~Adams~

I did not plan on attending Aminah's party. I did not even tell mom of the party at all and I was even watching a documentary with her when Kunle arrived all dressed up. He must have guessed I was planning on skipping the party and he turning up, unannounced at my house sealed that deal. Especially when his driver already left and he was counting on me as his ride to the party. I was left with no choice but to attend the party.

And here I was, sitting in a crazy circle at the party with the girl beside me not so discreetly running her hands through the entire length of my thighs. I moved my legs away from her and she'd casually move closer to me. It was getting annoying but I just decided to humor her.

Sophia, not quite long with a grand entrance and I just couldn't help but to notice how she's been beaming at Aminah since she arrived. This isn't Sophia, not the Sophia I know sha.

I turned to look at the girl beside her. Kunmi, well, Kunmi...

I stopped because the girl's hand was slowly inching towards my Zipper. Wtf? How did I even get here?

"Can you please stop doing that?"

My voice was low and humorless and for a moment, I wondered how it'd feel like to yank her hands away.

Don't go there.

Six pairs of eyes peered at me and the girl muttered something like "Excuse me?" I swallowed an imaginary lump before looking at her.

"Stop touching me. I hate it."

The plastic smile on her face dissolved into a scowl and Sophia burst into laughter.

"Have some manners, Adams. That's no way to talk to a lady."

I glared at her and she pretended to cower before she winked at her. I shook my head, silently praying for the good lord to give her sense.

"I have to use the toilet."

I did not wait for anyone before I stood up to go in search of a fictional toilet. I only wanted to get away from the crowd and the loud music. I found myself climbing the stairs, probably to look for a balcony. I needed the fresh air.

I breathe in the deep and fresh air as I leaned against the railings. I could almost see the entire estate from the balcony with all the street lights and bulbs from the house lighting up the entire estate making it beautiful. I could hear the music faintly from where I stood. I loved the solace it brought and I was enjoying the absolute bliss until I heard footsteps behind me. I turned back with a frown on my face.

It was Kunmi and my lips instinctively stretched into a lopsided grin. She stopped when she saw me though I couldn't make out her expression because the balcony was dark.

"I never knew you were here, I'll just go back."

She started to turn back and my hands instinctively reached out.

"Oh. It's okay. You can stay."

She turned back, her steps hesitant. I could tell that she was weighing her options. Maybe she wanted to be alone too. She finally started walking towards me.

"Okay, I'll just stay."

She started to walk towards me and I turned back towards the railings, my shoulders relaxing in a relief sorta feeling.

Which I don't know why.

She leaned on the railings and I imagined her taking in the view. We stayed in comfortable silence for a while and I cleared my throat to talk, she beat me to it.

"You don't seem to like parties."

I turned to look at her, surprised. She was looking at me and when our eyes met, she looked away instantly. That's the second time tonight. The Kunmi I know never initiate conversations so I was surprised.

"Oh, you don't have to answer if you're not okay with it."

I dismissed her words with a wave of my hands.

"Of course not, I'm just surprised."

She nodded and I faced the front again.

"It's not like I hate parties. I like attending parties, my friend's parties but I don't know why I'm not in the mood for a party today. I'm feeling out of my space."

"Oh! Unlike you, I don't like parties. I think I hate them. I don't think I can enjoy a party."

My lips stretched into another lopsided grin, not because of her reply but because she replied with something I did not even ask. I guessed there is more to her than I thought I knew.

Won't be bad to get to know her.

I stopped because I had no idea where that came from.

"It seems you want to be left alone."

She stated and I turned to look at her. When our eyes met this time, she did not hurriedly look away. We maintained our eye for a total of 15 seconds before she looked away. I cleared my throat. She thought I'd rather be alone than talk to her whereas I was enjoying talking to her. We've not even spent up to five minutes here and I was enjoying the conversation.

Enjoying it so much that it's starting to scare me.

I cleared my throat again.

"Don't mind me. I just zone out a lot, like you too."

The last part came out teasingly and I could see her lips stretching into a smile.

Good! She smiles.

"Attending a party is not that hard. Though I still prefer to attend a party with people I'm comfortable with. I'd be able to unwind better than way."

She said nothing for a while until I heard her mutter something that sounded like I don't have that many people I'm comfortable with but I couldn't be so sure because it was at that same moment that the DJ turned up the music as it started playing Pawon by Olamide and we heard loud shouts of Heeehs and Aaaahs.

"Looks like the heat of the party is getting turned on."

She smiled again and muttered I guess. We fell into silence for like 2 minutes before I started to feel the need to hear her talk again.

Wierd!

"So you needed fresh air too?"

I asked her, cocking my head to one side so I'd see her.

"Yes. The party was starting to get too hot for me..." She trailed off for a while before she nodded her head as if she just won an internal debate with herself. 'Yeah, that's the word. Too hot."

I burst into laughter. I just couldn't help it. She looked at me with confusion etched on her face.

