"But must you kids spend all your money today and at once?" Mister Adekunle asked loudly and the group of excited teenagers ignored him.

They were finally in Ghana and their chartered buses were packed in front of the chosen souvenir hub.

Their destination: National Museum of Ghana was nearby and they'd spend the entire day at the location before retiring back to their reserved hotel at night and finally returning back to Nigeria on the 8th day, tomorrow.

Most students were gathered around the different kiosks at the L.T Souvenir Hub, screaming and handing their converted currency at the sales people.

"Leave them, I pity them the most! Like if these are the only artifacts we'll run into on this trip. They're free to spend as carelessly and as recklessly as they please. At least we have our own number of wise five virgins." Mrs Maro smugly smirked while she spoke and Laura giggled besides her.

"Never in my life, have I heard such a biblical reference that good." Her accent made Maro smile and turn to stare at the dark skinned girl who once did excellently well in her subject.

Turned to watch Elizzy who was inaudibly chatting with Tyler.

"I've been looking for you all day!" Tyler repeated again and Elizzy felt like kicking him in between in his legs.

"You've said that for a thousand time! What is it?" She crossed her hands in front of her and eyed him.

He deserved a thousand naira tip but he didn't need to know that. At least not now.

"I'm sorry now. Why are you even vexing? Small mistake I made like that, I didn't know he'd fall on you like that now! Sorry!" He apologized while trying to hold her hand- unsuccessfully, because she kept pulling her hand out of his grip.

"'Cause sorry can just make things right? See ehn, you owe me okay?! Rooney was so angry with me! My clothes and his got dirty and, you know it was just an experiment I was just trying on him, you spoilt it." Elizzy lied and Tyler nodded.

Tyler knew he owed her, with the way he'd pushed Rooney he was surprised he didn't run after him and kill him.

"How much do you want?" He asked her and tried to hold her hand again, Elizzy smiled and let him.

"How much do you want to give me?" She asked as they began walking away from Mrs Kelechi's view.

"It depends on what you want. PC, I can give you two thousand naira, now now now, sharp sharp if you want. But, if you can wait till holidays I'll give you ten K real money. " Elizzy weighed her options and smiled.

God bless her manipulative genes.

She was almost about to give him a two-thousand naira tip but now, she was walking away richer than before.

"Give me the PC own now. I don't need cash from you outside this school." Elizzy grinned widely and Chiamaka paused to watch her, only when she was sure she'd read her lips correctly did she decide to walk over to them

"Tyler Tyler! You'll give me my own PC too right? Cause you're so strong and riiiich." She stroked his chest and giggled and Elizzy glared at her.

Chiamaka don't spoil Barbie's plan for her!

"I know now. I'm strong and rich. " Tyler smirked and Chiamaka grinned.

Men were all the same no matter their age.

"See, Elizzy. Plans has changed, I'm sorry for pushing Rooney that hard to fall on you but I can only give you one thousand. If you'd chosen the one outside school I would have still given you the ten K straight. One thousand is still big PC money, because Chiamaka also needs the money too. How can I just pack everything and give you. " Tyler smirked with his eyes closed in intense pleasure from Chiamaka's stroking.

Elizzy frowned.

I hate you Chiamaka!

And why are you mentioning Rooney's name? Especially when Chiamaka is here?

"Wait are you paying her because Rooney fell on her? Or because you pushed Rooney by accident and he fell on her? Because if it's like that, don't pay her na. It was a simple mistake. Forgive him Elizzy." Chiamaka turned to look at her with suspicious eyes.

Anything Rooney related made her always feel extra edgy.

He was her first time, her first love.

He was her first everything. Her first heartbreak.

She lost Kenneth for him.

"Abi oh! Why am I even paying her? It was a mistake, it's like I'll give you the whole 2K self Chiamaka. You're so intelligent, she's the one that first paid me to push him and now she wants me to pay her times two of what she paid me just because I pushed- oow!" Elizzy stepped on his shoe with so much force that she was sure she'd broken a bone.

What was wrong with him?

I just hope Chiamaka didn't hear that part.

"You paid Tyler to push Rooney on you? Why?" Chiamaka asked with a fake smile directed at Elizzy.

A smile Elizzy would know perfectly as her I-will-kill-you-if-you-don't-spill-the-truth smile.

She'd seen it a couple of times. Not randomly, everytime she saw it she was threatening a classmate while pretending to be nice.

In Emerald Academy there was a very strict hierarchy and even in 7th grade Chiamaka Moses belonged to the popular hierarchy because of her beauty, skin color-Elizzy believed Nigerians were naturally colorist, but in 8th grade and especially after Chiamaka and Rooney started kissing around everywhere her popularity cemented because Rooney was a member of the E³, his popularity rubbed on her as the first girl he claimed.

