71Β°/ Too Many Disturbing Things

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Hey, everyone. Sorry for the long wait, but I promise it is all worth it!

I want you people to dissect this one oo, so take your time and read oo. I want to hear everything that you have to say!😌❀️










~ACHA~

I felt like I was in a dream.

This all felt like a dream. A terrible dream that I was practically begging myself to wake up from any moment from now.

But this felt real. This felt as real as it could be. I could practically feel every dangerous thudding of my heart and I could hear my own breath come off in haphazardness as I tried to control it, all to no avail.

Damn it, I could feel everything. And no matter how much I tried, I could not numb any of it, from that aching feeling in the pit of my stomach that bit by bit, turned to a disturbing feeling of nausea that was threatening to gut me on the spot. Neither could I tame those aggressive and invisible whips that slammed onto my back every time and second that I had gotten to a new understanding of and digested the full gravity and weight of what I had just done.

I don't know how I did that. How every second, somehow, I comprehended everything in a newer, more terrifying light.

God, please. Let this be a dream.

I held my heart in one hand and my phone in the other. And I watched time fly like a bird with new wings right before my eyes. Stared at the stupid time that showed on my phone wallpaper and watched as it add a stupid minute, over and over again, in what felt like mere seconds to me.

12: 08am.

"Oh, fuck," A groan of frustration left me as I ran my hand through my hair for the hundredth time already since 12am; I wouldn't have been shocked if I looked like a man gone completely mad.

But this was enough to make anyone run mad. This realization that you have fucked up beyond words and are left to face nothing but the impending doom of consequences, it could cause a man to run mad on the spot. Wasn't it?

And goddammit, I am that man. Shit, I was losing every bit of my own sanity right now.

"Marc..." She called me, her voice soft and hesitant as she caught up to me, circled her way around my frame, stepped up to my front to get into my view with her toes tipping high enough for her to stare up and catch my eyes in a lock gaze.

Aurora.

We were very close to the main gate of Greenland Park, by far segregated from the rest of the bonfire party that did not seem to want to come to an end tonight and it was only until she had stepped up in front of me that I had remembered that she was even walking by my side all along.

Or at least, trying to catch up with me all the while.

With eyes soft and meek, widened in concern and all ways, adorable, she looked up at me and blinked once, twice, then parted her lips to speak to me in a soft steady tone, "What's going on?"

Her soft hands that rested upon my arm were enough to lift some burden off me to an extent and her gaze on me never faltered for a second. She tried to keep eye contact with me, genuinely curious.

"What's happening? Where are we going, Marc?" She asked and I could sense the bit of panic in her sound. I could feel it too as her fingertips shook slightly, trembled upon the fabric of my shirt. "Why did you run off like that? Is everything okay? Marc? What's going on? Tell me." Her voice was surprisingly stable overall even if I could sense those bits and pieces of fear that stressed her syllables and I needed her not to worry about me.

"Aurora," I intended to call her name, but it came off in hazard breaths. I might have as well sounded like a walrus, but what gives. "I need to go, okay? I really need to go now. It's an emergency. I've really screwed up now and I have to leave andβ€”"

"Screwed up?" Her lips downturned, eyes followed mine carefully, "What on earth are you talking about, Marc?"

"Sean." I told her.

"What about Sean?" She asked.

"Well, see the thing is, todayβ€”" I stopped myself on realization immediately. Groaned inwardly. Sighed in frustration. Then, corrected myself, pain oozing off every word I said, "β€”I mean, yesterday was his birthday. Yesterday, 20th of November."

She listened.

"That day was also a very important day for him too because it was the same day of his big game, Aurora," I elaborated, "One that's like the pacesetter for his dream career. It was all yesterday, and that's the major fuck up!"

Dabeluchi stared at me and said not a word, but she didn't have to. She was smart enough to connect the damn dots and her eyes said it all that she had come to the realization before I could elaborate it to her.

"You missed it." She said to me.

I swallowed. Hard. It hot different with every reminder.

"Jesus." Dabeluchi nearly stumbled on her own feet and I was quick to hold her when she staggered to stop her from tripping and falling.

