Chapter 8

They both came back Monday morning but didn’t have time to talk much as they had to prepare for lectures. Shade walked into her hostel room tired after classes and found her friend sitting on her top bunk, lost in thought. She walked up to the bed and stood in front of her, searching her face for answers. She shifted her weight from one leg to the other and pushed her glasses up when her friend still didn’t say anything. “Hello!” She said and waved her right hand in front of her. Angela finally looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and dropped her laptop bag on the bottom bunk before jumping in bed with Angela. Her blue jeans rested on the top of the black Converse all stars sneakers she had on as she let her legs dangle from where she sat. “What’s wrong?” She said as she playfully hit her friend with her shoulder.

Angela turned around to face her friend and sighed. She adjusted the bottom of the white mini gown she had on and said, “Freddy hasn’t been picking my calls.”
“What? Are you serious?” She said and her legs stopped dangling. Her mind raced through time back to the events of Friday night.
“I sent him a text too, and he read but didn’t respond.” Angela said and let her head drop down.
“That’s odd. Maybe his phone was stolen or something.”
Angela looked up, and then turned to face her friend before saying, “Did you tell him what I…Did you tell him about Wale?”
“What? No! Why would I do that?”
“What happened then?”
“I don’t know.” Shade said in a defensive tone.
“Tell me everything that happened that. Where did you guys go after the party?”
“We Umm! We went to the hotel. And he brought me back to school around 10 am.”
Anita leaned back in bed and turned around to look out the window. “What’s wrong then?” She said in a low voice.
“I don’t know. Maybe he lost his phone or something.”
“I have called his two phones.” She said. And then like an idea came to her, she sat up in bed again. “Call him.”
“Okay.” Shade said and reluctantly brought out her phone from her jeans pocket. She dialed Freddy’s number and held her breath. It rang multiple times but he didn’t pick up. She tried the line a second time and got the same result. “He didn’t pick up.” She told her friend and just as she was about to put her phone back in her jeans pocket, it started to ring. She hesitated and studied her friend’s face but couldn’t interpret the expression she saw on it. “Hey Freddy.” She said when she eventually picked up the call.
“Please, who’s this?” Freddy said on the other end of the line.
“It’s me, Shade, Angela has been trying to get through to you.” She said and then there was silence. “Hello. Freddy, are you there.”
“Shade, I lost my Dad.”

………………..

Freddy had heard about his Dad’s passing when he got home Saturday morning and was still in so much shock he didn’t feel like speaking to anyone. The man had died in his sleep. It was shocking to everyone that knew him because even though he was in his late 60s, he was still a very healthy man.

Freddy tried to persuade them not to come, but Angela insisted. She had been there before. She lost her Mom three years ago, and knew how people mourning the death of a loved one might feel like they want to be a lone, but sometimes, it takes spending time with other loved ones to get through those times.

Cars were lined up on both sides of the street, and the Uber didn’t have anywhere to park. The girls got out in the middle of the street, and Angela whispered something to the driver before she and Shade walked up to the house. It was a creamed colored duplex with low fences. They greeted people as they stepped into the compound. A lanky guy trying to turn on a generator at the extreme end of the house heard the gate open and turned around. He stopped what he was doing and started walking towards them. “I didn’t know Freddy had a brother.” Shade whispered to her friend.

Angela looked at her with a blank stare before saying, “That’s Freddy.”

Shade got a closer look when he got close to them and realized it really was Freddy. His dreads were gone, and he looked like a totally different person. With no smile on his face, he hugged them both, and held Angela’s hand as he led them through the back door into the house. He put them in a small living room, and excused himself.

When he was gone, Shade whispered to Angela from where they sat on a sofa, “What happened to…”
“It’s a tradition where he is from” Angela said and lay back in the couch. “Every member of the deceased family has to cut their hair.”
The loud sound of the generator filled the air, and lights came on in the living room. It was a very small place that was more or less Freddy’s game room, and there were game packs littering the floor. On the wall in front of them was a flat screen TV, of about 40 inches in size. And beneath it was a Play Station video game console. Freddy walked into the room and sat on the one-seater sofa next to the two-seater they were on. A few seconds of uncomfortable silence went by and then Angela got off her seat to join her boyfriend on his sofa. She had to squeeze herself in. She then slid her hand around his waist and leaned her head on his shoulder. He rested his head on her head, and let out a sigh.