Then when things with Rooney ended; Darrel and Darren adopted her completely, searching for her in crowds so she could walk next to them while juniors walked behind them, sending SS1 students to her class every lunch with snacks and something that only SS3 had access to inside the school building:cooked food, allowing her sit with them during assemblies and during meals in the cafeteria- everything skyrocketed her popularity even further. It was something unprecedented what Chiamaka Moses became as the newest member of the E⁴.

It began with SS2 boys moving to her and SS1 boys suddenly filling her table up with gifts and flowers, Elizzy was not so certain it was just because of her skin color because there were other biracial, mixed, white, extremely light skin girls all over Emerald Academy so she was sure it had to do with the touch of the D² and it helped that she was also beautiful, then finally SS3 boys started punishing her set mates for her-all she had to do was report and they would serve punishments in public and publicly apologize to Chiamaka for the silliest of things like mistakenly stepping on her shoes.

Elizzy heard the rumors that soon followed, how she was the twin's favorite ST and the strength behind the rumors were why the twins suddenly stopped associating with her anymore-out of her own good because Elizzy was an outsider but she was confident she could vouch that everything was strictly platonic between those three, luckily for Chiamaka the disassociation was too late, Chiamaka by 8th grade 3rd term had risen completely to the top.

8th grade 3rd term after the midterm and on a day that went down in school record, she made an SS3 student slap his female classmate in the school cafeteria because she was trying to turn Chiamaka into her errand girl, he then warned everyone especially his female classmates and down to 9th graders to never ever send Chiamaka Moses on any errand until the day he dies.

It was what sealed it permanently, Chiamaka Moses was completely and utterly untouchable. It's what began the Maka's-a bunch of lightskin or biracial girls rushing to identify with and fall under her privilege.

Elizzy knew she was beneath Chiamaka in the hierarchy so she knew Chiamaka would kill-her-if-she-didn't-spill-the-truth-to-her even if she was no longer as influential as she once was at her peak thanks to the seniors graduating. She was still Moses.

Chiamaka watched Elizabeth Mohammed like a hawk.

To Chiamaka, if Rooney didn't want her, no one was going to have him either

If he hated her for no reason known to her, then he as well better hate Elizzy.

Who gave him that right to be biased?

"I don't know, I didn't ask her questions that time but she said it's for an experiment or something." Tyler responded.

"Experiment?" Chiamaka's tiny voice facade was immediately gone as she growled slowly.

Experiment?

Experiment my foot. Tramp what are you doing?!

"Tyler, why don't you give me the two thousand and please leave us alone?"Chiamaka requested, he nodded.

And obeyed. He would do anything for Chiamaka Moses.

"What do you think you're doing Elizabeth?" Chiamaka dragged her away and behind a bus.

"I don't know what you're talking about Chuwkuamaka." Elizzy mimicked.

"You paid Tyler to push Rooney on you. Why? Is this some Nonso thing you're doing again?" Chiamaka glared.

"I don't see how that's your business if it is."

Chiamaka stepped forward and fought the urge to wrap her hand round Elizzy's neck.

She had never fought in school and this SS3's were the weakest of SS3's she'd ever had indirect power over.

If she made a senior punish Elizzy, everyone would speak on it because they didn't wield the type of ultimate veto that Darren and Darrel's set did, or the two sets after them.

Even her set was more politically powerful than the SS3's.

But she couldn't stop herself from slapping her. Her finger rings violently slamming against Elizzy's cheeks. "You're very very stupid. You know Rooney's mine-"

"-Yet he obviously hates you? He ignores you in public and I sure as hell bet that you guys haven't had sex in as much as he's a single man. You can't even blame Munachi for this, he clearly doesn't want you. He hates you. " Elizzy interrupted while rubbing her right cheek.

Chiamaka growled and trashed the fake tiny voice. "He doesn't hate me. He's just playing hard to get. "

"Listen to your self Chiamaka. A boy playing hard to get for you? You banged Arthur, his best friend in our dorm. You think he'll want you? Just get over your silly and stupid infatuation because Rooney is now mine. " Elizzy threatened angrily and walked away.

Rooney is now hers?

What?

Much to Jasmine's surprise who had spotted Chiamaka joining the Tyler and Elizzy duo minutes ago and it gained her attention, so she moved closer and listened to their conversation. Carefully following them both when Chiamaka dragged Elizzy behind the parked bus.

Jasmine was confused.

Rooney and Elizzy?

Someone he almost hit because she insulted Munachi?

