Chapter 2: Chapter 2

: Serendipity

→Narrator: Asa

The gods. The celestial beings, that governed teenage hierarchy and social order had dictated that Kam and I be placed in two extremely different social groups.

I knew Kam before I actually met him. It was impossible not to know him.

Like me, he was a new student. Kam, with his glowing charisma and carelessly happy personality, made him likeable and approachable. He was quickly admitted into the Billion gang. A group of effortlessly cool, entitled rich kids and instantly became the golden boy.

When I first arrived at the academy, I was rude. Bitter, even. Still healing from my stinging experience in Abuja. Still angry with the world and reeling at the unfairness of the universe. I was cold. Hard. No one dared approach me and I would have loved to be happily left alone if Kosi had not pursued and befriended me. And with Kosi, came Jemi and in no time, we formed a close knit friendship. I found a quiet place for myself with Kosi and Jemi. My best friends.

That was the way it was supposed to be. The natural order of things had set us up in such a way that we would never really have to talk or meet or cross paths because our social groups were miles away.

But that night. The night of the celebratory party, Fate, that bitch called Fate had other plans. And fate held our destinies in her hands and decided that our paths would cross, in one of the most mundane ways possible, for that matter. And we were powerless to stop the plethora of events that occurred after that.

The serendipitous incidence gave birth to something too beautiful to exist. To something both fragile and eternal. And just thinking back to those times fills me with so much nostalgia and euphoria. A personal high that I can't climb down from.

So, I guess I should thank that bitch called Fate and start from the very beginning... How it all began. So, strap in... It's a sweet and sour sad, sad tale.

*

It was the first day of school that academic year. And like all other first days, we introduced the school year with a friendly game.

This year, it was basketball. Trinity Academy boasted of habouring one of the most talented child prodigies in basketball, Jemi, who happened to be my best friend and also, renowned sports star, who played at an international level and was beloved by the country. Of course, Jemi, completely annihilated the opposing team, and as was the usual case, there had to be a party thrown in his honour.

"Aaaah!" Kosi screamed into her phone, bouncing beside me, ecstatic with joy and excitement. "Good evening y'all!" She flicked her hair, sending her silky pink weave, flying into my face as she updated her one million plus fans, through her live video.

"Kosi!" I spluttered, wiping her hair off my face.

"Oh! Sorry!" She considered me, pulling me into a quick hug as she positioned her latest Hauwei phone to accommodate my face.

I froze. My heart set out like an alarm. Anxiety seized my blood. I stared at the screen pouring with likes and comments and didn't know what to do.

"It's the first party of the semester!" She screamed, flipping her strawberry pink weave again, but this time, careful enough to avoid hitting me. "And as you can see, I've got my pretty ass biatch here with me, and we got our hair on fleek. Makeup on fleek. Outfit on fleek fleek fleek!" She snapped her fingers everytime she said 'fleek'.

Jemi yawned from where he sat at the other end of the luxury car and looked up from typing something in his phone. "Kosi, you've got like... Eight year old fans. I think you should censor your words."

Kosi stopped. Frowned. And huffed. "Lame-o." Kosi grumbled, ending the live video.

I thawed. Blinked. My blood unfroze. My joints suddenly remembered how to work and my heart stopped racing out of my chest. I scratched my elbows nervously, calming my racing nerves.

"You're just my dad, you know?!" Kosi complained, sliding over to him and poking his forehead and tickling his sides.

A smile touched his lips at her attempt at getting him to laugh. A smile that softened his entire "don't fuck with me or I'll fuck you up" vibe, and justified the light in his eyes. Eyes that were the lightest shade of golden brown I'd ever seen.

"I'm trying to help you avoid a lawsuit, Kosi!" He protested, trying to gag the bursts of laughter that tore out of him.

"By announcing it on my live? Sheesh!" Kosi screamed, attacking him more.

I watched them bicker adorably until the limousine, courtesy of Kosi's generous mother, came to a stop in front of a huge white villa.

I got out of the limo first, balancing on the bondage heels Kosi had lent me and adjusted the mini-skirt of my angel inspired outfit Kosi had designed specially for me. She had also styled my hair, that was eternally in its faux locs and done my makeup with a flourish and blazing excitement. In her own words, we were going to "rock this partayyy!"

