Skylar's dorm room.
Skylar groaned in frustration after pressing the end button on her phone. She had just received a call from her sister, Joy. As usual, it was another bad news. Could her sister ever call to say something nice?
Everyone had agreed to come all the way from Texas to study in Pennsylvania, they all thought they did it for Ryan, but no one knew she was running away from all the predicaments that befell her family. If her friends knew about it, were they going to continue seeing her as one of them?
What of that wicked devil she had known as her dad? She had asked her mum to report him to the human rights agency and also get a divorce.
"No, honey, don't say such things. He's still your father."
"No, Mum! That son of a ***** is not, and can never be, my father."
Her mother was hurt hearing the names she had called her father. Skylar wanted to apologize, but gave it a second thought if that was what would make her mother's eyes open and do the right thing.
"Your father's my life. I'll die if I lose him."
"Tell you what, Mum, you have already lost him and that's the reality whether you like it or not." Skylar pointed to her mother, glaring.
Skylar didn't argue with her mum from that day, and since then, things had gone from bad to worse. Skylar thought of her life and cursed the day she was born, the air she breathed and everything about herself.
----
I give myself away, so you can use me. I give myself away...
These were the lyrics from Ifesinachi's alarm tune by 5:00am on Sunday morning. Pressing the snooze button, Ifes yanked off her cover, got up, and made for the bathroom. After a while she came out, dressed up, and left for church service with Ayo.
"Did you invite any of Mandy's friends to church today?" Ayo asked on their way to church.
Ifes shrugged. "Yes, I did."
"So, what did they say?"
"Not interested as usual."
"What of Mandy?"
"She's also saying the same thing, even worse."
Ifes didn't tell Ayo what Mandy had told her two months ago. She wondered if she should go ahead to tell him if she could get any form of help from him, but decided against it since it was a secret Mandy told her in confidence. She promised never to leak out the secret until Mandy was ready to say it herself.
In the church, other activities were carried out before the choir ministration.
The choir received a thunderous clapping ovation from the student church after the coordinator announced that it was time to get a rendition from them.
Just before Kimberly, the assistant music director was about to take the second verse of the song, Ifesinachi's gaze flickered to someone she never expected to see.
Anne-Marie. It was Anne-Marie!
Ifes wanted to walk out of the choir stand to go give Anne-Marie a hug, but quickly composed herself as she remembered that the choir ministration wasn't over yet.
She made a mental note to do that when it was time to welcome the first timers, or after the church service. After the service, Ifes went to Anne-Marie.
"I'm sorry if this sounds disappointing, but I didn't come because of your invitation. Plus, I am not a Christian, and I don't think I will ever be," Anne-Marie said after the exchange of pleasantries.
Those words had sounded like a blow to Ifes. Anne-Marie didn't care about the effects her words had on Ifes as she went on to tell Ifes her aim of attending the Sunday church service. Ifes walked away, feeling hurt and disappointed.
----
"Wow! Congratulations, Ifes!" Ayo said on their way back from church.
"For what?"
"One of Mandy's friends finally honoured your invitation, I spotted Anne-Marie through the cameras." Ayo grinned.
Oh! He doesn't know. Should I even tell him? Ifes cried in her heart.
"Ifes, Ifes," Ayo called. "You don't look excited about it. What happened? Is something wrong with her?" He gave her a concerned gaze.
"She didn't honour my invitation."
"What! What did you just say? But I saw her in the church today!"
"Yes, but she didn't come because I invited her."
"Hmm! Did she tell you her reason for coming?"
"Yes, she did."
"Which was?"
"She said she came for Ian, the music director."
"Wait! Let me get this straight. She came because Ian invited her, or she came for Ian?" Ayo furrowed his brow.
"Anne-Marie told me that Ian barely knows her."
"So, why did she come for Ian if he barely knows her?"
"She said she had a huge crush on him since the first day she set her eyes on him. She had done everything to get his attention. He seldom spoke to her but often walked with other Christians. So, she had decided to be a church person if that was what it took to get to him. She said she wished he was her guide and not me. She even asked for my help since I am also a member of the choir."
