CHAPTER 3 

Running up the stairs, so many thoughts came up in Ava's mind. 

She rushed into her room, locked her door and slightly used her back on the door, till she got to the floor. 

Hot tears ran down her eyes, she felt her heart clenching and beating so violently as though it was going to pop out of her chest. 

She crawled to the dressing table, grabbed her phone and called Nicole, it rang and there was no reply. 

Back on the table Ava's mom pleaded with the guest saying “she's just a little nervous about this whole arrangement.”  

“I hope she'll be fine.” The old man's voice sounded. 

Ryan, who cared less, had a few bites from the meal and then announced his dismissal before he left the table. 

Walking out the door he smiled devilishly. He was marrying for his dad but then she looked too fragile for him. 

He was the devil himself and she was about to become his prawn. 

He drove home and rushed into the bathroom, throwing up everything he ate at Ava's place. 

*.........* 

At the park, Nicole is sighted with a tall guy with brown hair and neatly curved brows. 

“What about her?” His deep masculine voice came in. 

“She's getting married, okay.” Nicole said, trembling where she stood. 

“She’s mine and you know that Nicole!” The guy's voice thundered, pulling Nicole by the neck. 

“You got into this friendship so you can bring us together, it's been a year Nicole.” He said again this time his hands pressing into the veins in her neck. 

“Ple..ee.ase, I..I..I'm…so..oo..ory.” Nicole managed to say, gasping for breath. 

He threw her to the floor, she coughed endlessly holding onto her neck which was full of redness. 

“Last trial Nicole, get us entangled.” His voice said as he walked out of the park leaving Nicole there. 

After gasping for enough breath, she stood up, dusted her dress and walked out of the park, searching for a cab to take her home. 

Nicole got home, freshened up and picked her phone dialing Ava's number. 

“Nicole.” Ava said over the phone, wailing. 

“What’s up with you?” Nicole asked spranking up the bed as she walked towards her window. 

“It's him, the..the.. rude guy.” Ava said. 

“In the hallway!” Nicole said with her mouth wide open. 

The call suddenly ended, she tried calling again but it was switched off. 

Ava's phone had died.

“You useless thing.” She said throwing the phone at the wall. 

She wailed throughout the night until she passed on the floor. 

The next morning Ava woke up with an headache. She laid down the bed unable to get up, tears began flowing from her eyes again. 

She wished she knew her dad, she would probably run off to him. 

But then again she heard he rejected her even before she was born, ‘maybe I'm just a nightmare to everyone’ she thought. 

Her phone beeped at the edge of the bed, she turned towards the phone and looked into it. 

It was a text from Nicole, she sighed and replied almost immediately. 

“I'm not coming to school today”  

“Why” Nicole replied immediately. 

“He is Ryan.” Ava sent. 

“Who is Ryan?” Nicole asked feeling a bit nervous with her palms sweating. 

“The rude hallway guy” Ava typed while standing up from her bed to the dressing table. 

“Ohh my.. that's bad Babes” Nicole typed gasping hard. 

“I know right, talk later I have a lot to do” she typed and without waiting for a reply, left the phone on the bed. 

Looking into the mirror, Ava's mind went back to how rough her childhood was. How she was constantly mocked at school for not having a father. 

The trauma of being known as a loner in middle school, or how her housekeeper played the mother figure in her life all the time her mom travelled. 

‘Maybe this is fate’ she thought. 

Standing from the table she moved into the bathroom, freshened up and quickly dressed for school before moving down the stairs. 

“Good morning, Jenny.” Ava said with a beaming smile on her face. 

“Morning, Ava. You look happy.” Jenny asked. 

“That's right, so what for breakfast.” She quickly cut in. 

“Cookies and chocolate drink.” Jenny added moving into the kitchen. 

‘Poor child, your strength needs to be studied.’ Jenny thought while doing the dishes. 

Ava quickly finished her meal and left for school. 

Getting to school she walked into the hallway and found it clustered, students were struggling to look at something. 

‘What's happening?’ she thought. 

“Hey Ava, it's Jayson the celebrity singer.” Nicole said tapping on Ava  

With a quick turn Ava pulled Nicole by the hand and walked past the hallway, her eyes looking at Jayson as though she wanted to pierce his soul. 

He looked calm and reserved, from afar she could sense how charismatic he was. 

“Wish he was the one” Ava whispered loudly. 

“Girl! You going nuts” Nicole said bursting into a laugh but in her mind she felt a sense of fulfillment. 

She was extremely excited, Ava was attracted to someone at first sight, rare! 

The girls got into the class, sat down and settled for their classes then their form Tutor walked in with the celebrity. 

“Good morning, class” her soothing feminine voice came. 

“Good morning, ma” the students murmured. 

“Meet Jayson, a new member of the class.” She said with a good smile. 

“Hope I get along well with you all.” Jayson said with a bit of nervousness in his voice, he was unsure of what to say. 

Nobody cares anyways, he is here for a mission and that he must accomplish, he thought with a grin as he slightly narrowed his eye to Ava. 

‘She's pretty and worth the hype.’ He thought as he walked down the class sitting right beside Nina Jack. 

“Hey handsome.” Nina said, smiling with her eyes. 

‘Too busy for this bitch’, he thought and faked a smile. 

“Jayson, you ?” He replied with an uninterested kind of expression. 

“Nina Jack.” She answered. 

The new celebrity student that joined the school was the talk in school throughout the week. 

The first week of resumption was a whirlwind week and on Sunday was Ava's wedding. 

It was Saturday morning, Ava got dressed in her short jean skirt and a pink hello kitty crop shirt paired with black sandals and of course her dark silky hair ties in a bun. 

She quickly applied her chocolate flavored perfume as she looked into the mirror smiling. 

She was going to the fashion store with Jenny today, to go pick her wedding dress. 

She got into the car with Jenny and they drove down the streets, taking turns and stopping at several traffic lights before getting to the location. 

On arrival at the spot, they got into the fashion store and something strange happened. She sighted Ryan outside from the glass door at the entrance, standing with a wicked grin and just as she turned to call Jenny's attention. 

There was a blast, it was the fashion house. 

It exploded.