I gazed at the elegant, gigantic building in front of me and decided I could do this. I could do this. I could do this.

Sweat gathered on my forehead. Dread clogged my throat. I whimpered a cry of protest as a flashback slapped into my consciousness. I took a step back, wiping my clammy hands on the glittering material of my skirt.

"Asa..." I heard Kosi's worried voice, the same time another voice like warm milk asked me, "hey, are you okay?" A familiar comforting hand, squeezed my shoulders.

I looked into Jemi's concerned golden eyes and avoided his question. "You know you're like... One step away from albinism, right?" Which was true, considering his light light skin, dark brown lowcut hair that toughened up his entire 'tough boy' look and golden brown eyes, set in a beautiful archangel_esque face.

His forehead puckered in confusion. "Are you okay, Asa?" He asked again, concern, engraved into his features. "We could all go home and binge on Riverdale or whatever."

My heart fluttered out of my stomach and bloomed in my chest. I squeezed his hand on my shoulder. "Yes. Yes I am." I whispered. "Thank you."

He didn't believe me. "It's going to be your first Lagos houseparty, yeah?"

I nodded, fighting the shiver and pandemonium that set off in my spine.

"Remember what I taught you. Any guy that so much as puts a finger on you..." He swung his arm, demonstrating a left hook. "Give that modafuka a black eye."

I winced. "Sure, Jem." Offered a painful smile. "Whose house is this anyway?"

"It's Kam's."

Surprise poured into my pores.

Kam... The name melted on my subconscious tongue like soothing honey and frosty ice.

Kam was one of those guys you realized, right off the bat, was born to be adored. With his friendly, charismatic aura, irresistible, dare devil, troublemaker looks. I saw him hanging in the hallways and chatting in classes with that sunny, reverberating energy that I'm sure only he possessed. He would naturally flirt back with girls and dominate the school media during sports week. He had reached an entire level of glorification at school and I just... Couldn't understand the appeal.

He was nice... But lots of other boys were nice. He was good-looking... But lots of other boys were good-looking. He was athletic... But not on a level that should have attracted the kind of attention he was getting. And if I were to look at the only other boy the school seemed to go crazy about, for absolutely no reason at all... It would be Amir, Kam's best friend. And they had just one thing in common... They were both biracial.

Kosi walked up to me and squeezed my hand, drawing me out of my headspace. "You'll be okay." She mouthed to me, as if she understood what I was going through. As if she understood what I go through every night. When I was alone with myself and my memories and the cold dark ache of melancholy drove me to the edge of insanity and back, squeezed me into a rattling ball and made me cry myself to sleep and stare at my scars, reminders of my ordeals, and pray and pray that my death would come sooner than later, to rid me of the guilt. The pain. The sadness that never seemed to get enough of me.

Kosi would never understand. She couldn't understand, because a her life was speckled in glitter and pink and the glowing intricacies of teenage stardom. The life her mother had prepared and urshered her into. She didn't understand. She never would.

But I smiled back the smile I had rehearsed in the mirror until I perfected the art of fake smiling.

She beemed at me and squeezed my hand as we stepped into the house that belonged to the school's golden boy.

Luxury wasn't a foreign concept to me. My father was... Used to be wealthy, but he didn't hold a candle to who Kam's grandfather was. I had grown up, cradled by wealth and luxury, but Kam boasted of being the only grandson and future heir to Afrioil. Kam's grandfather was THE Sidney Odinaka Ojiba, who had succeeded in monopolizing and owning some of the biggest oil reserves, spanning three continents.

Of course, I expected his home to knock me off my feet... But it was actually quite... Mundane, so to say. The outside was not impressive at all. Past the gates, huge palm, frangipani and bougainvillea trees lined up the entire path that led to the main house. Granted, there was a pool, guest house and admirable garden but still... Not what I expected.

The three of us navigated our way towards the spacious living room, punctuated with drunk, hormonal teenagers, who were a lot freer and louder than they'd be tomorrow.

There were cheers and laughters as we walked into the living room, where the party was in full swing. The two teenage stars ate up the attention as everyone congratulated Jemi for the win or complimented Kosi for her looks. As usual, they spared one or two curious glares my way, looking at me like I was a charity case the Kosi and Jemi had decided to adopt and they just couldn't understand... Why.

