Munachi Odumba.

"Silvana?" I croaked out and tried to distance my self from Arthur.

He stepped back as we both watched Silvana glare at him. She walked towards us and hissed at Arthur.

"I want to talk to you. " Silvana turned to look at me as she gave her 'order' before turning again to walk away.

"What was that all about?" Arthur asked when she was out of earshot.

I shrugged because honestly, I really didn't know the answer to that.

He looked down at me and a smirk formed on his lips.

"So can I kiss you now?" His voice came out more huskier than I'd expected.

I shook my head and smiled.

"She's waiting for me. " I mouthed to him and he groaned.

"C'mon now!" He begged cutely and I grinned.

"After the kiss what next?... Between us? What would the kiss mean for us?"I voiced out my thoughts and his eyes looked away.

His hand flew to his hair and he started his scratching fiesta...

"Um.. Do you want to be my girlfriend? I've never done this shit before... No no no wait-no you're not shit... Wait wait wait, wai-wait chill... Don't know. Long term dating is still new to-to-t-to um m-e..." He stammered and stuttered and my grin broadened.

I nodded my head at him, silently giving him my permission.

He understood and stepped closer.

"You like me... And I love you. Purfect." He murmured as his hand reached out to touch my lower back.. His left hand moved to my cheek.

"Wildest dream in 5D."

Just kiss me already.

Woah Muna, slow down...

Why do you want this to happen?

He didn't clarify what it would mean for you both... Then why do you want this kiss to happen?

Ignoring the voice in my head I leaned closer to Arthur's red, soft looking lips...

The blood stain on his lip was almost invisible now since he'd spent most of his time absent mindedly sucking on it... Absent mindedly sucking his dark red lips...

He'd subconsciously provoked something in me, watching him suck on his lips had made me imagine doing so too...

Even the knowledge that we could've been doing this if Silvana hadn't interrupted us was provoking enough, how it felt like I wasn't meant to be thinking of kissing him, with the way she'd glared at him.. But still I wanted to, I wanted to break a rule.

Maybe that's why I want this kiss to happen.

Leaning my chest forward, I whiffed in his scent.. Whiffed in his perfume, he smelt abstract... Didn't have a floral scent neither did he have a metallic scent.. He smelt unique, his right hand slowly massaged my lower back, hovering inches above my butt as he dipped his head low enough for me to feel his hot breath against my nose and I stared up at him.

My eyes were slowly closing, almost on reflex as his face moved closer to mine, his left thumb brushed my lips and then I felt his lips on mine.

I let out an involuntary moan and wondered why I did that, he chuckled lightly against me and I wondered why he'd done that.

My lips moved slowly against his quick fiery one's, this wasn't our first kiss but yet it felt different... Maybe it was the way he was tightly holding me against his body or because I'd just identified what I felt for him.. Either way, this was passionate.

I tugged at his church white's shirt with my right hand and he moved impossibly closer to me, his hands raised my two thighs and I crossed them behind his waist, he started walking and didn't stop till my back touched a wall.

He stood in between my legs, my two hands caressed his cheeks while I tried to keep up with his kissing pace.

Dropping my legs, he moved his hands back to their former positions but this time he didn't keep his hands above my butt, he allowed himself to take a big squeeze from my cheeks.

"Thor." I moaned out his name and he froze then pulled away.

"What did you just call me?" His eyebrow flexed upwards as he asked.

I tried to smile and he smiled back at me.

Noted, he's not angry.

"Thor." I answered.

"Why? Why not Arthur? " He smirked and suddenly stepped into my personal space.

"... Um. " I avoided eye contact with him.

He held my cheek in his hand and tilted my head upwards but I still refused to meet his eyes.

"I'm listening... Why? " I watched his lips curve upwards.

He was smirking.

"I think I understand why. "

I instantly met his eyes.

"Why? "

"Because... You're among those type of girl-"

"-Eh? "

How does that answer his bounced back question?

He chuckled.

"Shh. Let me finish. You can't moan out full names.. Especially when it feels so damn good. Your brain unfortunately can't process that much pleasure. " He smirked and I looked down.

My body was heating up and maintaining eye contact with him was not that easy anymore.

But still I managed to look up, he looked like he'd won a prize at a carnival or he'd been given free tickets to Wizkid's concert... And received back stage passes...

And that was something, since Wizkid was his favorite musician.. His smirk and sparkling eyes attracted attention to his teeth and the light formerly bleeding spot on his lip.

