~Alya
Around evening, I went to Kylie's room. Chinano was already asleep and I was feeling bored. I needed someone to talk to so she was the next best option.
I tapped on her door before entering.
"Hey", I said taking a seat. She looked up from her book.
"What are you doing here?"
"I came to see my older sister", I said.
"It's nine, you should be sleeping and I shouldn't even be here"
"Why?"
She shrugged not saying anything. I noticed the copy of Jane Austen's Sense and Sensibility in her hand.
"I thought you hated classics"
"I don't. Was just trying to frustrate you. Now leave!"
"Why are you being so harsh? Don't flatter yourself, I am not so gladdened to be here", I said flipping through some books on her table.
I heard her phone ring and before I could even glance towards the phone, she snatched it from the table unconsciously pulling it out from the charger.
The charger itself was also almost out of the socket due to Kylie's action. I glanced at her suddenly surprised by her attitude. She almost damaged her phone, charger and the socket.
She ignored the call before turning to me.
"Alya, could you please leave me alone. Please?" She pleaded.
I sighed and left the room.
The next morning I got up by five am. For some reason, I found myself heading to Kylie's room. I tapped on the door once and it opened.
"Kylie?" I called out on meeting an empty room.
"Kylie!" I called louder this time but was greeted with silence. I concluded that she probably stayed out late and I decided to leave. But then something caught my attention. A small note sticking out from under a book on her table.
I reluctantly pulled it out and read it. It read:
'I am leaving'
~Ifeanyi
I wasn't able to attend Alya's birthday party on Friday. I wasn't even aware that it was her birthday.
But I still made up my mind to apologise to her once I got to class and also give her a gift. But I kept wondering if she even wanted to see me.
It wouldn't hurt to give it a try anyway. I was soon in the class and the first place my eyes landed on was her table. There I saw her resting her head on the table, an ash hood shielding off her face.
I headed towards her table and turned the seat in front to face the table.
"Alya, I am so sorry I could not attend your party on Friday. I wasn't aware that it was your birthday or that you were having a party at your house and even if I was, I doubt that you would have wanted to see me there...", I said my voice breaking at the last part.
"But I decided to make it up to you. Here...", I said pushing forward the small box wrapped in a lilac fancy wrapper. I decided to use that color as the wrapper after much thought.
Alya hated a lot of things and a lot of colors at well. The few colors she fancied were purple, black, blue and a particular shade of dull green.
It might seem crazy to have put so much thought into something as simple as a wrapper but I didn't want to risk her tossing my gift in the trash just because she detested the color of the wrapper.
"I got you a gift", I said. I kept quiet waiting for a reply or at least, for the person I was talking to to acknowledge my presence but she didn't move, didn't behave as if anyone was talking. I was basically talking to myself.
"Alya?" I tried calling her but no word or movement. I slightly tapped the table and that's when slowly, she raised up her head. But I was shocked when I saw it was Chiamaka.
"You?!" I exclaimed.
"I can say the same here", she replied in a bored tone. I stared at her for a while.
"If you would do me the favour of getting yourself out of here, then I would finally be able to breathe peacefully", she continued.
I sat there for a while staring at her before I stood up and taking one more glance at her, returned to my chair. Before school was over that day, I had heard about twenty different versions of Alya's encounter with Chiamaka.
I decided to confront Chiamaka. There was no shit excuse for her pathetic behavior. I was even surprised that she didn't get any bruises or scars after slapping someone at her own birthday at her house.
The last thing you would expect would be to even see Chiamaka alive and walking properly the next day in school. I mean the Alya I saw punching the door that day was probably not the same Alya that Chiamaka slapped.
If I had pity on a metal door she was punching, only the Lord knew what she could do to Chiamaka. And then came the most surprising question that had been repeating in my head.
Why didn't she retaliate to what Chiamaka did? From what I heard, I never heard of Alya even uttering a word to Chiamaka.
