¶¶
Depression is a monster
That destroys both heart and soul.
It tortures without mercy
And consumes its victim whole...
~ Pat A. Fleming
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"Is it going to hurt?"
"You're a virgin?" His question was one out of sheer shock, and Emily immediately shook her head in reply. "Sure?"
She nodded, and a big smile appeared on his face. He tightened his grip around her waist, nibbling on her neck with an aroused moan.
"You'll be gentle, right?"
He had looked her in the eye with a form of seriousness she couldn't explain, and then, slowly, he smiled. "Of course.”
Could he s
¶¶Don't waste your life trying to impress others.~ Anonymous¶¶The church service was longer than expected, and Emily blamed it on the naming ceremony. Although, she didn't complain much, because the youth there were worth her coming. She liked their vibe and went with the flow. More importantly, they helped clear her mind of any thought regarding Martin.By the end of the service, Emily had collected and given out her number to a dozen number of people.“Emily, I've been looking for you!” One girl ran out of the church to meet her by the right end of the entrance. Emily couldn't remember the girl's name, but played along by plastering a smile on her face. She concluded that if the girl had made a solid impression, she wouldn't have had a hard time remembering her name.“I wanted us to take some selfies,” the girl told her, and she agreed. They were taking pictures, when a masculine voice boomed a greeting from behind them.“Jide, what do you want now?” The girl asked in her scra
Joel slammed the door shut and went straight to the kitchen, where he washed his hands and dried them.He felt his phone ringing in his pocket and took it out, frowning at the caller ID. Bankole can rot in hell for all he cared, he told himself, and threw the phone to the couch, then collapsed beside it.The party was still ongoing, but he had had just about enough. He was no one's puppet. He refused to allow his life be engineered, once again, by another.Although, honestly, there wasn't much he could do. Bankole had the upper hand. Which was exactly why he demanded he showed up at the party, despite knowing his extreme dislike for parties.Teenage parties always came with the crowd, and that, he despised. Especially the fact that these people didn't even care about them. They were only there for the free booze and an opportunity to get laid.Shameless! T
After walking through the front door, Joel stopped to give the house an unintended examination.Two years, and, of course, everything was different. The large, brown, leather sofas, that used be in the living room, had been replaced by navy blue sofas and an armchair. Even the expensive chandelier that loomed over the large room had been replaced by a smaller kind, which appeared a lot more sophisticated and expensive. Though the paint looked new, it was the same beige colour.“What are you doing?” Mrs. Sophia turned back to see him staring.“I'm coming.”He followed her into the kitchen and found it to still be the same: large and model-like. The whole place used to have a feminine touch — his mom's touch. But now, it had gone back to the magazine look it used to have when they first moved in.The maids were nowhere to be found, so he assumed his father must have retained the rule of gi
¶¶Depression is oppression.It's a deadly hidden message
Isabelle sat still, her opened Bible resting on her laps, as she stared straight at her mom's moving mouth. Juliet kept talking, but Isabelle couldn't hear a thing she was saying.This used to be her favourite time of the day. Up until this moment. Every morning, she and her parents would sit, after saying a short prayer to the Lord, to rub minds as they discussed the word of God.Presently, it was just the two of them — Isabelle and her mom. Her dad hadn't returned the night before, after taking his mom to his sister's. Neither was he picking their calls. It made Isabelle wonder, with a sad heart, if he hated them for what they did.Her mom would give her a look that asked if she was listening, and as if on instinct, she'd nod, then blink because tears were starting to blind her sight.One would think the calmness exhibited by her mom was a sign that she wasn't the least bit bothered. But that was far fr
Emily wasn't just Isabelle's best friend. She was also her sister, gist-partner, buddy, partner-in-crime.It was impossible not to know someone so well after spending ten years with them, living close-by, going to the same school and having almost the same group of friends. So, it'd be utterly wrong if Isabelle couldn't tell when something was seriously bothering Emily.Ten years, and barely nothing had changed.Whenever Emily was bothered by something, like she had always been the first time she moved in, she'd have this lost look on her face while biting her nail. And that was exactly how Emily was, seated beside her in the classroom.Watching her exhibit her usual disturbed look, Isabelle couldn't help but remember the day they started talking.It was a sunny, Sunday afternoon, and the move-in had just been completed. Isabelle's mom had invited Aunt Jane over for a glass of juice
