Unto say : Its happening quite fast

Draco. Hi."

He smiles.

"Have you discussed with Jagger about the competition?"

I actually forgot that.

"Let's talk to him now."

We walk back into the studio.

"Sir. The competition. We haven't.... chosen people for it yet."

He licks his finger and looks up.

I didn't later go to look for people to represent and neither did draco.

"That reminds me.. there's this boy..... I wrote his name somewhere."

He sits up and pulls a drawer at his desk open. Then he unfolds a piece of paper.

"Eh hehn. Seyi balogun. He's in SS1. He says he wants to participate. There's also another girl. The one in Jss2 who drew the principal.

"Oh. Um.....Naomi."I recall, snapping my fingers.

"Yes. So four of you. Find the last person. Preferably a junior."

Draco nods.

"Oya. Bye bye." He says, closing his laptop.

"I have to be somewhere."

"Your fiancee?" I asked, wriggling my brows.

"Why do you want to know?"

I shrug.

"What's her name?"

"Sonia." He says.

"Her name's pretty as well. Aww."

He smiles.

He packs up his laptop and clears his desk.

"There's this new restaurant that opened up on Babangida lane. You should try it. It's nice. I'm heading there now sef. Sonia loves their spring rolls." He prattles.

"Enjoy! Later Mr J!" I call out before leaving with draco.

Is that what being in love looks like? He looks like a little kid and is talking like one as well.

How the fuck didn't I notice he was dating?

"Jagger's getting married." I say, breaking the silence.

"Wow. When?"

" In two months."

He nods.

"So er...I need you to draw something for me."

"I thought you could draw."

"Nah. I'm more into painting."

"But you can't draw at all?"

"C'mon. You're obviously better."

I shrug.

"I guess I can."

"So err..... How's your report on Shakespeare going?"

"Good. I can't imagine jagger as a father." I laugh.

"I swear. I dunno but he strikes me as a nerd."

" Cos he is. And God his fiancee is pretty. I drew her. Look."

I show him my drawing.

"Your drawing is nice. And she's pretty. Beautiful actually."

I also expected him to add something cheesy like, 'like you' or something. But he didn't. Thank God. Cos that would've been hella awkward.

"I know I weirded you out the last time we talked. And I'm sorry. It just...came out" he apologizes.

"No p." I reply, nodding awkwardly.

"Derenle is throwing a party on Sunday. You coming?"

"Nah. My parents won't let me"

He gives me a quizzical look.

"Seriously?"

I nod.

"But don't be sure. I just might make a surprise appearance." I say with a wink. And an odd familiarity that surprised even me.

He chuckles.

"Ok I'll be going now. Come out this evening ok?"

He nods.

I jog all the way to the ref, the sadnesses of earlier, Totally gone.

"Guy. You're already packing?" I ask bebe, One of my roommates.

"Na so you see am. Me don tire abeg. Let's do and be going home".

I giggle softly before collapsing onto my bed.

I noticed Gigi, our neighbor in the dorm house was chilling on My other roommate's bed.

"You're on Ify's bed? She'll freak o!" I warn before sitting up to take off my fishnet tights.

We're four occupying a room in our dorm. And overall,there are 7 rooms in each dorm and six dorms in general. With one matron for each.

I share a room with Bebe, who's real name is Benita but she despises the name and told everyone to call her bebe instead.(bebe pronounced bi-bi), Ify, the neatfreak in commercial class. (She's nice when you get to know her) and Lily. She's a really funny, outgoing girl in The first science class(there are two science classes, one arts and one commercial.) She's pretty and bubbly. And wears glasses. She once had an I-prefer-boys-to-girls, pick me girl phase in juniors. Benita is really curvy. Like, mad curvy. And beautiful as well. And also really crazy. A wilder version of Fey.

But all together, they're the best roommates. I was sad at first cos me and all my besties were in different rooms. But I grew to like them. We'd grown close over the last few months.

"Mm hm.....people are eating cakes with your name on it. Something about kissing an SS1 boy?"

'Eating cakes with your name on it' is the oak Grove way of saying that your name is being used for gist.

I groan loudly.

"It's a huge lie." I say undoing the buttons on my shirt and zipping down my skirt.

"He kinda...gave me CPR".

"Jesus. WHY!??" Bebe half screams.

"I may have fainted."

Bebe's eyes are as huge as saucers.

" I didn't bother cos I thought it was a lie!" She half screams.

"It is!"

"Mouth to mouth and kissing are two different things." I say defensively.

I'm not about to go through with these taunts now.

"Damn. That's...just bizarre." Gigi says.

I stuff my uniform in my laundry basket and arrange my loafers under my bed.