"Too hot? Do you mean when people are dancing and some are making out openly and they're doing all sorta things?"

She nodded.

"Well, that's real-life of the party."

She did not say anything for a while before she shook her head.

"Too bad it's the most obscene part to me."

I burst into laughter again. I guess Kunmi comes with all the surprise. I was still laughing when we heard footsteps behind us. My laughter trailed off just as we both turned towards the direction of the sound. It was a girl and I could tell it was Sophia even before she came into view.

"I was starting to wonder where you disappeared to, Adams? You did not even spend up to 30 minutes at the party. Too bad."

I shrugged. "I needed the fresh air."

I couldn't make out her expression but I was pretty sure she must have scowled before she turned towards Kunmi, holding out a purse that was in her right hand.

"You left your purse behind and your phone has been ringing since. Took me a while to find you."

Kunmi collected the purse and she opened it hurriedly. She brought her phone out and a gasp escaped her lips when the screen came on.

"Oh shit. It's past 9 already. The driver and mom already called. He must be around."

"Your mom told you the time you just arrive? Mine too. And it's that same 9 pm. Just that I have a thing for disobeying rules. Not exactly enjoying the party but not leaving anytime soon either."

Sophia just replied Kunmi and while it's not that weird, it's just unusual because Sophia I know has a knack for ignoring people.

Kunmi clamped her purse shut and she moved away from the railings.

"I have to go now. I'll see you guys on Monday."

"Yeah. Sure. Goodnight."

I watched her walk away till she disappeared into the dark alley. I don't know how long I watched the space until I turned to see Sophia staring at me, eyes huge.

I was momentarily shocked by the intensity of her eyes, plus they were huge and it was dark and it was only the white of her eyes that I could see making her look like someone in a horror film so I instinctively moved back with a faint gasp escaping my lips.

"Oh shit! You scared me. Don't go around looking at people like that."

I put my palm to my chest, trying to calm it down. She only rolled her eyes.

"Is your heart racing because you were scared or because of someone?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes at the absurdity of her question.

                            ***********

                               ~Kunmi~

I climbed down the stairs with a small smile on my lips. No matter how hard I tried to keep myself from smiling, my lips had a mind of their own because they kept stretching, and soon I was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, something good must have happened up there? Look at you smiling like that."

That was Aminah and my lips still on their own accord. She was standing by the foot of the stairs with a disoriented Kunle beside her. I shrugged.

"Nothing, it's just a nice party. That's it."

She did not believe me, I could tell that from her raised brows but she nodded all the same.

"Of course and I'm so glad you were to make it. Let's do this more."

She said with a grin and she pulled me into a hug as soon as I got to her.

What? Do this more? What exactly have I gotten myself into?

That was my thought but I only smiled instead.

"Of course, sure."

"Hey, Kunmi, have you seen Sophia?"

I pulled back from the hug to see Kunle staring at me.

"Yeah. She should be at the balcony with Adams."

"Oh Good! Looks like I was worried for nothing."

"See? I thought you she'd be fine. Sophia is a big girl na."

Kunle smiled at Aminah's words before he disappeared into the party.

"So, my driver is around and I have to leave now."

"Oh!" She sighed dramatically, her eyes huge. "But the party is just getting started."

Hmm?

I looked at the sitting room to see some people still dancing, some wasted on the chairs, and some openly making out. I could even see the Bola girl openly kissing someone at the far end of the sitting. I averted my eyes, feeling bile rise at the back of my throat. She must be a confirmed whore.

"I have to be home by 9. Mom's order."

"Oh. Okay then. See you on Monday."

"Sure."

We hugged again before I started walking towards the door. I heaved a sigh as I stepped out into the fresh air.

Oh, God!

I heard the rustling of leaves behind the flowers and I did not need to turn towards it to know what was going down there because of the loud moans that followed the rustling. I hastened my steps towards the gate and it was only after I climbed into the back seat of the car that I realized a breath I did not know I was holding.

I was pretty sure I'd never attended a party like this again.

But what if that guarantees spending more time with Adams?

                             **********

Aminah's party was the talk of the school throughout our exams period. It was all that was talked about for those two weeks. Ezekiel seems to know who made out with who and how who passed out after drinking and all that. He even claimed a girl from another school puked into Rahman's mouth while they were kissing. That's very gross but people just kept circulating the news with their numerous versions.

Even though it wasn't my business to pry, I subconsciously started looking for signs that Sophia liked Kunle but she gave nothing away, no lingering gazes, no unnecessarily getting worked up whenever Aminah and Kunle were caught up in their little world. At times, she'd even joke about their relationship and I was starting to think I probably assumed wrongly.

The last time I talked to her or she talked to me was the night of the party and that's two weeks ago. We particularly have not had time because of exams and all that but the few times we've had time, she'd ignore me. Not like I particularly care anyway.

And then, Adams too.