In times like these, Angela understood that no words need be spoken. What was important was just the presence of a loved one.

Awwww, sorry Freddy!

Following this wonderful story. Keep it up bro.

Poor Freddy...for a moment I thought he found out about Angela's mini crime

Gosh! Sowi freddy.
My instinct is saying freddy will fall in love with Shade

Na Wa o
only one night out n vivo Don dy fall Issokay........he beta don't fall but stand cos if e go fall na katakata e go cos fa

our write wehdone oo
I hail

Chapter 9

Shade sat in the crowded movie theater with her face on the screen but her mind elsewhere. Angela was meant to have come with her to see the new beauty and the beast movie, but she changed her mind last minute. It had been five weeks since Freddy’s father passed, but things hadn’t gotten better, they got worse. Freddy was broken. He was like a totally different person. Apart from cutting his dreads, his demeanor was different from before. He no longer had the charisma he had been known for. The bad boy charm was gone, and he seemed a nervous wreck every time he came around, which was rarely these days.

Angela understood what he was going through, but Shade could sense her friend was getting tired of him. Their energies no longer matched and he hardly came to see her or called unless she reached out to him first. Something in the movie she was watching made her laugh. Belle had thrown a snowball at the beast in a playful manner. The beast in turn had rolled up a humongous snowball and thrown it at her. It hit her smack in the face; making her fall down flat. That wasn’t something Shade expected she would see happen to a Disney princess in a Disney movie.

She sat up in her seat, dug into her tub of popcorn and stuffed a handful in her mouth. The room had gotten quiet after the laugh out loud scene on screen, and her munching on the popcorn turned some heads in front of her. She sunk down in her seat.

……………….

After the movie ended, she stayed put, waiting for the initial rush out of the hall to reduce. She used the time to eat some of her popcorn, and drink her Pepsi. When there were just about ten people in the hall waiting around like she was, she got up, swung her brown satchel bag around her shoulder and started the decent down the theater steps.

At the mall car park, on her to the gate, a guy in a black hooded t shirt walked passed her really fast. She thought it was odd that someone would be wearing such clothing in the heat, but then there was something familiar about the person’s bounce. She looked well and recognized who it was. “Freddy.” She shouted out and he stopped, but didn’t turn around. She jogged up to catch up with him.

“How are you?” He said without a smile as he turned around to face her. He took off the hood off his head and she noticed he had grown a little more hair since the time she saw him last, and it kind of fit his oblong head just right and made him look a lot more handsome than before. She looked at his hand, and noticed he had about a dozen can drinks in the paper bag he was carrying. When she didn’t say anything, he looked down and said, “Shade, I am sorry about what happened at the hotel.”
“What?” She said, looking lost. “Oh! Forget about that. Exams are coming up and you have been skipping school.” She added. Just then, a little girl trying to avoid her mom ran under Shade’s white flared skirt laughing. Freddy chuckled as Shade became uncomfortable trying to get the girl away from her. The mother apologized and bent down to unclasp the laughing little girl’s hands from Shade’s legs before carrying her away. Shade smiled up at Freddy who was laughing at her.
“Are you going back to school?” He asked and she nodded. “Okay. Let me drop you off.”

MhizDherbee:
Awwww, sorry Freddy!

xaviercasmir:
Following this wonderful story. Keep it up bro.

Thanks. I appreciate the compliment.

EvaJael:
Poor Freddy...for a moment I thought he found out about Angela's mini crime

omotaryoh:
Gosh! Sowi freddy.
My instinct is saying freddy will fall in love with Shade

hormobolanle:
Na Wa o
only one night out n vivo Don dy fall Issokay........he beta don't fall but stand cos if e go fall na katakata e go cos fa

our write wehdone oo
I hail

Hmm! Are you sure you are commenting under the right story?

kayo80:


Hmm! Are you sure you are commenting under the right story?

am I not
?
Na Wa o
Hadampson leave me ooo


no vex dat boy won yami ni Werey but God no go gree for am

yes of course am on d right path

I meant shade no vivo
I sense dat she is liking freddy


but.......

hormobolanle:
yes of course am on d right path

I meant shade no vivo
I sense dat she is liking freddy


but.......

Lol! Okay.

