Shout out to 6ukunmi for being the reason I forced myself to start cooking this up😂❤️

And shout out to all my readers too, for forcing me to start writing this too! Y'all are the best! Oh and btw, if you haven't checked out 6ukunmi, make sure to get on to it as soon as possible oo! If you're a lover of poems, I believe you'll adore his work!😌❤️

This asides, I wanted to say something else. I don't like the subtle mockery of Dabi's illness that I see in my comments section sometimes. I have been meaning to address it. Dabi does have a mental illness for anyone who doesn't know it yet (even if I don't understand how someone reading this book wouldn't) so, laughing about it or being unnecessary mean about it is uncalled for. I understand that Dabi can be annoying, even if we can't love her any less, but in the real world, no one with any sort of mental illness, even down to depression, is not exactly sunshine and rainbows to live with. So, please, let's be cautious about the way we speak of Dabi. Thanks and God bless!😌❤️

That being said......... Let me just tag Iyanuoluwa-Temi. And Donaldprince. You guys will understand why when you read this chapter!😂♥️

~DABI~

I think may have underestimated the extent to which Marc may have been upset with me.

Okay, I will rephrase that. I don't think. I strongly believe, beyond all reasonable and unreasonable doubts, that I underestimated it.

Like, really bad.

On a normal day, Marcus Acha was always the first one to hit me up.

He did that all the time. He seldom ever missed out on the opportunity to be the first one to send me a message.

And sure, due to the complications that had come with the days that had passed by, counting from the day of the Bonfire party till date, he had not been messaging as frequently as he used to, but at least, he tried with a good morning text and a good night text all the time.

Even if never really letting me know what was going on on his side.

But at least, he put in some effort. And that meant a lot to me.

It had been hours since Chika and I had gotten back from school, and why my big head expected to see a text from him, even after the fight we had in school today, I don't even understand.

I mean... Marc was just like that.

Texting and checking up on me even when things were rough.

But, not today. After what had happened in School, he had not texted me the whole entire day.

Not a word.

Not even a letter.

Awful was an understatement to how that mad me feel. On God, I felt absolutely terrible. So, so terrible.

Of course, I wasn't stalking him at all, but I noticed that he was online around 5:24pm.

He went offline about five minutes after and even though disappointed, I was happy when he came back online by 5:47pm. Like, on the dot.

And I swear, I was not keeping tabs on him or anything, but around 6:15pm, 6:17pm, 6:29pm, 6:34pm, 6:38pm, 6:43pm, 6:45pm, and sometime around 6:51pm too, I saw that his online status had blinked online for about one second.

Marc was coming online and he was not even talking to me.

But would you kill a girl for dreaming at least? As much as it hurt, I knew that he was not the one that was meant to be reaching out after what happened today? So, why exactly did I, Dabeluchi Orji, feel it was better to sit here and stare at Marcus Acha's Whatsapp status blink online and offline from time to time, instead of actually manning up and sending a message?

It'd be nice if you could answer because I didn't have a good reason, either.

"So, Dabz. Are you going to tell me what this is about?"

I zapped out of my reverie the moment that Chika walked into the room and abruptly, all my attention went to her, my eyes focused on the light skinned girl as she waltzed herself into the room and made her way to the short desk drawer just by the bed, her bed that I sat on.

I knew she was going for the boxing gloves on top of the drawers.

"So?" She glanced at me over her shoulders as I delayed a response and of course, I was right, because she grabbed the gloves and in one second, they were worn on her hands.

"He isn't talking to me." I told her the plainest way that I possibly could.

Chika was moving towards the punching bags, but stopped on hearing me say that and turned to me with a small frown on her face.

"Wow, b. Was it that serious?" She asked.

Honestly.....

"I don't even know, for real," I told her.

"You don't know," She repeated my words to me as though they would somehow have a different meaning.

I only nodded. "Yes."

Chika stared at me like she was not buying my shit.

It made me break character.

"Okay, fine, it was that serious," I admitted, "It was pretty serious, Chi."

She sighed. It was a soft sigh, very soft and subtle, something in between tiredness and patience, but I heard it.

"Look, Dabz," She said to me.

I did as she told me. Looked.

"I don't know what happened, but what I'll tell you is that you shouldn't fret about it," Chika said to me, "Fights are inevitable in relationships. It'll all be fine eventually. He will come around-"

"How do you know?" I cut her off.

Curiosity. It was out of curiosity.

"What if he ignores me forever?" I asked her.

"I don't know what you did, Dabeluchi, but I don't believe it's bad enough to get to that extent," She answered me calmly.

I wasn't convinced.