Bile and misery rose to my throat. Depression thickened my joints.

Jemi placed a hand on my shoulder, and Kosi squeezed my hand softly, I blinked up at them, pondering if they were clairvoyant and could listen in on my deepest thoughts. But they didn't say anything and soon, Jemi was whisked away with the other members of the basketball team, hooting and hailing and offering to buy him drink or a spot in their cliques.

Bright lights bounced off the walls, bathing the entire living room and staircase area in flashing psychedelic lights of blue, purple and red as everyone either danced to the music or went off in segregated cliques to converse and gossip. I had to nod in appreciation at the pulsing beat of afropop music booming out of the speakers and recognized Fireboy, who I completely adored.

"Oh my Gawwwd! Queen, your hair!" Someone squealed in that nasally fake and nauseating voice of ass lickers that scraped my spine.

I recognized Donya, and her entire clique of preppy, dollfaced girls, all wearing the same sequin top and sparkling shorts, flashing their latest iPhones and expensive bling.

Donya called Kosi a slut behind her back... Everyone did. The entire school was fucked up as everyone thrived on gossip and rumours and ran with what everyone said... Except Jemi and Kosi, of course... If they had ran along with what everyone said about me... They'd have been disgusted by me... Afraid of me.

Kosi's hate was something I understand clearly. It was poorly disguised envy and blind jealousy, pouring out of their eyes, ears and mouth. And because, as a girl, our only downfall was usually other girls... Most of the girls in the academy started and helped perpetuate the awful rumours about other girls... And the boys just rolled with it.

You see, here's the thing...

My best friend, Kosi, had very huge, very intoxicating energy. You felt her presence before you actually saw her. With her strong confident strides, signature pink weave that dropped all the way to her curvy waist and shiny dark, dark skin that glowed and glittered like the night sky, you couldn't help getting sucked into the light that was Kosi Queen Dike. She was a spiralling ball of hot energy. An infectious star that'll burn right through you if you let her.

And I meant that in a very literal sense. At seventeen, Kosi was already a teenage star, partly because of her mother's international superstar status, and partly because she had made a name for herself in the teen-fashion designing / brand ambassadorial world, with followers and fans, counting in millions on social media accounts. Bagging numerous contracts with big brand names, attributing to her, being one of the biggest teenage influencers on the continent.

Sometimes, I get so insecure around her when I realize how big she really is and how hard she works for a living.

And not everybody could control their insecurity... The resorted to bitter jealousy instead.

"High class prostitute." They'd say. "Instagram Slut."

"I'm telling youuu! She's so much bigger than her age 'cause she's got all these men, old enough to be her father, fucking her." They'd say.

And the worst of all. The one that affected Kosi the most. "She doesn't even know who her father is. Like mother, like daughter."

But here's another thing about Kosi... She could be a bitch if she wanted.

She patted her hair, returning the fake smiles and squeals with giggles of excitement. "Oh, my hair?! Thank you!" She squealed over the loud music, saccharine, dripping from her smile. "I got it at this store: Slutz R Us. You should try it out."

The girls actually took out their phone and typed away on their screens, memorizing the "store".

"Wow, thanks Queen. You're the best!" Donya blew a kiss at her. "How about your outfit?"

"Oh! I borrowed it from the prostitute around the corner," Kosi said, with the same excitement as before.

Donya's face fell, finally catching the sarcasm.

Kosi dropped the act and folded her arms sassily. "I mean... It takes a slut to know a slut... Right?"

The demeanor of the entire group suddenly changed, thickening and boiling over into something more vile and toxic.

Kosi smiled one last, sugary sweet smile at them, before taking my hand and pulling me away with her.

"Witches!" She scoffed, leading me through dancing bodies, into what I presumed was the kitchen.

"You handled it well, this time." I commended.

"I wanted to pull out her fuvking extensions!" Kosi growled, her cherry pink lips, twisting into am angry pout. "She had the audacity to show up in my face, grinning like a motherfuvking canary. Does she think I'm stupid?"

I sighed. Sat on one of the barstools as Kosi inspected the contents in the fridge, muttering to herself.