My eyes instinctively sought him out at that thought. We were at the field and the boys were playing football. It was after exams and we were free to do whatever we wanted to. All we did was play games like ludo, scrabble, monopoly, what, and the likes. The SS2 class was playing with the SS1 students and the latter was winning by 2:1.

I was sitting beside Aminah on one of the bleachers. Sophia and Gabriella were sitting on the same row but not quite beside us. We had like six empty seats between us. The match was getting heated as guys were about to score. I heard my other classmates cheering Kunle who was the one dribbling the ball towards the goalpost of the opponent. It's just a match and I don't know why my heart picked up race as he neared the goalpost. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, he had scored. The boys gathered around him and they carried him, all the while shouting and the girl cheering them.

Aminah was out of her seat in a twinkle of an eye, her hands slapping each other. She must have caught herself because she sat immediately, a wide grin on her face.

"Don't mind me. I'm just..." She trailed off and she gestured with her hands. "I'm just always too excited."

She relaxed back in her seat and Sophia came into view, she was looking at Aminah with her brows raised in disgust. She then looked away when she saw me, her lips stretching into something that must be a hiss.

Now, this girl must be a witch. I get that it's not easy to watch the guy you like date someone else but it isn't Aminah's fault that Kunle likes her. I guessed I have to warn Aminah about her before she do something bad to Aminah. I don't know what Sophia was capable of doing and I can't allow my silence to ruin my friendship again.

Just like it did with Tara.

I closed my eyes.

Not today Please!

When I opened my eyes, Rahman was walking towards us with a smile on his face. I paused. What's this one looking for now?

He got to us and he flopped down beside Aminah who doesn't look too surprised to see him. They talk in low whispers and I couldn't make out what they were saying.

I don't know what I was feeling. The guy has been rude to me on countless occasions and he has never failed to show that he doesn't like me and now, my closest friend in school was talking to him.

Calm down! You're probably overreacting. You've been here for less than four months and they've been here for more than 4 years. You don't even know their relationship.

I tried calming down but that doesn't change the fact that I was feeling a little hurt. I always feel the need to shrink with people like Rahman around. The feeling did not last long because he soon stood up and started to walk away. I kept my eyes on the field, on the boys playing ball.

"Hey, Rahman."

Aminah called and I did not need to turn to know that he had stopped walking and that he had turned back.

"You should apologize to Kunmi. You've been rude to her in the past."

I pursued my lips, still not turning towards him. This is probably one of the many reasons why I like Aminah. I heard a deep chuckle and without planning to, my head turned towards him. He was looking at me.

"Why should I apologize? I did nothing to be sorry for."

I'd imagined what I felt like at that moment to be what it'd feel like to have your bone being crushed one after the other. I could feel my eyes getting moist as he started to walk away. Aminah turned to me and grabbed my hands that were laying limply on my laps and she had a small and tight smile on her face.

"Don't mind Rahman, I'll make sure he....."

Her voice trailed off when we heard the shuffling of feet as if someone was about to trip. We both turned towards the direction of the sound. Rahman was doubled over, his hands gripping the edge of the seat in front of Sophia. From the look of things, he had almost tripped on her outstretched legs.

Sophia sat up straighter and she mouthed sorry. I watched as Rahman's face dissolved into a smile and he was still looking at Sophia when he took a step forward and I watched as Sophia stretched out her left legs. He did not see that and this time, he tripped and he fell on the floor, face down and with a loud thud.

My hands instinctively covered my mouth. The fall was pretty epic and I was sure he must have broken a bone or two. Oh My God!

There were collective gasps from students near us and they all came closer to see what had happened. Sophia blinked twice as Rahman stood up gingerly, when he turned back, his face was contorted into all shades of anger. From the looks of things, he must be hurting badly.

"Now, what's Sophia up to?"

Aminah asked no one in particular.

"Oh my God!" She cover her mouth with her palm and she plastered a sober look on her face. "I'm not so sorry. I did nothing to apologize for. You were the one who wasn't looking at where you were going."

Oh wow. Rahman's hands fisted beside him and I watched as he raised his right palm and he started bringing it down to slap her face. I held my breath but Sophia only stared at him, some sort of dare in her eyes. Rahman's hand froze midair and he clenched his teeth before he limped off.

"What was that all about? Sophia knew he wouldn't do anything to her because he has a crush on her."

One of our boys scored again and the girls erupted into joyful shouts but I was still trying to wrap my head around the reason Sophia intentionally made Rahman trip and why she had answered him with the same thing he said to me?

The gesture brought a smile to my face.

But then, I sincerely can't fathom this girl's deal.

Can anyone fathom her deal because I don't know what she's up to again?

So another update and it's not even Friday yet 💃💃💃 I don't want a Lambo this time around, I want a private jet ni.

And how was the chapter? Hope you enjoyed it? The ship is on its way, anyone trying to delay it will have me to deal with.

Another spontaneous chapter 💃💃I guess we're getting to the juicier parts of the book sooner than expected.

Click on the vote button, please.

Love you 💖 ❤️😍💕🤗💓😘