HEYYYYY!!!!

Okay so hi there! First off, thank you for 42k reads, I am absolutely stunned by the fast growth of this book guyssss, wherever you are THANK YOU FOR READING MY BOOK OOO!!!😫😫♥️♥️

And oh, if you noticed, 'Too Many Broken Things' now has a new cover that is absolutely gorgeous and it's all thanks to the one and only Donaldprince. (Y'all should follow me and thank him, the guy is too much. Hands down becoming one of my favorite people these days, I mean it, Donald ♥️♥️

So, if you haven't noticed, Donald and I are doing this Collab with our books, and if you have been keeping in touch with "The Things We Do" by Donaldprince.. you will realise that it has already begun and Casper Bassey, alongside a lot of other characters from TMBT have already been mentioned in his book. If you aren't reading the book, check it out right now! Donald is very very good and is doing justice to that book, believe me! And I can't wait for the Nero Olympics to begin guys, get ready to see TMBT and TTWD characters meet each other in one HUGE crossover!

I'll like to use this medium to also give a shout-out to Stardust_Wendy. She was the one who made the previous cover for TMBT, and dheenmah. 😍♥️ She was the one in charge of all my character aesthetics too.

I've talked too much, lol. Carry on to the chapter ♥️

~ACHA~

As very much hoped for and expected,  I came to School that Monday Morning, and nobody was talking about Dabeluchi.

Or at least not in a distasteful way.

I figured that as a result of everything that we had to do, all our efforts for damage control, it would have been close to impossible to come to School and have student still talk bad about her as badly as they were doing in the Class Group Chat before I decided to step in.

Hard work does pay off.

And as cliche as it may have sounded, believe me, I'd do anything for Dabeluchi.

**INCOMING WHATSAPP NOTIFICATION**

Aurora💖

Clyde, do you know what I just remembered?
<Sent 9:45am

Lol, talk about the devil.

Dabeluchi and I have been onn-and-off texting each other, back and forth, since Last Night.

We decided to retire to Bed by 12 midnight, but we ended up using up an hour or so, just saying goodbye. We'd be like, "Alright, by now, finally. Final Goodnight oo" and then, the next minute, we're laughing about something one of us suddenly remembered, and talking about it for the next ten to fifteen minutes, before we actually remind ourselves again that we were supposed to be saying goodnight and going offline.

After repeating that process over and over and over again, it was about half past 2am, that we finally forced ourselves to say goodnight, go offline on the count of three, and never touch our phones again till the next morning.

Lol, as early as 5am, Dabeluchi and I were back to actively texting each other while preparing for school, and we had it going on till this very moment.

I smiled to myself, an insane amount of joy bubbled up in me as I texted her back;

What now?😂
<Sent 9:45am

It was 8am, a few minutes into the end of second period that we were supposed to be having, and here I was, texting Dabeluchi Orji, lacking any will whatsoever to stop.

Fortunately for me and her, we probably weren't even going to have any today.

After the Morning Assembly, Guy man had announced that there would be a meeting with the School Authorities, the Prefects, and the Head Teachers of every set, and lately, whenever new like that spring up, it automatically meant that we had a lot of free hours to ourselves. Most likely, all of School hours, even.

For that reason, the whole School, or at least 99% of it, had practically emptied out of the classrooms, and were scattered all around the place, buzzing along with them, a highly insane amount of noise. In all my years of Castron High, I have never seen the school as NOISY as it was today.

The Ss3 Hallway, for one, was a rowdy mess, nearly suffocating mess, as about half the population of classmates were there, making a whole lot of noise, dividing themselves in cliques and groups where they got to laugh, play, flirt, show-off, and gossip about the one trending news that had gone viral this morning, and scattered the same peace of CH - Luckily, it was not concerning Dabeluchi.

I figured, judging through the noise from the other Senior blocks that neighbored ours, that they were also partaking in this same activities the Ss3s' in our hallway were so actively into. I low-key figured, apparently, that even if we hadn't had to cover for Dabeluchi the way we did yesterday, with the rate that everyone was talking about this new rumour surrounding the Queen Bee and the School Star player/ Hunk, I figured that it would have naturally, due to the popularity scale, overshadowed Dabeluchi's gist anyway.

I actually had to leave the School Block because I was getting slightly irritated, hearing the name 'Ivandor Fejaun' over again, in everyone's goddamn mouth.

I was in a good mood this morning, I didn't want to spoil it.

Aurora 💖

Remember when we went to get chocolate cake by those outside Counters close to the Game Arcade?
<Sent 9:48am

I smiled reading Dabeluchi's text.

How could I forget that day?

The same day she couldn't pick a flavour and kept changing her mind so frequently.

The same day she scared the life out of me when I had lost her.

The same day we played with the water hose and ended up getting ourselves so wet.

The same day we bumped into classmates, Prissy and Yure, and I had told Prissy that Dabi's name was 'Menu Tabs'.

The same day we sat by the river and would have kissed if she didn't do me 'odeshi'.

Recalling those moments alone were everything to me.

