Chapter 11: Chapter 11

"Let's go to the makeup section. We will come back later so that Melody can finally pick one out of fifteen pairs of shoes," Alice says, giving Melody a stolid look.

"Okay, decision making can be very hard," she defends. We all give her weird looks.

"What now?" Kevin asks, walking over to join us.

"We are going to the makeup section," Ayo replies with an amused expression and Kevin sends us a displeased look.

"Makeup? Geez, why would I want to lay eyes on all the paint and goo that make girls look like disco balls?" he asks and I gasp. Laughter floods out of the boys' mouths and Melody chortles along. Confused and frowning faces turn to her.

"He said disco balls," she says amidst giggles.

"And that was an insult," Lima says, lifting her palms skyward.

"It's funny," she says, walking past us towards the makeup area.

Fifteen minutes later.

"So, why did you not invite Simon?" I ask Alice. We are looking at some eye-shadow palettes while the others are chattering at a far shelf.

"Nothing," she replies with a shrug, still looking at the palettes. I look at her in surprise. She notices and laughs.

"Don't tell me you don't miss him," I insist, grinning when I see that my statement made the impact I wanted. She has a puzzled look on her face as she stares at me.

"It's not like he's out of town or anything. I should see him today, even."

"Yeah, I know. It's just that you usually invite him for things like this. And whenever he is around, you spend more time talking to him."

"Well, he is not here, so I am talking to you," she states, beaming at me.

"You're a little quieter than normal," I state. We stare at each other for a few seconds and she sighs, breaking eye contact.

"I don't want to bother him. I mean, the other time, I told you that he's usually around to keep me company so I think I owe it to him to give him some space," she admits.

I give her an understanding look, "you're right."

"Isabella?" someone says and we turn to see Ego, one of our classmates. As usual, she is with Titi, her best friend.

"Hey," I greet, smiling. I have been on speaking terms with them and although they can be very rough, they are actually nice. At intervals, they have invited me to parties but I have declined all the time.

"Girls, what are you doing here?" Titi asks.

"Shopping," Alice answers matter-of-factly. We all exchange handshakes as the others move towards to us to exchange pleasantries with them.

"You know," Ego begins. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that boys use makeup," she finishes, looking at the boys. It is the girls' turn to laugh and the boys' to be offended.

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Straight guys in the room," Ayo says, pointing at himself and the other boys.

"Yeah, so you are free to accept our proposals," Kevin adds but gets elbowed in the side by Jasper. Everyone laughs.

"No be only," Titi says in vernacular. This is one of the few times I have heard someone speak vernacular.

"Hm. Your vernacular is coming up but you're still below me," Kevin mocks.

Titi's eyes narrow into slits as she takes challenging steps towards him. "Wetin you talk? You wan try me?" There goes the crazy part of her.

He chuckles and is about to fire back when Jasper cuts him off, "I know you both are in the mood for a faceoff now but we have fifteen pairs of shoes to work on," he reminds him. We nod in agreement and he gives up. Titi and Ego look confused.

"Bye girls, we'll see you in school," Melody says as we move to go.

"Yeah, bye. We're coming to your party, Bella," Ego chips in before they turn to leave.

As I follow my group back to the clothes and shoes area, I notice Jasper staring at me but pretend to not be aware. He has not talked much ever since we got to the mall. No teasing, no snarky comments, nothing. He has just been stealing glances at me.

"Take all of them!" Lima exclaims in exasperation. The number of shoes has been narrowed down to three and Melody is still trying to make her choice. She puts on a puppy dog face and Lima frowns, "don't give me that look."

"Please help me make a choice," she pouts.

"Pick this one," Ayo suggests, pointing at a black pair of boots. The sudden tension in the air does not escape me. Melody holds gazes with him for a few seconds before she grins and says a quick 'thank you'. He smiles and the tension subsides. Now, that was awkward. She picks the shoes and we walk to the counter to pay.

***

"Why are there no empty cabs around here?" I ask in confusion. We just came out of an eatery, quite far from the shopping mall. The boys had to pay for everything we ate because, according to us, they brought the idea and it’s not normal for boys and girls to go to a restaurant and the girls would have to pay. Melody packaged some extra and Ayo offered to pay for it. I’m still finding it hard to understand what is going on between those two.

