Chapter eleven~ Sleepover

𝑩𝒂𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆𝒔,

𝑮𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒔

𝑩𝒓𝒐𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒔✨✨

_Ujuritaellianna

•••

"Good evening mum" Toby greeted the lightskinned lady who held her cheeks up for a light kiss and a beaming smile. She was donning a white tank top over a flowery silk jacket and a black trouser to match her soft-textured natural hair held together in a neatly styled manner. She seemed to be going on a casual outing.

"Good evening mummy Jaytee." Sarah's chirpy tone greeted. Apparently, she had followed Toby home.

"Finally! Look who decided to shows up." Toby's mother who sarah had gotten used to calling 'mummy Jay-tee' after coining it from James-Thompson, replied as soon as she saw her.

She smiled warmly at sarah whose expression had turned to one that of a remorseful one.

"I'm so sorry. I had one hell of a busy vac so, I couldn't come around... "

"It's alright sweetie. Just hope you enjoyed your holidays?"

"Totally! I made alot of cooking videos and posted them on my YouTube channel, had to align with my sis for cooking exhibition and alldat cool cash too" she grinned from ear to ear.

Culinary arts was the only thing which fancinated sarah in the world asides having hopeless crush. She and her undergraduate elder sis, Ruby, were so interested in anything that involved culinary arts. Infact, the both girls had a YouTube channel which had over a million subscribers and usually went on cooking exhibition during mostly holidays.

"And later I'm the douche buddy who had her tossed aside." he sneered.

She blew him a kiss, eyes dancing in a satisfied jeer.

"That's interesting.” his mum replied to Sarah's earlier report. 

"You're looking beautiful by the way."Sarah complimented

"She's beautiful.”  Toby proffered.

Sarah rolled her eyes playfully at him.

"Yeah yeah, lemme tell you reason why I'm here by the way." 

At this point, toby swivelled in a manner that could be likened to flash,  "That's what I've been trying to figure out for awhile now. Why exactly did you follow me home?"

She threw him a stink eye, mumbling something of how he's always in a hurry to see her leave. Then she riveting her attention back to his mum with her best meek look 

"My parents travelled to Abuja and I just got informed while I was in school and my elder sis, Ruby. Isn't home. She has gone back to school so I was wondering if you could let me sleep over?"

Toby's mum didn't mind the idea of Sarah sleeping over especially when she knew they were best buddies coupled with the fact that her parents since they lived close by and close neighbors by the way. At first, she was skeptical about Sarah parents being cool with the idea of their daughter sleeping over at a guy's house.

So once, she talked with her parents about it. At first, they said truthfully that they weren't comfortable with that but since Sarah hated staying home alone, they wouldn't mind especially if Mrs Thompson would keep an eye on her to prevent anything from going wrong.

Except the definition of wrong was Sarah being totally bad ass terrific.

"Best torturous news ever! " Toby groaned, fishing a bottle of water from the mini fridge near the dinning room and tossing a bottle of canned cola to her.

"Shut your fucking assed mouth up.”  she snorted, giving him a once-over. Of course she hadn't missed the sacarsm in his statement.

"Language!!" His mum shot out with her best straight-face, Sarah threw her an apologetic look in response while Toby struggled to bit back a smirk.

"You two suit yourselves anyway so long as you get to choose how who's sleeping on the bed and who's going to sleep on the couch.”

Sarah smiled widely, a thrival glint shimmering her gaze,  "the usual."

"What?!"

He stared at her like she had suddenly gone bonkers.

"What what? " she retorted, eyeing him furiously.

"I hope you're not planning on letting me sleep on the couch? "

"Oh!"

That was her only reply to his question which actually let his jaws drop literally. This couldn't be happening a second time not after she had happily declared the last time she slept over, as her best revenge night after he had cold-bloodedly massacred the pronunciation of her best Korean Actor Lee-jong-suk. He had pronounced it as Lean- john-sucks. It sounded absolutely disheartening to her so she fought the fangirl fight by shutting him out of his room.

"Too bad i'm gonna have to burst your dream bubbles but you're using the couch and I'm sleeping on the bed.”  he said in firm politeness to which she surprisingly agreed much to the amazement of Toby's mum who for one knew Sarah never gave up a fight.

"Okay."

"That's it ? No protest on how that sounded so un- chilvaristic?" His mum asked. A surprised look clouding her features at how very obedient that sounded.

She was so used to their bickering that sometimes, she laughed and other times warned them to shut up.

Sarah shook her head in reply,  "Toby's right. Besides, it's his room. "

"We all knew that when you locked me out of my room." he chipped in, stating the obvious.

"I'm a changed person."

"And I don't believe you."

She smiled in response, making her way. back into the comfortably spacious living room. there was something special about house. A soothing aura. Welcoming brown hue painted the walls, picture portraits neatly arranged, pristine tiles flooring the ground, light curtains drawn up, letting rays of fading sunlight steal spots into the house.

Compared to her parents mansion which was plain-boring with her elder sister in UNN studying food nutrition and her parents travelling around, Toby's house always had that lively aura in it. His mum always treated her like she was natural daughter and made her feel at home. It was exhilarating. It was her second home.

