∆•∆•∆•∆
"All we need, all we need is hope and for that, we have each other..."
                        ∆•∆•∆•∆

Super sorry for the late update 😩😩😩 The previous chapter kinda got me exhausted but I'm here now.

Picture above is of Kanyinsola Jayeola, Bolu's Older sister.

Dedicated to all my ghost readers. I love you guys and I hope you show yourself someday❤️😊

Enjoy...

                     ~BOLU~

I was having a really weird but sweet dream of being scooped of into unicorn land where ice cream and chemistry— equations and all— existed, and it was going well until…

“BOLU!”

Followed by a loud banging of a metal which threatened to burst and permanently destroy my ear drums. I shot up and rolled off my bed with so much force that I landed with my butt on the tiled floor of my bedroom…hard! And very, very hard at that!

“Ouch…” I winced and looked up the person, who in turn, was snickering at the whole sight, clearly amused. I glared at the person who was no other than Kanyin.

She held a wooden spoon and a stainless tray. I figured that was where the noise came from.

“Jesus Christ! Big sis!”

“Oooo, kaabo. How was your journey?”

“Did you have to wake me up like that? And what are you doing at home? Go back to school na!” I snapped which only caused her laughter to be full blown.

“First off, it’s Saturday and you know U.I is in Ibadan which is the city we reside in…and I think you’ve forgotten that I dropped you yesterday at the party… Second, guy, you’ve been sleeping since you got back from the party like a log of wood… so I wondered why not wake you up in the most princess-ly way possible? That was how I came up with the lovely idea…” She raised the stainless tray and wooden spoon up whilst smirking.

I rolled my eyes, hissed and got up from the floor.

Crazy. Kanyinsola was crazy. And I think that’s an understatement which I’d definitely mentioned before.

“And that was the most princess-ly way ever,” I commented sarcastically and crossed my arms on my chest.

“Yeah, I love you too sis,” she said, making a kissy face at me and left the room with the door ajar.

Crazy!

I rolled my eyes again and picked up my phone, checking the time and I saw it was two in the afternoon.

My eyes bulged.

What the… Did I sleep for that long? Why did I sleep that long?

After I washed up, I decided to head downstairs. I was about to pass the room of my youngest brothers but I stopped; peeked and I what I saw got me really amused.

They were both shirtless and in front of the mirror in their room. It was probably the mirror they stole from Joba’s room which was originally stolen from Kanyin’s room.

Yes, they loved to steal things then pass it down to the next generation. Trust me, I was not involved except when it came to food.

Anyway, Fayo and Tomide were in front of the mirror checking out their ‘bulging’ biceps. Flexing them and claiming to be so strong, stronger than Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns.

I stifled a laugh.

“Guyyyy, see my eight packs, like Jaden Smith’s own!” Tomide said, showing off nothing but forced out abdominal muscles.

“Ehhhh froshhhh!” Fayo hyped. “But guy my own is more oh. I have ten!”

That was when I couldn’t hold it anymore. I snorted out a full blown laughter, holding my stomach with one hand and almost falling to the ground but I used the doorframe for support with my other hand.

In the midst of my loud guffaw, I heard Tomide's voice yell; “Fayo! I told you to LOCK THE DOOR! Now you allowed star Bolu to see us!”

I only kept laughing and laughing and laughing until Tomide and Fayo marched forward, pushed me out of the room completely and bolted the door from inside. I was still laughing with tears in my eyes as I descended the stairs.

Seeing that nobody was in the sitting room, I walked into the kitchen when I heard voices. I saw mom, Joba and Kanyin.

Kanyin was talking to her phone and Joba was whining about something to my mom while she in turn, pretended not to hear him. She just kept cutting whatever it is she was cutting on the table.

I stepped further into the kitchen and then they all turned to look at me.

“Ah, aunty don wake!” Kanyin said like she wasn't the one who woke me and then returned to talking to her phone.

I figured she was probably on a video call. Yes, a video call in the kitchen. I swear Kanyin could do video call anywhere. Even in the dumpster or toilet.

“Yen, yen, yen. Crazy!” I mumbled under my breath, but I think she heard me ‘cause when I passed her to get to mom and Joba, she mistakenly-intentionally flicked the back of my head painfully. I only frowned.

“Mommy love…” I cooed and hugged her from behind.