¶¶Always expect the unexpected.¶¶Anyone who had been watching Isabelle and Kelechi would think they were having a normal conversation, where Isabelle had said something she had no idea was funny.Kelechi staggered a little to the right, holding up a hand.Isabelle frowned."I'm sorry." He straightened, wiping the corner of his eye. "It's just what you said. You sounded like a kindergartner. I couldn't help but laugh.""You're insane." Isabelle didn't know when the words tumbled out of her mouth, but they had already hit home before she could take them back.The smile on Kelechi's face had disappeared now, and a frown that made him look ten times scarier had taken over. There was no need for anyone to tell Isabelle that she had not only insulted him, but also his personality. Which to him was a wrong move.Kelechi had alread
Now, more than ever, Isabelle needed to talk to Emily.Her hand reached for her breast pocket, ascertaining the presence of the paper Mr. Franklin had given her.She would've gone in search of Emily, wherever she may be, but extracurricular activities had already begun, and she was already late.The drizzle had ceased, permitting the use of the various sections for sport activities.Though the pitch was wet, the soccer team were more than determined to continue with training, since the interschool football tournament was commencing in a few weeks' time.The boys had been paired in two's and were making quick passes to each other.Isabelle spotted Bankole and quickly looked away, before he could meet her gaze.A group of boys, wearing uniform red tracksuits, making slow rounds on the track were headed her way, so she had to stepp to
Everyone had decided to start all over again.Martin had been discharged and since Badmus High was on a temporary lockdown, he decided to use the free time to intern at an automobile workshop.BHS' football team had been automatically disqualified from the soccer tournament, giving Bankole a tough time to decide what to do with his time. Soccer was all he knew. Since he had decided to abandon his vulgar ways, he couldn't go to the bar or visit any of his old friends.A few days later, his mother showed up again, and this time he had sat down to listen. She hadn't remarried since she left (she couldn't bring herself to do so, she had said) and would love to take him and his sister, Gbemisola, with her. Bankole hadn't been sure at first, but after a few more visits and during a loud disagreement between both his parents, he decided to move in with his mother. Gbemisola wanted to follow her older brother, but Mr Davies wasn
Tope was doing fine, although she felt too ashamed to face anyone. Her parents, especially her mother, had been very disappointed in her but later concluded pointing fingers would do them no good.Loveth was forgiven and so was Joel, but Tope also pleaded that they gave her time to gather herself, to which they agreed.A few days later was the death anniversary of Joel's mother. The whole family — Joel's uncle's family included — had gathered for dinner.Joel had wanted his friends to come along, but they believed it wouldn't be logical if they did. It was their first dinner in a long time as a complete family, which meant there was a lot to talk about. But they promised to tag along in the next one.It was a nice evening, where everyone put aside their differences and had a good laugh. There had been a kind of silent agreement that Victoria Edochie wouldn't want their first dinner as a family to be
Bankole walked into his father's establishment, determined to speak to his father and get to the bottom of this absurdity he had just heard."I'm sorry, but you can't go in. He's in a meeting right now," the receptionist told him, but her stare kept flickering from his face to behind her.His right eyebrow rose slightly at her panicked state, and a mix of laughter suddenly broke the silence in the tensed air as he also heard the elevator doors closing.The receptionist's head snapped to the back as he also looked the same way.A wave of fatigue long-gone returned with an incredible force, almost knocking Bankole off his feet as he found his father's arm draped over a lady young enough to be his daughter.His father's eyes had widened for a split second before they narrowed shot his receptionist a hard glare.~~~Bankole couldn't tell wh