"Wale don't come into the room, I want to shower and I'll need some privacy." she said, sashaying into his room. He winced, rolling his eyes at her how easily called him by his native name. Only his mum ever called him that.

" I sha hope my hair bonnet is still in your closet?" she asked before closing the door, hurtling him out of his thoughts.

"I threw it out last time, it was occupying alot of space." 

She snucked her head through the door with raised eyebrows teaming her expression with a deadly glare wholly riveted at toby's.

"It's like you want to die?"

He chuckled, giving her a light shrug in response as she closed the door behind him.

•••

"What the hell is this doing in your bag?" His mum howled. Her silky tone had immediately been replaced with one which had dread laced undertone. He spurned around, taking in his mum's horrified expression.

"Did you go through my bag?" He asked, staring blankly at the pack of cigarettes which she held like it was a piece of shit.

It really was a piece of shit.

"I didn't really go through your bag. Just saw this lying around carelessly." she replied, taking a deep breath before cocking her eyebrows at him questionably.

"What is that doing in your bag?"

"That's not mine.”  he gave her a simple reply, going over to take the bag off her hands. She stared at him quietly, waiting for an explanation and when she sensed none was forthcoming, her patience immediately depleted.

"Toby wale I'm still waiting for an explanation?" she snapped.

He sensed the growing irritation in her tone and deemed it wise to reply before she lost her remaining patience.

"I actually took it from a classmate at school...tried stopping her though..."

"Her? As in Mrs Dera's child huh?" His mum asked with raised eyebrow.

He immediately snapped his attention at her, his eyelashes had flared up, causing his eyes to widened like huge saucers.

"How...how...did you know that?"

His mum returned his surprised look with an impassive gaze, a low shrug accompanying her response,  "I saw her that day at the soiree...actually the both of you."

He bit his lips gently in realisation. A momentary silence hung over them which he broke with an indecisive start-up.

"Ummmm....."

"You two seemed pretty close than I thought."

"She's not as bad as everyone makes it sound like.”  Toby found himself quickly replying

His mum lifted an eyebrow, “oh wow, Toby to the rescue.” she said sacarstically, Pursing her lips into a thin line and  boring her stares into him. Obviously not pleased with the idea.

"You don't even know her well?"

"Maybe. But,  I'm trying to do that, mum. And as silly as this may sound, I really want to do that. I want to know her."

His mum inhaled deeply, her face had dissolved into one of a neutral kind.

Really, Toby to the rescue.

"Okay fine. But i'll still say this again as your mum cause I care about you and I love you- I've heard the rumours about her and alldat And...." she paused for effect.

"I want you to be careful around her. She's a whole lot of issue. I don't want you complicating your life." she concluded, fixing a crossed look at the pack of nicotine, announced her outing and walked away.

He let out a sigh, picking the cigarettes and twirling it round his indexes. Yara. His mind had quickly reverted back to her. She was a fat load of complication already. 

Was he trying to shred her walls? See beneath the scowls and frown? his mind trailing at the abandoned classroom where she'd seem like could see right through him, right through his fears and as much as he hated that. How her round beautiful eyes stared at him as though he was transparent, he found her whole demeanor fancinating.

Her beautiful glares, knitted brows when she scowled, those honeyed beautiful eyes that gleamed in dark excitement , the way her small plush lips curved up when she smiled.

It was always a wry smile. 

Always a sad one.

It made his heart clench. Yet, it puzzled him how she managed to maintain that calm ethereal exterior, that strong unwavering confident aura around her.

Would it be bad to know the depth of the girl who had built her walls so high? The girl with a swirling tempest of emotions. Broken hopes, sad depths, strong defences, a shattered heart. Her words replayed itself over.

"I've always wanted to die anyway"

How many times have she thought of shutting the world out. His mind reverted to when he talked about God. She didn't believe in God and she didn't believe in hope. Life must have fucked her up really bad.

on a second thought, isn't life really messing with them?

rubbing his palms gently around his temples. 

He let out a deep exhalation, the sound of his led camera pulled him out of the inner casements of his mind.

He shifted his attention to sarah who comfortably wore his large sized white t-shirt and his three-quarter shorts. A low flip flop gracing her feet's while her hair was held up in a large satin hair bonnet. His camera dangling on her neck.

"See as you are looking like someone doing a commercial, you look like my favorite smoking hot celebrity crush, Baby tyga." she said beaming proudly as she clicked continuously on the camera.

He smirked, "duh! I've got unbeatable looks, fuck him."

Sarah glared at him, throwing a side pillow to his face, "cocky narcissist."

Baby tyga was the alias name of her favourite teen celebrity actor. His actual name was Desmond. After starring a leading role in the Eye of a Phoenix movie, a movie which made him really famous in the movie industry.

"I've been streaming the Stars and Sores movie April featured in. It's dope. It feels like she's been acting all her life." she gushed. 

As ironically as that last statement sounded, that was the perfect description of April's life. One of the plenty reasons he hadn't really watched the Stars and Sores movie, he only read the synopsis which was about a girl who seemed to be living life to the fullest and making everyone believe she had no worries in life, inspiring everyone around her and making them gush over her like she was a fucking goddess meanwhile, it was all a facade and she ended up taking her own life much to the shock of her fandom.

