So, sorry for delaying 😭😭
Between today and tommorow, I primise to update atleast two chapters🧡🧡❤️❤️❤️

                                           ~Shade~

I sat on my over-exxagerated bed that afternoon, wrapping the thick sheets around my body to prevent the excessive cold from the air conditioners, and having my school textbooks scattered all over the bed. Yes, I called my bed 'over-exxagerated', because it really is. It's way too big for me. The entire mansion I lived in was.

Initially, I preferred living in a more homely place, but Madam K preferred to be more isolated from the rest of the commoners, so she called them. She preferred this mansion we lived in - a perfect area of land that was isolated from the rest of Lagos, having an overly large mass of land of about 20 acres, with the Beverly Mansion standing tall and graceful, right in the middle of it.

There I was, on the bed in my gold-coloured room, trying to brush off the most I could from my Physics textbook that afternoon. I had spent the entire Wednesday so far at my commercial shoot for Lanflox Cosmetics and at the moment, it was a few minutes past two. I had approximately twenty minutes to go to through my books and some of the class recordings Prissy had sent to my WhatsApp from school that I had missed today, before having to leave for my next shoot by 2:30pm.

Just then, I was jolted out of focus when my iPhone rang.

"Jesus.." I muttered, before reaching out to my lamp desk to grab my phone that was just there on it. I looked at it and saw it was Prissy.

"Babe.." I said over the phone as soon as I picked up the call.

"Shade..Shade..

"Yeah. Prissy, I can hear you.." I said, holding the phone to my ear using my shoulders for support as I flipped through the pages of my textbook.

"I'm outside the Beverly Mansion..

"What?"

Did I hear her correctly?

"I don't know how to come in.."

No, that wasn't possible.
She couldn't be outside the mansion. There is no way they let her in. Madam K was very particular about who got into the compound.

"Shade, are you there?"

I snapped my attention back to Prissy who was still over the phone.

"Are you infront of the mansion itself, or infront of estate?" I asked.

It wasn't an estate per say, because only the Beverly Mansion situated there. But, a lot of people usually called where I lived the "Beverly Estate", because of the overly excessive mass of land the mansion's compound accumulated. I mean, 20 acres of land mass was truly too much.

"I'm infront of the estate.." I heard Prissy say over the phone.

"Why?" I asked, a bit alarmed.
Why was she here?

"I want to talk to you.."  she said. I could sense the severity in her voice, and a bit of worry came over me.

"Uhh..okay okay..j- just..stay there okay?" I said to her.  "I'll call someone to pick you up and drive you straight here".  And with that, I hung up the call.

Dropping my phone back on the lamp desk, I grabbed the Telecom on it and dialled the workers in the house. Few seconds after, I heard the voice of one of them over the device.

"Maim?"

"Yeah hey.." I replied. "My friend Prissy is outside the estate. Tell the driver's to pick her up and bring her into the mansion.."

"Yes, maim.."

"Thankyou.." I said, before hanging up again. I looked at my time and realised I had just ten minutes left before my next shoot. I really didn't have time. But, Prissy sounded really bothered.

I packed up my textbooks and started to drop them on the lamp desk as I waited for Prissy to reach here. About a few more minutes after I finished, the door knob of my room started to move. Finally, she's here.

The door opened and I saw Rachel standing there instead.

"Is Prissy here?" I asked softly.

"Remember, you have just five minutes, Shade" she answered, ignoring my question.

I sighed. Rachel was part of Madam K's team. She should have been in her thirties or something; a lean tall lady with a confident posture.

"I know" I said. "Where's Prissy?"

She smiled at me. A warming smile. No matter how hard Rachel tried to be strict, she was a LOT softer and more considerate than Madam K.

"She's here" she said, before moving away from the door to reveal Prissy standing behind her, still wearing her school uniform. I was taken aback by the condition I saw Prissy in - her eyes looked swollen, like she had been crying the hell out of them.

"Prissy.." My tone was low and filled with worry.

"Your friend needs you.." Rachel said. "I'll give you more time with her, so, make her feel better"

After saying this, she left the room and I jumped up from my bed and rushed over to Prissy to hug her. As I held her in my arms, she sobbed softly.

"Prissy, what's wrong?" I asked, as I released the hug.

Prissy only sniffed and wiped her tears away with her left hand.

"I'm sad" She said.

And I can see that.

"Why?" I asked.

"Because.. because.." she stuttered.

"Prissy, talk to me"

"The colour, blue, makes me very sad" She told me.

"What? " I said, or barely whispered.

"I was coming back from School and I was just thinking about the color and I got so sad" she cried, before placing her head again to continue her sobs.

Oh my God.
Prissy Waje.
I mean - I know her too well as someone who lifts people's hearts, only to render useless information, but this was on another level.

