This is the second part of the double update, so go back and read the previous chapter if you missed it oo.

WELCOME!!!

~ACHA~

Three days.

I've had three whole days to tell Sean what he needed to hear.

But thinking of the possibilities surrounding the aftermath of that, always stopped me from doing so.

I had done the most I could do so far though. Like, making up for missing appointments last week and being there for him, these past few months. He hadn't said anything about Mamba since Monday, and Ada seemed to be thriving on my aching anxiety.

I had to tell Sean.

The Last person he should find out the truth from was Ada.

"This guy is disturbing me oo." Sean scoffed as he did a swiping movement against his phone, removing his annoying Whatsapp notifications, he thumbed away on Instagram.

My ears perked up immediately for a reason I wasn't sure of.

"A guy is disturbing you?" I repeated what I heard him say back to him.

"It's Casper, brah," He told me, "I'm sure he's also added you to the GC too. Apparently, we're part of the party planning Committee for Shade Onam."

"Oh," I said, "I knew about that."

I hadn't taken my time to see what the whole thing was all about, but a celebrity teen model called Shade Onam had her birthday coming up this Saturday, and Aaron and Casper were organizing for a party.

"He's been texting ever since, I think I'll soon leave that GC," Sean decided so casually.

"That would be rude," I told him.

"How?" He asked me, frowning im genuine confusion.

"At least, ask before you leave," I insisted, "So, it won't look like you don't care."

"But I don't care," Sean said, looked at me like he was still trying to understand my point, and figure out the big deal in leaving the group without telling anyone.

"Yeah, but-" You can't tell someone that. I couldn't finish my sentence before Sean cut me off.

"Okay, naw, no wahala," He waved me off, "If you insist, I'll just dm Casper right now and tell him that I don't care and that's the reason I'm about to leave the group chat-"

"Sean, no!" I nearly screamed, stopped his hands as I noticed him already thumbing away in Casper's DMS.

Sean looked at me, confused. "What now?"

"You can't say that to Casper," I said to Sean, and he just stared at me, honest to God having not a damn clue why he shouldn't.

"Let me have your phone." I said to him.

"Whatever, brah." he shrugged, tossed me his Samsung phone, and I took it, took my time as well to construct a more apologetic excuse in Casper's DMS.

"Why do they even keep adding me to these kind of things when they know I'll still leave?" Sean asked rhetorically as I gave him back his phone.

I wondered too.

Each time we had a party, Aaron and Casper always made a general list of people who would be involved in the planning phase. It ranged from people who were really social and capable of coming up with lively ideas or getting connections with celebrities, and people who were just rich enough to contribute and deal with expenses... Or both.

Casper ALWAYS added me and Sean to the planning committee group chat. A lot of times, I co-operated. Sean never even stayed in the group chat past 10 minutes. Yet, they still added him the next time.

And in a way, I didn't fault Sean though. Sean didn't even fancy parties much to be honest, he was very neutral. Crazy how he was so loud and so social, but didn't enjoy the cruise of parties as much. He basically only showed up if I was going to be there, or if he knew JJ was coming along with Kaniru and his boys. And if I must say, there was a little bit of a 'good boy' in Sean that he hated to admit. So, for planning parties? No way. He wouldn't even give it a second thought.

Another thing he wouldn't give a second thought?

Marking me off with an "X" as his friend after finding out the truth.

And many more things worse....

This was probably the best time to tell him.

It was a Thursday School afternoon, and after a hectic, annoying football match today during Sports, I didn't waste the slightest bit of time, getting lost from that toxic field, and finding Sean on the Basketball Court the moment the bell for Sports Over went.

Of course, having that once the last bell went, indicating that Sports was over, it meant it was also automatically 'School over'. However,the school still seemed full. Students were still strolling in pairs, friend groups, little cliques, and all that, gisting, laughing, having fun as they walked the corners of Castron High, and I could imagine just how rowdy the School Hallways must have been like. A lot of other students were still out on the fields, tracks, courts, and virtually any sports arena they found themselves in weren't much interested in going home just yet. The School was still full with students all around the Sports Arenas, much still into their fun and games like the Bell hadn't even been rung.

