A Nigerian Highschool Romance

04 | Strangers

Let's pick up where we left off, shall we?

Demilade

I looked at Reggie in shock. Did he even know me? How could he say he liked me? "What? You like me?"

"Do I really have to say it twice?", He said, a stupid smile on his face. That smile made me think he was lying. Of course he was. There was no way Reggie settled for me.

"Well, Reggie", I adjusted my glasses, "I don't think I'm ready for anything with boys at the moment", I told him. It wasn't entirely a lie. I wasn't ready for a relationship, at least not with him.

"Okay, I'll wait till you're ready. But I want to ask a question", he said.

"What question?"

"If it were to be Chris, would you have accepted?", He asked, sincerity soaring in his eyes. If I thought he was lying before, I definitely didn't think so then.

"Reggie, I don't know, okay? Did you seriously expect me to just jump into your arms like that? You said friendship, and that's all I can give you", I told him.

He stayed silent for a while to collect his thoughts. Then he bluntly said, "I wasn't expecting you to jump into my arms. I'm only expecting you to know now that you are no one else's but mine", he said and walked off.

My heart beat in my chest, mostly with anger. Who the hell did he think he was? Telling me I belonged to him like that. Okay, it's me and him in this school.

We shall see.

***

The school day ended and I went outside to wait for my mummy with my brother. Damilola was already there.

Mummy drove her car and honked at us. "Enter shap shap(quickly), I don't have time. I have somewhere to be", she commanded.

I got into the back seat while my brother told her something. "I'll be staying in school for like an hour more. Just go since there's no time", he said.

Oh, possibly for the tryouts.

"Ah ahn, what are you doing in school for one hour?", She asked, not believing him one bit. Unlike me, Damilola would prefer going against Mummy and Daddy. He was already rebelling. While I just did whatever Mummy and Daddy asked me to do.

"Football", he said shortly and obviously, Mummy just didn't ask more questions.

"Okay, do you have enough money for transport?", Nobody asked me that when I decided to trek this morning. "Or money for snacks", she said, already opening her purse to give him money.

"No, Mummy, I'm fine", he said and soon, we set off on the road.

"You forgot your lunch box. You must be so hungry"

"Where are you going to?", I asked her as I opened the food she had packed that I forgot to pick in the morning.

"Aunty Esther's mother just died. I'm going to see her", she said.

I looked at her from the rearview mirror. "Ah, sorry o. Send my condolences", I said.

She nodded. "Also, make jollof spaghetti. Don't wait for me to come home and cook", she instructed. I only nodded.

"Okay, Mummy", I just agreed.

Aunty Esther is my mum's best friend. My siblings and I just call her Aunty since we can't just keep calling hermummy's best friend.

When we got home, she didn't even come down from the car. She just gave a bunch of instructions and left the house. I wasn't sure she was coming back that same day. Maybe she would sleep in Aunty Esther's house.