WELCOME O! I GREET O!

As usual, we will give accolades to our comment for the week (and crown the READER FOR THE WEEK too). So without much further ado...

Just because I LOVE the theories on who Ghost is and someone suspecting even down to Charlie Ba is absolutely crazy and I love it. 😂😂😂😭😭♥️♥️♥️ So, congratulations xoxo_nuella for winning the COMMENT FOR THE WEEK and by extension, you're the reader of the week! 😂♥️♥️ Love you!

Oya let's dive into business!!

~ACHA~

It'd been six hours...

Six hours and I had not yet mustered the balls to tell my mother that her son would soon become a useless secondary school dropout.

Charlie Ba's words kept replaying in my head and as much as I wanted to quit the pessimism and stay positive, maybe believing that tomorrow, some kind of miracle would just happen and it wouldn't end with me having to stand in the middle of that trial ground and be slapped across the face with an Indefinite Suspension, I had to be realistic with myself.

The school authorities already had me damned, but what were the odds that the prefects would be the ones to decide that I deserved any form of mercy?

There wasn't much support from the general bulk of my classmates any way, especially on Social Media. I couldn't count how many apps I had deleted because I couldn't bear to keep seeing the atrocities linked to my name every single damn time, and even if they did not dare say it to my face, I still couldn't be more certain that even my classmates did not like me.

All I didn't know was just how much.

Enough to make sure that any chance I had at my life and future was ruined? A/Only the outcome of that trial tomorrow would tell.

"Mum?"

That was me, whispering softly into the dark, small space as I creaked the Masters Bedroom door open slowly. I was only trying not to startle her awake.

"Mum?" I whispered again, stepping into the pitch dark bedroom quietly. The only source of light was the occasional blinking of her phone jump starting from Facebook notifications. "Mummy, please wake up..."

She didn't move. My mum stayed still on the bed, unmoving, her bonnet-covered head resting into the palm of her hand.

I stepped in, quieter, watching my every step. These days, she'd been more irritable after being woken up, and I just didn't want anybody to shout at me this night.

"Mum..." I said, shaking her slightly.

She stirred in her sleep, grumbling a bunch of gibberish as she moved her body to the other side, turning away from me to continue sleeping.

With an exasperated sigh, I shook her again. "Mum, please wake up..."

She groaned, jerking her shoulders to shake me off, as though my hand were a stubborn stain against the pristine, pearly whites of her night robe.

"Leave me jor, I'm busy," she mumbled, flicking my hand off a second time with clear irritation.

"You're not busy, Mum, you're sleeping," I retorted, shaking her harder, "You've been sleeping since I came back from school." All that met me was more grumbling and gibberish as she squirmed away from every single touch of mine that grazed her skin.

She'd been sleeping a lot lately... Something I wish I was fortunate to be able to do these days.

Given that for the longest time, I had been such a pain in the ass for her, I could understand why she would need extra rest anyway. And that was exactly why I left her to sleep for as long as she could before I could muster the courage to come and confide in her concerning my fate tomorrow.

Seeing that no matter how much I tried, this woman was not interesting in getting up from bed, she left me with no other choice than to-

"CHINEKE NKE ELIGWE. ONYE KPOTARA M NWA NA AGAGHI EKWE K'AM NWERE ONWEM!" My mum screamed as she jumped off from bed in an instant, the entire Masters Bedroom shining bright with the sudden blast of light from the overhead fluorescent that I'd just flicked on.

I sat back into the nearby swivel chair, watching her scream.

"Thank you for waking up."

She sat herself upright and ripped the bonnet off her head, acrylic nails dragging across the scalp of her cornrows as she scratched irritably.

I remained sitting, calmly, waiting for the right opportunity to start telling her all that Charlie Ba had said to me today in school.

Mum got up from bed, wincing as she dramatically pat her palm against the back of her head. She headed for the lighted Vanity Mirror behind me, crouching against the desk as she watched her own reflection with tired scrutiny for what seemed like an eternity.

I only wondered what kept her staring so long. My mother was by far the most beautiful woman in this world, even after literally just getting up from bed.

"Have you eaten today?" she finally asked me, her sharp tone somewhat weakened from all her drowsiness.

I hesitated. "No. I... I wasn't hungry."

She scoffed under her breath, rubbing her face with both palms, and I wasn't sure if she was annoyed or disappointed.

"Until you kill yourself, you will not rest," She muttered, shaking her head with either of them, and again, I couldn't tell which one.

Silence followed, settling between us heavy and unmoving. I sank deeper into my chair, my eyes fixed on Mum's busy reflection in the mirror.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly.