I then throw on a baggy top over my fishnets.

"The jollof was quite nice today." I say, reaching out for a novel on my bedside drawer.

"I thought it was only me that noticed." Gigi chips in.

Just then, the door swings open and Ify walks in.

"Guys you.....oooo God! Why are you on my bed na?!" She hollers at Gigi.

"Sorry."

"Now it's fucking warm! You know I hate people launching my bed first!"

"Sorry." Gigi says and rises.

Ify angrily tosses her bag on the ground and stomps her feet in frustration.

"You know I didn't like this sort of rubbish!"

"Sorry ma. I'm already going." Gigi mutters and walks out.

Ify hisses loudly before proceeding to rip the sheets off her bed.

After changing the sheets,.she sighs.

"Anyways, Tega was given punishments for that phone stuff."

"Why?"

"Cos she's meant to. And I heard something Kiki."

I groan inwardly.

"Is it true you were making out with an Ss1 boy on the bleachers?"

"Oh for fucks sakes. No! Who's saying that shit?"

"Many people o."

A frustrated hiss escapes my lips.

Lily walks in just then with a huge frown on her face.

"Lily. Ah. What's up?"

She plops down on her bed without replying and buries her face in her pillow. Uniform and all.

Ify, Bebe and I exchange looks.

"Lily." I say softly

We all begin to hear sobs.

The door flings open then and Stacy, lily's cousin and Jesse's girlfriend rushes in.

She then sits on lily's bed and proceeds to pat her back.

"What happened?" I ask.

She jerks her head towards the door and rises. We all follow her out onto the corridor.

"I'm not meant to tell you this. But.... She found out her Dad died. But don't act like I told you."

We all gasp.

"Do you know what caused it?"

"He was sick and his system was allergic to the medicine the doctor prescribed so...."

"Didn't they tell the doctor?"

"They did. But he was admitted to the hospital. So before her mum could check out the drug, they'd alright administered the first dose....." Her voice trails off and tears roll down her cheeks.

"She hadn't seen him since Christmas" Stacy sobs

I had to leave.

This kind of topic usually leaves me in pieces.

"I have to go." I mumble and go into o the room. I threw on my daywear. Which consisted of a customized school polo with black joggers skirt or shorts of choice underneath. I stuck a comb in my hair. Then with one last glance at lily I rush off, my duffel bag over my shoulder.

Death.

I hate the word. The topic and anything to do with it. Especially cos I'd seen it before.

I saw it take someone I loved.

I break into a run. I need a distraction. Anything....

"Draco!" I call out when I got to the studio.

He's there already there, seated.

"Is there a problem? Are you ok?"

"I'm...(pant pant)fine."

"Sure?"

I nod.

I take a seat beside him.

"Did you call them?"

"Yeah. They should be here any minute now."

We slip into silence, the flowers on the flame of the forest tree just outside the window flutters in the wind.

"I've been thinking. Five of us need to do different things right?" I ask.

"How?"

"Like, one person would draw, another paint, another sculpt...that kinda thing."

Draco thoughtfully strokes his chin, making me laugh.

"What?"

"Nothing."

He gives me a you-must-be - crazy look.

"Senior. We're here." I hear. I turn and see the last person I expect to see.

The boy who gave me mouth to mouth is there with a chubby junior girl. Naomi.

"Y... you're..s.. Seyi?"

He nods and takes a seat.

God this is so awkward.

""Can any of you here attempt abstract art?" I ask.

"Maybe. I can try."Naomi squeaks.

The silence that follows is loud.

"I can draw...umm..a portrait of someone or something. While draco paints something. Then Seyi or Naomi will do..kinda like a paper mache or collage something. Then umm... I'm..I'm blank." I blab.

"Maybe we..."

Aje bota." I hear.

Sure enough, Wilmer is at the door.

"Excuse me." I mumble and walk out of the class.

"What is it?" I snarl

"Look. I know you said I shouldn't bring up any related shit but we need to resume our research."

"Well. No."

"Hear me out na." He says, taking my hand.

I pull it away forcefully stepping back and bumping into the wall.

"Sorry."

My drawing of Sonia flutters out of my bag and he picks it up.

"Oh. So Mrs O has told you."

"Told me what?"

"This girl. She's the latest victim. She was kidnapped two hours ago."

Two hours...

"Yeah. That's why we need to up our game. We also discovered that we're not just dealing with a kidnapper. He's a literal fucking drug lord. All the people he kidnaps are used as means of illegally transporting his drugs. Plus Banjo to isn't even our man. He works for him"

I look down at Sonia's picture.

What web am I in right now?