Dedicated to UjuritaElliana and Rihanna_Adedeji ❤️❤️

Ore promptly arrived at Delta park at exactly five p.m. She was dressed in a light blue dongaris and a yellow shirt that she wore inside. Before she walked out of the hostel, she spotted Mercy talking in hushed whispers with Edikan at a far corner where a small shop was located. By the side were long sturdy tables and chairs arranged in a sequential order. Ore was wondering what they were talking about, she had never seen Mercy having a conversation with the girl before and it came as a surprise to her that she stood transfixed.

Mercy who had leaned in to mutter something in Edikan's ear, suddenly looked up and stared minutely at Ore. Edikan, the girl whom she had borrowed party clothes from the week before, spotted her and waved shyly at her. Her arm was crossed and a brief smile graced her angular face. Ore's eyebrow shot up in accusation, she didn't say anything but merely walked past.

Ore squinted her eyes to check the time on her wrist watch. It was 5:30p.m. and Tami was nowhere in sight. Her phone was clutched in her sweaty palms and a small purse was slinged on her stiff shoulders. Ore was growing antsy. She kept on scratching the insides of her palm, her eyes were darting nervously about her.

The park was a bit crowded with students who were heading inside the main campus for evening or night classes. A few of the drivers were chanting for those going to school to hurry along and join their buses. Meanwhile, the evening shoppers were shuffling their feet from one stall to the next, scanning furiously for what they wanted to buy.

Most of the shops that were selling cheap bag and shoes often increased their prizes at alarming rates to convince the buyers that their products were original. They weren't concerned about the pockets of the purchasers, all they were interested in was the huge amount of profits they would make.

Ore swore to never stop by to enquire about anything her eyes lovingly glanced as she knew she had no spare cash to buy any of their products. It was either she was spending her feeding money for lecture books or to buy the ingredients she would use in cooking at her hostel. But half the cash her mum sent her this time for feeding the whole month, was tucked in the side pocket of her dongaris.

That was the money Tami had requested for her to bring along. She was having a feeling of doubt on what Tami needed the cash for. Wasn't she already rich? Didn't she have all a girl would want? Why was she then asking her to bring cash when she could have easily come empty handed?

Perhaps, it was because Tami didn't want to sponsor her in her spending thrifts. It went to show that Tami cared the least about her, she was merely using her for her own selfish reasons. But was that really what she wanted to do? To make use of her loyalty to the babe and dump her? Ore heaved a deep sigh, she didn't want to conclude in a rush.

Her phone pinged and Ore gulped as she slid her thumb across the screen to unlock it. Here goes nothing, she thought.

The chilly breeze from the car window slammed Ore's face and filled her lungs, causing a refreshing feel to bubble within her. After waiting anxiously at a small stall for almost an hour, she got a message from Tami telling her to meet up with her at Choba junction where she was waiting in her car. Ore let out a deep breath as she made her way out of the bus park to board a motorcycle that would take her to where Tami was.

As soon as the motorcycle dropped her by the side of the road, she paid her transport fare and quickly dashed across to avoid a car hitting her. Tami was parked in front of a Kilimanjaro eatery, her blonde head was stuck out of the open window. She was obviously checking her facial appearance in thevside mirror when she heard footsteps approaching her.

She gave Ore a small smile and ordered for her to get in the passengers seat that they were already behind time in where they were going. Ore rounded the corner and hopped into the car, the rich smell of the leather seat already calming her frayed nerve endings. She slammed the door and Tami revved the engine and drove off in the opposite direction.

Ore didn't know anywhere in Portharcourt, after all, she was only a year one student and not a native of the state. Someone could easily kidnap her from school and take her to somewhere and she wouldn't have an inkling of where they were going to. Ore pressed a button that was in a small compartment by her side and the window was rolled down.

How she knew that was the window button was beyond her. Tami who was focused on the road with hands clutching the steering wheel muttered for her to strap her seatbelt. Ore did as she was instructed before relaxing back, enjoying the cool music that was blaring through the car speaker.

She absentmindedly noted that Tami's minions were not with her and a rueful smile graced her lips.

"Hey, you should totally try this on," Tami chirped excitedly. Ore blew out a breath, she wasn't totally in on the decision of her following Tami to a stranger's party just because she was going to meet rich dudes. But, she didn't want Tami to get mad at her. After all, she had been the only person who approached her on her own accord asides Mercy.

Even if it was just for a day, Tami made Ore feel special and she wasn't to forget the fact that the girl also bought her an expensive lunch without her asking for it. Tami acted nicely to her and she wasn't going to turn her back on the favor just because the babe was behaving strangely towards her.

Ore grasped the rugged jean trouser that was in Tami's outstretched arm and breathed in the exotic scent of a new cloth. She disappeared quickly into the spacious changing room and stripped the clothes she was wearing before slipping a leg into the new trouser. Halfway done, she began hearing loud squeals coming from the far end of the luxurious boutique she was in.

She dragged the waistband of the jeans upward and pulled the zipper, grunting in satisfaction at how the jeans hugged her small backside nicely. She was definitely purchasing this. Ore slid the silk curtains aside only to see Tami chatting with the same girls from the day before.

What the hell are they doing here? Ore froze mid-step as Tami and her friends turned to stare at the new outfit with mouth agape.

After a long, exhausting day shopping for clothes to wear to the party the following night, Ore was about to collapse. She was huddled in the back seat with Tami's minions who were throwing her odd glances and whispering amongst themselves. What the hell did they have against her? She thought as she stared mindlessly out the window at the starry night sky.

Her shopping bags were tucked safely in the boot of Tami's car alongside that of her friends. Tami herself hadn't purchased anything because she had already shopped for new clothes the week before she resumed school. Ore was sure her wardrobe was stocked with various expensive clothing items.

Ore blew out a breath as she thought about the amount of money that had left her purse. Fifteen fucking thousand naira. As the sales clerk tallied the scores of her purchase and wrote the bill on a small piece of paper, Ore's jaw slackened and she invariably turned to Tami for help.

But Tami had disappeared out the sliding doors before anyone could notice and Ore had to bring out cash from her back pocket and pay for her items. As Tami and her friends chattered loudly in the air conditioned car, Ore's eyes brimmed with unshed tears. She would have to find a means of survival for the rest of the month.

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Author's note: Eyah, poor Ore is trying to fit into the wrong crowd even though she had been brought up in a christian home. What do you think is going to happen next?

Think she's going to see someone she knows from the party? Share with me your thoughts in the comments below ❤️