Kayo80 I'm waiting o

EvaJael:
Kayo80 I'm waiting o

Lol! Sorry, one of my chickens was giving me wahala. I will update tomorrow afternoon.

hormobolanle:
am I not ? Na Wa o Hadampson leave me ooo

no vex dat boy won yami ni Werey but God no go gree for am

Diz gal just like tew dey find my trouble..

Chapter 10

During the ten minute drive to the school campus from the mall, Freddy had revealed some secrets about himself to her and she found it hard to believe. When he eventually parked outside her hostel and turned off the ignition, she still sat at the passenger’s side of the car dumbfounded. It made a lot of sense now why he had been acting strange lately, but she still found the whole story confusing. She turned around to look at him and he nervously looked away. ‘You mean you took it every day?” She asked him and he nodded. “Every day since?”
He looked up for a few seconds before saying, “Since Christmas 2015.”
“Wow! How could you afford that?”
He smiled before saying, “Let’s not get into that.”
“So…”
“I was high daily for almost two years.” He said and turned his head to the left to look out the window.
“Why? Why did you do it?”
He chuckled and turned to face her for a few seconds, before averting his eyes. “I guess I just wanted to live.”
“To live?”
“I mean to live life. I used to be extremely shy.” He said and Shade looked ahead, lost in thought. “Apart from my bleeped up cognitive skills right now, I don’t regret what I did.” He added. When she didn’t say anything, he continued, “I have a 4.3 GPA, I became one of the most popular guys in school, and got more girls than I knew what to do with.” She turned to look at him with a frown on her face but didn’t say anything. “I’m sorry, but this is the truth. My reality.” The frown on her face was replaced with a concerned look, and then she turned around to look out the window.
“So what happens now?” She said without looking his way.
“Actually…” He was saying and stopped to cough. “I’ve been thinking of a way to breakup with Angela.” He added.
“What!!?” She said in a loud voice as she turned her head sharply to face him. “Why would you want to do that?” She added.
“Because I am no longer the Freddy she fell in love with.”
“But…But…” Shade stuttered
“We can only deceive ourselves. You know your friend and you know it can’t work anymore.”
“My aunt can help you.”
“What? How?” He inquired, with a quizzical look on his face.
“She…She helps people with rehabilitation.”
“Shade you don’t get it.” Freddy said, looking deflated. This is the original me. I can’t be the old Freddy unless I go back to the drugs.” When she didn’t say anything, he continued with “Hell, I drink two cans of red bull daily just to function properly.” He turned around and reached to back seat to get a can of red bull, opened it and took two quick gulps. “And I’m still kind of bleeped up.” He added.
“I don’t know what to say.” She said after a long silence.
“You don’t have to say anything or feel sorry for me.” He said and crushed the empty can of red bull in his hand. “Just go upstairs and call Angela for me.’ He added.
“But don’t you love her? Didn’t you ever love her?” Shade said as she searched his eyes for answers.
He bent over to put the crushed can under his seat and starred at her for a few seconds from that angle before saying, “Shade, to be frank with you, if I told you the truth, it will complicate things the more.”
“What do you mean?”
“Please, let’s leave that subject for now.” He said and let out a sigh.
After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Shade opened the car and got out.

....................

When she walked into the room, she saw a guy’s head popping out from their corner. She got closer, and saw Nasir and Agela talking. She cursed under her breath. She remembered she had agreed to go on a date with Nasir this evening.

They were so deep in their discussion that they didn’t even notice her standing beside the locker, until she dropped her bag on the locker. They quickly sat up, and Angela smiled at her before saying “Hey Shade, I asked him to wait since I knew you would soon be back.”
“Okay.” Shade said and smiled at the quiet Nasir, who was looking so nervous she couldn’t even think of what they could have been talking about.
“How are you Shade.” Nasir said as he got up from the bed. His white long sleeve shirt was well tucked into his khaki pants, and he had on well polished black loafers.
“I’m fine. I was delayed at the mall.” She said and ran her hand through her hair before adding “Nasir, please let’s talk outside.”
“Okay.” He said and looked back at Angela, who had a mischievous smile on her face. He smiled and waved at her before walking off with Shade.
Shade leaned on the veranda when they got outside, and took time to think of her next line of actions. She rubbed her nose and pushed up her glasses, looked down for a few seconds, and then looked at Nasir before saying “Sorry, I know I agreed to go out with you tonight, but something came up. So…”
“I love you Shade.” Nasir said as he slowly closed the gap between them.

well done dear.....nasir abi nama respect ur self no put sand for my garri oh...it must be freddy and shade hence #shaddy

nasir abi nama respect ur self #shaddy = shade and freddy

bellefidel:
nasir abi nama respect ur self
#shaddy = shade and freddy

I'm on your team dear

bellefidel:
nasir abi nama respect ur self
#shaddy = shade and freddy

lol! Nice. That's very creative.