She paused mid-scratch, side-eyeing me from the mirror. "Sorry? For what?"

I shrugged, throat tightening as I spoke, "For... I don't know, for being a pain?"

Our eyes met through the mirror, but I broke away too quickly, covering it with a weak chuckle. I brushed at my nose, pretending to feel nothing as I masked that bitter aftertaste at the back of my throat. The little cracks on the ceiling, the night lamp by the king-sized bed, the crookedly-placed family portraits on the white walls, the glossy porcelain tiles on the ground wavered, everything my eyes landed on seemed to waver, eyelids shaking as my vision burned and blurred into a watery gaze.

"And for being so mean to you so many times, especially when you're just trying to help. I know I make things harder for you," I said quietly, apologetically, "I don't mean to. I don't want to... I... I don't know what's happening to me, Mum. I don't know how to stop..."

I stopped, something choking the rest of the words back into my throat. I swallowed again, hard, hoping that a moment was all I needed to get myself together, but one shaky breath in after another and I felt the rims if my eyes heavy and itching, the tears packing uncomfortably in them.

Mum said nothing for a whole minute. I couldn't look at her, but the stillness of her presence made me know. I could feel when she shifted though, and just the exact moment she had turned around to face me. Fully. I could feel those eyes on me, heavy and watching, but for some reason, not in the way I'd expected. Not in a way that felt like they were burning lasers into every pore of my skin. Heavy, full, but in the most comfortable and wholesome way it could have possibly been.

I summoned the courage to look up at her, a single thread of tear slowly dropping down my eye as my gaze met hers.

"So, is that why you want to cry now?" she remarked unexpectedly, brow arched at me.

I stifled a laugh, tears pouring uncontrollably the more I tried to mask it with chuckles and smiles. Sniffing, I wiped my runny nose against my white singlet, ears hot, chest heavy, holding it together as best as I can. In that moment, I felt Mum get closer, but I didn't look at her until she was squatting in front of me, gently cupping my face in her hands like the way you'd hold something precious and fragile.

"You are not and have never been a pain to me, Marcus..."

I watched her back with glossy eyes, nodding, even though my chest still felt so heavy.

"You're my child," she said to me, her thumb softly picking a tear mid-drop and wiping gently, "My baby. You are my baby, Marcus. And I do not ever regret bringing you into this world."

I nodded again, tears still falling, but something deeply soothing me within.

"And even if you were a pain, so what?" she continued, a teasing edge to her voice as she spoke, "I'm your mother and if you don't stress me, who will, hmm? As a child, it is your obligation and God-given duty to give me headache. If not, why else do you think God allowed me to put broomstick, slippers, frying pan, and two-by-four in this house? You think it's for decoration?"

I burst into laughter, cackling so hard even through the tears that stung my eyes.

"Oh, you think you're above correction age because of your big muscles and your plenty plenty moustache now, abi?" Mum continued, making it clear she wasn't even done with me yet, "Or is it because you now have height that you're forgetting your humble days? I can beat you up o! Don't play with Mama Acha o. See Wahala!"

I couldn't believe how much she was making me laugh right now, even at a time like this. Come rain, come shine, this woman was my world. I just wished I had a better way of showing her that these days, other than acting like such a brat.

"Have you eaten, Mum?" I asked her.

And for someone who made it a habit to berate me and nearly even have my head for skipping meals, you would never have guessed her answer.

"Do we even have food in this house?"

I blinked at her comment, torn between shock and amusement.

She caught my look and chuckled playfully to herself, shaking her head. "Like mother, like son."

I grinned. "Well, there's jollof rice in the fridge. At least, one in the duo knows of some existence of food in this house."

Mum shot me the sassiest glare. "Mechionu ghi eba hu!"

I threw my head back, laughing freely again. She only shook her head, a small laugh escaping her lips despite herself.

"Eat something, Mum," I said to her, "I could heat some food in the microwave for dinner for you too."

It was the least I could do for now. My mum had done so much for me already. And maybe, tomorrow would smooth over very quickly and have the best outcome, and I wouldn't have to stress her with more news about any suspension or threats of an expulsion.

For now, all of that could be my little secret...

* NEW SMS NOTIFICATION *

I jumped.

No, literally.

Barely two minutes into watching Mum's plate of jollof rice spin in the microwave, that new message notification chime jump started something deep in my soul, and for reasons I couldn't even explain, my first instinct was to literally vault across the counter, the coffee table edge, and two hefty sofas, practically head-diving into the largest couch to snatch my phone.