••

In the refreshment side of the souvenir hub, Munachi was on a queue without her friends, waiting for her turn to get some Ghanaian street food when she suddenly felt a hand touch her elbow.

"Muna." Arthur called out her name softly and she looked up.

Their height difference was reducing but yet he always seemed so tall to her.

"Can I talk to you? Alone." He requested and Munachi squinted her eyes at him, it was almost her turn and she was starving.

"What do you want to get?" Arthur asked her and Munachi replied. He smiled and turned to the person standing behind her, then paid for the food and also for the service of helping them purchase it.

"I'd collect it in the school bus. " Arthur told the boy who nodded, then he returned his gaze to Munachi.

She shrugged and nodded. He pursed his lips together and stretched them backwards giving her a tight smile. Grabbing her right hand with his left hand, he took them away from the crowd.

Arthur tapped the buskey in his hand-he'd borrowed it five minutes ago for this purpose and the door of the bus they'd come in slid open, he climbed up the steps and helped Munachi come up then he locked the bus door again with a tap of his finger.

Privacy

It's all he's really wanted these past days. Privacy with her.

But he could hear voices from outside the bus and he knew there was truly no more privacy for both of them at all.

He wish he could get rid of them but he couldn't, so instead he tried really hard to ignore the whispers and the voices.

"You've been awfully quiet lately. What's up?" Arthur asked her and she sighed deeply.

She couldn't answer him because she didn't know what to say, nor did she know how to describe how she felt.

So she shook her head and lied. "Nothing."

"Can't be nothing. Is it about Rooney? He's been back for a while, he isn't killing us and it doesn't look like he's about to. So why's he now getting to you?" He rubbed his neck nervously.

"I don't know Arthur. I feel... Different and Confused. Especially after I found out about Elizzy and Rooney's escapade. I don't know why. " She looked away and felt guilty.

It sounded like she was jealous. If she was jealous then that clearly meant she still had some sort of feelings for him and admitting that to her boyfriend was giving Hell her number again.

But she wasn't. She wasn't jealous, she just felt empty. She felt worst than she ever did when she was labelled Numb.

"I know you still like him. " She looked up instantly. Ready to defend herself.

Ready to lie.

"No. " Arthur frowned at her.

He'd knew from the moment she kissed him back. He's always known.

"Shh.. Don't lie. It's not bad, I understand. I mean you guys didn't even break up on a bad note, I understand. But, what I won't understand is you hooking up with him behin-"

"-Never!"

He chuckled and took a deep breath in. "Calm down little mama. I know you won't. It's just that, if you want to break up to understand or to figure out what you're feeling. I'd accept that, like I won't mind. We can be friends again. What I would mind... Is you hooking up with him while we're still together."

He was laying emphasis on his greatest weakness and she was simply... frowning.

At least after hearing his words, Munachi could feel an emotion. Sadness.

"Stop saying that. I don't want us to break up, we barely just started. I really like you Arthur. You're my friend and my bae and I won't ever cheat on y-"

"-But you still like him."

"I don't! I do! But... I don't too. I'm confused okay? I feel guilt over the things we've done, I've never done the things we've done with him and he was my boyfriend first. I've never seen a... you know in real life until yours and he was my boyfriend first. I just feel so confused, so guilty but it changes nothing.

He's back doesn't mean we'll get back together. I want you Arthur. You and you alone, me wanting Rooney is so wrong on many levels and I can't. "

She can't.

Can't.

Arthur sighed and wrapped his hand round her waist and pulled her closer to his body.

He was glad they were talking about this instead of acting like nothing major had happened.

Rooney coming back, unannounced and uninvited was something major.

A positive one. Yet negative at the same time.

But now, he was done listening. He loved Munachi and unless she wanted to go back to Rooney, he could live with a part of her still liking him.

It was only natural.

"You regret doing them with me?" He whispered and Munachi immediately shook her head.

"No Arthur. I just, you're best friends and I feel like we've betrayed him-"

"We didn't though. I can't deal with this Munachi.

You didn't cheat on him and you said it yourself, he's the reason you guys didn't go further than dry humping even I was shocked because it's unlike Rooney so why are you feeling guilty? You'd be 18 by next semester. You're an adult and we're not even having sex, we're just doing what normal teenagers do and I'd like to remind you once again that we're not having sex, so please get rid of that guilt. It serves nobody any purpose. " Arthur was exhausted with the entire situation.

Guilt over getting fingered a few times and giving a hand job?

A stupid thing to be guilty about since I'm your boyfriend.

Not him. But me.

"I'm your boyfriend Munachi. " he whispered and Munachi sighed.

"I'm your girlfriend Arthur and I want you-" he interrupted her again, "You want me?" with a smirk and Munachi felt another type of feeling, she felt hot internally yet goosebumps were present on her arms.

