✮Ｓｔｅｐｈａｎｉｅ✮

CH.9: YOUNG & AMBITIOUS

I panted heavily in so much fear and we both raced out of the room together.

"Do you thi-think-we-we should leave him there?" I spasmodically stuttered and Arthur responded, "of course, he'll be fine."

"I can't believe this."

"Let's just hurry, my hand feels dirty."

"And why's that? I was the one who took him down and all you technically did was massage his head with your baby boy hands." I giggled.

"I gave you a head start. I saved you."
Arthur then got a bag and packed all the leftovers of all he had eaten before we left the house. "What? He is even lucky I didn't empty his fridge," he said when I kept gawking at him.

Watching a lot of action movies did pay off for me; the usual me would have panicked and let Dale have his way due to terror. I considered what I did to Dale a vicious action to take and also thought I would get arrested for it but Arthur assured me that it was out of self-defense.

On our way back home, we met Emlyn who was walking the dogs and I couldn't help but tell him about everything that happened. "Oh dear," he said as he followed us.

We stopped to sit by the riverside and Emlyn tied the leashes of the dogs to a pole as I gently made their fur slip.

"You don't need to be worried this much, just be patient for God to help," Arthur said in the most soothing way and Emlyn scoffed, "another Christ fella."

"It's called Christian. Steph, dear, I observed that you haven't been patient and that's why you keep failing. Chillax, if it doesn't happen now, it soon will." Arthur said as we watched the view of kids playing.

"Yeah Steph, the blonde boy is right," Emlyn added.

"Of course I am."

I listened to neither of them.

                    ***
When I returned back home, I stayed in the living room and awaited my dad's arrival from work. He stayed out late and I got tired of lingering, I also felt sleepy so I headed back to lay in my room.

I thought I was going to sleep but I slowly wept. I thought about how stupid and desperate that I had been that it almost landed me in damnation. Maybe Arthur is right.

I stared at my vision board and cried even more. Lord, what am I doing with my life?!

Everyone like Nicole and even Arthur were busy fulfilling their dreams while my life seemed to be moving on a slo-mo. I felt worthless and incapable.

Every step I took to make myself known, to make my abilities and peculiarities perceived was in vain and I would always get knocked down by obstacles. I simply wanted to live out those dreams: to be somebody, to make a great impact and leave my name wavering around forever and ever on the earth even when death comes to take me away; to be one of those people who are never forgotten, the icons and idols. I wanted to be a billionaire. I wanted to soar oceans. I wanted to rule kingdoms.

I sensed myself to be unique. I knew I had it in me. I perceived that I was destined for greatness and I wanted others to see it too. I was beyond ordinary, I was extraordinary. Define looks, define intellect, define skills, about seven, define knowledge, define courage, define beauty, define grace... I had it all. All it takes within to be that person.

Obstacles; like when I was to have a big performance at an event center one day and I was prepared to dazzle the audience but I fell chronically sick few hours to my performance. Or when someone was going to support me and grant me opportunities to shine, he suddenly kicked the bucket. Or how I kicked the bucket of hot water that spilled on me in the kitchen and boiled my foot a day to my modelling event. How else would you define bad luck?

Now, I ruminated on Dale's words and weighed its facts. Perhaps he was right about never getting it easy and having to pay a price. Did Nicole pay a price to be that rich and influential at such young age? What price? I thought.

While I layed and continuously sobbed. I imagined my sixteenth birthday and how my dad ruined it just to bring me into a half nightmare-generating and half fascinating place. Well it was a nightmare because, I got tormented by an Olive Valley celebrity's kid and it was amazing because... it was Olive Valley, it had every reason to be magnificent!

However, he didn't stick to his promise. He barely was even around, wandering the city like a homeless rooster when he was free from work.

Nicole and I were supposed to be sisters in acting, at least that's what I thought, but clearly I was not like her—a rich and famous brat.

Nicole grasped attention to herself whereever she went; she had millions of followers on social media and a super strong fan base. Though she hadn't been on set for over a year, her last movie where she played one of the lead roles was still trending; everyone thought of her as the best and her father, Aristarchus' fame added to it.

She mostly tweeted about her activities in school, and her personal life just to get likes and comments from people—that was all that mattered to her, and going to school was just a medium of signing more autographs and hitting new fun topics to talk about on her fan page.

She as well struggled to balance her education and career, being assisted by her parents and manager, I guess.

She was scurrilous and enjoyed being the center of attention. She had a predominant lifestyle and behaved flamboyantly.

I clutched my phone to look up a text I got from Arthur and he mentioned to me that Nicole was going nuts.
Following what Arthur said, I looked up Nicole's page and everyone was talking about me, "THE NIGERIAN FREAK."
Viewing such, I literally freaked and became provoked. Nicole had suddenly given me an internet fame and name—a terrible one.

Every person was talking about me and the things I did in school in the past few days. They made uncountable and hilarious memes—all thanks to the Olive Valley superstar. The criticism was unbearable. I couldn't really point out what I did to her that made her despise me so much.

Emlyn, he claimed that they had some sort of a connection. Did she really think that I would end up with him? Was that the reason for her atrocities towards me? Only heaven knows.

"Look, I have no idea about why she's doing these things but tomorrow at school, I think I'mma have to give her a piece of my mind! She cannot keep tormenting you like this!" Arthur texted.

I wasn't all that perfect, I had flaws too but I wanted to become someone great and famous, someone who people out there would look up to. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to direct the right path for young people to trail and succeed; rather than telling them things like, "who's got the spice? The girl with the money" or "do whatever it takes to be at the top." It's obvious who says such.

I planned on helping people build an unblemished life; bringing honour to God and my loved ones, not rubbing my luxury on the less privileged, innocent ones. I considered giving out funds to orphans and to the poor. I wanted to help build a positive mindset for young people.
I didn't mind being mocked or underestimated; I was determined.

I just felt like it was what I was born to do.

I was only sixteen but my thoughts were stupendous.