But..
Why would she be crying because of a colour?
It doesn't sound right.

"Prissy, Is there something you're not telling me?" I asked her.

She broke away gently from my hold and looked at me, then nodded her head slowly.

"Tell me" I said to her.

"Let's sit down" she said.

"Okay.." I agreed, and Prissy and I started moving to my bed to sit down. I needed to hear what on Earth got Prissy in this mood. It was unlike her to break down this way.

"So?.." I said, urging her to speak as soon as we both sat on my bed.

She took in a deep breath and sighed, before looking at me and uttering one word - or name..

   "Yure.."

I squinted in confusion.

"What happened to Yure?" I asked, a bit scared too.

She looked at me for a short while, her teary eyes looking into mine.

"I like Yure" she said plainly.

My eyes widened shock and my mouth hung slightly open. Did I hear her correctly?

"I like him" she said again. "And I know he likes me too"

"Prissy" I cut in. "I don't understand where all this is coming from..

"There's a lot you don't know!" Prissy cut in immediately, and I backed up.

"What do you mean?" I had to ask.

She took in another deep breath and wiped her face with both hands, before looking at me again.

"Yure and I..have been..well.." she stuttered. As she gestured with her hands to illustrate what she was trying to say, and I couldn't help but get confused. It was only after a few seconds that I finally_

"Jesus Christ! Prissy!" I exclaimed. "You've been hooking up with Yure Adediji!?"

She tensed up and went all "shhh" and I frowned.
Please, Who could possibly hear us?

"But, why, Prissy.." I said. "He has a girlfriend, you know that."

"It's not like I wanted to fall for the guy. It just..well..happened" she said.

"How long has this been going on?" I asked her.

"Remember that time we had that extension for States Exam..

"Prissy, you've been hooking up with Yure since Ss2!?" I exclaimed.

I cannot believe this!

"Shade, stop" she whined, like she was about to start crying again.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry" I said, trying to calm down for her sake atleast. "This is all a shock to me really.."

"The last time we got intimate was at his party" she told me. "Since then, we haven't really had chance. But we've been talking online a lot"

"And Krisdana?" I said.

Prissy just shrugged.

"She'll most likely strangle me to death if she finds out" Prissy said. "That girl scares the crap out of me"

I'd be lying if I say I wasn't shocked. I mean, all these while..Yure and Prissy? How please?

"Does Yure give you money?" I asked.

I know that question sounded insensitive but it had to be asked. I needed to understand. Prissy only got attracted to guys for one thing. Money.

"No" she answered, and I silently gave a sigh of relief that she didn't get offended.

"He doesn't buy you things?" I press on.

She shook her head "no".

"So..what pulled you to him, if I may ask?" I asked.

"He understands me" she said. "Yure is a very deep person. He sees more to me than everyone else does..and it means a lot"

"Woah.." was all I could say.

"Sayidsam doesn't even make me feel that way. With all due respect" she added.

"But Prissy.." I said. "Does Yure feel the same way?"

Her face fell once again, almost like she was about to cry, and I almost regretted asking.

"I don't know, but I doubt" she answered. "Everytime I see him in school, he and Kris seem soo happy and it's sickening. I mean, he texts me after school and I'd think he digs me, the next day in school, he avoids me. I'm so confused. It's so painful seeing him with Krisdana all the time. I can't explain how sad it makes me" She broke down just a little at the last statement. I put her close and hugged her again.

"And then.." she continued.

I looked at her.

"I think my classmates know I'm seeing someone but they don't know who.." Prissy said.

My eyes widened immediately hearing that. Prissy was in Class F, and the students of that class were  something else. Lousy, immature, loud..you name it.

"My classmates are horrible, Shade" she breaks down again.

That's a well known fact..

"And they don't even like me" she said.

Okay, that one is new..

"Why?" I asked. " You're a sweet girl"

"It's the hatred for Giwa" she said. "And they're all scared of Giwa, so they pick on me instead. They literally treat me like an outcast in that class"

I never understand why people do that. I mean, picking on a weaker person because you can't attack the main person. And I know at this point, I should be advicing Prissy to stand up for herself but Prissy is way too soft. She isn't Giwa who can handle an entire class with one hand. Prissy can't handle them - especially when a ghetto girl like Ajiroghene is basically sitting on top of the whole class.

"Prissy, come here.." I said, as I spread out my hands for her to reach in for a hug. She did.

I felt so bad for her. She couldn't have the guy she wanted. She couldn't even have peace of mind in her own classroom. What really shocked me was how Prissy kept all these to herself and totally acted like everything was perfectly okay, when it wasn't. She was hiding so much from us all these while.

But I wouldn't say she was the only one keeping secrets too.