NANA

Heading to Gomery w/ Chido. Do you have some free time on your hands?

>> Sent 7:13 p.m.

I deflated.

Not because I wasn't interested pe se, but rather because a part of me was dissapointed it wasn't whom I had delusionally expected it to be.

Nana's invite wasn't a bad idea. It was a far much better option than locking myself up in the confines of this quiet, dull mansion and submitting myself to anxiety and depression for the most of my night. If Chido was there as Nana said, then there was a chance that I could talk to him about the trial. He had some sort of influence and respect in the eyes of his co-prefects, but hopefully, if I could talk him into speaking in my favor tommorow, I could have a shot at actually not getting kicked off Castron High...

After texting Nana back a quick 'Ait bet', I stuffed my phone into my pocket and headed for Mum's food in the microwave. Chido Ihenna was one hell of a tough nut to crack, but for the sake of my future, I was going to keep my fingers crossed in prayers and hope that the turnout of tonight will be the least bit in my favor,

So help me God.

***

I slipped into Gomery on quiet feet. Hands buried in the pockets of my loose PJ trousers, grey hood drawn whole over my head, dark face mask covering the rest of my face that the hoodie couldn't shield, eyes low and staying down as my crocs thumped against the the pulsating, bass-heavy ground of the arena.

Again by Noah Cyrus and XXXtentacion was the song playing, and I vaguely remembered hearing that song for the first time I had visited an arcade with Dabeluchi, but I swallowed hard and clenched my jaw in an awful attempt to hold it together. Being here as already a risk on its own, given that this was the ultra hangout space for most kids my age who would have already seen my face in all profiles, heard all about how I had damn near murdered a classmate and how diabolical, sinister and demonic I was, so the last thing I needed to do was act up. So, even when I felt that slight beat of my heart pick up, I ignored and walked on.

Nana was nowhere to be found. Iridescent lights of red, purple, blue and all sorts of aesthetic hues flashed into each other, illuminating all over the whole place like one big neon dream. People bubbled in every angle of the space, from the avant-garde themed restaurant at my right to the noisy, testosterone-heavy bowling alley at the left, and it soon occurred to me that I should have at least discussed where to find him before coming here.

Gomery was too big a place for guesswork. You don't just plan a meet-up without specifics. For one, there were way too many people, kids and adults alike, packed in this place every single night and the building stretched like an endless hive with at least seven floors packed with restaurants, bowling alleys, and if I remembered correctly, a brand-new arcade had been added somewhere in between those floors, dragging in a truckload of fresh visitors into the buzz. Finding Nana in all this mess was starting to feel less like a meet-up and more like a punishment for my lack of simple foresight.

Giving up, I took a few steps back towards the booth at one isolated corner of the room, drew down my hood further over my face as I leaned against the wall, arms folded, back hunched, hoping that I wasn't drawing any attention to myself.

"Marcus?"

I almost startled before the familiarity of the voice settled in. Just a slight look over the hem of my hood and that large messy mane of fine curly hair caught in my line of my vision, a recognizable scent of lavender and cinnamon roping in along with the new presence.

"I mean, the get-up's a bit on the side of extra, but I can understand what you were going for," he chuckled lightly, the shine on his braces catching the lights with that quick laugh.

Nana Obi stood before me, easy chill eyes coolly observing me with a faint glimmer of amusement.

He was talking about my outfit.

And frankly, even if I wasn't really in the mood, I could understand why he'd be a bit taken aback by choice of clothing. In my perspective, I was just keeping a low profile. From an outsider's perspective, I probably had a gun in my jacket and knew a thing or two about U.K freestyle rapping.

But Nana was one to talk. It was near 8 p.m and he was still rocking Castron High's uniform like a retired rogue.

"Why didn't you call me?" I asked in a deadpan.

"Why didn't you call me?" his smile remained intact as he redirected the question back to me.

"My phone died," I retorted.

He answered my sourness with a lazy laugh and a light fist bump to my shoulder, like my mood didn't bother him at all.

"Well next time, carry a power bank on you, brother. Self-resurrection is a Jesus thing, not a Samsung feature," he said to me, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he laughed softly enough to make the jab feel more like comfort than teasing.

I kinda laughed.

His entire face lit up with the cheekiest, brightest smile, braces shining like fancy grills under the swirling multicolored lights. Like he was both surprised and elated that I actually laughed at his joke.

"Come on," he winged me in with a hand gesture, falling into step right after.

Without more said, I knew it was my cue to follow behind him.

