Chapter 37: Chapter 37

: anonymous

→Narrator: Kam

"Bro, you've got to me fucking kidding me!" I frowned when I saw Jemi whip out a lighter, flicking flame unto the end of the joint in between his lips.

It has been two days since his fight with Kosi and he has been smoking to high heavens ever since then.

I'm serious, this guy has been high, ever since that night. He obviously regretted everything he said but had managed to convince himself that Kosi would never forgive him... Kosi, who tried to pretend she didn't care, walking around with a strange wistfulness in her eyes that hardened into a glare when someone picked up on the fact she was suffering too.

"You're supposed to apologize to Kosi today. You promised!"

"And I will." He quipped, white smoke curling out from his nostrils and mouth. "I just won't do it sober."

Jordan snapped. "Guy, you need to stop this thing right now. Don't you want to have a genuine conversation with her?"

He took a long drag before he answered.

"Guys, I fucked up. That's fact." He sighed, closing his eyes and gripping his hair. "Fuck, I don't even remember half the shit I said but if it's as bad as you guys say, Kosi would never forgive me."

"You won't know if you don't try." Amir said, from where he was leaning against the wall, arms folded, looking worriedly at Jemi who was on his fifth joint already.

"I fucking know, because I know Kosi! Fuck, I've known her since we were kids. I know what hurts her the most. I know the words people say to her that will trigger her into a bad mood and I said the very same words to her. I don't deserve her forgiveness."

"Fact." Dave quipped, from where he was typing on his phone.

Everyone looked at him.

Osahon scowled, annoyed. "Dude, are you even listening?"

"Sure, sure." He muttered, distractedly.

"What are you doing?" Jordan asked, leaning over to look at what he was typing.

Dave suddenly cackled evilly. "Guys, it's that anonymous messages that everyone is going crazy about. Someone introduced it in the boys' group chat. Fresh gist!"

"Really?" Jordan asked, whipping out his phone.

I rolled my eyes.

Anonymous messages was a game, which was actually introduced for fun. On the website, you can write whatever you like about a person, what you admire about them, or confess about your crush you probably wouldn't have been able to do in real life... All the while, remaining anonymous or using pseudo-names no one knows you as.

It was supposed to be a good idea and a fun way to tell the entire class your honest opinions about a fellow classmate, but students of Trinity Academy were using it to bash each other, expose dark, disgraceful secrets, shame their fellow classmates, spread rumours and chase clout.

It was finally introduced to the Boys' group chat for our class and In the space of three days, so many secrets have been revealed and so many trusts have been broken.

"Woah!" Jordan muttered, his eyes going wide as he read from his phone. "Guys, you won't believe this shit!"

"What?"

We all crowded around Jordan to get a good look at his phone.

"Somma..."

Haliya's friend?

"Someone said she's sick in the head. That she got admitted into a mental facility, for bulimia and self harming tendencies two years ago, in Delta, because she couldn't deal with her family going bankrupt. Lagos was their last option." Jordan continued.

I've spoken to Somma a lot of times when we hang out as a group and she was just a quiet, girlier version of Zain. Last I heard, her father, who used to be a top government official, was imprisoned for embezzlement of funds and all their assets had been seized... But that didn't mean that they were poor or struggling. Her mother also came from old money, a family that had invested and made huge impact in the agricultural world and was focusing on introducing clean energy into the country.

Somma was nice and sweet to everyone and I never saw her as sick in the head. She was quiet, smart, fun and an alround good person.

I frowned, rubbing the back of my neck. "That sounds farfetched to me."

Dave scoffed. "What about that one they said about Zain being a lesbo?"

"For real?" Osahon laughed at the stupidity of the statement.

I had to roll my eyes at the obvious ludicrous statement. Anyone that thought Zainab Sanusi, Haliya's cousin, was gay, obviously didn't know her well.

"I'm not even worried about that, guy." Osahon laughed, shaking his head. "I'm worried about what Liya would do to the person that's trying to spread bullshit about her best friends."

We all laughed collectively at the thought.

Haliya was fiercely protective of her best friends. Everyone said that they talked about each other behind their backs but that has never been the case. In a weird way, she wouldn't let anyone pick on them, except herself. I've seen her snap at Somma and Caro a couple of times, but I've also seen how much she cares about them most of the time.

And there was this weird ability she had. She could get anyone to do her biddings if she wanted.

If Haliya Akeelah Sanusi wanted, she could sniff out the people spreading rumours about her best friends, anonymous or not, and ultimately ruin their lives.

She was scary that way.

"Sucks to be them." Jordan shrugged, scrolling down his phone until he stopped, his entire body freezing.

It was suddenly quiet for about two seconds.

"What?" Amir asked, picking up on his mood change.

At the same time, Dave whispered, "Holy Shit!" His eyes going wide like saucers. He shared a look with Jordan. "You're reading it, ba? You saw what that Ken doll guy said."

The air around all of us wrinkled in taut anticipation.

"What the fuck is going on?" Jemi looked about ready to throttle the answer out of Jordan and Dave.

Jordan gulped, running his hand through his hair. "Kam, you won't like this."

"What?!" I asked, the hairs on my neck, standing.

"It's about Asa."

My heartbeat accelerated painfully but it was Amir that asked, alarmed. "What does it say?"

Jordan gulped, looking elsewhere.

"What does it fucking say?" I yelled at him.

"Hey, hey! Chill, dude. Don't rush me, okay? I'm tryna build suspense here."

"Jordan..." I warned.

"Kam..." Dave spoke up, looking up from his phone, his face, slack in shock. "This guy calls himself 'ken doll'. Says Asa got sent here because..." He gulped, "...Because, her mother caught her having sex with her own brother."

All the blood in my veins congealed. "What?"

"That's what it says." He murmured, scrolling through his phone. "Everyone is hooked on this, at the moment."

"Who the fuck calls himself 'ken-doll' in our class?" Jordan scoffed, thoughtfully.

"Fuck that shit!" Jemi growled. "We need to do damage control!" Taking out his phone and typing furiously on it.

"Guy, what are you doing?" Osahon asked him, puzzled.

"What does it look like?" He snapped at Osahon. "Throwing them off her case by spreading fake rumours about me."

The idea lit me up. "He's right, guys! We need to do the same. Make shit up about yourself and post it there to be read. Hopefully, everyone will get distracted by all our bs and get off of Asa's case."

They nodded, taking out their phones and revealing embarrassing bullshit about themselves.

"But..." Osahon suddenly stopped, frowning. "Is it true?"

"Is what true?" Jemi scowled at him.

"Did Asa really commit incest?"

Everyone looked at me.

Anger suddenly spilled in my veins. "Of course not!" I spat.

I have no idea who started up that absolute bullshit but a tiny part of me was confused and curious.

As far as I was concerned, I was the only one who knew what had happened between Asa and her disgusting stepbrother. No one else knew, not even Jemi and Kosi.

Who could have started this awful rumour?

Who the fuck is this 'ken-doll' guy?

"Asa gave up her v-card to me."

I knew it wasn't right, talking about her sex-status to the guys, but I needed them to understand and remove any doubt from their hearts.

"Dude!" Jemi wrinkled his face at me, "you did not have to reveal that!"

I shrugged, trying to play it cool. "It's true. This is just major bs against my girlfriend and I won't condone that shit!"

Everyone nodded, satisfied.

I sighed. I had succeeded in throwing them off her case.

But I looked up and caught Amir, staring at me with those eerie eyes of his, like he had seen through my lie.

Like he knew what's up.

But he didn't... I was the only one that knew the details about Asa's traumatizing past... And I was going to make sure it stays that way forever.

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