How could his voice turn me on?

"I do. "

"Me too. I always will. And especially after seeing that ass in a bikini." He teased and she giggled.

Now she was laughing too?

The emptiness was gone.

For a long time it felt like something that'd forever linger but with Arthur, talking to him alone, laughing.

She felt the emptiness disappear.

It was a pleasant reminder that she was no longer Numb. She was Munachi Odumba and she was Arthur's girlfriend.

"Oh shut up. " She playfully shoved him and he pretended to be hurt.

Arthur stared hard at her lips and tried to move in again for the kill. Munachi's palm stopped him.

"No security cameras but we're still out in the public. We're in a bus. Someone could see us, a teacher or a student and I'd feel so embarrassed. " She explained and he nodded.

Then frowned but his frown switched to a smile once an idea popped up in his head.

"How about we put the curtains down?" He was pushing his luck and he knew it.

No way would she want to make out with him in a school bus with all the curtains down.

"People would immediately know! Are you crazy?" She smiled and started laughing.

"Yes. For you." He replied with a smirk and Munachi drew him closer by his collar.

She gave him a quick peck on his lips, pulled away to look around and it's when she finally noticed Chiamaka and Elizzy whispering behind their bus.

She couldn't hear them properly so she stared at Arthur, pleading with her eyes so he'd translate because she knew from experience he had good hearing.

He rolled his eyes at her. "No Munachi, I really do not care about their conversation and neither should you. I've been trying to tone them out the entire time since we got here but just know it's one of the reasons you should not feel guilty about anything you've done with me. "

"Please? I tried to befriend Chiamaka recently and well... " Munachi frowned.

Arthur slapped his forehead with his palm. Why was she always doing these things? Attempting to see people through some holy pov, he recalled she'd done the same with Ebuka watering down the evil he was and now she was doing the same with Chiamaka, trying to befriend someone who felt entitled to Rooney.

Chiamaka would not hesitate to cut Munachi if it guaranteed Rooney choosing her.

"Well what?" He smirked at her to continue.

Munachi's cheeks flushed. "She blocked me. "

"Of course she did. I'd say you even got off easy. Is that all she did?"

Munachi lied with a nod. She was done talking about Chiamaka to Arthur, he'd warned her off even though she didn't explicitly mention Chiamaka as a reason behind her weight insecurity.

But it didn't erase the curiosity, Munachi wanted to know what Elizzy of all people and Chiamaka could possibly be talking about. "Still, I want to know what both of them could be saying. Please just tell me small. Please?" She pleaded and Arthur stared into her eyes and succumbed.

"... You banged Arthur, his best friend in our dorm. You think he'll want you? Just get over your silly and stupid infatuation because Rooney is now mine! Elizzy just said that, wait shit. " Arthur said and pressed Munachi's head downwards, the top of her head pressing against the back of the seat in from of her and Arthur crouched lower.

Munachi stared at him with shocked eyes, confused on why he'd just done that and he explained.

"She just walked by the window, she could have seen us. You can raise your head up, Chiamaka went the other side and... wow, Jasmine was always there all along. Is this what she does with her free time? Stalk people?"

Munachi obeyed with a chuckle, raising her head up and sitting comfortably besides him again.

"We should probably head back. " Arthur frowned at Munachi.

"I don't wanna!" She whined childishly and stomped her foot down.

Arthur rolled his eyes and dragged her with him after he tapped open the door. "Come on, you big baby."

••

"Took you two long enough." Silvana smirked and passed Munachi the street food a classmate had given to her to give to Arthur and Munachi because he suddenly had to use the toilet.

"Yeah, were you two fucking or some shit?" Nonso teased and Rooney who was behind him with a cup of ice cream tilted the cup in his right hand until the ice cream spilled over.

Munachi you better still be a virgin.

I'll kill you Arthur, if she isn't.

"Guy! Why you dey waste better ice cream!" Dominique exclaimed loudly and everyone's head turned towards their direction.

Students and teachers turned at intense bass behind his voice.

A minute later and only few people were still staring.

Nonso coughed and rubbed his hair nervously, obviously that meant Rooney heard him.

He could imagine hearing someone saying that about Silvana to his ears and he understood how Rooney felt.

Replaced his nervousness with guilt.

"I know you guys weren't fucking. I was just joking. You guys have never even fucked and might probably never even f.... Fuck." Nonso said and cleared his throat.

Munachi looked up at Rooney and he stared back at her.

She tried to crack a smile but only the left side of her lips lifted up.

But yet, Rooney grinned.

And Arthur sighed.

•
•

('•̥﹏•̥')