In the living room, muted sounds of music and laughter filtered into the kitchen as Kosi pulled out a bottle of red wine and two plastic cups.

"Uh... Should we be taking that?" I asked, accepting the plastic cup she handed me.

"This is me, trying to get wasted at this party, Asa." She opened the wine bottle, uncorked it and drank out of the wine bottle, wiping her lips when she was done. "Have some!" She held the bottle out to me.

My lungs constricted. I choked out a breathless sob. Wasted. Wasted. Wasted.

I wanted to throw up as tears prickled my eyes when I recalled my first "wasted" experience and all the shit that went down.

I clenched my fists, took a deep breath and tried my best to remain calm. "I... I don't take alcohol, Kosi..." I added, my voice turning to a hurt whisper. "You know that."

Kosi peered at me for what could have been a second or a decade. "Let's go outside. The air is cooler and we can talk better."

I smiled a grateful smile at her and nodded.

We made our way through the giant maze of twisting bodies, dark corners and pounding music, and in no time, we found ourselves outside the massive mansion.

We sat at an outdoor bar by the pool, where the music was softer and people, less dense. I tried to calm my racing heart, swallowing as much oxygen as I could.

I could drink an oxygen tank.

Around the pool, the VIPs or whatever the hell they call themselves, were having a private party of their own. Childish shrieks and high pitched squeals pierced the air as the boys played roughly with the girls. Picking them up and chucking them into the water.

"Something sweet. Non alcoholic." Kosi ordered and the bar tender set to work immediately, mixing my drink.

She looked at me with that expression again... Like she understood exactly how I was feeling. "I almost regret letting you come to this party."

I sighed, bowing my head and tracing the material of my skirt. "I wanted to."

I really did! Since I moved to Lagos, I shied away from parties, but this one was thrown in Jemi's honour. I had to come. I had to fight the fear hovering over me like a haunting surprise. I had to take back what little control of myself I had.

Actually dressing up and going to this party was the first step. If I could survive this night, in the same setting that had kickstarted my downward spiral in Abuja... if I could survive it... maybe my healing process would be a lot less painful. Maybe I'd have the courage to describe what happened. To label it right.

I still don't understand what happened... I still don't remember.

Kosi was still talking. "You're so uptight and put together all the time. I want to know how it'll look like when you fall apart a little and just let loose."

Her words sucked me into my subconscious memories, as I thought of a period in my life, when i wasn't so "uptight and put together"... When I'd "fall apart and let loose".

She was right of course. And she was also wrong. Because, although I acted like I had it all figured out, everyday, I'd arrange my brittle bones on my bed and crumple into a ball. Desperately wanting to erase my past, or at least, go back and change... Everything. And paralyzing pain would grip me, squeezing my ribs and choking my throat with its icy fingers until I was writhing and crumpled up. The pain I felt when I realize I had no one to share my problems with.

Because although Kosi and Jemi were my closest friends, they only knew the side of me I allowed them to know. The uptight side. The put together side. The side that had it all planned out... But they failed to see the part of me that was falling apart by the second. Bursting at the seams. Praying. Hoping that someone would notice. That someone would help.

I'm screaming for help.

So I took the drink she offered, with that fakest smile I had practiced so much in front of a mirror. A fake smile that I had perfected until it looked real. And it saddened me everyday and broke me a little more that no one... Not even my best friends could tell the difference.

I tasted the pretty pink drink and had to lick my lips as a burst of fruity flavours exploded on my tongue.

"You like?"

I nodded vigorously, sipping more of the drink.

"Good! Now let's find you a partner for the night."

"What?!" I paled. "Kosi, I'm perfectly fine on my own!"

"Nonesense!"

She moved to pull me up and possibly drag me along with her but I veered to the right, trying to avoid her, when I collided into someone, approaching my direction.

I shrieked in horror as my pink cocktail spilled all over my beautiful and expensive outfit.

Fate had rolled the dice of our destinies on the board called life and all other things fell in place from this one little action, like a pack of dominoes.

"What the-!"

"I'm so sorry." The voice said.

I froze.

That voice. That accent. That European accent, weathered down a bit from spending a whole year in Nigeria, that coated his words, making them sound so much more exotic than just words.

That was how I knew who it was before I even had to look.

→꒰A/N꒱˖♡

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