I should have guessed that if there was anywhere else to find Nana and Chido, it would have been in the bowling alley section at the left. Not just because that was the hot spot of all teenage kids living in Lekki Crown and the acclaimed hang out spot for multiple cliques and jock groups from all across multiple secondary schools all over the country, but also because the few times that me, Sean and JJ hung around with them in Gomery, we were always somewhere around this spot.

Needless to say, it was somewhere around the bar counter there that I had first spoken about Dabeluchi with Kelechi Uwa.

Speaking of which, where is Kelechi?

"Yo, Marc! Game?" Nana snapped me out of my reverie the moment he had sucked me into the well of rowdy teenage boys and rugged, eardrum-breaking loud ghetto music.

I had never seen a crowd like this here before. Ever. And if I didn't know Nana and Chido any better, I'd have assumed that they had dragged me right into the middle of a high school wild party.

Just a quick survey around the place and I was seeing boys and girls, different shapes and sizes, both the ones I could recognize and the ones I couldn't recognize spanning across from different secondary schools all over Lekki Crown, scattered across the room; carousing by the bars, shuffling WHOT cards or throwing Ludo dices on boards by the booths, laughing and gisting in pairs and cliques by the counters, and even the ones screaming all over the place while miming, dancing and reciting to Ozeba word for word as the Rema song blasted across the speakers.

I did miss having this type of fun... And if I wasn't too worried about too many things and outrightly concerned about being picked out and recognized by someone, anyone, in this chaotic crowd, maybe my body could have relaxed a lot more and let me just enjoy the whole moment.

"Brethren! Over here!"

One call and my attention was instantly drawn to the section of the place that I had not yet taken my time to analyse...

The Bowling Alley arena itself.

Boys, so many of them, practically dominated that space, and with the wife array of colorful school uniforms worn in the most haphazard and messy styles, it started to look more to me like a planned after-school meet-up than a random clashing of Castron High and Crestview International boys.

And right there in the midst of clanking pins and macho-alpha charged hooting and roaring, Chido stood out front - the one who had unashamedly called out to us as "brethrens" in the dead center of a teen rave- waving hysterically at Nana and/or me with the most elated smile I had ever seen on his face.

The spiky haired kid couldn't have been more ecstatic and over the moon, two whole hands up daggering through in the air, wide grin on his brown face. And for all I knew, it could have just been Nana he was that happy to see, because there was no reason Chido, the Chiedozie Daniel Ihenna, had to be smiling with me of all people like that.

Especially when I was almost certain he considered me as barely a friend, but more of someone he talked to who often hung around Nana's house with his rascal friends, Sean and JJ.

And sure, he'd been a support system since everyone started hating my guts, but knowing him and the unadmited kindness behind his bravado, no-nonsense behavior, for him, it probably was just the Christian thing to do. Not because we were the bestest of buddies, Mario and Luigi.

"You know what Chiedozie told me?" Nana said, nudging me, crossing his arm and smacking his mouth together in a way that hinted to me that he was holding back a laugh, "He said 'the streets don't wait for no one, so why should you?' I don't know what on earth that's supposed to mean, but the next thing I know, we're cruising round half of Lekki Crown after school for no apparent reason."

I scoffed playfully, shaking my head. "An Ss2 kid probably just called him boring and he got sensitive."

Nana burst into a fit of laughter, nearly tipping over himself and I was pressing a fist to my mouth, my shoulders bouncing as I shook with laughter too.

"Hey! Are you coming or what?!" Chido was soon hollering back again at us as we were nearly peeing ourselves, laughing at him.

True to Nana's words, Chido was still wearing Castron High's school uniform, making it clear that he truly had been outside in the wild since after school. And frankly, whatever was going on with Chido, at least he was in a good mood.

And that was good for me, considering what I had to talk about with him.

"Seems like you're not interested because I've asked you one thousand times already and you keep zoning out, man, so I'll catch up with you in a bit, yeah?" Nana said to me, raising a fist up for me for a light fist bump.

Nodding, I bumped his fist lightly, bidding him a temporary farewell.

I mean, there was no guarantee that Chido was calling out to the both of us anyway, so it was really chill for me to stay back, just relax and play the 'watching' game.

And Chido? He was quick to put all attention on Nana like I wasn't even there in existence, the two boys sharing a bro hug and taking out two whole minutes to 'perform' a whole, memorized and customized handshake that I had never seen before, laughing at everything the other said like two close cousins that had not seen each other in ages.

Those two were best friends...

Chido and Nana were best friends.

And right there, like no one else existed but the both of them, I watched them bring out sides to each other that I rarely ever saw. Nana talked more, Chido laughed more, a freedom harnessed between them that felt like a discovery to me.

