“I wish you were here or I were there or we were together anywhere.”

                          •ORE•

“Issagoal!”

“Goal ball!”

“25-4! Omooooo! I beat you gan oh!” Jeremy yelled, fist pumping the air with the game pad in his hands. “I beat a whole football star! I don blow.”

“I can’t believe this!” — Fawaz.

“What?” — Josh. “How can you beat Ore? Man’s unbeatable! Been unbeatable since forever.”

“Not anymore,” Jeremy stated cockily and pointed to the screen. “Tu-wen-tee- faiv- fourrrr! Look at it, the proof, bro.” He marched to Josh and jeered his head towards the screen aggressively.

“Guy, commot your hand abeg, I don see am.” Josh slapped his hand away.

“Good! See, I beat him.”

I smiled and rested my back. “It’s because I let you win.”

Well, that was a total lie. I did not let him win. He’d actually won the game on his own. Because… I was distracted. My thoughts have been all over the place since…well, since, you know, the whole marriage thing.

The one week dad gave me had ended and this was in fact, the marriage week. School vacated on Tuesday and everyone had gone home for the Christmas break, well, everyone except SS3s— we still had our holiday classes starting next Monday. Today was Wednesday and the wedding was to start on Friday.

It was miserable, really.

Miserable how I, a whole Ore Jumai, could not do anything to stop myself from succumbing to my dad’s will. Miserable how I couldn’t leave even if I wanted to. Miserable that I was gonna leave my perfect life and sink into a whole new world of bondage. Miserable how — I didn’t wanna admit though — my life began to feel fake. Heck, who was I kidding?

My life has always felt fake.

Don’t know why, maybe I do, but the main point is; apart from the whole perfect boy façade thing, my life still felt fake. Like I was living a lie.

Jeremy had asked the guys and me to hangout today at his place. Apart from the fact that I never said ‘no’ to an outing, I really wanted to hang out, like cherish my last moments with them? But of course, they didn’t know that.

We sat in a semicircle in front of the Play Station screen in Jeremy’s room. No special effects on the décor. Just a typical teenage boy’s room. Painted a light shade of blue. Clothes stacked in a corner of his room, yes stacked in a heap. Posters of drums and drummers and footballers and his favorite musician. Then a foot-ball was on his reading table, together with his laptop, some books. Typical teenage boy room. Nothing fancy except the screen in front of us. 

The guys were all shocked because nobody ever beat me in this game — PES. I mean, I was the best football player in school which naturally made me the best in this game.

“Pssh, na lie! I beat you, I felt it in my bones.” Jeremy said again. Excitement and mock seriousness, glinting in his eyes.

“Fine.” I raised my hands in surrender. “You won. Fair and square.”

“Berra.” He smirked and crossed his arms.

“But how?” Fawaz asked, still shocked. “Abi I should play my own too, so I can break Jeremy’s record?” He rubbed his chin.

“Pele, I’m not playing again.” I chuckled. “Let’s do something else.” I dropped the game pad. Jeremy did too and turned off the screen.

“Yeah, like talk about our girlfriends?” Josh said as his face lit up.

We groaned.

Jeremy and I face palmed.

I thought about my own girlfriend and how we’ve both been these past days. I also tried to make up for all those times. Tried to actually feel something for her in return, like she felt for me, you know.

Made the first move more than twice or thrice like it was supposed to be. Treated her like she deserved but all I did feel was just friendship. Chidera and I would be better off as friends. That was it. But I just played along. I was gonna leave her soon, anyway. That was the only good thing coming from this wedding.

“Seriously?” — Jeremy.

“And which girlfriend do you have, Patience Ozokwor or Ngozi Ezeonu, abi?”  Fawaz asked Josh sarcastically.

“Screw you, guy! You will marry Whoopi Goldberg.”

“At least she’s hot,” Fawaz fired back.

“No she’s not. Ore abi?”

“Yes. She is but please, you can’t compare her to mama G! Naija’s momma for life!” I said and Josh’s face dropped.

“Guy, whose side are you on?”

“Um…my side?”

Fawaz laughed.

“If we are gonna talk about girls, can we talk about real girls and not grandmothers?” Jeremy said on top of his voice.

“Oh, I see,” Fawaz smirked evilly. “He wants to talk about his girlfriend, Halima Gbenro, she’s the__”

And…

*WHAM*

Jeremy shoved a pillow into his face, cracking us up.

“Halima is NOT my girlfriend.”

“Oh, my beautiful face,” Fawaz said, caressing it.