The Basketball Court for one was still filled up with spectating students who were either watching the game by the benches or strolling round the circle of the court in cliques and groups. Meanwhile, the players were still active on the Court, and just very, very few of them were starting to pack up their bags to leave and head to the Locker rooms, or home.

Together, we sat by the circle of the court, taking one of the benches all to ourselves, and Sean was sitting right next to me, taking a time out from the game.

"Can I talk to you about something, bro?" I asked Sean.

It had to come out now.

As not expected, I got Sean's fullest attention.

"Talk to me about what?" He asked, eyes on me as he waited.

I looked back at him as my brain put words into sentences in my head, and all the way, there were two parts of my consciences in a mighty battle, one of them, telling me to say everything to him, and the other, telling me to not risk such a thing.

One of them won.

"I'm not sure how you're going to receive this, Sean, but- but it's been long overdue now, and I just feel it's high time you deserved to know.." I started off, stopped for another moment to put my words together in my head.

"I wanted to tell you this a long time ago," I sighed, continued, "I was just worried about how you'd feel and I was ashamed of keeping it from you, and that may be one of the biggest mistakes of my life yet..."

"You're scaring me." Sean voiced out.

I was surprised that something could scare Sean, but that wasn't what this was about. And as I prayed to God to let this cup pass me by, Sean just stared at me, didn't say anything more, but I knew he was listening. Waiting for me.

He wouldn't take this well.

He stared at me, looked at me with somewhat innocent eyes that I knew where going to darken with rage and hurt when he heard what I had to say.

I opened my mouth and braced myself to say the truth.

"Earlier this year...."

Sean's eyes stayed on me, waiting to hear the rest.

I continued, "Earlier this year, I-"

"WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN!?"

Fuck no.

I was cut off in mid sentence as JJ stormed into me and Sean with the speed and force of a freight train.

Why now.

Why now!

"I've been looking for you two!" JJ said as he pushed himself down into the bench with us in all his excitement, nearly even pushing it down with the weight of his huge body.

I had never been so unhappy to see this kid.

I mean, did he have to come now? NOW?! Right in the middle of this? How on earth am I supposed to resummon all the courage to re-confess this entire thing to Sean next time? How? How?!

"Oh, really, you've been looking for us everywhere, except the Bball Court where we'd most likely be, especially since it's a Sports Day?" Sean shot at JJ, looked him up and down briefly.

The boy laughed awkwardly, but said nothing more. Just sat there with us like he had nothing else to do with himself.

And through Sean's tone, I could tell he wasn't happy with JJ either. I figured it definitely had something to do with JJ's disappearances on him these days, especially to hang out with the other boys - Kaniru and co. If I was being honest, JJ spent way too much time with them than he did with us. I only wondered why he wasn't with them right now. What happened?

"So! Are we having a party for you, Sean?" The younger boy changed topic, a grin on his face as he posed a question to Sean.

Either Sean forgot he was mad at JJ or he just refused to address whatever the problem was, because he answered JJ without an edginess in his tone.

"Brahhh...." Sean drawled, "Hell, no," He shook his head, "You guys know I can't dare to host a party in my house; My mum would kill me, abeg."

Oh, we know that.

She would kill him and dance in his grave.

"She's been so edgy lately, so let's not anger the beast. I don't want her to start complaining. She talks too carelessly when she's angry, so let's just leave that party idea for me alone," Sean finalized.

I was so confused.

There was going to be a party for Sean?

"Wait.." I cut in, sought to clarify things for myself, "Party for you? Why?"

JJ blinked at me.

Sean stared in disbelief.

I knew I shouldn't have asked, but I wasn't any less confused.

"It's November," Sean reminded me.

"Yeah..?" I still didn't get it.

"November is my birthday month," He reminded me, again.

Realization hit me like a truck.