"Because you’re close to another side of town," Jasper replies.

I look at him before saying, "I'm lost."

"He means these places are very busy, unlike on the island, so you cannot find empty cabs easily," Alice explains.

"It's one of those places babies like you can't go," Jasper says, referring to me.

"Err, what?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You can get a bus to the mouth of the bridge somewhere around here," Kevin says. I take a closer look at one of the passing buses. Scary!

I gulp, "do we have to?"

"See? I told you she is not cut out for the other side." Okay, I have had enough.

"You know what? Let's go to that bus stop and get a bus," I grit out, glowering at Jasper. Much to my dismay, I cannot read the expression on his face.

Gosh, why is he always unfazed by my words?

Ayo nods as if to say, 'I'm proud of you'. We walk to the bus stop. The hustling and bustling in the area startle me as we reach. The other girls are equally confused but not as much.

"Geez! I never get used to this," Lima complains and Ayo places his arm across her shoulders, pressing her against himself.

"Okay Melody, you don't want to disappear, do you?" Kevin asks in warning as he drags her back to the group. She was talking to some kids standing close to a bus.

"I was just talking to them!" she whines in mild exasperation.

"Trust me, they could just blink and you are gone," he cautions.

"Gee, thanks mum, but they are just kids," she murmurs and he lets her go, saying, "you know what? Go get yourself killed. I promise I won't cry at your funeral," Kevin succumbs.

Cracking up, Lima asks, "really Kevin?"

"Oh, alright," Melody concedes with a cute expression on her face. Kevin tries to look unfazed but ends up smiling. He holds her hand firmly so she will not get distracted again. Jasper leads us through the crowd, down the road to a bus that is being loaded. He talks to a guy and motions for us to enter. We climb in and the conductor fills the tiny space left. The driver yells some gibberish at him but he remains seated.

"Oga, as I dey ehn, I don tire. De bus don full na," he complains loudly. I only understand what he said by picking key words. He fiddles roughly with the door for a few seconds before it rams shut. Low murmuring can be heard from the back as two passengers begin to converse casually.

We, on the other hand, are already suffering because of the stiffness of the air. I am squeezed against Jasper and I try my hardest to keep a straight face, unlike the other girls who are making low grunting noises but I’m sure he can see through the façade because of the way he’s smiling.

Why do I always have to prove myself? Now look at me!

By the time we get to the bus stop close to the bridge, I’m half dead. Yup, I’ve never been this stuffed in my entire life. I take long, relieved breaths once I am out. Finally, fresh air.

"Now, let's see if you have the guts to ever do that again," Jasper whispers from behind me. Before I can give a sharp comeback, Alice starts to cough.

"Are you okay?" Lima asks her, placing her hand on her shoulder.

She straightens up and nods, "yeah, I swallowed wrongly."

"Let's go, guys. According to the forecast, it shouldn't rain today but I don't like the look―" Kevin stops as a large drop of water hits his forehead. "Oh well, we're in trouble."

No, please don't rain.

Some traders spring into action by covering their goods with thick transparent leathers to prevent them from getting wet. We move quickly towards the edge of the road to get cabs but someone bumps into me and mutters 'sorry'. Jasper grabs hold of the boy, muttering something to him. From his demeanour, he must be threatening the boy. What does he think he's doing?

"Jasper!" I exclaim.

"Hey, hey. It's okay, let him go," Kevin soothes, pulling him off the boy.

"What's wrong with you? He said sorry," I scold him but instead of answering, he simply walks past me. Why does he even care?

"Let's just go home, okay?" Ayo tells me and I nod, following him. Suddenly, the raindrops triple in speed and quantity, causing confusion as people race for shelters. Those of us with the shopping bags hug them tight as we scramble to get away from the rain. We finally find shelter in front of a closed store but we are a little late because we are all drenched. Melody is laughing so loudly; the sound of her voice surpasses that of the heavy rain. I don't know what is funny, though, especially due to the fact that my top is hugging me and is quite transparent.