But then I also heard that Chinano slapped Chiamaka and I could swear on a Bible that the Chinano in my class from Junior Secondary 1 till Senior Secondary 1 would not even slap Chiamaka if she had stabbed her and spat on her face.
Hell she might even ask her to stab her again!
But then all rumours. I could only hear the truth from Alya... Rather Chinano or Jessica. Anyone that was at the party.
I and Chinano weren't friends and Alya probably still hated me, maybe even more after Chiamaka's ballistic behavior at her birthday party. So I was left with Jessica.
I headed for the music room making a random guess that she would be there.
I opened the door to the slightly dark music room. Without me by Halsey ft Juice wrld filled my ears as I stepped in.
🎶I'm sad inside, but I know it's for the best, right?
You had to realize where you drew the line
I would cross the line a thousand times
You've got what I need, bae, I need your spotlight
Along the lines of social suicide, I refuse to die not by your side
So I'll take what I can from you, then I'll hide
And save the "Lucid Dreams" for another time
I still hate it when you're not there
I know I should, I know I should, but no, I don't care
I still hate it when you're not there
This life's not fair, took advantage of that...🎶
"What are you doing here?" A voice asked snapping me out of the semi trance I had fallen into by trying to understand the depth of those words.
The lights came on and I saw Jessica seated lazily across the piano.
"This is the school's music room not your bedroom. I can be here if I wish", I said.
"Sure thing asshole", she said dimming the lights and relaxing further in her seat.
"I came to ask you something", I said.
"Why do I have a feeling that it would be useless?" She asked staring at me.
"Can you tell me what happened at Alya's party. Everything!" I said ignoring her comment. She glanced up at me lazily.
"What makes you think I would do that?"
She was beginning to frustrate me.
"No specific reason. You could just be kind enough to give me a genuine account of what happened at Alya's birthday"
"Really?" She asked in a deliberate attempt to annoy me. I wished I had been nice to her the first day we met but was that what she still remembered till now?
"Yes", I said through my teeth.
"Okay", she finally said.
"So I was talking to Alya about her choice of clothes and Chiamaka walked up to her and slapped her. Alya didn't really hit her back or do anything, she didn't speak throughout the whole thing which I found really weird.
"Then Chinano slapped Chiamaka. Chiamaka called her a crazy bitch and started blabbing shit about how Alya ruined your relationship with her and how she was a boyfriend snatcher and the rest of the shit she spat.
"Then a white girl I had not noticed through out the party called the security. The women clad in suit or so threw Chiamaka out of the party with her still acting like a mad woman. And yadaa yadaa, Chinano dragged Alya upstairs. Automatic end of party. Everyone went home and lived their usual lives", Jessica concluded her story.
"Wow", I said at loss for words.
"Wow? That's all you can say? Your ballistic girlfriend... Ex? Whatever the fuck she is, went all psycho on Alya because of you and wow is all you can say? You have a problem", Jessica said, her voice sounding over Diamonds by Sam Smith which was currently playing in the background.
"No. You're the one with the problem. What the fuck did I do now? Absolutely nothing! You're the one with the problem. Fucking get over the fact that I didn't want to be in a relationship with you..."
"I never wanted to be in one either. That is not why I have a problem with you. What the hell do you even think you are? The fact that you mistakenly came across some shit I wrote about a crush I had on some other guy who had to coincidentally have the same name with you didn't give either you or Ubaro any shit reason to torment me.
"It didn't give you any reason to just tell me that I should stop chasing you as you were not and could never be interested in me when I simply came to ask you for a note.
"Did I ever tell you I liked you? No right? And when everyone laughed at me, you and Ubaro didn't even care. Ubaro even made me look more stupid when I tried to explain.
"I had never felt more humiliated in my life", she said still visibly angry.
I tried recalling what she just said. That was not how I remembered that incident taking place.