"Why'd you ask since you already knew the answer to your question?" I asked him, his second hand joined the first.

"At first it unbalanced me. Then unbalancing you too felt like the right thing to do. " He explained weirdly and I rolled my eyes.

"Now where were we? " He asked and started dipping his head low again.. His toothpaste breath fanned my nose.

Our lips touched and I decided to unbalance him again.

I placed my hand on his chest and pushed him backwards lightly.

His confused face was amusing...

"Nana naa!" He dragged out my nickname and I laughed.

"She's waiting." I said referring to Silvana and he groaned.

"Fashi.. she...wait longer. " He muttered while scratching his hair and I missed some words.

"Arthur.. " I said and his hand left his hair.

"Seriously, treat your hair.. You might have dandruff. "

"Yamad(You're mad.)This hair can never have such. Time, energy, cream, 10K would just waste. "

"Then stop scratching. "

"If you kiss me I would. " I giggled and started walking away in the direction Silvana had followed.

"Don't worry... Scratch! It's allowed. " I turned and told him.

He made a hand puppet and mimicked me.. I jokingly hissed and walked further away.

••

"You knew. You knew my boyfriend was cheating and you didn't tell me. " The tone of her voice scared me more than the words she'd said.

She was way too calm and she said it way too casually that I almost didn't pick up on what she'd meant.

She found out?!

How?

"H-h-how did you find.."

"I'm not a fool Munachi. I put two and two together okay? No one did what you should've done.. No one told me, no one warned me. I put two and two together, like I always do.. I did things my self. I found out. " Anger seeped from her words and I realized that she wasn't as strong as she was acting.

She wasn't immune to feeling things, she was trying to act mature... Act like she was unaffected, but it did... It did affect her. She wasn't an android, she was human.

And I'd hurt her...

"I'm sorry... "

She sighed deeply.

"Don't be. You weren't the one who cheated. I'm just disappointed that you kept things from me. "

"Even though I found out the same day you did." Dwindling my fingers together I gave my self an excuse.

"Not exactly! " She said loudly.

Instinctively I did the same.

"Yes! Might even be the same time you did. "

"You still should've told me! I would've so you should've! " She shouted and the auditorium echoed loud amens from indoors.

Glad no one heard her.

"I'm sorry! " I shouted back.

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"You just shouted. "She stated and I nodded.

"You too... "

She shook her head.

"I know. But you don't do that.. You rarely raise your voice talk less shouting. Are you angry? Did Arthur do anything to you? What were you two discussing anyways? You confronted him about trying to break Chiamaka's bed? ... Why were you two about to kiss? " Her questions had me stepping back cautiously.

"I'm not angry... I'm sorry for shouting, I just react negatively to being yelled at. Arthur didn't do anything to me.. We were discussing about Nonso... He really loves yo-"

"-Love is not enough. Besides if he truly did, he won't had cheated. I've never cheated and I loved him Why'd he do it anyways? I gave him everything Munachi. I tried to be the perfect girlfriend for him. And still, he cheated on me... With Elizzy. Why? " She asked me and a tear slipped from her eye, I moved closer and wrapped my hands round her back and hugged her.

Bingo... An emotional slip up.

And now she needed me.

"Let it all out. I'm here for you, I'm sorry for keeping it from you.. Honestly I didn't feel like I had the right to tell you. You know me Silva.. Mind your business is my motto. Arthur blurted it out by accident, I drilled him and he told me.. Made me swear not to tell you."

She jerked away from me and stared at me with red teary eyes.

"And you obeyed? He foolishly told you, ' Hey, Nachi. Nonso is cheating on your best friend. Don't tell her so we can all laugh at her gullibility and stupidity. Swear you won't tell her.' And you foolishly obeyed You took that fucking oath?! Are you blind or stupid? Can't you see he's making you choose him over me?!"

Foolishly obeyed?

Blind or stupid?

"You're not gullible neither are you stupid, but you're angry, you don't know what you're saying. Calm down. " I tried to give her an excuse.

"No Munachi no! Listen to me, I've been your friend since 8th grade, long before he started talking to you in public. Long before you two started what ever you two do. But then, he suddenly makes you swear not to tell me his new best friend is cheating and you toss me aside .. Toss your old and current bestie aside and swear?!" Silvana yelled.

I stepped back and watched her.