Josh laughed and Fawaz smacked his head, hard. I laughed. These guys were a real vibe.

“Wait, hold up, Jeremy, you get babe?” I feigned surprise. I knew it was Joy-Anne, it was too obvious. Figured all his annoying and frustrating Tom and Jerry banter with her was proof. “And you didn’t tell me?”

Jeremy gave me the middle finger before he spoke. “Yes ode, I do. And it’s__”

“Joy-Anne Folarin. Yes we kuku know,” Josh said with a smile, still caressing his head.

Jeremy blushed.

“Aswrrr guy, Folarin na spec oh, she too fine, she fine dieeee! Show me the way na, how did you do it?” Fawaz quipped.

He was right and I don’t know why I haven’t said this before. Joy-Anne was the most beautiful girl in our set. Very beautiful. No offence to Chidera but Joy was a whole different kind of beauty. With warm, brown eyes, cute dimples, flawless light colored skin, amazing hair, fairly tall, and slim body with curves, she could pass out for a GLOW magazine model.

“I’m happy for you oh, guy, I swear, I am. Somebody will finally help you sit your butt down,” I said. “But honestly, what’s the full gist?”

“Tell us, man,” Josh said and sat in front of Jeremy directly in his face. Jeremy pushed his face away by covering the whole face with his palm. Remember when I said Josh did amebo for a living? This was another of those times.

“Violent, much?”

Jeremy gave him the middle finger.

“Guy, your finger will just break.”

“Then I’ll give you two,” Jeremy replied and shot out his two middle fingers at Josh.

“I’ll report you to your girlfriend.”

“You don’t have the balls to__”

“The full story is what I’m waiting for. I don’t grab what you crack heads are yammering about, tell us the story so I can learn and know how to get my babes too,” Fawaz stated.

Our heads turned towards him and we burst out laughing. I moved away from Josh to avoid him from hitting me as he laughed.

“What’s so funny?” He asked.

“You know, if you wanted to ask how to get a girl, you should be asking Ore and not me because baba is a boss, our boss,” Jeremy said then turned to me and prostrated. “Baba oh! Baba for the babes, I hail ohhhhh.”

“Goat. You’re right though, I was the one who taught you. Remember that time back in JSS2 when__”

“SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!” Jeremy cut me off and I laughed.

“Oh, you don’t want me to tell them your history__”

“Guy shut the frick up!” He snapped.

“What happened in JSS2 oh?” Josh asked.

“Yes, what happened?” Fawaz added.

I looked at them, then back at Jeremy, who glared at me, and then I smirked. “Story for another day.”

Let’s just say Jeremy wasn’t so outspoken back then, especially when it came to talking to girls. There was one time he liked a girl in JSS2 and didn’t know how to tell her about it. He’d go around her and become a stuttering mess.

So I offered to help him. Gave him clear instructions and told him exactly what to do. We even rehearsed it and all but my guy, in all his glory, got to school the next day and the first thing he said:

‘Hi, I like you, be my girlfriend, let’s date, get married and have lots of kids.’

The girl got freaked out and just stared at him and I swear there hasn’t been a funnier scene ‘cause I’d watched the whole thing. And being the good friend I was, I laughed and laughed and laughed until he threatened to dissolve our friendship.

And since then…well, he’s gotten better. Obviously.

“Then why did you bring it up? Abeg, Jeremy, tell us your story with Folarin jare,” Fawaz said.

So he told us…

“AWWWWWWWWW! THAT IS SO CUTE!” Josh yelled.

“Geez, guy did you just freaking purr?” Fawaz asked.

“Um…no! I said Awww__”

“Say that shit one more time and I will legit destroy your vocal cords!” Fawaz threatened.

“Bro, be calming down na,” I said as Jeremy and I laughed.

“No, no, no. I will not. Josh is always purring as if he wants to die. Makes it sound as if girls say it a lot better than he does.”

“They actually do,” I said.

“Wahala o!” Jeremy said and we all laughed.

A knock on the door reduced the sound of our guffaws and the head of a girl popped from behind it.  She looked exactly like Jeremy, except she was a girl and she was shorter.

“Hey, Bro Jerry! Mom said you guys should come down and eat!” Her tiny voice said.

“Oyaaaaa, bro Jerry!” Josh whispered and he smacked his head.

“Sure sis, you can go now,” He replied.

She nodded and hesitated before her eyes landed on me. “Hi, senior Ore.” She said shyly.

“Hi dear, wassup?” I smiled at her.