My white, sleeveless inner wear is on full display. I hug myself tightly in a bid to keep the biting cold at bay but to no avail.

Aargh! By this time tomorrow, I could be dead under a blanket. Melody lets out a thrilled shout and runs into the rain. Goodness, this girl puts the word eccentric to shame.

"Melody Udo, you weirdo! Get back here," Alice orders but instead of obeying, she hunches over, palms on her knees and starts to make up and down movements with her back. She suddenly jerks up and makes weird dance moves, pointing at us at intervals.

"Oh, I'd give anything to see the look on other people's faces," Lima manages to say amidst boffolas. I try to laugh but only a wheeze comes out. That's when I realise, I’m shivering like a leaf. How do these people manage the cold?

"She's lucky it’s only her silhouette they will manage to see," Alice says, finally getting a hold of herself. Kevin whistles as Melody twists her waist slowly.

"Keep it coming, baby," he yells making me cringe. He reminds me of one crazy jerk in Texas. If he was not checking girls out from afar―which was rare―he was telling them when he would pick them up for a date. He once approached me and I called him stupid. He was untouched by the insult, though.

He just chuckled and said, "baby girl, don't worry, I'll give you time cause I know you'll come around. No one can resist my charm." I felt like giving him a good round of beating but managed to hold back. Oh well, I guess all boys are crazy that way. I mean look at Jasper!

"Okay, I think it's time to go get her," Ayo pipes in, nodding.

"Ye―yeah," I force myself to say. My teeth are beginning to chatter.

"Kevin, go get her," Lima blurts, uneasiness evident in her voice. I am too shaky to frown, so I do it mentally.

"Oh, come on. If I were friends with the rain, don't you think I'd be there dancing with her by now?" Kevin scoffs. Ayo sighs deeply and walks into the rain. He tries to lead Melody back by the hand but she drags him back, dancing Indian style. He tells her something, obviously trying to get her to stop. The next thing I see is Lima tromping towards them. Melody tries to involve her but she blatantly refuses to comply. She pulls both of them back to the shelter, her demeanour, one of annoyance.

I am startled when I feel something lye across my shoulders. I am even more shocked to see Jasper draping his jacket around me. If I was not quivering all over right now, I would easily be compared to a block.

"Don’t worry, it's not the monster lurking in the rain," he assures but I am still unresponsive. Seeing that his snarky comment is not helping me out of my daze, he starts, "um," he clears his throat. "I―I figured you were cold," he stammers.

Oh my God, Jasper sputters? The incredible hulk must be real then!

A peeved sigh escapes his lips and he mutters something to himself. "Look I know it won't make you feel warm but it'll cov―just use it." He quickly moves away from me.

Jasper's nice? Okay, is this acid rain? If yes, what acid is that?

I look skyward but obviously, the sky cannot tell me if it's acid rain. I pull the jacket tightly around myself and something hits me. I look down at myself, then at Jasper. He is busy muttering stuff to Ayo, who is frowning a little. That's why…

He gave me his jacket, not because of the cold but because of my transparent top. Should I be grateful he was staring at my inner wear?

Geez, Belle. He is wearing just his T-shirt. Be grateful.

He notices me staring and looks at me. I hesitantly mouth 'thank you' before looking away. A few minutes later, the rain stops abruptly, the same way it started. Finally.

"6:30 sharp," Melody announces and Kevin groans, tilting his head backwards. He looks towards Jasper and asks, "are we going to make it?" All he gets in return is an eyeroll. "What? It started like thirty minutes ago," he grumbles.

"And?" Jasper asks, a questioning look on his face.

"They will definitely not be done by now," Ayo says. Kevin huffs in surrender. "We promised―no, you promised that we will be at the family party," Ayo adds.

Kevin face-palms himself. "Ugh, curse my urge to make promises to girls." Alice and I scoff at the same time.

"What party are you talking about?" Lima asks with curiosity.

"Bianca's," Melody replies.

"Who’s Bianca?" I blurt.

"Toby's sister," Ayo replies. Toby is a classmate of ours.

"Why did you not tell me about it?" Lima questions.

"Well, I thought you'd not be interested in going."