It was in our Junior Secondary 3 or so. She was a new student. She always behaved weirdly around me but I really didn't care much until I mistakenly read her diary and found out that she had a crush on me... Well someone with the name Ifeanyi.
I ignored it but it started feeling as if she was everywhere I went. I told Ubaro about it when he asked why she was always around and he told me to tell her straight up that I wasn't interested rather than 'leading her on'.
He said she might mistake my kindness for something else. So I told her off using Ubaro's exact words, first mistake I made.
I did feel bad about how everyone started laughing at her but before I could speak, Ubaro said something about how she should stop acting like a whore.
She ran out of the class in tears and Ubaro stopped me from running after her saying that it would ruin everything I just did.
I was mad at him but I still did what he said nonetheless. I didn't talk to him for a whole week after that and I never talked to Jessica again... Well, till now.
"I am so sorry. I didn't mean any of that. I know you probably aren't interested in any explanation and I really don't think I have a reasonable one but please can you let bygones be bygones.
"It won't kill you to forget something that happened three years ago. Who even holds a grudge for so long?" I said wondering how someone could actually bottle up so much anger without suffocating themselves.
"Is that your way of apologizing?"
"Sorry. I am not good at apologizing. Just know I didn't mean any harm", I said.
She kept quiet and I could pick up Sia's voice in the background singing a song I hadn't heard before. After about two minutes, she said, "Sure thing".
"Thanks", I said and was about to leave when I heard her say 'wait'.
"Can I hug you?" She asked and I stared at her in awe.
"Sure", I said with a tight smile. She basically ran into my arms as I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her.
"JESSICA!" I heard someone scream from behind us causing me to let go of her. I saw a wide smile on her face as she stared at the door.
I also turned to the door and saw Chiamaka literally seething.
"Chiamaka how are you doing?" Jessica asked with a huge grin.
"What the hell were you just doing?" Chiamaka asked ignoring what Jessica had earlier said.
"Hugging him, can't you see?" Jessica asked, her grin widening. I looked between her and Chiamaka and held the urge to laugh.
She just hugged me to spite Chiamaka. I officially loved her for this. I might have even asked her to date me if I wasn't already crazy about Alya.
"I can see clearly. I just want you to explain why you hugged him", Chiamaka said still clearly frustrated.
I stared at her confused now. Even if we were still dating what exactly was the big deal in me hugging someone? I wondered if she was really this clingy when we were together.
"How is that your problem? Last I checked you and Ifeanyi aren't dating. Even if you were dating him so what? And in case Ifeanyi didn't inform you, we are now a thing" Jessica said and my eyes widened as I stared at this crazy biracial girl.
"How?" Both me and Chiamaka asked simultaneously after which we both gave each other a look. Jessica burst into laughter leaving both me and Chiamaka in confusion.
"I thought you would also attack me for saying that I was Ifeanyi's girlfriend. Why exactly didn't you do that?" She asked still laughing.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding. The last thing I would want is another Chiamaka.
"Jessica..."
"Why did you hit Alya?" I asked interrupting whatever Chiamaka was about to say. She kept quiet for a while.
"Is that all you care about?" She suddenly asked.
"That doesn't answer my question. In fact, I don't want to hear whatever reason you did it for. You have to apologize!"
"I am not doing that!" She said.
"I am not joking. Call Alya now and say sorry"
"Okay", she said surprising both me and Jessica, who had returned to her initial position by the piano.
"If you kiss me", she said.
"No way..."
"Same way I will never call Alya to apologize", she said and stormed out.
I heard a faint wahala from Jessica but I was too busy glaring at Chiamaka's retreating figure to care.
I decided to talk to Alya when next she came to school but she became really scarce. I hardly ever saw her, she hardly ever even showed up in school.
And even during the exam period, she went home once she was done with her papers and she was always the first to finish. I was starting to get worried by the day. I just hoped for her sake that I was just worrying for no reason.