It took me just now to even notice how Chido, the uptight, principled and overly serious kid who got a whole Ss2 block on a full term's worth of punishment for leaving a tap running, was carelessly 'flying' his school shirt and wrapping his school sweater around his neck like a street thug, the crooked tie around his neck loosely hanging on a thread like it was about to fall off any second, but he didn't look like he was about to bring himself to actually give a damn.

And Nana? The goody-two-shoes nice guy? Man had all the buttons on his school shirt completely undone, the defined outline of his toned body showing vicariously through the dark tank top he wore underneath. Meanwhile, the cow-tooth necklace around his neck bounced all over the place as he and Chido crashed into each other, completely losing it over something I couldn't catch.

Chido and Nana were truly best friends. And for the fraction of a second, I missed having someone to call my own best friend...

In the midst of it all, Nana hijacked a bowling ball from one of the Crestview guys, holding it with practiced ease as he got ready to fire on the rink. Meanwhile, his boy Chido stood by like his personal hypeman, actively edging him on with the rest of the other boys in the arena like their whole lives depended on Nana making that single one shot.

Against my will, my mind traced back to many, many years ago, right here in this same Gomery on the day that Sean Atomize had turned seven...

Him, me, my dad. Three of us. And I could vividly remember that very spot where Nana was standing, about to roll that ball down the bowling lane, that was the exact spot that Sean had sat down on, bare floor, screaming and crying his eyes out because he was not strong enough to carry the bowling ball. The same bowling bowl that Nana was almost bouncing between his hands as he squared down the pins from his distance, charging for his well anticipated shot like it was a basketball free throw.

Ironic how it was that same bowling lane that Sean always made sure to come back to every time we visited Gomery to knock those pins down like it was supposed to prove a point from those many years ago.

"Petty bastard," I scoffed under my breath.

The entire space erupted into applause and cheers, snapping me yet again out of my thoughts, the sound of the pins on Nana's lane scattering into their abyss resounding all over the place. I sighed, bringing myself back to earth again and half-wondering if the amount of times I zone out in a millisecond could be considered to be anywhere near normal.

"You cool, bro?" Nana soon returned, taking position beside me by the counter.

He leaned back against the marble top, just like I was doing, and playfully nudged me. Almost like a small gesture to get me to lighten up or something. I half-smiled, relieved that he made it a point of notice to actually come back. Even if it meant dividing his time between me and Chido and switching lanes per minute.

"Nice shot," I said to Nana, referring back to his earlier bowling score.

A playful challenge flickered in his eyes when he turned to me. "Maybe you can hop in there and show them a thing or two, don't you think?"

I smiled politely, waving in decline. "Nah, I'm good."

The last impression Nana got from my constant and persistent refusals to do anything was frustration or exasperation. All he did was laugh off my stubbornness, shake his head, and unfazedly reach in for the stack of red solo cups by the corner of the nearby drink dispenser.

Nana had to be one of the most easygoing human beings I had ever known. Cool demeanor, easy vibes, just as chill and laid-back as they get. It wasn't even nonchalance, he was far from being described as a nonchalant guy. He was too kind for his own good, and people with that level of empathy could not be termed so loosely. Nana Obi was just one big bundle of compassion and humanity all wrapped into a sturdy, full-haired quiet teenage boy with baggie clothes and the most heartwarming smile.

Needless to say, it was nice to have a friend like this in a time like this. With the likes of Nana around, I didn't need to worry about not having anyone to call my 'best friend'.

"So, Bullet or Smirnoff?"

Instantly, I choked on nothing, something I couldn't see wedging itself into my gut with the force of a semi-trailer truck.

Nana's head snapped back towards me as I doubled over in a violent, dangerous fit of coughing, desperately trying to catch whatever was left of my breath, my eyes occasionally cutting towards his alarmed face in jagged flashes of confusion, fear and outright discombobulation.

"I'm sorry, what?" I managed to croak through a strangled voice.

Nana, still concerned, nodded towards the dispenser, his eyebrows still raising in incredulity.

"I asked which one you want," he started explaining calmly, referring my gaze to the label plastered on the top edge of the drink dispenser at the corner, "Lemonade or Ice Tea?"

I blinked, confused.

That wasn't what I thought I heard him say...

"Oh," I said, finally breathing stable, "Sorry."

He nodded, understandingly. Even if I was very certain he wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be understanding.

"Lemonade," I further said, hoping he wouldn't dwell on it. "I think I prefer Lemonade."

For the next few seconds that passed, the sound of cup being filled was the only thing heard in the silence between us.