She ignored me and tried to shrug my hands off her. I only held tighter.

“Wo! Bolu go away oh, don’t comman spoil market for me jare!” Joba yapped and pushed my hands from her completely, then he put his arms around her, trying to cajole her. “Mommy, don’t mind Bolu, she loves sleeping too much. Mommy sheybi you will buy the data for me abi?” He looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

“Agbaya leyin mejeji. K’oshi lo jhor!” She snapped but I could hear the tease in her voice. “You people ignored me when I asked you to cook the food, this one…” she turned to me and flicked my forehead. I winced. “this one was sleeping as if she ran a two-day marathon and responding with mumbles while this uncle…” she flicked Joba’s cheek. He yelped. I snickered. Kanyin was acting oblivious to everything happening here.

“…told me he was busy when he was playing that stupid game with too much violence on Bolu’s laptop and now he’s asking me to buy data plan for him. Bayern Munich ni!” She hissed and continued what we were doing. 

Kanyin, Joba and I exchanged glances before we all burst out laughing.

Mom turned towards us, with a shocked expression. “Ah, you are laughing abi?” She clapped her hands in wonder.

That made us laugh even harder.
“Mom, anytime you try to act mad, it ends up being a comedy,” Kanyin said between laughs.

She just looked at us, hissed and said; “It’s not your fault. Kii se ejo e.”

That was how we started hyping her.

“Oyaaaaa mummy spending!”

“Freshest mommy! Wahala for who no be your child oh!”

“Mommy with the swag and vibes!”

“A whole spec!”

“Queen of Jayeola Empire! Any other is a counterfeit!”

“Delicious mommy!”

Frankly, I will never grab what that last statement made by Joba, meant but it cracked all of us up and mom started laughing, shaking her head at us.

“Jesus, you gave me amazing kids.”

“Eh-ehn, sheybi you will buy it for me nau?” Joba wiggled his brows and tried his luck again, now that she was laughing. He put his arm around her, making her look like his younger sister because she was shorter than he was and she was not short.

Mom was a Yoruba woman and worked as a lecturer in geology in one of the private universities in Ibadan. She was tall, dark-skinned and curvy. I admired her a lot.

Kanyin and I looked like her a lot but most people say I was the one who resembled her more, probably because we shared the same height and had the same shape of face.

Mom was about to reply Joba when Tomide and Fayo entered the kitchen arguing on top of their voices.

“Mommy, mommy, sheybi you said iss me that has bigger muscles na?” Fayo inquired.

“Issalie jhor, mummy said it’s me! Abi?” Tomide countered.

I looked between them and then at mom’s face. She was trying seriously not to laugh at how serious they were being with this.

I didn’t understand my brothers’ obsession with muscles and six/eight/ten pack abs. Something that they will still have in surplus when they grow older.

“Both of you have the biggest,” she said, trying to appease them.

“No! My own is bigger, mummy see!” Fayo yelled and marched further toward mom, Tomide followed after and chaos broke out in the kitchen. I just kept laughing and my mom shouted:

“Mr. Jayeola, save me!”

She was clearly calling for my dad who wasn’t even around.

Let’s just say I have a crazy family that I adore so much.

After my mom was able to calm the whole situation, the two boys disappeared from the kitchen, leaving Kanyin, Joba, mom and I.

I joined my mom to make the food she had wanted to prepare since. I stood on her right, cutting the vegetables while Joba would try to steal the fish she was frying.

Mom would catch him many times and smack his hand. Kanyin went back to her video call.

“Boluwaji, I forgot to ask, how was the sleepover, abi kiniyen naa?” Mom said out of the blue.

I sliced another part of the vegetable and said; “It was okay.” I shrugged, remembering every single detail of the night. From the moment we arrived to Nina’s disappearance, to me and Ore’s talk and then to the Shade Onam-knows-physics/ Beauty-and-brains episode and also the part where I forgot to call Ayo because I slept off.

I got so mad at myself when I woke up and found out that I hadn’t called Ayo to ask about Nina. 

“It was mad oh! Don’t mind how Bolu is sugarcoating it oh. I saw Ore, Nina and Ninuola’s whatsapp statuses na. That party was lit. I wish I went sef,” Kanyin said without looking up from her phone. “Her picture was on Ore’s status gan.”