Imagine.

If it was hard enough a blow to make her stagger, then what business did I have still standing on my feet? I should have fainted by now. Probably dropped dead even, if I were being real right now.

"I don't even know how that slipped my mind, Aurora. It's so messed up," I said to her through the thousands of sirens that blared nonstop in my head, "So, that was what I was forgetting all day,β€”" I slapped my forehead in a face palm, my frustration unlimited, "β€” So, that was it all along." I may have tangled the twists on my hair because each time my hands ran threw it again and again, I heard snapping sounds of my own hair now.

It all made sense. That was why I kept feeling all day like something was missing. The entire day was all bliss and wonderful and yet, I could not even stop myself from thinking that something was wrong and I got to find out about it in the worst way possible.

Sean's birthday and big game were on my mind when I woke up this morning. I could vouch that it was the first thing on my mind, really. I didn't know how, but somehow, it still slipped. The entire morning was like a whole world war happening live and direct in my own home and by the time that Mum and Dad started all that disturbing yelling, so much clouded my mind and so much left. Hell, I had even forgotten that something like School existed until Mum reminded me.

But I could still feel it. I could feel it down in my bones that there was something I was forgetting and this was it all along. How could I forget something like this?

"I don't even have an excuse, Aurora," I said to her. My voice, pathetically soft.

"Marc..." She sounded like she wanted to comfort me.

"I shouldn't even have an excuse," I said as a matter of fact.

I should have no excuse.

"What on earth will I say that can justify this?" I asked rhetorically, running a hand against down my head in another bit of frustration as I looked to Aurora like she'd have some sort of answer for me.

Of course, she didn't.

What could she have said? What could anyone have said right now?

"I can't even dare give an excuse for this," I scoffed at my own incompetence, "Aurora, I was literally in Nana's house with Sean the day before all of this and we talked about it: his birthday and the big game and everything and I just, I still, Iβ€”" I stopped, my heart nearly combusting from the immense disappointment that even I felt for myself and I buried my face in my hands and took in deep breaths.

I took in very deep breaths. Large ones, even. Forced them into my system to keep my system intact before my body broke down from all this. I needed air.

Dabeluchi's soft and tender hands never left my arm and there was silence between us as she rubbed softly, up and down, in a bid to comfort me while I went through this, and I had to admit that to an extent, it was working. Little by little. Bit by bit.

"So, what do we do now?" She asked. She sounded concerned. Very concerned.

'We?' That replayed in my head for a second. I did not want Dabeluchi involving herself in this.

"I go to see Sean," I answered her question, stressed on the 'I' for emphasis, "Before that, Aurora, we have to get you home. The last thing Sean would want to see is your face."

"Ouch." She said, backing up in the slightest.

"I don't mean in offence, I promiseβ€”" I was trying to say.

"I understand," She cut in.

She looked like she understood and I was relieved.

There was no way she wouldn't understand. For one, I had missed out on Sean's entire day and I could bet with everything in me that he was aware of my whereabouts the entire day. Dabeluchi and I have been trending everywhere: In the Class Group chat for our little display of affection and public love confession to all our classmates, as well as in virtually all the school pages, popular Nigerian blog pages and the entire Social Media for every little thing that we did here in the Bonfire Party...

So, it was only reasonable to assume that Sean had seen the exact reason why I bailed on him the entire day.

"As much as I don't want to involve myself in this, I can't help but feel like it's my fault,β€”"

"My God, Aurora, don't say that," I stopped her immediately, cupping her face in my hands to look at her, "Don't say that. It's my fault. This has got nothing to do with you."

"Please, let me come with you." She asked.

I shook my head in protest. "Aurora, noβ€”"

"Please," She squeezed onto my arms, heavily insisting.

God, no.

I really did not want to involve Dabeluchi in all of this.

I really didn't. There were too many red flags glaring about the idea and I did not want to go against my instincts.

