IRENE

Scrolling through Instagram, I saw a post with my picture and that of Uzo and my blood boiled at the sight of the caption.

These two teen stars be giving us the main sauce. Who kills the badass look, Irene or Uzo?

I tapped the comment section and began reading the comments.

DayoOlaler_e  Irene all the way. That skin and body is a killer.

That wiped off the scowl on my face and I chuckled mentally.

"We're home!" Ola voiced graced the length and breadth of the living room we were seated in and my gaze landed on her. She walked in with Desmond behind her each holding a package from KFC where they got us chicken and fries.

My eyes darted back to my cellphone and I read the next comment.

Callmecray_zee. What are we talking about? Comparing someone who has been in the industry for more than eight years to someone who joined this year. Haba fear God! Irene all the way jare.

Reading this particular comment got me smiling and wondering what brought about the baseless argument.
I went to the next comment which was a reply to the one I just read.

Bibidiva. There is no argument here. Irene is fake, Uzo is the main deal. It doesn't matter how many years she has spent in the industry, if one is destined to be successful then so be it.

I rolled my eyes at that one.

Lame!

Oshey, motivational speaker.

The statement sounded like something Theodore could say but then he'll say in a more sensible way.

"Here." TY's voice came out and I turned to him. He was holding out a cup of champagne and I scowled. "You know I don't drink." I stated and he rolled his eyes. "Jeez my bad. I decided to give you the benefit of doubt." He said and passed the cup to Desmond who had taken his seat beside me when he came in. Desmond stood up and went to get me a bottle of orange juice from the kitchen and came with it less than a minute later with me thanking him.

My gaze landed on the plate of chips and chicken before me and I was mentally salivating. Looking away from the plate, my eyes met that of Theodore's and as expected, he didn't look away, I did.

He watched me as though he was studying me and that had me worried.

Could it be because of what I told him?

Now thinking about it, I regretted telling him everything. I mean, how long have I known him to have told him my deepest secrets. Something I hadn't said to even my best friend Desmond. Two weeks? Just two weeks and I let my wall of resolve crumble?

I wanted to distract myself so bad as the voices were coming back again.

He's only going to see you as an object of pity and very soon, every other person will.

The voice came in and I could swear I heard loud cackling follow. I shut my eyes to wade away the voice and laughter but it seemed like they were even getting louder.

Nothing but a flawed little girl. That's what you are.

You're bad luck itself.

"Irene!" A voice cut through my little trance and I was grateful. "What's the matter?" That was Zion's voice. I looked up to the worried expressions on all their faces.

I shook my head vigorously. "It's nothing. I was just lost in thoughts." I said and returned my attention to my brightly lit phone.

My eyes moved over the next group of words.

Idara_eneje. This argument should not be happening. We all know it's Irene again and again.

That got me grinning hard. Of course it's me again and again. I worked day and night for this fame.

"Did you just receive a text from your crush?" Ola voiced out and I looked up at her with arched brows. "You were grinning like a lovestruck fool."

I let out a hearty laugh "No, just came across something amusing on Instagram."

My eyes went to the next comment.

Derene_till eternity. The question is who kills the badass look. It's Irene by the way but why are we even having this argument? Irene is not in Uzo's class. She's the CEO of Irene's essence where she has her own waist trainer brand, lipstick brand,clothing, jewelry and many more. The caliber of people she's seen with is another thing. The likes of Sophia Williams, Queen Dike, Shade Onam, Tobias Pirah, Desmond Ukeme, the triple J and so much more. Are you also aware that she's one of the teen ambassadors for Kim Kardashian-West's beauty popularly known as KKW beauty and is the only Nigerian so far. Should we talk about the many other million dollar contracts she has signed? Please what are we then talking about? This argument is baseless, period!

This particular comment made me rethink how much I have achieved at such a young age. At seventeen, I was one of the most sought after and influential teenagers in the world. I was indeed proud of myself and the person that wrote this epistle.

I decided to click on the person's account and immediately it opened, my eyes widened in shock, horror and amusement.

The laughter I tried holding back forcefully erupted from my mouth causing everyone in the room to turn to me and even at that, I couldn't stop the fits of laughter coming from me.

"Desmond you need to see this." I voiced out and passed the phone to him. It was a fan page for Desmond and I and Derene was a ship name that gave us.

They made up this scene in their head that we are a couple but don't want to admit it or don't want to make it official. There were so many photos of us. There was one we took at coldstone with Desmond tickling me and me laughing in one of our hang outs with the guys months ago.

"They even have over three thousand followers." I said to Desmond who skimmed through the posts with a small smile on his face. "This one is even small compared to one I saw few weeks ago. They have over ten thousand followers." He stated and my eyes went wide twice it's size. "Mad o!" I exclaimed in laughter.

"You guys should better hold some sort of press conference to talk about this thing. It's getting too much." Ola said and Kiki nodded.

"We did mention playing a game earlier didn't we?" Osaze's voice came out from where she was seated beside Theodore laced with disgust and a scowl across her not so friendly face.

"Oh yeah." Ola replied and turned to TY. "What game do you think we should play?" She asked him and I watched him stroke his chin.

"How about we play Never have I ever!" Kiki squealed and we all made signs and gestures of agreement.

"Alright let me begin." Zion started. "Everyone gets a drink if they've done what is mentioned." Ola said and turned to me. "And that includes you Irene."

"No." I said shaking my head. "I'm not going to be drinking, I don't drink." I stated and Kiki sighed. "Sometimes you have to loosen up. A few shots will do you no harm." I arched a brow at the girl I assumed was the most sensible among us. "What?" She asked giving me a stare.

