Romola has a secret.
She has a different version for whoever wants to know.
Her best friend, Yetunde, and her mother are to be kept in the dark and away from each other.
But when Olumide, her best friend's crush, is added to the mix with a secret...
"Very few of us are what we seem" --Agatha Christie
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Romola settled into the backseat beside Yetunde thinking of how best to quell Yetunde's anger. She had a feeling that Yetunde was mad at her because of the attention she had received from Olumide.
“So...whose party is it?” Olumide asked, reverting to the comfort of his accented English.
“Party? I thought we were going to...” Romola began.
Yetunde cut in immediately. “Susanna's birthday party. She’s in my department so you don’t know her.”
“Oh,” Romola said. Yetunde did not tell her it was a party.
“Are you sure it’s a party?” Olumide's piercing gaze was all Romola saw through the mirror above his head. His eyes met hers and dropped her gaze. Her palms were still warm from the tight squeeze he had given her. What did that mean? Why did he squeeze her hand? She didn’t like the queasy feeling his hold had on her stomach.
“Why'd you question my words?” Yetunde had also reverted to her faux accent and higher diction.
“I heard some things from Dami. Stuffs about you clubbing and things like that,” Olumide said.
“Yes, I go to the club. Sometimes,” Yetunde answered.
Romola would have shook her head if Olumide wasn’t watching her from the mirror. Yetunde was a club freak. There wasn’t a week where she didn’t visit a club and it was a new one every week. Red glasses was just the one they visited when they were short on cash or needed to hang out with friends.
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t go clubbing Yetunde. I’m only saying you should reduce the amount of times you hit the club. Mummy has been complaining to me. Even Dami said you’re not serious with your studies,” Olumide said.
“What’s the big deal if I go to club? You and Dami used to go to clubs while you were in secondary school. Have you forgotten that you used to bribe me to keep it from daddy and your parents?”
“Yetunde, I'm not saying you shouldn't go clubbing.”
Yetunde cut in immediately. “Then what are you saying? For goodness sake Olumide . I'm going to be 21 soon. I'll be a legal adult in any part of the damned world so I can take care of myself and do what I want. I'm an adult.”
“Okay,” Olumide paused, as he turned the steering wheel to the right, driving the car onto the express lane. “I'm more worried about your studies than your clubbing. It's Dami that has a problem with that.”
Yetunde cut in, “My studies are fine.” Yetunde folded her hands and glared out the window. Romola looked the other way. This seemed to be a family friend kind of issue and she did not want to get involved but she did have to agree with Olumide.
Yetunde’s clubbing was at an all time high. It wasn’t just about the club. It was the kind of people she mixed with, the kind of parties she attended and the kind of people that she slept with.
“Fine. What’s your grade point?” Olumide asked.
“None of your business.”
“What is it?”
“4.6.” Yetunde smacked her plump cherry red lips and snapped her finger.
“Liar. Dami told me it’s 3.1. You better sit up if you want to graduate.”
Romola's jaw dropped. She had no idea that Yetunde’s Grade Point was that low.
Silence reigned in the car for several minutes before Olumide broke it. “Romola?"
“Yeah.” Her back ramrod straight. Was Olumide actually talking to her? Would he tell her to warn Yetunde? She had done that already and there was nothing wrong with a little clubbing to relax right?
“What’s your grade point?”
“eh.... erm....4.2,” Romola answered.
“See Yetunde. Romola is on a 4.2.” Olumide said.
Yetunde turned to her with a derisive smirk. “I thought you said you were on a 4.7.”
Romola bit her tongue, struggling between the decisions of telling Olumide the truth or sticking to the lie that would make her less interesting in Olumide’s eyes. If Olumide saw that she was doing very well, he would compare Yetunde to her. She didn’t want that.
“I thought so too. Until I saw my score for ACC 301,” Romola said. “Mr Balogun is just plain wicked.”
“Ah lecturers, the installers of knowledge and destroyers of grade point. I do not miss the University,” Olumide said.
“What did you study?” Romola asked. She had to keep the conversation flowing. Sitting in the car with her angry best friend and a handsome man was not how she planned to spend her evening.
“I studied Business Administration,” Olumide answered.
“Yes and he also has a masters degree in public administration,” Yetunde pratted on and on about all of Olumide’s accomplishments and Romola smiles at Yetunde's glowing face. She relaxed into the cool plush leather of the Range Rover and raised her eyes to the mirror. Olumide was still watching but this time, she didn’t look away.