But, God, Dabeluchi did not look like she was going to take no for an answer. With every bone in her body, she was adamant. That adamance, I could see it oozing off her with a little bit of desperation sprinkled all over it, presenting to me a broken, pleading girl who would not sleep well if I said no. Who would lose every bit of her mind if I refused for her to stick with me through a time like this.

And with a heavy sigh....

I gave in.

*****

The gates of Nana's house had never made me feel more nauseated all my life.

No shit.

Our cab stopped right there in front of the house and from the outside of the gate where I stood, doing the four digit priced transfer for our ride, I glanced occasionally at those streetlights that stood there, hung around and shining on the cream coloured two story duplex that was Nana's house and I swallowed. Hard.

My nausea grew and I held back everything I ate in my stomach, disciplining myself to not let it all out, but with each realization that it was a matter of seconds before I had to step into that place, my anxiety rose and so did my thundering heartbeat and the hairs on my skin.

I had half a mind to turn back.

But, no, I couldn't stand to drag this longer. I had to face it. And as much as I did not want to. I had to face it now.Β 

"How do you know Sean is here?" Dabi asked me.

"I called Nana to ask," I answered as I instinctively took her hand to walk in with her, passing from the smaller part of the gate where the gateman greeted me briefly.

"Okay." Dabeluchi absentmindedly responded. She held onto my hand like it was a third somehow vital kidney as she walked into the compound with me, looking around everywhere like a girl new to a place, subtly alarmed.

She was new to this place. I mean, I couldn't assume that my girlfriend had ever been to Nana's house before, right?

I had to hold her dearly to assure her that everything was okay.

"Does Sean know that we are coming here?" She asked me again.Β 

Her voice. She sounded afraid. I was worried.

"No," I answered. "But Nana does. I told him we were stopping by together."

But why would Dabeluchi insist on coming here with me if she was so scared though?

"When we go in there," Nonetheless, I said to her, "Can I confront Sean alone?"

A bit of silence from her prevailed.

"Okay." She finally responded.

We walked in silence there on.

Hand in hand, Dabeluchi and I walked into the ins of the vast compound of Nana's house with a bid to get to the doorbell, having the fine glowing lights of those bright street lights that stood as watchmen over the house hit our skin as we walked in, and it was only until I had properly come into view of the front of the house that I had noticed something lingering there by one of the pillars that stood by the side of the house and I felt my life flash before my eyes in a haze.

"Oh, fuck." I muttered under my breath. Screwed. Absolutely fucked as I retracted on sighting the shadowy figure that I hoped and prayed was not who I thought it was.

Dabeluchi held on tight to me and hid about a half of her frame behind my back, thoroughly shaken and scared to the fucking core.Β 

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God.β€”

"Preposterous!"

Huh? I frowned.

"Absolutely preposterous, Marcus Acha! Unreservedly inconceivable!"

Um.. No? That did not sound like Sean Ayomide.

It did not sound one bit like him at all.

"Are you being serious right now?!" Kelechi's face popped up in my front, her eyes wide in absolute terror and her pupils, dilating with all the immense shock that seemed to slam her second by second at my basic presence, "Are you being fucking serious right now?"

I cringed, hearing her cuss at me.

But, somehow, I couldn't blame her nor her reaction. Needless to say, the girl looked absolutely horrified for some reason. She looked like she was looking dead on to the face of a ghost other than Marcus Bruno Acha.Β 

"How could you bring her here," The tall girl asked me. She didn't have to look at Dabi for me to know who she was referring to. "Really? Marcus, really? Even amidst it all? How dare you?"Β 

I didn't even have words. I wanted to explain, but my words were not even forthcoming.

Kelechi looked at me like I was a murderer. Shocked and horrified. She was looking at me like I had killed someone with my bare hands and with that obvious look of disappointment that lingered in her eyes, I started to rethink coming here in the first place.

"Rubbish." With an appalled and humourless scoff that slashed me with immense guilt, the pretty and elegantly sassy girl briefly looked me up and down, turned her back to me with a hair flip, turned her back on me, and without even a second thought, started to walk out on me.Β 

Clearly, Kelechi Alice Uwa could not even stand me.