"Here you go, man," Nana returned with the solo cup filled almost to the brim with fresh lemonade. I took it, muttering a small thank you that he nodded politely to before reaching for another solo cup I assumed he was getting for himself now.

The drink danced subtly in my cup as I idly rocked my hand, its ice-coolness sipping into my fingers through the thin plastic. It looked refreshing. Very refreshing. For a moment, it struck me how something so simple could feel so grounding, so unexpectedly soothing. It reminded me of someone...

Everything reminded me of Dabeluchi Orji these days.

Nonetheless, if I were being honest, being here felt refreshing too. Much more refreshing than I would have honestly expected being in a crowd like this at a time like this would feel. I needed this. I needed to step out of my house for a while, just like this. Leaning here against the counter, drink in hand, I realized I owed Nana more gratitude than I'd ever said out loud.

"Thank you."

Nana stopped briefly, a flicker of surprise crossing his face as the half-full solo cup easily dangled from his fingers.

His gaze remained steady on me, a quiet calm. "What for?"

I shrugged, recounting easily. "I don't know, for coming back here. For getting me to leave the house. For, well," I dropped my gaze down to the lemonade cup in my hand, "this."

Something softened in Nana's expression, a faint warmth in his eyes. His lips curved into a faint, delicate smile that lingered.

"I mean, it's only lemonade," he said, a gentle laugh brushing his words, "but if it means that much to you, then I suppose I can't argue with it."

"I'm serious, guy," I laughed through my insistence, "You know after that night at the Christmas party, you and Chido were the only people in CH who was actually, well, talking to me. I mean, asides the constant barrage of classmates on a daily basis bashing and insulting me in the DMs, what I think I kinda mean is, you guys were the only ones who were being nice to me..."

"We didn't think any of our messages were getting through, so that's relieving to hear that you had some good in the midst of the negativity," he said, eyes carefully observing before he quietly added, "but you weren't responding to any of our messages, Marcus. You weren't answering me and Chido regardless..."

"I'm sorry," I said quietly, eyes downcast, "I guess when there's so much negativity around you, you tend to overlook the good around you..."

Nana wasn't offended at all. Not even in the slightest. He didn't do anything other than listen patiently, knowing that I had much more I wanted to say.

"But I saw all of them," I assured him, "The messages, the voice notes, you and Chido at the arcade after you invited me prior and I didn't respond, so you both went anyway and broke my phone with over a thousand pictures and videos to show me what I missed-"

Nana stifled a laugh.

"We got you suya on our way back though," he told me, "but when, again, you ignored our messages when we told you, me and Chido were too tired to take pictures of the suya and gloat in your DMs, so both of us just ate the cold suya in loud silence."

I actually laughed, even though feeling immensely sorry about the whole thing.

"I did appreciate you guys being there with me in the hospital when my mum forced me to go though. When we got to see Sean..."

There was a drop in the air when I said this, a subtle deadening of the liveliness that was laced into our conversation just a few minutes ago and a slight, just very slight shift in Nana's expression that I couldn't read. In that moment, remembering what we had walked into that day, that nearly deformed version of Sean Ayomide, maybe it was not a good call to remind Nana of that scene all over again.

It suddenly made me think. Nana was supportive towards me, but that was no guarantee that he was not also rooting for Sean just as intensely.

And, truly, maybe I had ruined the conversation by bringing his name in. Because Nana resumed filling his cup with lemonade not long after, not saying anything else for what seemed like an eternity.

"I appreciate you, Marc, and all you've said," he finally said to me, "and honestly, if you want to know the truth, being there for you is more of an obligation than a choice. You're my guy. Being there for you is the easy part, so don't sweat it."

I half-smiled, slightly relieved. Even though the larger part of me remained an over thinker.

"But, do you think I am a bad person though?"

That was me to Nana.

And I didn't have to ask so bluntly, but given the truth, Sean was 'his guy' too. And probably still was at the moment. So, what was the guarantee that Nana was not just being here because he had to as a friend, not because I deserved it.

Surprisingly, he didn't flinch at my question. Just watched me for a moment in quietness before he answered.

"If you were, you wouldn't be asking me to validate it," Nana answered calmly.

I waited for him to elaborate. He did.

"Bad people don't stop to wonder if they're bad, they don't care enough to measure themselves against right or wrong, or even to think about how or if their actions affect others," he explained to me, "The fact that you even question it... that's empathy. And empathy already puts you on the other side of bad. It doesn't mean you're perfect. You are flawed, a little messy, human. Just like me. Just like many others. But that's not the same as being bad."