"Well, Dabz, have you tried reaching out in any way?"

Chika asked me and I blinked at her for a moment, busted, before giving my genuine answer.

"No."

"Calling?"

"No."

"Texting?"

"No."

She scratched her head and sighed of something that sounded like subtle frustration.

I felt the need to ask if I was stressing her.

"Am I?" I went ahead to ask, "Am I stressing you?"

Chika took a seat quietly on one of the throw stools and raised her head to look at me.

"You know maybe things would get better faster if you actually made an effort, Dabeluchi." She said to me.

Well....

"Have you thought about that?" She narrowed her eyes at me as she asked me intently.

"Well, yes," I admitted.

"Maybe then get onto it," She said to me, "You told me it was your fault, right? Dabeluchi, you can't expect him to be the one to make things right when you fucked up. Do you grab?"

"Yes." I answered.

"Good you understand," She quipped with a smile on her face.

And suddenly, up she was on her feet, moving towards the punching bags again and leaving me to wallow in all my many after thoughts.

"Would you tell me what happened?" She asked me as she threw the first punch, an awful one, into her punching bag.

A resounding BOOM went straight into my heart, unlocking my panic and anxiety, and nearly sent me into a brutal convulsion.

"I got angry and lashed out more than I should have," I gave a summary.

Punch!

"Does this have anything to do with Kelechi?" She asked me.

Punch! Punch!

"It has everything to do with her.-"

Punch!

"-The girl hates my guts, Chi."

Punch! Punch! Punch!

"Oh yeah? What makes you think so?" She asked me, throwing a combo into the bag and another terrible one when it swung back aggressively at her, and I winced.

I winced. I actually winced in pain. Which pain? Exactly.

I couldn't bring myself to understand how Chika did that. She threw such brutal punches into that thing, punches that could take a person's life on the spot if it dared hit them, and she was so chill. Her voice sounded stable as she talked, so normal, like she was not even putting much effort into that. Like it was taking nothing off her.

The twins would run a marathon and be panting like they were on the verge of death. Chika Chioma was punching those bags with the force of five men and she was not breaking a sweat.

What kind of girl was this?

"Dabz?" She called me again.

Punch! Punch! Punch!

"Yes?" I answered.

PUNCH!

"You didn't answer," She said, her voice steady and not shaking in the slightest with tiredness or any hint of it. "I asked why you would think that Kelechi Uwa hates you, Dabz."

"I just know it, Chi," I told her, "I know she not only hates me, but she's only planning things against me too."

She actually stopped punching and turned around to face me again.

"Why Kelechi?" She asked.

It almost looked to me like Chika was finding it ridiculous that the girl could do anything to harm someone else.

Like Kelechi Uwa was some angel.

That's what Chika's reaction looked like to me and I couldn't even hide the tiniest bit of my irritation.

"Why not Kelechi?" I asked back.

Defensively.

I sounded like I was attacking Chika now and I hated that.

"No, I mean, why her? We barely even have a connection to the babe? Why her?" She elaborated.

She had said this before. Chika had hinted that Kelechi was in no way connected to us, indirectly insinuating that my ill feelings towards her had no solid base.

But, no. Chika was not there every time that Kelechi had her arm clung around my boyfriend everywhere.

She was not there when Kelechi gave me those subtly snide remarks, tiny evil smirks, and manipulative responses.

She was not there when Kelechi mentioned my family too.

I could not start to break it down to Chika how Kelechi Uwa was out to get me and I could feel that with ever fibre of my bone. I could feel her doing something so horrible behind the covers, something that would be to my own detriment. Something that would wreck me beyond repair.

I couldn't explain that to anyone and make it make sense.

That was what hurt the most about it all. The fact that no matter how much I tried to explain how much that Kelechi was a threat to me, I only ended up sounding crazy. Or Delusional. Or both. It hurt. It hurt so much that it made me want to cry out of sheer frustration.

However, I tried. I tried to explain it to Chika. 

But, all I ended up doing was breaking before her.

Abruptly.

So abruptly that it alarmed her into halting with the punches on the bag. 

All her attention turned towards me.

"Dabz, what's wrong?" She asked me and I could hear all the concern in her voice.

It only made my eyes leak even more. That was it. My eyes were leaking. I tried to stop it, but it just poured and poured, even if I kept my face straight and plain, eyes dead on at Chika.

But, at the same time, crying profusely.

I didn't want to. I really did not want to. But it seemed like my body was desperate for a way to get all these frustration and sadness and guilt and every negative feeling I have felt today off me.

So, on its own, my eyes started to pour out all its liquid.