The same day I saw the cut scars on her hand......

My heart dropped for a moment, as I remembered that part of the night. It was a painful drop within me. Very painful.

I texted her back;

Yeah, I remember very, very well 🌝
<Sent 9:48am

Her reply came the next minute;

Aurora💖

Abi, you know we forgot that chocolate cake there?
<Sent 9:49am

I belted out a laughter immediately as the realization slapped me in the face.

We did forget our cake there.

Or I did.

I remembered grabbing the pack from the woman behind the counter, but after I realized that Dabeluchi was missing, I couldn't really recall running around and looking for her with it in my hands.

With a playful grin on my face, I thumbed rapidly, replying Dabeluchi immediately;

It was all your fault!
<Sent 9:49am

If you didn't play that kind of play with me, we wouldn't have left it there, Aurora😂😂
<Sent 9:49am

Play-Play Aurora🌝
<Sent 9:49am

Aurora💖

Yen yen yen
<Sent 9:50am

Aurora💖

Abeg, stop making me laugh too much, Chika is here.
<Sent 9:51am

A part of me wondered where she was and if she was was close by, perhaps. I hadn't even seen her today at all. Not even in the Assembly Hall, and immediately after the Assembly was over, I barely spent two minutes in the Hallway, before going out to chill in the void and empty Senior Basketball court.

Well, it was void and empty when I came.

However, not so long after, I started to have some company. Or maybe even too much company, even. Some boys from my set, a few athletic girls too, and some other boys and girls from Ss2, were engaging in a friendly match of Basketball. Thy had quite an audience too, because it even started  to seem like half the population of Castron High was suddenly eve so interested in being here in the Senior School Basketball court all of a sudden.

Or Nana's throne - as it was popularly known.

The boy, Nana Obi, was actually no where to be found. Everyone else in Castron High seemed to be on his court, except him, and he wasn't a prefect, so only God knows where exactly he had gone off to.

I sat there, on one of the benches by the court that was supposed to be for the Spectators who would be watching the game, texting Dabeluchi, and paying little to no mind what was going on, on that court.

Funny enough, normally, even if I wasn't texting Dabeluchi right now, a part of me would have naturally preferred to stay here, than on the football field.

On a normal day, being in the same space with Ivandor Fejaun just had a way of riling me up. In as much as the Ballers' knew, and I mean it that the were fucking talented in hyping the shit out of me, once we were on the field, and Ivandor was there, I was almost invisible.

And it irritated me a lot how my Dad loved Ivandor and his abilities so much, more than he even loved me - if he did, and then, when I get to School, which was the only place I had my own share of ego boosting, I get to the field, and Ivandor Fejaun also steals that from me as well.

Nevertheless, he was a prefect, and my luck was that I probably wouldn't have to set my eyes on him at all today.

I decided to zero on all my thoughts on Dabeluchi and Dabeluchi alone, as that was the only thing that was really giving me joy, and not riling up toxic feelings in me. So, I texted her;

Where are you, sef🌝
<Sent 9:52am

My message ticked blue and she was typing immediately.

Aurora💖

Class.
<Sent 9:53am

I was surprised, really, because I didn't think that with the crowd of noisy, basketball watching students here, that anyone was even in class at all.

I texted her back;

I want to see you🌝
<Sent 9:53am

Aurora 💖

You always want to see me.
<Sent 9:53am

On seeing her reply, I tried to muffle my laughter so I wouldn't come off so loud, and I was laughing under my breath as I texted her again;

Pretty, Pleasseeeee❤️
<Sent 9:53am

She was typing back and in a minute, I got her messages.

Aurora 💖

Oya, wait.
<Sent 9:54am

Aurora 💖

I'm coming.
<Sent 9:55am

I was really excited, eagerly waiting for Dabeluchi, and so many minutes were passing and passing and passing, until a picture dropped in my DMS.

The picture, guys!!!✨✨

My hands froze over as chills ran through my whole body, and my heart stopped, dropped to my stomach, and I stopped breathing, but my fingers were pouring out my heart and mind in her DMS.

"YO! ACHA!"

One of the guys in the court had snapped me out of my thoughts, reverting my attention to them, a bit alarmed at the sharpness of his tone as he shouted my name.

I looked up to see a basketball, flying towards me and headed directly into my face, and in reflex, my hands had gone up, trapping the ball in them, without stress, easily catching it, before seeing the faces that were on me, fronting large grins and extra large smiles.

"What's up, na? Man like Acha, you no go like ball with us?" Ayo spoke pidgin, proposing that I play basketball with them, and the other Ballers around him, were also in on the idea, anticipating my participation as well.

I laughed under my breath, shook my head with a smile and then threw the basketball back to Jaja who caught it in one swift motion, and I told them all, "Sorry. Not today, boys."

The boys were mock groaning in the most dramatic way, punching their fists into the air, and Prissy Waje, a girl who rocked a low-cut, and one of the very athletic girls in my set who had even joined the boys' match, shot out her little head from the small crowd of the tall boys.

