A friend to remember

30: Deja vu.

****
Denise continued to play with her food. It had been four hours since she returned from shopping with Sheila and Daniella, who seemed like she couldn't get over the fact that her mother had taken them out.

New designer clothes, shoes, bags, jewellery. Dior, Chanel, Balenciaga, Hermes, Cartier, there wasn't anything she didn't have. She was thankful for everything but it all boiled down to one thing.

The obscene amount of money they were donating to the school, Daneilla or nobody else felt fazed by it but she was. How could she not be? Billions on naira to a school? What were they using such money to do? Her mind also went back to what happened that day. Colton Wilfred wasn't a good person.

"Denise? Is something wrong?" Shettima asked, bringing her out of her reverie. Denise looked up from her plate of pepper soup, the eyes of the entire table were set on her.

"I..." She cleared her throat, "I am fine," she muttered, she took the cup of water next to her and gulped it down. Shettima wasn't convinced, she had a frown on her face and had been plenty with her food since the dinner had started, barely taking a bite out of the food.

"How was your first day?" He decided to ask. Awful! She wanted to say but she held her tongue and instead passed a calm smile. "It was fine, thank you, sir."

Sheila grinned and clapped her hands, "that's wonderful news, dear. I was thinking maybe I could pick you up again..."

"Again?" Daniella blinked, dropping her spoon on the table. "Yes, there is still some shopping we could do," Sheila continued as if she didn't hear the disdain in Daniella's voice.

"Shopping? I am okay ma, I don't think that I need any more clothes or shoes, or bags, or purses, or..."

"We get it!" Daniella sneered. "Nonsense! One cannot have too many bags and shoes," Sheila was excited. Denise noted, who wouldn't want bags and shoes when they were being offered? But she already had enough, they filled her walk-in closet and she still had some of the items, sitting in her room.

"Ma, I don't have enough space to put the ones I already have, if I..."

"Are you saying you need more space? Is the space provided for you not enough?" Sheila interrupted her. Denise's mouth opened, what was she talking about?

"Sheila, I think the girl is right, she has enough." Shettima intervened. "Daniella has way more, shouldn't she want more."

"Mummy!" Daniella snapped. The room fell into a tense silence. "I am very satisfied with everything I currently have." Denise decided to lessen the palatable tension.

Sheila stared at her, the happiness in her eyes dulled, "All alright then, if that's what you want then, alright." Sheila finally stated, dropping her words.

****
Colton entered his words, at the wee hour of the morning, he sniffed and rubbed his tired eyes, as he tried to navigate his way through the large hall that was regarded as the house's guest living room.

The light flashed on and squinted in pain from the sudden brightness that came with it. His hands whipped up, to cover his face from the shinithe light from the heavy chandelier, hanging in the middle of the room.

His father sat in the middle of the living room, and Tife sat next to him, on the armrest of the chair. God this now? At midnight? He had school tomorrow and he had to wake up the next day and go to school, he didn't want to be in the same house as his father who was playing love with his new girlfriend.

"Where were you, Colton?!" William snapped him out of his reverie. Colton frowned, his lips thinned, when did his father care where he went? He already took one of the only things that he cared about what else did he want?