My eyes nearly rolled out of their sockets again.   

Nawa oh, she even has Ore’s Number. Well, he wasn’t kidding when he said U.I babes sha.

And I bet she saw Nina’s post because she’d probably posted before she left the party.

I sincerely still hoped Chidera did not see that picture on Ore's status.

Joba tried to steal another fish and my mom slapped his head.

“Mommy nau…” He whined, touching the back of his head.

I stuck my tongue out at him and mouthed, “Ntooo!” He glared at me.

“Yes, and if you like steal another one,” Mom said and hissed. “And Bolu, hope your friends got home safe oh, in fact where’s um…Nina, she used to be around during the weekend?”

“She went home early yesterday, she’s fine,” I replied and went back to cutting the veggies.

At least that was what Ayo told me when I finally called him this morning as soon as I woke up. He'd said Nina was fine and that she left yesterday in a hurry but she was fine.

I tried calling her number again but it was still switched off and I asked Ninuola if she’d heard anything but she hadn’t.

Funny thing again, she had not come online at all on whatsapp. Part of me was worried but I wanted to believe she was okay and she would definitely call.

Nina Ogbeide was always okay and this time she just had to be.

                           •ORE•

The dread I’d been feeling since we finished our first term exams only escalated as I stepped into my father’s mansion again. I’d been dreading the fact that I still lived in this hell of a home.

I'd wanted to stay back at the school’s hostel but RBA had this annoying boarding house policy that once school exams were over, everyone moved their luggage and selves home. Even if school had not vacated.

The worst thing was that they’d actually call your parents on the last day of exams so that they would pick you up. What they did not understand was the fact that NOT everybody wished to go back home. For example— me!

I’d gotten back from the party around ten this morning. The party actually started dope and honestly, I was expecting something really whack, you know…based on the ones I’d attended in the past, arranged by the sets before us and some of my classmates but I guess Ninuola Adams and Goke Wilson had talent when it came to stuffs like that.

I was flexing and flirting with many girls whose names I honestly can’t remember and actually enjoying myself, ignoring the guilt tugging at the small place in my heart that I was seriously hurting Chidera, and keeping an eye on  Bolu as she spoke to that good-looking guy, Alex Badmus, whom I knew to be Ashley’s cousin.

Honestly, his good looks kinda, sorta intimidated me and the way he flirted with Bolu showed that he had good flirting skills but I later found out she was not quite impressed with the guy. And that made me relieved. Don’t ask ‘cause I didn’t know why either. 

Anyway, I kept feeling good until a call from my dad totally spoiled my mood. I had ignored it at first but it kept vibrating annoyingly in my hands so I excused myself and went out to the pool to pick it.

Let’s just say shit went down between us as we exchanged words on the phone. The confidence I had to talk to him the way I did on phone was something that I knew I was gonna regret later.

He found out that I went to a party.

‘How?’ You may ask?

Well, take a lucky guess.

It was the biggest snitch of the entire universe, popularly known as my sister, Aisha, that told him. Yes, she told him I went to a party and did not come straight home so he went gaga.

Only if he knew the amount of parties I’d attended before. And what I’d done there…

Relax... I did nothing bad.

He was never concerned with what I did or how I lived my life but I guess it’s because of this stupid marriage that I was about to get into that made me suddenly matter.

He was a total suck up. He was worse than my mom in fact, especially when it came to impressing the bride’s parents. It was like he lived to impress them, like he would die if he didn’t get me married to their daughter.

At least, the few times we’d seen the bride and her parents, I’d observed his behavior towards them and I’d be a big fat liar if I said I did not smell something fishy going on.

Like the other day at the hotel…

Anyway, he found out I went to a party and called me names, saying how did he even ever give birth to me as his son, asked me why I was so rebellious and compared me to his other friend’s son who always did anything his dad asked. He even threatened to disown me and took it back when he figured I’d be gladly disowned from him.

What got me really mad and made me sprout profanities from my mouth was when he said I meant nothing to him or anyone but should still perform my duties as his son and then he hung up on me.

But I had enough confidence and proof that I wasn’t nothing to anyone. At RBA, I was a very treasured entity, not just ‘nothing’!

Also, Bolu finally told me what went wrong and why she snubbed me for what felt like a whole century. And the whole time, I figured she was just being real insecure and that’s something she needs to work on.

