, clanging of cutleries, and the shrill laughter of a few merry people that I could hear on getting home. Why the hell was a party being held at my house and who the hell was hosting the party?

Then I blinked for a second and took a break from my fury to go down memory lane. I tried to remember what date it was.

After counting with my fingers a few seconds, I realized that today was the 30th of June.

Today was Mrs. Karen's birthday.

And the most annoying part of that realization was the fact that Mrs. Karen had a right to host a party at our house because she asked for our permission to host a party at our house and we said yes.

God of mercy.

After facepalming for about five minutes, I walked into the house via the main entrance with my extremely casual outfit and my violin bag slung on my back. It wasn't even up to five minutes of me stepping in when Mrs. Karen walked up to me with a broad smile on her face. That darn smile.

She looked very beautiful in her blue sequin dress with a moderate amount of make-up to match.

"Happy Birthday Mrs. Karen. I'm sorry I didn't come prepared with a birthday gift for you," I said, glad that I was able to wear a smile on my face after trying so hard.

"Oh, dear! That's fine. What you should be apologizing for is the fact that you didn't come with your boyfriend...Geisha, or what's his name again?"

It wasn't even a funny situation but I found myself laughing like a fool. She was asking a serious question. A question I hated but she made it sound so funny.  I didn't know if I should hate or love her for doing that

"Gaius, " I said calmly.

"God bless your heart! I wanted to meet with him today irrespective of if you two are still on bad terms. I wanted to help you out so you won't be worried about him anymore. I wanted to have a conversation with him. Why didn't you bring him here?"

I swallowed very hard. How Mrs. Karen could be so quick-witted and clueless at the same time, how she could make someone feel different emotions from a single question was a surprise to me.

This was a wonderful opportunity for me to expose my boyfriend with little pressure attached. I knew Mrs. Karen was working actively with my mother to find the rapists. My mother wasn't present physically which automatically made her the next best person to tell. Besides, she was a lot more approachable.

I had until July 8th which was a week away but this was a different matter and I could not dare to bring myself to tell her that the reason why my boyfriend was avoiding me was that he raped my aunt. It was just wrong in all ways. I wasn't ready for anything that was going to come after I confessed the truth.

It was a chaos that would be beyond me. Mrs. Karen would no longer be that approachable or welcoming woman towards me because there was no way she could advise me to protect my boyfriend. In fact, she would judge me. She would not care to know what I was feeling. Also, her birthday party would be ruined and she would have to call my mother straight away.

...EVERY SINGLE THING IS ENTIRELY UP TO YOU NOW!

Gaius' yelling voice rang in my head again as a reminder. That statement held a lot of weight and meanings to be pondered about. The eventual outcome of things would only be as a result of the choices I have made and the balls would not remain in my court forever.

No option seemed better but if I chose the wiser one, then I would gain the respect of my mother and my aunt. They would be very proud of me for doing the right thing and for choosing them over Gaius but that didn't mean that Gaius wouldn't go to jail or die.

To be candid, of what use would it be if I reported my boyfriend with the hopes that they would spare him? It was a faster way to lose any respect I can ever gain from them.

So no situation was favorable for me.

I clenched my fists and took a deep breath despite how hard my heart was beating.

"We're..." I made my final decision without giving it a second thought. "...on better terms now but he couldn't make it here today because he's quite indisposed."

"Oh..." she pondered for a moment, trying to analyze the reason. When she thought it valid, she resumed giving her usual, cheeky smile. "Alright then. Would you get dressed and join us at the party?"

I wanted to turn down her request based on the grounds of fatigue and the desperate desire for a moderate slumber but that would only make her suspect me the more if she already was. I had to act like I wasn't bothered by anything because Gaius and I were on good terms according to what I told her so I nodded and made my way to my room.

The living room was filled with some of Mrs. Karen's other friends and surprisingly a few of Zion's friends. Zion was never a party person talk more of inviting his friends for one. I wondered where he was though.

As I got closer to my room, the view of the kitchen came closer to my sight and I subconsciously looked deeper to see that the kitchen door was open. I couldn't fathom what made me look a little closer but when I did, I saw Zion in the kitchen with...with...who? Why did the person look so familiar?

Instinctively, I opened the door of the kitchen widely when I got to it for the sake of clarity and saw that the person who Zion was with was my best friend.

Kosi.