"Hmm," Sean gave me a once over before looking away and muttering, "This one you're even forgetting my birthday month, stay like that and forget my birthday fess."

I was embarrassed.

It was unlikely of me to forget things like these. Sean and I have been best friends since childhood, and infact, before now, the moment that we reach November, the very first thing I remember is Sean's birthday....

But has this month been that occupied for me that simple information like this even skipped my memory?

November 20th.

November 20th.

November 20th.

I did a raincheck of the date over and over in my head, just to prove to myself that I still remembered it at least.

"But it would be sick if we threw a party though!" JJ was still on the topic, "E go mad oo, forget! After Shade's own, we'll now come with our own! Parte after Parte! Our classmates will just-"

My brain muted the rest of JJ's words the moment I turned to him and saw him, busily rolling something in between his fingers as he talked very, very excitedly to us.

"Guys, I'm telling you, we will shut down CH! CH WILL NOT HEAR THE END OF IT-"

Sean slapped the cigar stick away from JJ's hand, and nearly shoved his head into his own school bag in sudden fury.

"Are you mad!?" He shouted at JJ, chunking out from the bag a brown substance in a white transparent nylon that JJ was fondling with as well.

God have mercy.

I couldn't believe my eyes as my brain decided what was inside that nylon, and I couldn't comprehend how JJ would have the audacity to even bring that thing to School, and jeez, Sean was about to slap the legion out of him if I hadn't forced myself in between the two to stop him.

"Weed!?" Sean shouted at JJ, shocked and livid as he was, "Seriously, JJ? Weed? You brought weed to school to smoke, are you a mad man?!"

"Sean, don't get too loud, we'll attract attention to ourselves," I said as I rushed to pick up the cigar stick that he had flung away, and package the weed nylon he was waving in the air, back into the bag to conceal everything as quickly as I could.

Sean just snatched the bag from my hand and started to look inside it, and God knows whatever he was seeing in there, because his eyes nearly popped out of its sockets, and I had to take it away from him, zip it close in order to conceal whatever it may have been, once more.

"I've closed the bag. Sean, let's not talk about this further so we don't draw suspicion to ourselves and get into any trouble, and JJ, respect yourself and go home right now with this bag. God bless you." I spoke to both boys.

There was no point screaming about this here. Students were still around and if they got to know what the fuss was about, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. Castron High students knew how to blow things out of proportion and deliver drama at its finest, and the worst thing that could happen to all of us here is the School Authorities finding out that JJ came to School with a weed.

"You guys are just being so dramatic," JJ grumbled irritably, "My boys don't make such a big fuss like this when I want to kush."

I glared at JJ as the words left his mouth, although my body was still propped in for his defense if Sean attempted to smack him again.

"Do your boys also know you're asthmatic, JJ? Are they aware of your severe health condition? Do they know that if you keep smoking like this, there's a high chance that you'd drop dead any time soon?" I asked JJ, my voice coming off a lot sterner than I intended.

JJ just started to hang his bag over his shoulders like he was done with us and contemplating leaving soon.

Like we were doing such a horrible thing by stopping him from such an I'll habit.

I mean, I could even bet my kidney that he didn't even come to School with his inhaler. So, if anything happens to him, we're all dead.

"It's not that deep." Was all JJ grumbled and I looked at the boy, wondered if he was really being for real.

"So where are you now running off to?" Sean's eyes rose with him, scanning him silly as JJ suddenly stood from the bench, looking vaguely annoyed with us as he swung his backpack over a shoulder as though he was about to walk out on both of us.

"Oh, because we're trying to help your life, you're now angry. So that's how easily we irritate you now, abi? Common correction is what is making you squeeze your face like squirrel." Sean straight up dissed the guy without remorse, looking him up and down in annoyance.

I put a hand to stop Sean from talking, and tried to play the mediator role.

"There's no reason to get offended, J. We didn't say anything, we're just concerned about you, that's all." I said to JJ.

