Somebody Else (Christian Romance)

EIGHTEEN

He that walketh with wise men shall be wise; but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. Proverbs 13:20

"Seventy-six... Seventy-five... Seventy-four" Dami sounded amused as she counted.

Stephanie was panting as she hurriedly rummaged through her wardrobe for a dress to wear. Vanessa who she was competing with was already laughing and wearing her Jean trouser. They were competing to see who could dress faster. Whoever finished dressing within hundred counts would win. The loser would pay for the winner's dinner.

"Sixty-three... Sixty-two"

Stephanie took out a jean skirt but quickly returned it because it was too short. Vanessa and Dami didn't wear those kinds of skirts, and she didn't want to be the odd one out.

"Forty-six... Forty-five"

Vanessa was already wearing her T-shirt. Stephanie was still in her underwear. She knew she'd already lost. She sighed and stood akimbo as she scanned her wardrobe for a befitting dress to wear to the restaurant.

"Thirty-nine... Thirty-eight"

"I'm done" Vanessa grinned at Stephanie as she packed her braids into a ponytail.

"Come on, Stephanie" Dami said. "You can still win. If you finish dressing before I finish counting, you won't have to buy her dinner. Both of you will be winners"

"Really?" Stephanie grinned.

"Thirty-seven" Dami nodded.

"Yeah, come on" Vanessa said.

Stephanie picked up a sky-blue T-shirt and the Black Jean trouser at the edge of her wardrobe. If Vanessa and Dami were both wearing jeans and tees, she could wear same. Wearing her t-shirt didn't take up to five seconds because it was quite large. By the time she was done wearing her trouser, Dami was on nineteen.

"Eighteen... Seventeen"

There was no time to comb her wig, so Stephanie tied her black bandana.

"Eleven... Ten...Nine"

"I'm done." Stephanie grinned as she wore her sandals.

She placed her hand on her heart and panted as Dami and Vanessa cheered.

"Remind me never to play this game again" She said as she locked her cupboard.

"But it's fun" Dami picked up her purse from Vanessa's table.

"Yeah, but I just finished having my bath a hundred counts ago and I'm already sweating."

Vanessa and Dami burst into laughter as they headed out of the room, Stephanie behind them.

"But it helped us to save time." Vanessa said. "Remember we're continuing with chemistry by eight o'clock"

"Yeah, you're right" Stephanie nodded as they walked down the stairs.

It was Saturday evening, barely two days to Chemistry test. If anyone had told Stephanie that she'd spend the whole week reading, she wouldn't have believed. Although she hadn't read much in the first few days because she'd been recovering from the shock of her stolen money, the last three days were filled with lots of studying. Thanks to Vanessa and Dami who took it upon themselves to make sure she studied and understood Chemistry. It was beginning to look like Chinasa's absence was a blessing in disguise. Had Chinasa been around, they'd probably go on outings or watch movies or gossip, wasting the time they could use to study. But with Vanessa and Dami, she found herself maximizing her time. They'd been studying since morning and Stephanie couldn't have felt more saturated with chemistry. They'd taken a break at six pm to rest and freshen up. They'd continue their reading by eight pm. But for now, they were on their way to the restaurant to have a sumptuous meal. They deserved it.