The sleepover

The mischievous smile on Kiki's face was unstoppable once it appeared.

Whatever she had mind would surely pour out of her mouth and no matter the signals of don't do it you give her, she would never listen.

"Oh my goodness, Tilda?" Kiki's eyes moved back and forth, between me and Miles, the mischievous smile already playing on her lips.

"You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend," She pouted her lips. "What are besties for?"

The whole time, Miles had an eyebrow raised as if saying, "What a lunatic."

God knew that I couldn't stand this level of embarrassment. Without a word, I rushed over to where Kiki stood and pulled her away with me.

Please don't stare. Please don't stare.

I couldn't stop thinking that Miles was staring at two of us with an eyebrow raised - That would certify Kiki and I as lunatics.

"Kiki, what in the world was that?" I exclaimed as I continued to hold her close to me while we made it back to where her father's car was parked, with the driver waiting for us.

"You've been hiding too many secrets now, girl," Kiki playfully eyed me.

"I don't even know that guy talk less, dating him," I rolled my eyes.

"Are you sure?" Kiki looked at me suspiciously.

"Yes," I heaved a sigh of relief, thankful that she believed me.

"Ok o," She shrugged.

Perhaps I was wrong about her believing me.

Today was the 14th of February.

Yes!

The long awaited valentine's day.

And you know the first thing that came out of Kiki's mouth while we got our things ready for Sandra's sleepover party...

"Ehen Tilda, didn't you invite that your boyfriend for the sleepover?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the few clothes she was folding into her bag.

My sharp gaze travelled from what I was doing and landed on her.

"What boyfriend?"

"That fine boy nau," She said, still not gazing in my direction.

Wait o...Is this girl talking about Miles?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I hissed and moved to zip up my bag. I was done with preparing.

"Be keeping secrets o. One day your nyash will open," She sneered.

God, how did I get a friend like this?

We reached Sandra's house as early as 4:00pm. Many of our invited classmates were yet to come.

Kiki wanted to be there early and so I had no choice.

The Danladi mansion was a sight to behold that had an extravagant touch of crème de la crème.

The Danladi mansion was a massive stone structure, with ornate carvings adorning every inch of its facade.

The gardens surrounding the mansion were carefully manicured, with topiaries and flowers arranged in elaborate patterns. Fountains spouted crystalline water, reflecting the light of the setting sun. The front doors of the mansion were made of solid oak, adorned with intricate carvings of mythological creatures. Inside, the floors were made of marble, polished to a gleaming sheen. The walls were covered in rich tapestry.

As we entered the mansion, we saw that the hallways were lined with portraits of the family, going back generations.

Each portrait, more elaborate and ornate than the last, showing the progression of the family's wealth and status over the years. The walls were covered in lush fabrics, and the floors were covered in thick carpets, so that every step feels like you're walking on a cloud.

Every detail in the mansion appeared to have been carefully chosen to create an atmosphere of luxury and opulence.

It was clear that no expense had been spared in the construction and decoration of the home.

Not that the Olusegun mansion wasn't luxurious either. It was just that Sandra's house was just on another level.

However, it seemed like her parents were not around.

KiKi and I were led upstairs, where Sandra's room was situated, by two women who appeared to be maids.

"Miss Sandra, your visitors have arrived," One of them spoke with a gentle knock against the door.

The door immediately went open and there Sandra stood in a short dress.

"Ah you both are welcome," A broad smile was on her face as she welcomed us in.

"I never knew this your house was fine like this o," Kiki began and proceeded to sit on Sandra's king-sized bed.

"As if yours isn't better," Sandra laughed. It was true.

Soon, the rest started coming. Definitely not everyone in our class were invited. We were about twelve whom were invited - I, Kiki, Tobi, Eddie, Lola, Aaron, Michael, The Jared twins, Abike, Chinedu, and Dele.

  When I saw Abike and her minions walk into the room, I could swear that I felt like leaving.

These three were always invited to every party.

For what reason?

"Heyyy my fans!!" Abike squealed as she walked into the room followed by the Jared twins who smacked on lollipops like infant goats eating grass for the first time.

Trust me, it was only Sandra that responded to her greeting.

However, once everyone was set for the night. The games began, with Sandra being such a lively host.

As the night continued, we played several games that had us in fits of laughter. One of the games we played was "Romantic Charades". In this game, one person has to act out a romantic scene without using words, while the rest of the group has to guess what the scene is. It was hilarious to watch everyone's attempts to act out the scene, and we all had a great time trying to guess what was happening.

