IRENE

"Who's going to watch the finale of big brother naija with me on Sunday?" Ola asked. We were in her room on Friday night for our girls hang out night or sleepover as many would put it.

I snorted loudly "That dumb show. A group of adults in a house fooling themselves, I'll pass." I declared going through my social media pages.

"C'mon." Kiki started. "Just because you don't like a show doesn't mean you should write it off in that way."
Osaze closed her laptop she had her head in all the while and tossed it aside. "I do agree with Irene, that show is pointless." she said laying down on the bed.

"I also don't like the show but it shouldn't be that bad. I mean, Zion watches it all the time." Kiki said picking up her phone from the coffee table right in front of the coach she was seated in.

"TY watches it also." Osaze added. I watched Ola blush at the mention of his name and an Idea occurred to me. "Hey, why don't you..." I started and pointed at Ola. "...ask TY to watch it with you on Sunday."

Kiki nodded at my idea. "Yeah, that's cool. You should ask him." Ola fixed her gaze on her fancy shoe rack at the end of the room. "I don't know." she dragged.

"Come on girl, you've liked TY since forever. Give it a chance, it's obvious he feels the same." Osaze said causing Kiki and I to nod.

"I'll give it a try." She said looking up at us. "You better." I muttered.

"So Irene, have you spoken to Theodore?" Kiki started and a bit back a cuss word. Why now? "Yeah." I replied not taking my gaze from my phone.

"How was it?" Ola sat up straight in interest. I shrugged "Okay." "So you guys are cool?" That was Osaze "Yeah." I responded.

"Ola I was wondering if you could..." The door flew open and Uchendu walked into the room. Uche was Ola's immediate older brother in his early twenties. He was already in the university, an ex student of Claret High. "Oh hey girls." he said with a cheery wave.

"What do you want?" Ola asked with a big scowl on her face. "Chill out sis, I just wanted to borrow your USB cord. Mine is faulty and it's quite late to get another."

Her features softened and she smiled. "Okay, it's on the table right in front of Kiki." Uche picked up the cord from the table and walked back to the bed where Osaze, myself and Ola were.

"Thanks." he said and dipped a hand in Osaze's bowl of chips earning a stinging slap on his hand. "Ouch!" He yelled in a high pitched girly voice.

"That's for trying to shorten my ration." she said holding the bowl of chips to her chest. "Grumpy much." he muttered feigning hurt. "Just leave, you're not welcome here." I said to him poking his biceps.

He pouted and walked to the door. "See ya suckers." he said and slid out of the room.

Ola rolled her eyes earning a chuckle from me. "Sometimes he acts like a child." I said going over the several times that Desmond went all playful with me. "Yeah." Ola added.

I turned to Kiki, she hadn't said a word in a while. It was since Uche walked into the room. I squinted observing her expression.

"Don't stress yourself Irene, she's just flushed. Sweetie's got the hots for Uche." Osaze declared and my eyes widened. "What!" Ola and exclaimed in unison.

"That's not true." Kiki defended immediately, earning a teasing smile from Osaze. "Deny it all you want, it will still remain the truth."

Kiki rolled her eyes and walked to her sleeping bag on the soft rug to grab her blanket. "Don't you dare go to bed young lady, we have a lot to talk about. Since when did you start looking at my brother in a different light."

Kiki groaned "I told you I don't have a crush on him, can we not do this." She responded and slid into her sleeping bag. Ola opened her mouth to speak but I tapped her lightly. "Don't." I mouthed.

Kiki wasn't one to take things personal but it did seem like she wasn't quite comfortable. "Let her be, she's sleepy." I said out and walked to the end of the room to grab my hair bonnet from my luggage.

Walking back to the bed, I saw that Osaze was already drifting to sleep. "What's up with these girls, it's barely even midnight and they're already sleeping." Ola huffed.

"Hey, you have me. I'm still wide awake." I said to her and she grinned taking a different position, one that indicated that she was ready for a chit chat. "So I heard that you were paired with Teo for your photography project." she started and I nodded. "Well how has that been?"

"To be honest, it has been great." Liar! It had been awful, nothing but disaster. Ola was my closest female friend but I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth and that made me feel bad but what choice did I have anyway?

"I'm glad, you see apologizing wasn't such a bad idea after all." she said dipping her hand into Osaze's large bowl of abandoned potato chips.