Nova and I had been having our own form of silent chemistry for a while now and the girls had no idea. So much had happened this week alone. I felt it was just safe keeping all these to myself for now. But one day, I knew the girls would find out..

..that Nova and I had been texting each other like hopeless romantics

..that Nova and I had been looking for every private moment in school for ourselves.

..that Nova and I had kissed  ..

                                       ~Giwa~

So my friends didn't even know..

..that Ivandor asked me out on a date yesterday.

I couldn't bring myself to tell them.
I just couldn't.

What bothers me the most is the wierd feeling that came with him asking me out.
But I don't even want to think about it..

It feels too wierd.

Why would he even want me?
It doesn't sound right.
Does it sound right to you?

"Have you asked me?"

"So what do you.." I started answering the voice that asked the question behind me, before I realized something was wrong.

"What the hell!" I exclaimed, as I jumped up from my bed. What the actual fuck? Why would someone answer my thoughts? There was only one person that did that, and connecting the familiarity of the voice, I spun around sharply to look_

"Lola!" I screamed, as I jumped up from my bed. She stood at the door of my room, holding a small fancy travelling bag by her side. I jumped up from my bed and rushed to hug her. She laughed so much as I squeezed her in a tight hug.

God! I missed her.
Lolade Falade - my overly active big sister, who I thought was trading us for Unilag on her first year.

"When did you come home? How did you come home!?" I asked.

"Well" she started, like someone that was about to start saying something so important. "I booked a plane from Yaba and I landed here in Lekki like some minutes ago, then I like walked into your room.." her voice trailed off, as she laughed. I laughed too. Lola was such a goof.

"I decided to branch house small abeg. I can't kill myself in that school" She said, and that got me rolling. I mean, I thought she over loved Unilag, so what went wrong?

"Stress" she said. "And you know I don't like stress. It's not good for my skin" she graced hee skin lightly with her fingertips as she said it.

I laughed. Lola was the only person I ever knew that cared more about her looks than Hassana. And she always looked good. I mean, Lola was so georgeous - with her melanin skin, almond-shaped eyes, and full lips. She was prettier than me by far. I wasn't bothered anyway.

"Do mum and dad know you're here? And Nini?" I asked.

"Nope" she laughed. "I plan to surprise everyone like I did with you"

This girl always has to be so extra with everything. God! I missed her being around.

"So gist me naw..how far C.H??" She said, as she grabbed my hand and started to walk me into the room, towards my bed so we could sit down together.

"Lola, Castron High is totally basic!" I told her, as soon as we sat down on my bed.

"And the boys?? Ivandor??" She said, her eyes moving flirtatiously as she pouted her lips with the statement.

And yes - Count Lola among the people who sadly have the Biracial Syndrome. Her entire set did actually, and Lola was just one of them.

"So, like, you dating him or what??" She asked and I choked. I choked on absolutely nothing. I just choked.

She definitely knows more than I think she does!

"Hassana told me everything" she shrugged. "I know he likes you"

At the moment, I'm grateful I haven't told them about him asking me out. Lola would have teased me to my grave.

"Spill" she said, with a fake commanding tone.

Whatevs.

So, I told Lola everything.

Starting from Ivandor's text, to his unwanted help, to him asking me out. Lola just listened, wide eyed, enjoying every word that came out of my mouth.

"So..wait.." she said, as soon as I was done.

"Why haven't you unblocked him?" She asked.

"Well, cuz..I don't understand what he's up to" I answered, and she just laughed.

"You don't have to" she said. "See ehh, I totally understand if you don't want to date Ivandor..I could date him for you.."

"Lola!" I said. This girl can't be serious, Christ!

"Okat fine fine fine" she laughed. "Look Giwa..

I listened.

"Whether you like it or not, he did a sweet gesture for you" she said. "I mean, the very least you could do is say is Thankyou"

Lola was a goof, but if there was one thing I knew, she was always never wrong. I had learned to accept that all these years we'd grown up together.

"Oya, I've spent too much time here" she said, as she looked to the door of my room. Without warning, she stood up from my bed.

"I'm going to see Nini now!" She said, before rushing out of my room, like a little child. I just laughed to myself as I watched her.

I don't know what came over me as I did what I did next..

I got my phone out, and opened my WhatsApp app. I paused to think for a while, trying to mentally decide if I should go onn with what I was about to do..

I carried on anyway..

I went straight to Ivandor's text, and hit the unblock button.

Then I pouted again, trying to decide if I should continue.

With a silent sigh, I typed "Thankyou" in his dm and hit the send button.

You guys ooooooooo!!!
Oya, finish my comments section lmao😂🧡
I'll try my best to make my chapters shorter, there's just soooooo much to write!!!😭😭😭