“I’m fine, thank you,” she said and blushed. Was about to say more when Jeremy yelled:

“Shane, you can go now! We will be down soon!”

I chuckled at how he was forming strictness.

“Whatever,” she said, hissed and slammed the door in annoyance.

“Oshey baddest big brother on the planet!”— Josh.

“You don’t want her to fall for fine boy abi? Even though it was only head boy she acknowledged, we sha meuve!” — Fawaz.

Jeremy only hissed. “Abeg let’s go and eat jhor. Stupid fools.”

We stood up. Fawaz and Josh led the way and I was the last to leave the room. I stepped a little ahead of Jeremy and he pulled me back.

Looked me in the eye directly before he spoke.

“Bro, you good?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“I know you Ore, you never let your guard down like that. I mean, how can an ordinary player like me beat you in PES?! Even though I’ll never let you hear the last of it. Tell me what’s up. I know something is up.”

For some reason, Jeremy’s always been one to see through me, even though I’ve never actually let him through. I always covered up my feelings.

“Nothing’s up.”

Lies.

“Sure?” He quirked an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I am. And trust me to always tell you if ever anything comes up.”

Lies.

He did not look convinced but he sighed. “Fine, I’ll trust you, then.”

“Thanks man.” I smiled.

He smiled back and patted my shoulder. Then both of us headed downstairs to eat.

                   |ͽ~ ͽ~ ͽ~ ͽ~ ͽ|

After our meal, me and the guys remained downstairs and sprawled ourselves in the sitting room, on the sofa.

Josh engaged us in a talk about football and we were arguing about the best team between Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.

Jeremy was on his phone, grinning like a mad dog and I figured he was probably chatting with his girlfriend.

My phone vibrated and checked to see a message from an unknown number:

+234905xxxxxxx: Hey Ore, this is Gift Eniola from Science class two, hope you’re good? Please I just wanted to ask when we are meeting for the project?

Project? What project?

“My main reason for still being here is y’all are gonna have to do a physics project.”

Oh, that project. I forgot about it.
I also didn’t know how to reply because I wasn’t so sure…

My phone rang and I saw it was Aisha’s caller ID that appeared on my phone screen. Why’s this one calling now? I rolled my eyes before getting up and heading outside to pick up.

“What?” I said once I picked up.

“That’s a very nice way to greet your big sister.”

“Who’s my senior with just one year?”

“But is still older.”

She always derived pleasure in mouthing trash like this.

“Yeah, whatever.” I rolled my eyes. “Why’d you call?”

“Liyah’s missing.”

I racked my brain for who owned that name but I had no clue.

“Um…who now?”

“Well, Aaliyah is her full name, your bride-to-be, she’s missing, probably got kidnapped,” she said it so calmly that I thought it was fake.

“Oh…Wait, for real?”

“Yes. Wedding’s been shifted until we find her.”

My joy knew no bounds when I heard that but I composed myself and tried to act concerned, not happy.

“Ooh, um what a pity, the poor girl.” I sighed.

“Shut up, Ore! You and I both know that this News is very pleasing to you.”

“Wow, you just figured?”

“Ugh, just come home. We gotta figure out a way to get her back.”

“Whatever.” I hung up and willed myself not to dance because the wedding’s only be shifted not cancelled.

I quickly saved Gift’s number and replied her message.

Me: Okay babe, let’s talk about it in school on Monday?

She didn’t text back immediately so I went back into the house, and picked my stuff up.

“You’re already going?” Jeremy’s head jerked up from his phone as he probably noticed me moving.

“Yeah,” I said. “Catch y’all later.”

We did our bro’s handshake and then I left.

I literally skipped as I went to my car. It was a bad thing for someone to be kidnapped but I was happy, happy that for a while, I could live my normal life.

Wedding’s been shifted.

Hallelujah!

HALLELUJAH!!!!

Who else is dancing? Because I am ohhhhhhhhhhhh!!

They af Kidnapped Ore's bride to be 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Okay, okay...how are you?

How far?

How'd you see this chapter???

Come on, tell me, don't be shy, fill me in!!!

And I'm sorry for stalling oh😩😩 I recently started reading Percy Jackson series (done with the five books tho) and the books are awesome!!!! 😩😩 And I'm pretty freaking sure I have a crush on Percy!😩😂

Yup, you read right. I have a crush on a fictional character 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Anyways...vote. comment. Share.

Another chapter's gon'be up today! Anticipate!!!!

😎

~Ife.