There were near tears in my eyes, but I held it back. In many ways, that was so relieving to hear. So fucking relieving...

"Because, Nana, I-" I choked for a moment, pressed a fist to my mouth and breathed for a moment to hold it all together. "Nana, I... I am so angry at Sean. I'm so fucking angry, like I can't even begin to explain how angry at him I am, I just-I just-"

He didn't interject when I stuttered. Just calmly stood there and listening, patiently staying with me as I tried to get to my point.

"I don't even understand how I feel," I continued, "I don't understand if I hate him or if I don't, because no matter how angry I am, I still feel so sorry for him. So, so sorry. I wanted to die that day I saw him in the hospital. I felt horrible, Nana. I hated myself, but I also hate him, and I don't even fucking understand myself anymore. I feel like I am actually losing my damn mind, I just-" I paused, sighing in exasperation.

Nothing I was saying right now made any sort of sense. I made absolutely no sense, and yet, Nana stood there, watched me and listened to the bullshit spewing out of my mouth as if I did. It was such a frustrating feeling when you felt so much, so fucking much even to the point of over stimulation, and you couldn't even bring yourself to explain how you feel clearly enough for someone to at least understand you; you can't even sell your point across to a close friend who's willing, by all means, to understand.

"You know what, just forget it please," I said, running a hand through the hard locks of my hair. "Just forget it, I am not making any sense. Because how can you love somebody and hate somebody, it sounds like I am crazy, it's stupid man-"

"Marcus."

In the midst of my rambling, Nana had turned to me with that same level of still and unfazedness he'd been using to carry our whole entire conversation.

"Relax," he said to me; it sounded like both a request and surprisingly, an order, "Relax, Marc. Calm down."

I didn't say anything else. There was nothing else I could have said that would make the rubbish I was trying to say make any more sense. With the silence that followed shortly, it made me understand that Nana was not an all-knowing vessel that had all the answers to my questions. Neither did I expect him to understand all the things that plagued me with confusion. He was just a boy. Just like me. Not God.

Still, in this moment, he still tried to play God. I knew by the look on his face, he was thinking. Thinking of an answer to give me. Some way to comfort me. Like it was his obligation to bring calm in the midst of the storm.

"It may be hard to believe, but I don't have an answer to it all," he said it himself, a moment of wistfulness lingering on his face before he continued, "but, what I do know personally is that you're not crazy for caring deeply even when it hurts. Love and Hate - or at least, what you are calling 'hate' - don't necessarily have to always cancel each other out. Sometimes, you can love something, and other times, what you feel towards that very same thing doesn't feel like Love anymore. Both feelings can be true at once, it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. Don't tear yourself apart trying to untangle it all right now. Just know, if you ever feel like talking, you know where to find me, brother."

That was an oddly refreshing answer.

Which was genuinely surprising because the look on his face just some seconds ago unmistakably made it clear that he did not know what to say to me or how to answer me. It almost felt like there was an invisible third party that Nana was consulting for the right answers.

He drank from the lemonade and the tiniest wince scratched the corner of his face, almost like the citrus was a bit stronger than he had expected it to be. When it wasn't alcohol. As much as it made me chuckle, it just kinda brought me back into the reality of just how much in different worlds we both were.

"I might be getting indefinitely suspended from Castron High tommorow," I told Nana plainly, "And frankly, the possibilities of an expulsion following right after is right about a 100% certainty. My life is over, Nana."

"Your life isn't over," he insisted.

"It is," I argued, "They're holding a trial against me, and the school authorities and the Prefects are my judges, jury, and executioners. I don't stand a choice. All of them hate me."

"Look, Marcus, I know about the trial," Nana said to me, "Chiedozie told me they had a prefects' meeting concerning you after school today-"

"So they already decided my fate."

"Chiedozie and Kelechi don't hate you, Marcus. Have some faith."

Again, the urge to ask where Kelechi was came in strong, but the part of me that was driving faster into a panic attack by the second wanted to know other things more desperately.

"Why didn't you tell me they had a meeting on my head already?" I asked Nana, "We've been talking long enough since we got here for you to have chipped that little information in, bro. So, all these while you brought me here, you already knew they made a decision on me already?"

"Marcus, I don't know if they made a decision or not, okay? I am not a prefect," his hands raised in a gesture of surrender as he defended himself lightly, "All I know is that the prefects had a meeting. Whatever came out of it, I am completely oblivious."

I watched him closely, seeing nothing but truth in his eyes.

For a second, I diverted to an excited Chido in the bowling alley throwing jubilation in the air with some Crestview boys after another score. I looked back to Nana, heaving a great sigh.