He let out an exasperated sigh, he tucked the cigarettes into his school trousers, making a mental note to to throw it out later.

"Where are you going? I want to make pasta."

"Fine. I wanna shower. I'll join you later." he drawled, dragging his feet lazily to the bedroom.

"Don't forget we're still going to watch Crash landing on you again..."

This time he froze. 

Again? 

A low groan escaped his lips.

"Seriously? That's the third time you're watching that."

Her lips curved up into a smile, she batted her lashes making sure to morph her actions with her best puppy look.

"How very observant of you."

He let out a sigh of experasation, running his hands through his curls. Tonight was going to be a long one.

•••

She sat up all curled up in her duvet. Trembling, the room was plagued in darkness save for the streaks of dim lights from the bedside lamps illuminating the shadows of her black monochrome room. Tonight had been one of those night. A night where her nightmares sought after her like hungry demons, waiting for her to blink an eyelid so they could pounce hungrily and feed on her fears.

Blood stained dresses, fire flames blazing furiously, a helpless lad reaching out to her and a hopeless coward running into a bleak of looming devouring darkness.

She tightened her hand around her. Pulling the duvet closer to her bosom. Her whole body shook with a sick fear seeping through her veins. She glanced at her bedside, an empty orange bottle with a white lid lay lifelessly on the drawer. That was her pills, the pills she normally drowned in to keep her sanity. Those pills that served as her comfort. The same pills which had betrayed her tonight.

It had failed to carry out its effect. The nightmares wouldn't stop. No matter how many pills she took in to get her acts together, it all turned futile. This had to be the sixth bottle she had popped into her mouth.

Blood stained dresses.

Blazing flames.

Mocking echoes resounding around her.

Consuming darkness.

If we didn't have that stupid birthday party you badly wished for, your dad wouldn't have had to use the wheelchair. 

you left your sister die out of your own selfishness 

you destroyed this family and I regret the day I gave birth to you!!! " 

These words.

They stung.

They stung so bad. So deep. So rash. It made her tremble, letting terrific jolt of dark fear writhing her insides. The cool breeze from the AC seemed to soffocate her being. She tugged the duvets tightly. Squeezing her eyes shut to stop the streaks of tears trodding triumphantly down her cheeks. suddenly feeling uncomfortable in the duvets.she shot up from the bed, running her hands roughly through her hair, paced around her room while frantically searching and re-searching her side drawer frantically for more pills.

She found none.

She had cigarettes. She rummaged her drawers frantically, there was none too.

"Fuck! " she cursed under her breath, slumping on pristine floors in resignation. Her gaze caught sight of a small flower which laid abandoned on her reading table. Her brows furrowed in anger, her mind had involuntary, maybe out of sheer need had flashed back to the time earlier before the sun had sunk deep.

Fuck!

She had stupidly given whatever the hell his name was her cigarettes.

Toby. His name is Toby.  Her subconscious reminded. She mentally cussed at it, that was the least of her worries, he had taken her cigarettes. Her coping mechanism.

And she fucking let him. What was she fucking thinking about.

His carefree laugh? His soothing aura?his warm stares? The mocking voice of her subconscious seemed to reply.

His stares, those freaking coffee eyes which stared warmly at her like she was something Fascinating.

Damn him! She cussed. It made her feel like some idiot, trying believing things which were so unrealistic.

Glaring at the flowers, a seething anger resonating through her. She had listened to him again on his fucking positive preaching. It suddenly annoyed her. They existed in different worlds and while he thought life was a fucking beautiful phase, it had always been cruel to her. An ugly bundle of cold bitter skunk. Life was a messed up reality.

"Did you know that, a small butterfly signifies life... " his voice, they seemed to replay back into the secrecy of her thoughts causing her to whisper more profane colorful curses.

And to think for one freaking moment she had actually let herself try believing in his twisted fantasy about life.

"Everything that happens is all God's doing..." She winced, letting out a low scoff Yeah sure! God sure must be doing great seeing her miserable.

"And he hears us,.and he knows us.. even our deepest scars and fears. Because he lives in us. Dwelling in our being... " a bitter smile hung lose on her lips. She scoffed out aloud. If he fucking lived in her then he would have known that she was tired of all the torment and the nightmares and the bad aches and the demons and the darkness which seemed to have become part of her.

He wouldn't have watched her step-brother take advantage of her devastated emotions.

Why the hell did she even have to listen to that blatant stupid myth about God and his hell of a universe. She bawled her fist together, clenching and unclenching them both and finally, raking her hands through her hair.

She was a mess. Her thoughts, her life. Everything. What she wanted to do was to haul alot of curses and swears towards her pathetic life. Towards fate. Towards the fucking universe. Toby included, fuck him.

A small knock at her window had her jolting out of her torturous reverie. She threw a glance at the standing clock on her reading table.

10:09pm

Great! Some freak just decided to show up.

Dragging her feet's up in a rather sluggish stance, she made her way to the window, her eyes flew wide open at the sight of her night visitor.

"Tola?! "