*NOT EDITED*

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Dedicated to AgiFavor 💞💞💞

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You know how it happens in movies? That slow motion effect? That's how I saw everything play out. It happened so slow, yet so fast that we could do nothing to stop her.

Tracy had lurched for Esther.

❦︎

~[VICTORIA]~

Chris had insisted on taking me home the following morning. He would not let me just call an Uber.

"I have to be sure you're home, safe." He had said to me. "It's the least I could do, right?"

I did not even have the will to argue, so I let him.

He dropped me off and even waited till I walked through the front door. It made me laugh, the way he was acted like a protective elder brother.

Dad, he was seated on the couch when I entered. He rose and I ran into his open arms, put my forehead on his chest and squeezed his torso tight.

"Good morning, baby." He spoke into my hair, the sound waves vibrated through my scalp.

"Good morning, Daddy." I snuggled deeper in the hug, breathed in his woody scent. I needed it.

With my arms still around his torso, he moved my head from his chest and cupped my cheeks like my head was an egg.

Giving a gentle smile, he asked, "You're okay, yeah?"

"Yeah." I bobbed my head, nuzzled my cheeks in his palms. I stared into his brown eyes, they were like mine, the colour of honey.

"Sure?"

"Yes, Dad." I smiled at him, rubbed the back of his hands; They were still caressing my cheeks.

But bits of last night's events were still lurking in my memory, how I had almost passed out again.

I exhaled heavily.

"Vicky, talk to your father." His brows were already furrowed as he searched my face with concern. "What is it?"

"It almost happened again." I told him. And then clarified when he was beginning to look puzzled. "What our doctor suspects."

"Panic attacks?" His frown deepened, he cradled my face tighter, but gently.

"Yes, that." I confirmed, then released another sigh.

"Come." He ushered me to our couch, then took his seat beside me. "I've already made the necessary arrangements, your sessions start next week."

"Therapy, huh?"

"Yes, like we agreed." He nodded, smiled. "You'll get the help you need."

I mirrored his expression, squeezed his hand to convey my gratitude. "Thank you."

"It's my duty, my baby." He ruffled my afro, I didn't mind though. "So, Thursdays and Fridays after school, at the Ikoyi Hills General Hospital. I'll take you there myself."

"Okay." Was all I could say.

I really had hope in this thing, I really needed it to pay off. I was tired of living with that constant weight of guilt in my chest.

"We can skip church today, go and rest." Dad told me. "I'll heat up breakfast and bring it to your room."

Again, I said, "Okay."

And as I went up the stairs, all I could do was hold on to that little spark of hope that this therapy would be worth it.

It had to be worth it.

°°°°°

Sunday flew by, it was already Monday morning.

I found myself preparing for school with an usual eagerness, like I was actually enthusiastic about going to Sage High.

I chuckled at the anormally.

About three weeks ago, on a Monday morning like this, I absolutely dreaded the thought of going to that school. And now, I was skipping out of my room at the with pure joy.

Crazy.

But I'd have to admit, so far, things did not turn out as bad as I had pictured in my mind. I had actually visualized people throwing tomatoes and soda cans at me as I walked down the hallways.

And as I thought of it, I realized that I was being dramatic for no reason that first day.

I mean, asides a few nosy miscreants and well... Jason, everything was going smoothly. I found myself anticipating the next day of school these days.

"I spot a beautiful smile." I heard Dad say from the front door, he was already waiting.

I grinned even wider, giggled. "My dopamine level seems to be on the rise this morning." I joked, hugged him from the side.

"It should remain on the rise." He chuckled heartily. "Seeing you like this makes my heart swell."

Was it possible for my smile to have gotten wider? Cause it did. But I wouldn't have minded even if my lips ripped.

I relished in that moment.

But just then, my wristwatch beeped. It was already seven o'clock.

"Dad, I love you, but I do not want to be late to school, biko."

[Biko: Please.]

He laughed, threw his arm around my shoulders. "Okay, okay. Let's go then."

And then we were out the door and in the car in no time.

It was our usual routine the entire ride. Dad horribly singing along to MJ's music, and me having to put up with it.