Of course, I got her laughing, thank my amazing uh…people skills and it made me warm to hear her laugh and frown and get annoyed with me.

And when I posted Bolu’s pic on my whatsapp status, I got over 700 views as at yesterday, many replies from guys which I ignored and I also blocked Chidera and some of the people she was close to from seeing it because, well…

Talking with Bolu had actually eased my bad mood but it did not change the fact that I was still in the deep mess I’m in with my family. And to make my point really solid;

“Daddy wants you down, Ore,” Aisha’s commanding voice said as she peeked her head through my room door, then walked in fully.

“Oh, the growler is back,” I muttered under my breath as I stood up.

“What was that?” Aisha quipped suspiciously, her arms akimbo.

“Oh, nothing. I was just reminding myself how lucky I am that my sister is a big snitch,” I snapped sarcastically and crossed my arms, moving closer to her with my towering height.

She looked up at me. “Awww baby bro is feeling sad about that. Pele. But bro, trust me, it is what it is and there’s more where that came from.”

I sneered at the fact that she just called me a baby. “But why? Why does my life suddenly concern you?” I wagged my index finger at her face.

She sighed. “It’s for your own good. I’m…we’re just looking out for you,” she said and I thought I heard softness in her voice until she spoiled it with. “Don’t want anything to ruin the marriage and our reputation now, do we?” She chuckled mockingly.

I scoffed, glared hard and walked past her to the stairs.

Getting to the sitting room, I saw my dad, mom and other sisters all seated on the sofas. I rolled my eyes as I took a seat on an empty sofa.

I attracted their presence and they all looked up at me, their eyes not leaving me as if I was expected to say something.

What is it now?

My mom sent me a sharp glare and mouthed “greet!”

Oh.

I will do it but I want y’all to know it was never from my heart!

I greeted them and sat back on my seat, fighting the urge to roll my eyes again. Their eyes were still on me, like they were assessing me, trying to figure out something. It was honestly getting me annoyed. I wanted to shout ‘WHAT?’ right to their faces but I held myself.

Five minutes passed and I was done with the staring and assessing so I spoke up.

“Can we just get this sh--… I mean, meeting over with?”

“With all you’ve done, you still have the guts to open your mouth and speak this way?” Dad growled, as expected. His eyes were dark and hard, forehead creased in anger and brows furrowed. His ear was almost red and I could almost see the steam coming off his ears. I wasn’t moved. I scoffed, loud enough for him to hear.

“What way and what on earth did I do?”

I felt someone pinch me hard and I turned to my left to see it was Aisha. I gave her the stink eye and she only smirked at me. When and why did she sit beside me?

“You went to a party when you know you’ll be getting married soon, Ore!” My mom snapped. “Did you not register that in your brain?”

“So? What does it matter? For your information, Mother, I have been to many parties.” Her mouth hung agape. “This ain’t the first.”

“You won’t speak to me that way,” she said and her voice faltered.

I rolled my eyes. Aisha pinched me again and I gave her the middle finger.

“For what you have done and for the way you spoke to me on the phone…” my dad drawled with a growl.

I swear, the way he said it made me really scared and if my heart had ever dropped when he spoke, this time, it completely shattered.

“Your wedding will be sooner than it should be. So say goodbye to your friends or whoever and whatever because you have just one week— seven days— before you get tied down forever. Your wedding should have been next year but you’ll be getting married in two weeks.”

“What? But__”

“Ah.” He raised his hand. “No buts. It’s final. At least that will teach you some manners.”

I blinked back the threatening tears as they all stood up and left me alone in the sitting room. Aisha took one long look at me before she left too.

I dragged myself up the stairs and to my room.

No matter how much I tried to escape it. This was my life, my reality. I had no control over my life. Even if I wanted to escape, I knew deep down that I’d be homeless and have nowhere to go and that my perfect boy façade would be ruined.

So I was going to do the only thing I could and that’s to take my dad’s advice to say goodbye to the people I cherish the most. People at RBA.

Heyyy guys!

So…the book is looking as if it wants to end abi?

No oh, it’s not oh. That’s not how we are rolling.

Trust me when I say we still have a long way to go!

Thoughts on this chapter?

I don’t have the strength for a long author’s note right now so bye!

See you whenever.

~Ife❤️❤️😊👊