Eddie's performance was hilarious yet at the same time got everyone screaming with excitement. He stood in a particular spot for a short while as if pondering on the next action to take.

Then, he began walking towards Lola who was already smiling sheepishly.

To the surprise of everyone present, he got on his left knee and took out a piece of paper which he handed over to her.

"So what movie does that scene come from?" Eddie was clearly speaking to everyone but his eyes were fixed on Lola who was face had reddened after reading its content - the cons of being light skinned.

"Lola, will you be my girlfriend?!!" Kiki thundered amidst laughter.

Eddie rushed over to where she sat on the floor and they both exchanged a high-five.

"Correct girl," He smiled.

Thanks to ' Romantic charades ' Eddie and Lola got together.

How dramatic!

Honestly speaking, I felt like the hater of the whole thing that was going on. These people were gushing over romance like it was some piece of gold. I couldn't help but facially express my utmost distaste.

And everytime Kiki noticed my attitude, I suffered a nudge from her sharp elbow.

Another game we played was "Love Letter". In this game, we each took turns writing a love letter to another member of the group. The love letters could be serious or silly.

  Each of us were meant to write a letter to the person we were meant to gift for Valentine's. Every one of us that had been invited by Sandra to her house didn't exchange gifts at school instead it was delayed for the sleepover.

I am not someone who is usually good at crafting write-ups, talk more of a love letter.

Happy Valentine's day.

With those three words put together in my letter, I passed it over to Eddie, accompanied with a big paper bag that contained my gift for him.

"Hmmm," Was all Eddie said as he accepted the gift and the piece of paper.

I knew very well that he was mocking me.

But my major concern was Tobi's letter that had been passed to me alongside a neat parcel.

I like you, Tilda.

Even though I knew it was just a game, I was hiding it away from Kiki.

  My eyes moved over to the girl seated next to me. Kiki looked so happy as she passed hers to Tobi but that expression died down when she received hers from Aaron.

Now, just like anyone I wondered why Aaron had been invited. He was that one usual overly quiet and mysterious kid in every class.

I peeked at the piece of paper in Kiki's hand - I couldn't let her know I did.

On it was scribbled the three words; I love you. With the way it was written, it seemed like the writer wasn't too interested in what he was doing.

You know that carefree handwriting you start putting up with when you're falling asleep in class?

That was what it looked like.

  Believe me, Kiki didn't appreciate that at all and it made me wonder what was in the package resting on her laps.

Aaron nor just try at all.

Everyone had kept what was written in their letters to themselves but Eddie, being the Olodo that he was, decided to read his out loud for everyone to hear.

Dear Eddie,

Today has been like a dream come true for me.

Getting to finally become your girlfriend, sharing these happy moments with you, sitting by your side and feeling loved.

That's a feeling I can never get tired of.

I love you, Eddie.

The part that annoyed me the most was when Lola started showing her gap tooth from her unnecessary smiles.

Madam abeg it's enough.

Let me not even venture into the times when Abike and her minions were laughing like horses and whispering amongst themselves.

We played many other interesting games, even the ones that requested the use of blindfolds and of course, Truth or Dare was the baba of them all.

  Everyone said I was being cheesy throughout the game for only choosing truth.

I mean, I didn't want them to dare me into doing something I wouldn't like.

But my classmates weren't playing o. Even the questions I was asked were just as embarrassing as taking a dare - let's not even go there.

Kiki, that one already had her own in her body, chose dare for most of the time, one of which she was asked to seduce Michael.

Michael was a lover of women and so the idiot played along.

Her plans turned out to be in vain since Tobi was never involved in anyone dare she was given.

Abike was asked to sing and surely, her minions were there to be her backup singers - altogether they sounded like a broken microphone.

  Those three needed to get themselves a life.

Vibe killer

(Vibe killer eh...)

Bloody samaritan

Protect my energy from your bad aura

(Bad aura eh...)

If that was how Ayra starr had sang Bloody samaritan, it would never be on my spotify playlist.

The Jared twins weren't even making things any better by adding eh... as backup.

Chinedu and Dele were dare warriors and as such the dares they received were able to humble them.

Sandra was dared to remain in a wrapper for the rest of the game.

It was around 11:40pm and everyone was quite thirsty.

I offered to go get drinks - just so I could get away from the romantic air for a bit, and that was when Tobi offered to go as well.

He was tired too - I could tell.