My poor ears thanked me once I hopped out of the car. But I watched Dad drive out with my smile still present on my face.

I had not taken up to ten steps when I felt strong hands grip my shoulders, halting my movement.

I grimaced, looked up to see their face.

Chris.

For a moment, I recalled how we were all freaking out about him being in a storm, how I was fretting about how a storm was going to take another person from me.

Funny how I still loved the rain.

"I see you're taking my advice." He said, I focused back on his face, he was smiling down at me like a proud father.

"Huh?" I blinked in confusion.

"You were smiling, genuinely." He told me, squeezed my shoulders briefly. "Do it more, it suits you."

"Uh... okay."

He let go of my shoulders, stuffed his pockets with his hands. "Let's go to the kitchen."

"Kitchen?" I eyed the boy. He was in the sciences, so I did not understand what he'd be doing in the school's kitchen. Plus, "Morning assembly is about to begin."

"I know." He shrugged, slightly tilted his head to the right. "And we're both skipping it because you're coming with me to the kitchen."

"Um—"

"You will not say no to me, Tori." He offered his hand, his lips stretched into a smirk. "I will make cupcakes, covered in chocolate."

If that was intended to be a bribe, it worked. Because I took his hand without thinking twice, and he guided me into the SS3 block, up the stairs and then we were in our destination, the Food And Nutrition Laboratory/Kitchen.

It was my first time in there. And like the wall I was leaning on, everything was white, save for the cabinets, curtains and counters which were all black. I appreciated the minimalist style decorations.

Chris was already going about his thing, fishing for ingredients and bowls and some other things I couldn't even identify.

But I was wondering, "Why do you have access to this place?"

"The F.A.N teacher adores me," he paused his skimming through the cabinets, looked at me over his shoulder, "like everyone else."

Oh, the pride this boy has. I shook my head.

So, I was there, watching him mix up different pastes. He had declined any sort of help I offered. In his words, I was his guest... in the school's kitchen.

If it isn't madness...

His phone rang, he wiped his hands with a towel and answered.

"Yes, she's with me, we're in the kitchen." He told whoever it was.

That earned a frown from me. For goodness sake, who could be calling Chris to ask of me?

I adjusted uneasily as he dropped the call, stared at him expectantly.

"It was Charles." He laughed to himself, shook his head. "Tracy is throwing a tantrum because she hasn't seen you, says she won't get up from the floor until she sees you."

For goodness sake...

"She could have just called called me." I facepalmed, already visualizing what I would walk into in class.

"Well, I better get going. Save my cup—"

The door bursted open. Tracy rushed through it like a mad person. She is a mad person. Her eyes zeroed on me, I prepared for pure madness.

"RIA!" This girl literally ran, took off from the door towards me. And I was there, watching her approach like a deer at headlights.

With great force, she wrapped me in one of those bone-crushing hugs of hers. She was squeezing my torso like you would when trying to get out that last bit of toothpaste.

So imagine how grateful I was when she finally let me go, my lungs had almost given up on me.

"Why did you miss assembly? I didn't find you in class, I almost lost it. Why weren't you in class? And..." She trailed off, looked around the kitchen like she had never seen it before, "why are you here, Ria?"

"She's here with me." Chris spoke up from behind me. "I wanted her company."

Tracy eyed him like he just spoke utter rubbish, flipped her black braids with sass. "Call your brother to keep you company. I'm taking my Ria with me."

"Yes, ma'am." I heard Chris say, his voice had a hint of laughter. Then he promised to save some cupcakes for me.

And just like that, Tracy was pulling me out of the kitchen. Not so gently, if I may add.

Then she finally slowed down, we fell into step side-by-side.

"Ria?" She nudged my side.

"Huh?"

"One weird, old man was at the assembly today."

"Okay..." I did not get the relevance of that information to my life.

"He specifically asked of you."

I frowned, paused my steps. "For what exactly?"

"He didn't say." She shrugged, sighed. "He just left when he saw that you weren't in school yet."

I racked my brain for any old man that I knew would possibly come to look for me at school. There was no possible match in my memory.