"He's not making me choose him over you. I love you Silvana but you're talking nonsense. Besides, when would I had told you? You went MIA on me and when I saw you again you wanted us moving... On our way to the hostel, you told us... Hence, that means you've already found out.. Did I really have a reason to tell you anymore since you now knew?! But still, I'm sorry for not telling you. I know it was wrong and I apologize but you need to calm down. If I'd told you it wouldn't had stopped him from cheating. " I blared out my emotions and she nodded slowly.

"You're right. I'm sorry, guess I was looking for whom to blame. I just want to cry and kill Elizzy, I mean.. She's to blame, even if he'd been the one to insinuate their affair she should've resisted him.. Everyone knows he's mine... Was mine. Why'd she agree? " She hugged me and cried again.

"Yeah... " I cooed and patted her back.

"Arthur didn't hurt you. "

She looked up.

"But he'll hurt you.. I don't want you to get hurt, he's friends with Nonso.. I don't understand what's going on between you two but he'll cheat, he's friends with Nonso.. They all cheat... 'Show me your friend and I'll show you a cheat. ' " She misquoted a popular saying and I rolled my eyes.

"We're not dating. "

She pulled away and dabbed her nose with her blue bandana... The bandana that Nonso had given her last year..

I'm surprised she's with it.

"I know.. Just be careful, I don't want you ever feeling this pain that I feel in my chest. Don't let him hurt you. " She said and her eyes suddenly froze in front of me.

"Bye." Her voice leaked no signs to show she'd been crying.

I looked at her weirdly and she turned to go in side.

Weird...

Why'd she leave like th-

"-Munachi." His voice startled me.

I turned to the direction the voice had come, turned to the exact area Silvana's eyes had frozen on and frowned at Nonso.

I took three calculated steps backwards.

He did almost hurt me.

"I'm sorry." Nonso apologized.

I blinked and decided to play with him for a minute.

"For what? " Feigning ignorance I asked.

He groaned.

"For everything. Calling you a 'fucker' and almost... " He stretched his hand and took my hand.

Examined it and continued.

"Hurting you.. I'm sorry, I was angry, confused and I kinda too-"

"-Apologize to Arthur and not me."

"Arthur's my guy! Nothing spoil (Nothing's wrong.)We dey(are)okay. " He dropped my hand and rubber his two palms together before brushing down his hair.

Weird.

"Why'd you do it? Why'd you cheat?... You hurt her."

"Don't you think I fucking know that by now?"

"Then why'd you do it? If you knew you would hurt her why cheat? " I asked him and moved closer to a pillar, he followed me quietly.

I was getting answers for my best friend.

"I didn't cheat. " The chronic liar in him decided to say hi.

"I saw you... We saw you. We were all there." I told him and he groaned and set his facial features in a grimace.

"Why the fuck did y'all do that?! I mean I could've denied it all! Then made a mental oath never to do the shit I did! Why were you people there?! "

He was playing the blame game...

"Why did you cheat?"

Maybe this was why she wanted to go yesterday, maybe she knew she would've believed whatever Nonso had said when he'd be defending himself from Kenneth and Kenelum... And she needed to have some sort of proof against him.

Maybe witnessing her boyfriend cheat would've cleared the denial and doubt in heart.. And given her enough proof.

Or maybe she just wanted to hurt her self?

Well, whatever her reason... I had no reason to witness Arthur and Chiamaka.. Or did I?

Did I agree not because Silvana wanted me there but, because I wanted to subconsciously watch Arthur with another girl? Was I that twisted? 

What exactly am I even thinking about?

"I didn't cheat okay. " I raised an eyebrow at Nonso.

"Why are you even forgetting Arthur?! Guy almost broke Chiamaka's bed ni. " He changed topic with a smirk.

Chronic liar.

"We're not dating... Arthur's free to do whatever he wants. Do whoever he wants. " I told him and he chuckled.

"Nice... I cheated because I'm a fool. I cheated because I'm the most stupidest teenage boy in this school. Like the bet didn't even require I cheated."

Finally, we're going somewhere.

"First bet was Kenneth's idea and it was meant to give me morale. Everyone knew I liked her, 7th grade we all shared a table, she didn't like the school's spaghetti and I started hating on one of my favorite food to the point that years later I still can't eat spaghetti. She was so cute then, she is still cute.. But then I loved her innocence, the way she talked so freely without a filter, the face she always made when she sees spaghetti, how she picked onions away from her plate only to chew on them weirdly from her spoon. I liked everything about her, but no way would she date me then.. And I knew it. " He hung his head low.