"And you thought Mel would be?"

Seriously, what's going on here?

Melody lets out an exasperated sigh but smiles afterwards. Wait, that's the closet she can get to angry? A sigh? I would be clawing her eyes out at that insinuation. Whatever it is.

"Look, I did not tell anyone. Not even Melody, okay?" Ayo explains, trying not to sound annoyed. It’s obvious that he is too calm her over-the-top attitude.

"And it's because Diana is going to be there," he adds. Something flashes in her eyes and a devious smile creeps up her lips.

"Diana, huh? I'll be there. Wouldn't miss it for anything," she says, looking into space, obviously hatching up a plan.

"Okay," Kevin states with scepticism. Glancing at everyone's faces, I discover something; no one trusts Lima. Even I, who doesn't really know her, don't trust her.

"I won't be coming immediately, though. I've got somewhere to go first," Jasper pipes in. Kevin locks gazes with him and in that brief silence, something transpires between them. I recognize it because it has happened several times between me and Nes. Jasper is the first to look away.

Alice inhales slowly and exhales sharply. "What an escapade," she comments.

Melody laughs heartily, "Yeah. We should do this again."

"Just take away the rain part," I chip in, breathily and we laugh. Ayo jogs to the road and waves down a taxi. A few seconds later, he stops another one.

***

"Where are you going?" I ask Jasper, finally conceding to the nagging urge to know. He insisted on sitting in between Lima and I since Ayo took shotgun before he could. Ayo is quietly staring out of the window and Lima is texting.

"Home," Jasper responds matter-of-factly, making me groan in annoyance.

"You know what I mean," I lambaste and he grins, happy he has once again annoyed me.

"I just want to get something from there. Something cool," he stresses the last word, wiggling his brows.

Obnoxious chicken. I almost laugh at my own insult.

He leans back, a contented sigh escaping his lips, then turns to look at me. "Sitting in between two girls is just awesome."

I scoff at his cockiness and he grins brightly. "You know you’re free to ask me what the cool stuff is right?"

I’m taken aback by how he blatantly states my thoughts. It’s like he can see through me.

"Don't put words in my mouth," I retort.

"My, my, you don't have to say it out. At least not to me. Your eyes always pass the message before you can even comprehend it," he says.

"Keep rubbing those words in my face and I will slap you across yours," I threaten but of course, I am talking to Jasper, the threat-proof boy.

"Oh, I would love that. It's been quite a while since a girl patted my cheek," he teases and my eyes narrow at his imputation.

"Really? I guess I'm not the only girl who hates your face," I spit, pretending to be unaffected by his words.

"It's just been thirty minutes now and it feels like two weeks." He shakes his head dolefully.

"Thirty minutes since what?" I inquire.

"Since someone lovingly patted my cheek. It felt so good," he sighs in mock fantasy. If only this guy and Nes can get into a face-off with each other, things will balance out. But unfortunately, they really like each other. I feel like asking who it is but decide against it.

"I pity your girlfriend." He barks out a short laugh.

"Want to meet her?"

My eyes widen in surprise.

"There’s actually a girlfriend? Oh, I would love to meet her and express my sympathy," I mock.

"Yeah, you'll meet her alright," he responds with a smile.

"So, what's her name?"

"Don't be in a hurry, Audrey," he chides. I huff in response, making him smirk. Typical.

"Will you stop calling me that?" I scold him. I catch a glimpse of an odd expression but before I can decipher what it is, it's gone. He mumbles something to himself, seemingly involuntarily.

"Sorry what?" I ask, moving my ear closer to him to hear him clearly but he moves away.

"Nothing you want to hear. Don't worry, she'll be there with me on your birthday." And with that, he turns his attention to Lima and starts flirting with her. More like she starts flirting with him. I'm almost sure he said something along the lines of 'I'm trying'.

Questions begin to pile up in my head. Why exactly does he call me Audrey? Who is the girl that patted his cheek?

I know that's a completely useless question but I still want to know.

He said thirty minutes ago but where did it happen? Was it Lima? She is the wildest of us all. Or so I think. But most of all, who is Jasper's girlfriend?! Oh, and once again, is it Lima?