EvaJael:

I'm on your team dear

The next chapter will be up by 10pm today.

kayo80:
The next chapter will be up by 10pm today.

ok i full ground dey wait...... thanks for the lovely story

EvaJael:
I'm on your team dear

yes oh ...high five

bellefidel:
ok i full ground dey wait...... thanks for the lovely story

Chapter 11

When she walked back into the room, Angela had a big grin on her face. “How did it go?” She said and jumped off the top bunk.
“What?” Shade said with a puzzled look on her face. “You put Nasir up for that?” She added.
“Umm! Well, you guys like each other. I just thought of speeding things up.” She said and walked passed Shade to look out the window close to the door. “Where is he?”
“He’s gone.” She answered and turned around.
“What? I thought you guys were going out?” She said and turned around to face her friend.
“He tried to kiss me.” Shade said with a blank stare on her face.
“Cool.” Angela said with a smile.
“Not cool Angela. You shouldn’t have told him to do that.”
“Umm! Am I missing something here? Don’t you like the guy?”
Shade sighed before saying, “Angela, Freddy is downstairs.”
The smile on her face disappeared and was replaced by an expressionless stare. “What?”
“I saw him at the mall, and he drove me back to school.” Shade said and walked over to their corner.
“Wait; is there something you are not telling me?” Angela said as she walked over to her friend by the locker.
“I don’t understand. What do you mean?” Shade said as she got out of her clothes in a hurry; obviously angry at her friend for what happened earlier.

Angela stood in front of her angry friend, searching her eyes for answers. Shade said nothing as she got out of her clothes and wrapped a white towel around her naked body, and then put a pink shower cap on her head. She looked at her friend and they did a five second stare down. Without word exchange, she walked out of the corner, and headed out the room.

………………..

When she got back to the room, she was glad Angela wasn’t there. She hurriedly threw on jeans and a t shirt, and left the room. A lot had happened in such a short time that disturbed her emotionally, and she felt she had to be away from it all.

A campus shuttle cab was dropping someone off as she got outside her hostel, and she got in the front passengers seat with no destination in mind. She lay back in the seat and closed her eyes as her mind wondered.

The car would accelerate for a few seconds and then come to a halt to climb a speed bump, and then accelerate again; and the cycle continued. With her eyes closed, it felt like she was on a roller coaster ride. Her mind went back to times when Freddy would complain about the number of speed bumps on the road and she slipped into daydream world. Her mind made up different scenarios with Freddy, and then her with Nasir. The ones with Nasir never lasted before they were engulfed by the ones about her and Freddy. Guilt crept in, but she had been battling with it ever since the night at the hotel. She wished she never decided to go for that party, as she felt it led to the chain of events that eventually led to events that was threatening her best friend’s relationship.


Somewhere in her subconscious, she recognized that the car had stopped moving and she snapped back to reality. The driver was collecting cab fares and cursing under his breath at people that were paying in high denominations. She fumbled through the top compartment of her laptop bag, pulled out a green Naira note, and then a red Naira note, paid and got out of the car.


At the school gate, she stopped to read some newspaper headlines at a small kiosk. It was one of her favorite things to do whenever she needed to come up with the next title for a blog post. But right now, her mind was too clouded to enjoy that so she walked off after a few seconds, still with nowhere to go. As she walked up to the intersection of the University road, an idea came to her mind, and she waved down the next Taxi that approached her.

Obinnau and Lala, make my week and move this to Front Page. I am 80% done, and I am sure I will be done this week if I am motivated by the story being on Front Page.

I love the story, keep it rolling. Thanks

bellefidel:
ok i full ground dey wait...... thanks for the lovely story

I posted the chapter earlier than planned.