So, I asked her, "Did you catch his name?"

"He didn't disclose anything about himself, Ria. He only asked of you and left once he heard you weren't there."

It disturbed me. Why would a weird, old man be searching for me? Who even was he?

"It's possible he's one of these scouts though, going about to recruit academic geniuses like you." Tracy voiced out.

And I reasoned it. A few of those had visited back in SLI. Dad did not let me accept any of their offers, because it meant they'd have to meet him.

So, I concluded that this must have been one of those. The weird, old man was an academic scout.

But then, my subconscious was still screaming at me, my instincts sensed danger.

I was not going to give myself the chance to overthink this one, I already had more than enough on my mind.

So, I decided that they were just intrusive thoughts and moved on with my day.

°°°°°

For the first time in a while, Tracy let us have lunch in the school's cafeteria and not Susan's Spot.

Apparently, she was craving for their special spaghetti for lunch, they called it 'Pregnant Pasta'. Why? Because of the meatballs in them.

I had laughed so hard. I didn't think the madness in the school had spread to the chefs too.

As for me, the cupcakes Chris saved for me made my afternoon. Occasionally, Charles would steal from them.

Jason too, which was weird.

But it was more than enough, so I did not complain.

And then, an impostor joined us. We all stared at her as she dragged a chair from the empty table near us, placed it beside Chris and sat down. The girl even had a smile on her face.

She hands down looked like those Cinderella's step sisters at that moment, I kid you not.

"How may we help you, Esther?" Charles inquired from the girl.

So this is her? I asked myself, scanning her face. Tracy and I had not bothered to look at her the other day.

"I just want to make new friends." The dark skinned girl responded, then even giggled.

Nobody understood what was funny, so we just watched her as she chewed gum like those harlots in Nollywood movies.

And behind her were her jobless minions. Just that Jemima and Preye were now included.

Since when?

I did not fail to notice the glares that Jemima was sending my way. The girl seemed to hate me even more than Jason did. And she was giving herself way too much importance of she thought I cared.

"What are you doing with this one, Preye?" Tracy asked her step sister.

"She can be friends with whoever she wants, can she not?" Esther did not even give the girl in question the chance to talk.

"I'm talking to you, Preye." Tracy was still talking to her sister, ignoring the shit out of Esther.

"And I have not given her permission to talk." Esther spat, popped the gum in her mouth thrice.

Ehn?

"What's this one talking?" Chris asked no one in particular, grimacing at the girl. "Why are you even still here?"

"Like I said, I want to be friends." She even repeated herself with pride.

The audacity...

"Do you think we're stupid enough to befriend something like you?" Tracy's eyes held so much disgust, not anger, just disgust.

Esther's eyes reduced to slits as she looked at Tracy. "You ehn. I can destroy you in just a matter of seconds, do you know?"

"I'm not trying to exchange words with a lunatic. Just get up and leave here, abeg." Tracy fired at the self proclaimed destroyer.

Esther burst out laughing, like full-on manic laughter, earning the attention of a few students around us.

"If anyone is a lunatic here, it's you, Tracy." Her lips curled into a smirk, a sly one. Her eyes, mischief swam in them. And then she added, "Just like your mother."

You know how it happens in movies? That slow motion effect? That's how I saw everything play out. It happened so slow, yet so fast that we could do nothing to stop her.

Tracy had lurched for Esther.

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A/N

Wahala be like suspense. 🙂

Abi cliffhanger? All join 😂.

Biko, this chapter cannot go past this 🙂🤲🏿. You'll see the drama in the next chapter, iyeh?😗

Don't worry, it'll come soon.

Follow my IG ( _vickyraee) for spoilers.😗

AND DON'T BE MISLEAD BY THIS CHAPTER!!! That's all I'm going to say 🙃.

Now, conspiracy theories??? Drop 'em!!! I want to hearrrrr!

And while you're guessing, lemme get to writing the actual truth 😂.

So, see you there!

Stay safe,
Love ya! 😗💕

Say you love me too😗

No? Okay, bye.🙂

*walks away in tears*