"So how has the project been going?"
"Good so far, we had the session at his house yesterday and he taught me to take a photo with a camera. I took several photos of his wardrobe." I said remembering how many random photos I had taken the day before.

"Wardrobe?!" Ola shrieked. "You were in his room?" I chuckled loudly "No need to be so dramatic about it. I was in his room." She beamed exposing her perfect dentition "What is his room like?"

"Uhh...like a boy's room. Monochrome, warm, comfy and very neat." I said emphasizing on the last two words. "That's cool." she said looking up at me with teasing eyes.

"So how close have you two been? Have you kissed?" She asked folding her legs underneath her. "What?! Kissed? Why would we kiss?"
She shrugged "I don't know, you two look really cute together. I think you'll make a great couple." My mind reflected on her statement as well as his mum's words from the previous day.

"You're smiling." Ola stated and I snapped my gaze towards her. Was I really smiling? "Yeah, his mum is very nice. I like her." "Step one, check." she said earning a giggle from me.
"You're a sicko Olaedo." I said jabbing her in the side earning a yelp from her and my high pitched laughter followed.

                             
                               •••••

The cold air from the fridge fanned my face gently as I searched for a bottle of water. Finally getting one, I closed the fridge and poured half the content of the plastic bottle into a glass cup and downed it in a go.

Having emptied the plastic bottle, I was satisfied and made to leave for my room. "Hello Irene." I paused at the sound of his voice. I turned with a scowl on my face. This was what I had been avoiding, the reason I barely left my room since three days ago.

"How are you my dear?" I just stood saying absolutely nothing to him. Who the hell did he think he was to want to take my dad's place and why the hell did he have to move in. I just hated the sight of him, everything about him irked me.

I gave him a long look and stormed upstairs to my room. I hated being at home, I hated being around my mum and now there is two of them.

I decided I was going to leave the house for the beach. Watching nature unfold had helped me cool my head the previous night. Grabbing my phone, a scarf and a pair of dark shades, I was set to go.

The drive to the beach was a comfortable one and I had instructed the driver to leave immediately he dropped me off and only return whenever I called him to. Wrapping the light scarf around my barely covered shoulders and putting on the fancy shades, I got down from the car and walked further into the beautiful beach. My legs sank into the soft sand and I exhaled at the feeling of the warms soil between my toes.

Taking a seat on the sand beside a young couple and their toddler, I watched the waters and I felt some sort of Comfort. It made me forget the things I had intended to forget. Theodore was right, Oh Theodore.

A body colliding with mine, sending me to the soft sand and sending my shades flying in the opposite direction snapped me out of my train of thoughts. Looking up, the gaze that met mine made me smile. It was a dog, not just any type, my favourite breed. Siberian Husky.

"Russell stop." I heard a voice call out and the dog moved away from me to the direction of the voice. That voice I could recognize anywhere. I turned and my eyes met his as he was already seated beside me. "I'm sorry about my dog." he said ruffling the dog's furs. Sweet brown curls, Coffee black eyes, skin as clear as the mid day sky, cerise lips..."He's a naughty one." The dog rushed to the opposite direction and returned with my shades between its teeth. My heart swelled at the cute gesture. "Thank you." I said to the dog taking my glasses from him.

"It's no problem Theodore." I said and his gaze snapped to the side. "Irene." he called gently and his jaw clenched.

"It's nice to see you." I smiled, that plastic smile. The one I wore for shoots, award shows, interviews, parties and every other event and that included school. "You're avoiding me." he stated.

"I'm not." I replied softly grabbing a fistful of beach sand. "Ever since Thursday after the incident, you've distanced yourself." I knew what he was saying was true, very true.

"You know, everyone has their flaws and frailties, If you want to help yourself, you pour it out, speak up and ease yourself of that pain. I know there is something bothering you." He paused and took my fisted hand and peeled it opened sending the now damp beach sand back to where it belonged, the ground. "I can see it in your eyes."

The feel of his hand over mine was electrifying. I dug my bare foot into the beach sand to distract myself but the feeling was simply overwhelming.
"It's nothing." I said immediately.

He cupped my chin and tilted my face to look straight into his eyes. "Tell me, I can help you. Let it all out Irene." his voice came out saying. A gentle, circling voice, as a warm hand is gentle circling the wrist.

I felt the tears well up in my eyes at the memory of everything, my misfortune,my life and even my person.