"Well, I don't need you guy's concern." He rudely replied me and I backed up in shock at the dull harshness of his tone.

It didn't make sense to me. How easily JJ just seemed to get offended over something so trivial. It just didn't make sense.

He almost sounded like he hated us.

It really didn't make sense.

"Oya do and get out from our sights then. Since you want to quarrel, don't be standing here to be chatting shit." Sean fired back at JJ, dismissing him without a second thought.

"Sean-" I tried to mediate this unreasonable argument with my friends.

"What?" He frowned at me, flinging my hand away as it touched him lightly, "Why are you begging the boy? If he wants to go and see his boys, allow him. What use has he even been to me this week? Just to be behaving like one useless side character in somebody's life."

Ouch.

"For your information, I'm going home." JJ said to Sean.

"How that one take consine me?" Sean frowned at him, visibly irritated by his presence that hadn't left us yet.

I was surprised how JJ hadn't raised his voice at Sean yet. Well, for as long as I could remember, he had always had this sort of relationship with Sean that bordered in a thin line that was between respect and fear, and no matter how irritated he seemed to be by us at the moment, he didn't yell at Sean. Even if it was clear he wanted to.

"I'm only telling you so you'll know that I have my own life outside just being with my boys, Sean," JJ said to Sean, "Maybe if you paid attention more, you'd realize that."

"Jesus Christ," Sean lamented in murmurs, ran a hand down his hair and turned to me to ask, "Abeg, why is this boy telling me all these things?"

"And my boys are sick anyway. They've been in the clinic all morning, so I haven't spoken to them all day." JJ left with that, like it was enough to prove his point.

It all made sense.

That's why JJ decided to come to us today. Because his boys couldn't be with him. Because they were sick.

"Well, that's unfortunate for the boys, innit?" Sean scoffed sarcastically, not even sparing JJ's retreating back a single glance.

I watched JJ leave us, and as much as I tried to deny it, it was painful to watch. Even if Sean acted like it didn't faze him, I knew it was painful to him too. He had made it clear to me some days ago how bothered he felt that me and JJ were straying away from him. He had even started to feel like we were doing it on purpose...

Me and JJ.

Sean did care.

I knew he did.

We both had always looked at JJ like a younger brother, and all through out primary school, we were basically an unbreakable squad.

I mean, yeah, JJ had some slip ups. He had always been that kind of guy to try things that were for adults, and get himself into a lot of trouble, but watching him do so in Secondary School, in the manner he was doing so, made me feel uneasy.

He was walking on the wrong path. Literally diving head first into it, and it bothered me a great deal.

And honestly, as I watched JJ leave, I felt like something was terribly wrong.

I just didn't know what.

And that unknown fact even scared me more than the probable consequences surrounding Sean finding out the truth about Ada.

God, help me.

God help all of us.

******

At the end of the day, I ended up not telling Sean anything. And then, walking into the Boys Locker room didn't do anything to uplift my mood.

Not just because I walked into a frat of naked, excited boys who were doing everything but minding their business. I was really not a fan of this cramped up, suffocating space of a locker room because all the boys did here did was exude the stench of testosterone and toxic masculinity, shout at the top of their lungs about the most sexist things, laugh at the darkest of humours, play mean pranks on one another and have them run around naked looking for their clothes, and of course, talk about, literally HYPE THE FUCK out of Ivandor Fejaun - someone who was almost never even here.

At the moment, they didn't even disappoint. The boys, even my juniors, were all about the last two goals that Ivandor Fejaun had scored under 60 seconds - something I had to admit that was incredibly impressive, but having to hear that boy's name over and over from the name of my team mates who were too stunned to let it go, wasn't enjoyable.

And sadly, I couldn't do anything to avoid this because I had to get my Sports Bag from here. I had to come here whether I liked it or not.

And, lol, no one even noticed me walk in. I mean, not even in my dreams would they do so at this point. Whenever it had to do with Ivandor Fejaun, I was near to invisible. I legit was air.

Without answering a