"Jesus ooo! Help for what?"
"To help her get to Ian."
Ayo hissed and muttered a foul word Ifes had never heard from him before. "Nahim you no come slap am (And you didn't slap her)?"
Ifes laughed. Ayo fumed.
"It's not funny." Ayo gave her a rueful look.
"No one said it is, but is that reason enough to slap her?"
"More than enough," Ayo said and Ifes laughed louder.
"Abeg leave the girl matter jor. Na her know as e take dey be her for body (please forget her. That's her business)."
"Oya na, no wahala (Alright, no problem)," Ifes replied and both walked in silence till Ayo broke it off again.
"Enhen! Wetin Mandy talk say be why Ryan dey find your trouble sef? (What did Mandy said was Ryan's reason for being hostile to you?)"
Ifes shrugged. "Oh, that..."
"Talk of the devil." Ayo's words interrupted Ifes.
She gave him the look that read, "That was rude," then followed his gaze to see Ryan and some college students playing on the school pedestrian and driveway like it was their father's playground.
Ifes didn't want to continue. She wanted to either take another route, or walk back to the church until Ryan and his friends were done using the road, but she knew Ayo wouldn't let her take that option. But still, she stood, arms crossed.
Ayo placed his hand on her shoulders, squeezing it gently as he gave her a reassuring look.
"I'm here, let's go. He won't hurt you."
Ifes hesitated before she continued walking with Ayo.
"Ayo, see!" Ifes bellowed, pointing to Ryan. In a twinkling of an eye, she bolted towards Ryan, and pushed him out of the way of an oncoming vehicle. As a result of saving herself, Ifes dived and fell on Ryan as he dropped to the ground. Ifes managed to gaze up to the car and saw the driver glaring at her from his side mirror as he sped off.
"Get off my body you *****!" Ryan pushed her so hard that she bonked her head on the pavement before she could gain control of herself.
"Ryan! Ryan! How dare you, Ryan?" Ayo shouted at Ryan who was dusting his body.
"How dare ya say my name out of your mouth you *****?" Ryan fired back.
"She saved you, and you had the guts to do this to her!"
Ryan laughed sardonically and his friends chorused after him. "She can only save a devil like her."
"Oh, Jesus! Oh, Jesus!" Ifes placed both hands on her head; the noise from the bantering guys was pounding in her head.
Ryan whirled around to face his friends. "Guys, can ya believe this? He said she wanted to save me and what did she do?"
"She fell on your body," his friend's chorus, laughing louder.
"Yeah, say that again!" Ryan's voice echoed and they did as he said.
"Louder!"
"She fell on your body!"
"Louder!"
Ayo was fuming hard, trying to restrain himself by clenching his fists.
"She fell on your body!"
"Oh, ha ha ha! Louder!"
"She fell on your body!"
"Hey hey hey! Louder!" Ryan gestured with his hands. "She fell on your..."
Ayo gave Ryan an uppercut punch that lifted him and dropped him to the ground with a thud. Ryan gasped for breath as Ayo ran towards him, continuously punching him. "How dare you say such things about Ifes? How dare you?"
Ryan managed to glance up and was disappointed to see that all his friends had fled away. "P–please, let me go, I'm so sorry!" Ryan spoke, struggling for breath.
"Ayo! Ayo! Stop it now. Leave him be. Let's go," Ifes called out.
Ayo heard Ifesinachi's voice and all the anger inside him evaporated. He ran and hunkered down close to where Ifes laid on the ground. "Are you hurt? I should have listened to you, Ifes, I should have. I'm so sorry this happened to you."
"It's okay, let's just go!" Those were Ifesinachi's last words before she fell unconscious.
Ayo gently scooped Ifes up in his arms, but the school ambulance arrived before he could walk away.
"We were called by some caring students. Please hand her over to us, she'll be safe," one of the emergency attendants said as they rolled the stretcher towards Ayo.
Two stretchers were used to carry Ryan and Ifes into the car. They were rushed to the College clinic.