Despite the crazy things happening, the soccer tournament was going great for Badmus High; and at this rate, coach believed they'd be taking the cup home this time, just as Bankole would be recruited by coaches of national teams.Pumped with excitement and determination, Bankole increased his pace, covering more ground as he ran round the school's track. Although it was getting late that Saturday evening, the anticipation hadn't allowed him to sit at home or do anything else. If all eyes were on him this season (being the highest goal scorer on record), he needed to be at his best.It was almost eight when his muscles finally gave in, and he slumped on the grass, beside his bag-pack, panting. After drinking from his bottled water, he sat there for a while, his hands stretched out behind him as he threw his head back, drinking in the cold air that also cooled his skin.As he remained that way fo
¶¶To whom it may concern, be careful of the decisions you makebecause they don't just affect you.Be careful of the path you choose,'cause when a fire is left uncontrolled,it consumes everything in its path.Everything!~ Amberdorn.¶¶Loveth knew her first visit hadn't been accepted with open arms, but what she didn't know was the horrifying effect it brought upon Tope.Joel could tell Loveth was as nervous as he was as they approached Tope's home. Although he had never seen Loveth nervous before, and this did no good to his nerves. She kept running her hand up and down her bag's strap as she stared at the ground beneath her feet.Pushing his emotions aside, he held her hand, stopping it midway down her bag's
She was quiet as he kept his head down. He stole a glance at her face and saw her smiling."It's stupid, right?""Of course, no.""It's stupid. Forget it."She slapped his arm lightly. "No, it's not. Chef Joel."He let out a soft chuckle. "You really think it's a good idea?""Yeah. How long have you known you wanted to cook?""I don't know. I guess because Isaac kept suggesting it and it kind of stuck. At first, I cooked to survive. Then I realized I enjoyed doing it. It became a habit to check magazines for new recipes and also try them."But I never really realized it was something I wanted to do until I looked around and saw we all can't be doctors and nurses. Someone has to make the bags we carry, like Loveth does. Someone has to mix the drinks at the bars or events, like Isaac. Someone also has to teach girls and women to be wise and stan
The past three months at Badmus High had not only been daunting but also life-threatening. Lives were tweaked by fate and their owners either danced well to its tune or broke a leg while dancing very differently.Those who had danced well were rewarded with new perspectives and another shot at being a better person; those who broke legs weren't sure if a future existed for them, and these people included Emily.Emily had finally recovered, physically that is, and was discharged to go home to her family. She came out with her hand in a cast and a mind twisted with horror, but everyone advised her to be at least grateful she came out alive. Many had lost their lives in cases like this, but God had been faithful to her.Emily wanted to believe God had been merciful, but after all, she caused herself and everyone around her, could that be true? Sadly, she didn't believe so.Her parents, being too scared because of
Isaac had gone to his workplace to request for leave since exams were coming up, and he needed more time to read. But it was mostly because he was more concerned with finding Emily and was starting to feel a little ill. His boss had granted him the leave, albeit reluctantly, and he had been leaving the place when he saw Jide emerging from his car.Jide had stopped to get something at a pharmaceutical store close by, and Isaac only crossed the road when he saw a female seated in the front seat.It had taken him a while — after he crossed the road — to recognize that the girl was Emily. Her face was battered up, malnourished, and she was coated in an oversized jumper. Isaac had been attempting to open locked the door when Jide came out.When he confronted Jide, the two had got into a huge fight that attracted passers-by, who were the reason the fight was ended.While Isaac tried to explain Jide was a kidna
Loveth wasn't so discrete in hiding her disdain for Jessica, neither was she trying, and the same went for Jessica, who glared hard at her before returning to what she was telling them.“Look, I know this might be hard to believe,” Jessica said. “Especially since it's coming from me—”“I'm glad you know,” Loveth interrupted Jessica for the umpteenth time since she began talking, and if it wasn't for Jessica's need to prove she was telling the truth, she would have shut Loveth up the hard way.“Isabelle,” Jessica called softly. “I know what I saw, and honestly, I don't see what I'll be gaining by lying to you.”Isabelle had felt light-headed by the news Jessica relayed to them and, with the help of Joel, had sat on the bench.They had reached the bus-stop —where they found Lovett who was waiting for them, so they'd go to Joel's house and see what else they could come up with — minutes ago, when