"Brooo," She came straight for me, eyes wide as saucers, "What do you mean you don't want to play naa? Inside this hot match, you prefer to press phone??"

"Man like Acha doesn't even know that he and Fejaun are the reasons we packed ourselves from the field and came here to this court," I heard Nomso comment and I frowned in confusion.

Really?

I mean, yeah, I knew that the Ballers loved to play football with Ivandor, and a part of me felt that they all retired here to the court because Ivandor was in a Prefects' meeting, but I didn't feel my absence was of much importance to the team.

At least, not as seriously as this.

But to think of it, I was the second best player in the team, and with their star, Ivandor Fejaun absent, and me, absent, as well as equally great players like Affah, and Aaron and Casper absent too, I realized the boys felt like the field was a bit dry.

I could understand that.

"Leave him naw," A fun and lively Ss2 girl who was also playing with them, playfully punched Nomso on the shoulder, "You people are even disturbing him, what if he's talking to his babe?"

My classmates collectively laughed at the Ss2 girl's joke, before Jaja tossed her the ball and she started to bounce it on the court and moved like a skilled professional at the game.

King Tobi was the Ss2 girl's name, and for some reason, that girl had been trying so hard to be friends with me for as long as I could remember.

Granted, she was friends with about 99% of my set boys, and not in a sleazy kind of way, but majorly because, since she was closely a tom-boy, she knew how to make friends with boys, easier than with girls, and our set boys absolutely loved her effortless cool and swagger.

Large excited screams and cheers erupted from the watching students that surrounded the circle of the court, as Michael Ndukwe, a cocky boy from Ss2 scored a neat three pointer, and the rest of his guys from the Big boys Association of Ss2 were quick to rush up to him, carrying him up and hailing, 'KING MICHAEL' over and over. I smiled, impressed at the kid, too, and his constant efforts of turning a game into a mad house.

However, I contemplated leaving this place. Luckily, no one was hitting my bench in all their cheering and screaming. In fact, to be honest, since I came here, no one had even sat with me on this bench.

In their defense, if I was in a class lower than Ss3 and I saw an Ss3 boy sitting on one of the benches, I would quietly also avoid that bench and sit somewhere else, though.

Most of these juniors here weren't even fully concentrated on the game unless someone scored. A lot of the girls were taking selfies, making videos, gisting with friends, and playing with their classmates, while a lot of their boys used this as an opportunity to flirt with the girls they liked....

They were just like us.

Aurora 💖

There's Dance Class today tho.
<Sent 10:01am

I got confused on Dabeluchi's message.

Dance Class... Today?

I was quick to text back;

It's Monday. I thought Dance Class was only Friday and Saturday.
<Sent 10:01am

Aurora 💖

Yeah, but Yukerya wants our class to audition for this Dance contest next week.
<Sent 10:02am

I hummed in delight. Nice.

Aurora💖

So, we will be having classes through out the week with a few members of the class, and Yukerya says I am going to be the one to come up with the dance moves and tutor Quin and Yusra this week.
<Sent 10:04am

I smiled, texted back;

Well, look at you taking up leadership roles, Aurora🌝
<Sent 10:04am

Aurora 💖

Lol.

<Sent 10:05am

Aurora💖

 Are you coming?
<Sent 10:06am

I was just about to text Dabeluchi back when I felt another presence, a familiar one, join me on the bench.

"Brah." Was all he said as she sat by me, ever so quietly, thumbing softly on his phone, seemingly focused on whatever it was he was doing.

"Sean?" I called him.

"What's up?" His tone was even drier than his facial expressions, he barely even looked up from his phone.

Something was wrong with him.

The boy sucked in his teeth in slight frustration at something, and just put off his phone, dropped it on the bench.

"Is it just me or is today just somehow?" He said to me.

I found it hard to relate. So far, my today had been amazing.

"And Jesus, everywhere I go, every corner I turn, every one is talking about Giwa and-"

"Yeah, me too, I know," I cut him off before he could say the other name.

Like I had said before, all morning, there had been a rumour hovering all around the queen bee and the School hunk, and it had done well to steal the peace of the entire school.

I'd give it to them anyways, they made my job of shifting all the attention away from Dabeluchi a lot more easier.

The students of Castron High were like the wind when it came to rumours and trendy gossip.  They moved aimlessly like the wind, from one thing to another, never settling at one exact place.

Rumours and trending gossip die faster than they come up in Castron High; It wasn't a myth.

And for a fact, the worthy class did determine just how much relevance that would be attached to a piece of information; Their reaction to it was the determining factor to check if it was relevant enough to be worth talking about, or well, not that important, I guess.

And that was exactly what gave me the idea to help Dabeluchi out.

So, imagine what progress it would have been in Dabi's favour if the most relevant people in the set, took her side? Again, don't ask what I did, what we did, but just know that I successfully managed to make Dabeluchi a celebrity in this school, and she had no clue about it.

And yes, I was aware that as a result of everything that had gone down this term, Dabeluchi had grown to hate attention - good or bad, but my hands were tied. I had to help her, I had to do