And I had the weird urge to go 'awwn' on him.

"So one day, jokingly, Kenneth told me if I asked Silvana out... He'll pay me N50000, we laughed over it cause we both knew I couldn't do it... Forget the money, I hated rejection or fooling my life. Then Kenelum got involved. He involved sex. And said he'll add 50K more and I'll be paid 100K if I had sex with her. " I nodded for him to continue.

"I wasn't interested because lass lass na dem go laugh me if she no gree date me (At the end of the day they'd laugh at me if she rejects me).

But Kenneth told me to accept, obviously Silvana's not a slut and before I'd have a chance of fucking her at least I'll have to be her boyfriend.. I should accept it and date her... Picture 100K waiting for me... Because if we date and we have sex na win-win be that(It's a win win situation.).. If she doesn't agree at least I'd have all I ever wanted then.. She'll be mine. Trust me, that's all I ever wanted since 7th grade. " I found my self smiling at his words.

"So I agreed. And took all the tips from Kenneth and brushed my self up.. Doubled my good hygiene, updated my swag level and wardrobe... I was set, I started talking to her slowly... Kenneth was there sometimes in school to ease the tension between us. Then during the holidays we went out on a date... " He stopped talking and grinned so wildly and stared up.

"She smelt so incredibly nice.. Looked beautiful and overall was divine. She was hogging me for selfies and everything... She posted a few on her Gram account... Till date one of those pics is my Infinix's wallpaper because it signified the day I became more than the guy who says funny things in class, it was the day I became a man. Then a recent one of us is my Iphone's. We went into the cinema and started watching one useless chick flick like that... Guy, it was horrible... They were either kissing or crying everytime I stared up from Silvana's face to the screen... It was wonderfully nonsense. And I asked her out while she was stuffing down this expensive as fuck popcorns down her cute small mouth. She even acted like she didn't hear me. " He chuckled deeply.

"But the mini second she'd stayed frozen gave her away... So I decided to re ask again when we were alone.. Asking her to be my girlfriend in a darkened room with sobbing girls didn't seem so romantic again. " I smiled.

He sounded in love.

Then why'd he ruin it? Was he self destructive?

"So I did.. When we got to her house. She said she'll think about it. She took her precious time... " He didn't smile this time.

" We resumed... And then Kenneth told me to 'show her what she's missing out on' and then one day break time.. I took her downstairs and then kissed the fuck out of her... I think it wasn't even up to two weeks after we resumed first term, SS1. Like the first Monday of that section. " I grinned and remembered Silvana mentioning something like this while we were on our hostel's staircase.

The day I'd made the decision to ignore and or limit contact with Arthur.

"Our first kiss.. Lust controlled me and I think I frightened her, then and then I made the mental promise never to hurt her again and so.. Sex won't be on the table... Weeks later and we started dating, fuck! Everything was perfect... She was mine. Freaking mine! Finally!" He chuckled.

" We were good... Till one day, we were making out, things got heated and complicated and we had sex. I broke my promise that night and hurt her again... Watching her in that much pain wasn't so pleasurable for me, even though we were doing skin to skin. " He smirked.

Without condom... She could've gotten pregnant you jerk.

"Go on. "

"Well... After it all, I realized that heck! I'd won the bet.. 100K was mine, I could now cash it out. The stupid greedy me told Kenneth and Kenelum... I just, you know? I won the bet okay. So...

Kenneth congratulated me for 'popping her cherry' and was ready to cash out.. But Kenelum wasn't. For some weird reason he felt like I was ungrateful, like it was thanks to him I was dating the LOML... Imagine the stupidity? And he wasn't obligated to pay me, he twisted things and made it seem like I was only with her for the sex. Kenneth joined and I saw my self agreeing to gain 500K if we continued dating till the end of this section and lose 500K if we break up. "

"You lost. " I stated dryly.

N500,000 was a lot of money, Silvana should have that it wasn't just 50,000 the bet had an extra zero.

Half a million naira?!

That's five straight months of me not touching my monthly allowance, five whole months.

"I know. Because of her. " His voiced dripped disgust.