Reflexively, I ran after her.Β 

"Can you chill, please," I said as soon as I got to her to hold her back, corner around her to face her with desperation pathetically glaring in every move I made, "You, acting like this is making me more reluctant to be here right now. Hear me out first.β€”"Β 

"What are you doing, Marcus?" The colour of Kelechi's eyes seemed to be dying out as her voice came out in even more horrified whispers, "What is this, Marc?" She looked to me and to Dabi, who I instinctively knew was behind me, "Why did you brink Dabeluchi here? Marcus, do you even understand what's happening in there?" She gestured inside the house. Where I had learnt to dread so far, as it right now, harboured my darkest fears. "Do you even understand?"

I glanced back at Dabi who stood there, quietly.

"She insisted." I tried to start my explanation. "She insisted, and I agreed, okay?"

Kelechi stared at me like I was crazy.

"I really can't believe you right now." She scoffed in more disappointment and would have walked out on me again if I had not stopped her a second time. "Can you go home?"

I backtracked hearing that.

She looked dead serious anyway.

"I am not trying to be mean or anything. I am only doing major damage control," Kelechi said to me, "Don't walk in there. You don't want to walk into that right now."

Just how bad....?

"Come back tomorrow, Marcus Acha." Kelechi said, glanced briefly at Dabeluchi behind me and added, "Only you."

She attempted walking away a third time and I stopped her again.

"Kelechi, can you hear me out for a second?" I said, "I didn't bring her here to cause any problems. Dabi only wanted to be here because she felt guilty and she insistedβ€”"

"Well, Sean insisted that you'd be there for him today and you didn't take any part of that into consideration, now did you?" She fired right back at my face and all my words died down in my throat.Β 

Guilt. Guilt. Shame. That was all I felt attacking me in a rush. "Kelechi, I forgotβ€”"

"You forgot." She cut me off by repeating my words, appalled beyond words.

"That came out wrong. Jesus.β€”" I tried to reach out to her as I seeked an ear in desperation, disappointed as my own words were falling my hands on top of this mess.

"Don't touch me." She stopped me before my arm could reach her. For more emphasis and how much she could not stand me, she took an evident step back, shifting away from me.

Ouch.

"Nobody's happy with you, Marcus," Kelechi said to me. "Emeka and Dozie may come down here and pretend like everything is fine, but take it from me, nobody likes what you did today."

Neither did I.

"I understand that things come up here and there and there is probably so much to juggle up in your life right now, Marcus, but Sean is your best friend and yesterday was a very important day," Kelechi said to me and for the first time since she started talking to me, her voice was actually soft and with no edge like a knife to it.

"I made a mistake," I confided in her. "I made a mistake, Kelechi." Thinking about it all was even starting to add a headache to the long list of health complications that I had gotten since 12am so far. With a sigh, I looked to Kelechi who stared at me and waited for me to say more apparently. "Why didn't anyone call though?"

I could not even believe it that I had the bloody audacity to ask her that.

Man, she couldn't even believe it herself.Β 

"Are you seriously going to turn this around and blame us for not reminding you that the 20th of November was your best friend's birthday and basketball tournament?" She sternly asked.

I couldn't have felt more stupid.

"No, I.. I didn't," I was already stammering. My God. I was stammering. "It sounds foolish to even ask you that. I sound foolish. Iβ€”"

"Take it easy on him."

I stopped at the unexpected voice that spoke up from behind me.

"Kelechi, I don't like your tone on my boyfriend."

Swallowing hard, I turned around to Dabeluchi who just spoke up for me.

There she was, standing there, a few steps away from me and I wondered when I had distanced myself from her to that extent. With her posture firm and in her version of upright, she stared Kelechi dead in the eyes and spoke with a confidence that shocked me beyond my imagination.

"It was my fault," She continued. Dabi said.

No, it wasn't.

"I was the one who occupied him the whole day," Dabi was still speaking on my behalf, "Marc made a mistake today and I know it is really bad, but so far I know and have understood from his friendship with Sean, he always always has his best interest at heart. Marc did not mean for any of this to happen. Stop making it seem like he's

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