I shook my head at them. What was I even doing here? What did I think deciding to play. such a game. I loved hanging out with my friends but I don't like the idea of spilling my deepest secrets any more than I already have.

"I won't be playing this game with you guys." I said and my phone screen lit up followed by my ringtone and I glanced at the screen. The name that appeared brought a scowl to my face.

Toby😋

"I have to take this." I said and without waiting for a reply, I walked out the door. A satisfying sigh escaped my lips as the natural cool air hit my open skin. It was more comfortable than the artificially air from the air conditioner. Even though there isn't much difference between both, I felt the difference in my skin. It was a cold evening but Theodore's hoodie I had on shielded me from the harsh hands of cold.

The ground was still pretty wet as I made my way downstairs through the elevator. My phone was ringing for the third time and I wasn't planning on picking up the call as I didn't want to talk to Tobias.

I got to the swimming pool area and saw a couple laughing and talking at the top of their voices. I decided to give them their privacy and then took a left turn to the basketball court. Finding it was no hassle for me as I was very familiar with TY's place.

Walking into the empty basketball court, I dropped my phone on one of the bleachers but not before checking the time. It was almost eight and it was very dark already. I had also received seven missed calls from Toby now and I did ignore it.

Taking the ball in my hands, I bounced it around, the sound of the ball hitting the floor resonating. I was a sports person, maybe not one to take it professional but I was well acquainted with sports and that was the main reason I was given a post as the female sports prefects.

My phone rang again and my mind drifted to the times when I called Tobias like this. I sent so many texts on WhatsApp, Instagram and even via  SMS but I got no reply.

I walked to the bleacher to pick up the call but then the call went off. I sighed audibly at the silence enveloping me. I thought about school, my modeling career, the swimming tournament that was coming up, the disturbing texts I had gotten and the ones I'm yet to get, my confession to Theodore and my mum and her lover.  It all made me feel week in some sort of way and I stumbled back a bit making my booty connect with a seat.

"I knew you'd be here." I knew that voice too well. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be having fun with the guys?" I asked and his soft laughter filled the air.

"Yeah. I just wanted to check on you." He said taking a seat beside me. "Why? I'm no baby."

"You'll always remain a baby to me." He replied and that was when I turned to him. Desmond sat with his ever cool expression and the neon light in the court shining on his light skin making it seen like bronze. His sprouted beards sat neatly on his jawline and his honey brown eyes looking so alluring. In a nutshell, he sat beside me in all his Desmond glory.

"What? We're like age mates." I said back to him and he shook his head immediately. "Nope. We're not age mates. You turned seventeen in August and I turned eighteen in April. I'm older by far."

I rolled my eyes at him and my gaze rested on the phone on my laps. It was Tobias calling again. "Toby said you aren't picking his calls." Desmond stated and I nodded. "I'm mad at him."

"Why?" He asked kicking the ball with his legs and still in a sitting position. "He's been ignoring me too." I replied and he snorted loudly. "He was busy Irene." I sneezed and Desmond said a 'bless you'.

"Too busy to pick up my calls and reply my texts?" I asked expecting it to be a rhetorical question but trust Des
"Yeah, I guess." Was the next thing that left his mouth. "You should forgive him. Don't ruin a friendship of over five years over something this silly."

I shrugged "I'll end up picking his call. Just not ready yet." I replied taking the ball from his laps and tossing it towards the hoop and it got in.

"Why don't you pursue sports professionally?" He asked and I shrugged. "I guess I can't do everything all at once." I said and we were silent for a couple of minutes. Not awkward silence, a comfortable one.

"Irene." Desmond called and I hummed in reply. "Something is bothering you." He stated and I could feel him staring at me. "It's nothing." I quickly replied.

He sighed "If you feel like talking about it, you know you can always talk to me yeah?" "I nodded in response and his phone dinged after.

"Your driver is here." He said to me causing an arch to my brows. "Why?" I asked. "I didn't call him."

"I did. I knew you wouldn't end up playing the game." When I didn't respond, he spoke up again. "Go home Irene. You'll feel better there."

How was I supposed to feel better with my mum and her weird boyfriend being all lovey dovey around the house?

"Okay." I said instead and we walked out together. He walked me to where my driver parked. "Don't you think the guys will be mad?" I asked Desmond and he shook his head. "I'll tell them you're not feeling well." He said and I nodded.

He engulfed me in a bear hug and gave me a peck on my cheeks. An old couple passed by at that moment and I heard the old lady clear her throat and I rolled my eyes at that.

Grandma mind your business!

We pulled away and I got into the car. "Take care." He said and I nodded. The car drove out of the building and into the highway.

Mr Sunday my driver was aware of the kind of mood I was in and did not interfere. I gripped my hoodie tighter as I thought about the texts.

Wait...

That's not my hoodie.

My head snapped downwards at the hoodie.

It's Theodore's and I forgot to give it to him!

I mentally scolded myself and made a mental note to give him when next I see him. Resting my head on the leather head rest of the car, I let out an exasperated sigh.

                                   *

Another chapter for my favorite people.

Tobias and the triple J are from Shattered Heartstrings by I_am_Jazzy .Thanks for lending me your babies. We'll know what went down between Tobias and Irene in the next chapter.

Sophia Williams is from Perfectly Imperfect by Rihanna_Adedeji.

Queen Dike is from When Golden souls collide and Nothing Gold can stay by dheenmah.

Shade Onam is from Those little things by lovetori_xo.

Let me know what you think of this chapter and the characters.

Don't forget to vote and share with your friends. Stay safe y'all.

See you in the next chapter😊❤.

Word Count: 2400