"Elizzy? Or Silvana? "

"How can I ever blame Silva? It's that witch, I was about to win.. Coincidentally I had sex with Silvana that same night I agreed to the new bet. And it was beyond pleasurable... But still, I could live without that kain(Kind) of pleasure... I could continue without sex. It's when I ran into Elizzy on the first day of this term's resumption that shit started happening to me. She's a black cat, she's bad luck. "

Well, she is really dark skinned....

I giggled and he looked at me like I was sprouting another head.

"Ooookay? I'd forgotten my P. S in the car-I had plans of sneaking it in and suddenly remembered when the car was half way out the gate, sharp guy like me didn't give up.. I ran after it and then saw Elizzy dragging her bags up the hill alone, all sweaty and panting.. I decided to help her, sha after continuous pleas from her. The car was already gone self, so why not? I helped her with one bag and we walked in silence... She dropped one of her juju bags and started her incantations... But instead of words that juju men in Nollywood say like, 'eeehbeleebababalalalalabablublublehblehbaha' " He joked around and moved his body with his incantations and jerked his head every two seconds.

His face suddenly turned serious and he continued.

"She went.. 'Nonso, I like you.. I've really liked you since 8th grade, I love how dangerous you seem and how raw you act' like, imagine.. Me dangerous?! I'm not dangerous, that's Kenelum's job, she was just being stupid then I swear." His nose flared up

"Then how did you end up fucking her barely 6months after that day? "I asked... He gasped once the word 'fucking' left my lips.

"You've changed. " Nonso said and placed a hand over his chest.

I rolled my eyes.

"So have you. "

"Okay, straight to the point. She did her incantations, rubbed my chest... Even touched my prick self.. Right on the walkway from the gate-God saved her that it was first day of resumption and no one walked around like that... "

He did say straight to the point.. Right?

"It felt like I was cheating, so I told her to stop, dropped the bag I was carrying for her and left. The next day sha.. Her incantations started working on me and I saw her and she saw me. "

Eh?

"We kissed on SS1 floor's toilet... We did so many shit except sex and in my lust filled moment I promised to visit her that night in her hostel. I say incantation because it felt so odd, she wasn't the first girl in our class alone who told me she liked me when everyone knew I was with Silva but still, I told Kenneth and Kenelum about it because I needed their help to jump fence since they've been doing it for a while.

Kenneth told me not to, gave me advises that I wish I'd taken.. While Kenelum told me that, 'egusi don cold, try banga... One soup no fit satisfy one man(A-goosi's cold now try Bangah. Just one soup can't satisfy a man.)' stylishly told me that he was right and I was wrong.. That I only was with Silvana for sex and now she'd given me I was moving on.. He even hailed me. "

"You weren't? You weren't with her for sex? " I questioned him.

"You no dey listen to me(Aren't you listening to me?)I wasn't! I truly love her! Maybe she thought I was because she became a sexhaholic! She started tiring me down with her new sex positions and everything, we've done everything possible... We even tried BDSM, two days after the day you got drugged in that party."

I made a face.

"Nothing we didn't do except anal. And it still wasn't enough for her, like I was now cheating on her with an experienced student porn star and I had enough stress between making sure she didn't find out, battling school's subject, older cousin's marriage, dad's formerly deteriorating health and she didn't need to add the stress of me trying to keep up with her adventures.. She was draining me and I was flopping academically-Elizzy became all romantic and started offering nice encouragement words to me when we were alone in toilets and now that I think of it, her bull was shit.

It was Silvana's tutoring that was helpful not Elizzy's stolen words-probably from those 150 words poem books, but still I liked how Elizzy always said my name when I slid it in.. Made me feel that I was at least doing something right, the way she called me 'daddy' had me eager to see her every night... And that was how a trend was set. A trend that was exposed by Arthur's late night unexpected piss. " He walked over to one of the railings out here and leaned over

"And now.. I've lost the bet, I've lost 500K... But forget all those! I lost my Silva! " He exclaimed loudly.

I nodded.

"What do I do Munachi?"

I shrugged.

Did you ask me before you started cheating?

"I don't know.." He put on his puppy face.

"But start with, making another self oath to your self... Swear never to cheat on her and then apologize to her. " I responded.

"She won't take me back... I know her, I've known her since 7th grade, won't work.. I've been her friend since 8th... She forgives, I've dated her... But she doesn't forget-"

-If you knew all these, why still cheat?

"Things you should've considered before chasing another skirt! " My voice rose as I dabbed at his chest.

He groaned and I turned to walk back inside the auditorium.