Don't let him know! Nobody should know!

He'll only see you as trash after then, everyone will!

You'll become a laughing stock, they'll all run away from you and leave you alone just how it is meant to be!

Nobody cares about you and nobody ever will!

"No! I snapped, stop it, shut up." I screamed holding my ears. "Hey calm down, we're in a public place Irene. Breathe." he instructed and I did a wave of relief washing over me.

"Now speak, set yourself free." My sanity could be question at that moment as I couldn't think straight, I knew I should not tell him, I was aware it could ruin a lot of things but with his coffee black eyes boring into my brown orbs, I knew I was loosing it and I felt the last brick in my wall of resolve crumbling down as the tears freely flowed down my cheeks.

"I lost my dad when I was barely eight." I heard myself say. Stop it Irene, stop it now so you won't have any regrets. My subconscious warned but I still found myself opening my mouth to speak.

"He was my everything, he made me feel so alive, I was his princess, he made me who I am today, he gave me the zeal I have towards modeling. He always told me I am a born model and that someday the whole world will know my name." I paused and wiped a lone tear away from my face.

I watched Theodore's expression, he was listening his face expressionless and I continued. "When he died, I though that was all, I thought my world had crumbled but my older sister Ivory stood with me." The pain felt so raw as I spoke.

"My mum had locked herself away, she deserted us and began chasing after money. She spent most of her time at work and only checked on us once in a while. When I was eight, I started modeling, just one contract opened doors for many others and that's how Irene Coker was born. The public figure that is admired by children and adults." I sniffed and dug my hands into the soft sand and sighed at the ethereal feeling.

"My sister had been there for me. We were inseparable. Whenever we weren't busy, we'd go to the music room at our house and play the songs our dad had taught us and Ivory would play on the piano just like dad would do, music became our companion as we grew older. The music room had always been a place where I'd cool my head. Both at home and in school." I watched something move in Theodore's eyes, understanding? Could he relate?

"Well my mum drifted far away and I had only Ivory not only as my companion, but as my manager. I met Desmond when I was around ten, he was working one of his biggest projects then. He was around eleven or twelve, we became close friends. I met the other guys when I was in SS1, Everything was normal for a while, the contracts were coming in, I was signed as the brand ambassador of many makeup brands, magazines and several companies, my mum was more or less a stranger to me, but then one fateful day..." The image came clear as though I was watching a movie.

"... Ivory got missing and was found in her car three days later. That car burnt to ashes with her in it. February fourteenth, two thousand and twenty." I said.

"The day everyone celebrates love became my worst nightmare as I lost not only my sister on that day but my dad also on the same day years ago. There was absolutely no one to console me and I didn't console myself. I didn't cry, I moved on accepting the fact that bad things always happened to me." I felt Theodore's hands over mine and I leaned closer to him easing into the warmth from his body as the place got chilly.

"I have been receiving really disturbing texts lately. On Thursday, I got a text with a video of Ivory burning alive attached to it. I couldn't control myself and that was how I lost it." I said and finally looked up and met his eyes.

Surprisingly I didn't see pity in any form, all I saw was admiration, affection. I opened my phone and showed him the texts. "Don't bother about this now." he said handing back my phone. He pulled me into a hug, a comforting one, one that swept away my sorrow. We sat there for a while and I watched Russell rub his soft fur against my chilly skin. I smiled at the dog. "I had one, his name was Lucky. He always brought me luck or so I thought." I said as soon as we pulled away.

"Did he die?" Theodore asked. My eyes fell on the water, as it moved with so much confidence. It reminded me of the Irene I had painted to the world. "No, we sold him out." I said and Theodore nodded and silence followed both our eyes on the wave working on the water.

"You said watching nature keeps you at peace, I think it works for me too." I declared my gaze not leaving the waters.

Thunder rumbled in a distance, an appropriate accompaniment to everything that was going on inside me and around me; a portent of a coming storm within and without.

Theodore snapped his gaze upwards. "It's going to rain, let's get going." he said and took my free hand as I wore my shade with the other, Russell trailing right behind us.

The only thing I could think of was the tingles and electricity I felt as his larger hands enveloped my smaller ones.

I didn't want it to end, all I wanted to do was to bask myself in comfort till infinity?

                                 *

Poor Irene! 🤧

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Till next time 🙏

Word Count: 2857