"Chido was in that meeting, wasn't he? He was there, and that why he's been ignoring my existence since I came here. That's why he's been avoiding me," I said, my voice rising a little.

"He invited both of us to bowl with him earlier, for which you refused. I'm afraid you're starting to overthink," Nana calmly responded.

"Would he tell me what they discussed if I asked him?" I asked Nana, a note of desperation and pleading in my tone, "Could he do something, anything, if the majority of the prefects votes are already not in my favor?"

Nana's answer wasn't a direct affirmation or refutation to my questions, but he did give something akin to an answer at least.

"Talk to Chido, Marcus," he said to me.

That was already part of the plan, but the problem was that there was no certainty that Chido would make things easier for me. Chido hardly made things easier for many people.

"Talk to him," Nana insisted, "I wasn't just the only one there for you when everyone else wasn't. He was there too. He was texting you all through out Christmas and the new years too, it wasn't just me. He was also there the night we got you suya; he stayed up to midnight with me, waiting for you and he was more worried than upset when you ignored us. He was also there the day we stayed at the hospital with you and your mum. It wasn't just me. Chido may be a lot of things, but he's a lot more understanding and kind than people give him credit for. It may be hard to believe, but he's actually one of the softest people I know. He'll hear you out."

It wasn't alien that Nana would think that about his best friend. He didn't understand.

But it didn't mean I wouldn't hold on to a bit of delusion and still hope for the best. With me. With Chido. With everything that I was going through at the moment. And maybe, just maybe, with my Aurora too...

"What you said before, about Love and Hate..." I looked at Nana, the thought abruptly coming into my mind, wild and fragile, "Or as you said, what I call 'hate'," I corrected myself, voice lowering as I threaded closer to my point, " Do you think that's really possible? I mean, can someone who kinda hates me... still love me too?"

Nana could see right through me.

"Are you talking about Dabeluchi?" he asked.

A small tingle of embarrassment tingled down my spine, spreading chills around my body that I was resolute to shake off with a flat chuckle. I looked away from him, unable to hold eye contact as he seemingly waited for a well-too-obvious answer.

"Why though? What makes you think that I'm talking about-"

I stopped talking, midway, the exact second that my wandering gaze dropped on a whiplashing highlight, a sight so sharp that it abruptly blinded me with a viscous, violent light that I sickeningly couldn't even bring myself to look away from.

But she disappeared faster than she appeared.

It didn't even matter because one glance was enough, one glimpse of that perfect-messy kinky hair she fondled with those perfect-tiny hands. One glimpse was enough for me to catch the iridescent disco lights of the right-winged restaurant forming tiny, glowing dots that danced all over her perfect-brown skin, that illuminated her perfect-pretty face into multi-colors of glow and magic. It drew me back to that night that she had allured me into dancing with her to one of her favorite songs, Wow by Sabrina Carpenter.

What I didn't understand was why Dabeluchi, my Aurora, was with another guy.

Some guy in a high punk, leather jacket and fucking Timberlands.

And he had also disappeared with her too, drawing himself into the same darkness that she had retreated into. Some ungodly-looking dark corner of the restaurant's corridor where certainly nothing good could come out of.

My body slowly eased off the counter, watching the space where they had vanished into, with careful authenticity, a thrill of madness and anger slowly rising from within me like a thick black smoke. Nana couldn't react fast enough, even if he had certainly realized what I was just about to do. Because before he could call my name or reach out to grab my arm, I had launched.

I fucking launched, running towards them, him, her, like a bull chasing red...

Gbas Gbos gbesss. I want problems always! 😂♥️ Marcus 'iron-padlock breaker' Acha wants to fight somebody because of Aurora. Lmaoooo. Oya na!

#licks edge control and sucks my fingers clean!

Thoughts?? Guys, thoughts??

Can't wait to show y'all the next chapter oo. But next Friday lmaooo. Anyways, on side note, give your two cents. What do you think is going on??

Just to test you guys. Who understands the 'Bullet or Smirnoff' reference? Because it's a lot deeper than just him 'mishearing' Nana. I will post something on Instagram later (@lovetori__xo) concerning this. But just to test you guys, who picked up the reference? And what's your analysis on why it happened? Humor me!

Btw, what's your take on Acha/Nana/Chido/ bond?🥺♥️

And do you think Acha's talk with Chido is going to go well? I mean, Chido is a bit difficult, but I mean, he's still human and he does care about Acha. But where do you think he draws his line on principles?? Fill me in.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you on Friday!!