"Dabeluchi," Chika was extremely concerned and immediately, she was quick to join me on the bed, giving an earful to me as I broke completely into a sob I could not control.

I couldn't even pin down the specific reason I was crying. Truth be told, there was just so much to cry about. So fucking much. 

"Chika, I'm afraid," I said to her, my voice coming out in choked whispers, "I am so afraid."

"What are you afraid of?" She asked me.

"Losing touch of reality completely," I told her the truth. It felt like a thousand needles were thrown into my heart with the force of a grenade as I made that confession, "Losing him."

"You won't lose him after one fight," She said to me.

"But I could lose him because of her," I argued still, "I could lose Marc because of Kelechi."

Chika looked like she was about to convince me otherwise and I knew it was because she did not understand why I was certain about this.

"That girl is not only out for my relationship with Marc, she is out for me personally too," I told Chika.

"Dabe—"

I dropped my face into my hands, weak and defeated. Exhausted.

"Please, Chika," My shaky voice muffled into my hands and I felt my tears, hot and acidic, burning, "Please, believe me at least."

This was getting increasingly frustrating.

The desperate urge to assure everyone of Kelechi's intentions. Marc. Chika. Kelechi herself. Damn it, even myself. 

I knew what I knew and with everyone giving off opinions that debunk mine on the matter, it started to make me feel like I was the one misinterpreting things. But could it be? Was it possible for one to have this strong gut feeling about something and still be wrong?

Could one deep instincts really be wrong?

Could I feel this strongly about Kelechi's intentions and still be wrong?

"I believe you, Dabz," She said to me, "I believe that what you feel is what you really feel."

"I am just terrified, Chi," I looked to her light brown pretty eyes, "I am scared that there is something lurking out there for me. Like Kelechi is up to something that will harm me badly and I can't pin what it is down. And no one seems to think the same about her. I mean, isn't that what she would want?" 

She was playing her cards so well. Doing it in such a way that made it look like I was the psycho each time I complained about it.

Everyone would think I was the Psycho.

And Kelechi Uwa was an innocent angel.

Right?

"Did you lash out on Marc because of Kelechi?" Chika asked me.

I said the truth. "Yes."

"You said things, hm?" She asked again.

"A bunch." I answered, "I didn't mean any of them. I was just angry about Kelechi and expressed myself in the worst way possible. The nigga came to School for me in his fucking PJs and I told him to geddifok and go after who he really came for; Kelechi."

Thinking of it was even giving me a headache all over.

"He's done a lot for me," I told Chika, "I may have made it look like I didn't see much in all of that today, but that is not even close to the truth, Chi. He is the most selfless person I know, and I know he does care about me. He wouldn't have done so much for me if he didn't. I know he cares and I love him so much for that."

"Then, why are you sitting here telling me all these when you can text that to him?" She asked me.

I really don't know.....

"Look, Dabz," Chika said to me, smiled wistfully, "Couples fight all the time. Call him. Or text. Whatever you need do. If he cares as much as you say he does, I think he will come around."

"Okay." I quietly said.

"And about the Kelechi thing?" She added, "You say you see her as a threat to your relationship, and I can understand that. What I would advice is not to let your fears make you drive people you love away from you. That fear can get the worst of anyone, Dabz."

Like it did already?

"And don't overthink this more than necessary; All couples fight once in a while, b," She said to me, and with a warm rub on my back, she stood up from the bed and I watched her, knowing before hand where she was headed for again.

"So, do you and Aaron fight too?"

Chika nearly tripped over her punching bags in laughter.

No shit.  She was practically dying.

I watched her. I only watched her as she laughed, following her every movement as she threw her head back, held hands to the sides of her body, and screamed in laughter.

Quietly, I wondered what I said that was so funny.

"Don't kill me, abeg," She was waving me off in laughter as she positioned her boxing bags.

"Okay." I responded to that with hardly any emotion.

I really couldn't bring myself to understand why she was laughing so much.

"What about the Sisters though?" I asked her.

"What about them?" Chika was casual with her response.

"Will they come around too?" I asked again.

"Certainly," She answered.

I stared at her as she resumed her hard punching as I threw her more questions.

"How are you so sure the Sisters will come around, Chi?"

"I just am."

"You said I would get to see to this evening."

"And you will."

"When?"

Chika got distracted again by me for the umpteenth time since she decided to practice her boxing, and turned around with a chuckle.

"Breathe, Dabeluchi," She said to me, her eyes hinted amusement and a little bit of patience too, "One at a time, okay? Tell your boyfriend you're sorry first. We will deal with the Sisters after Dinner. Have my word for it."

I sighed, giving in. "Okay."

Heeding to Chika, I whipped out my phone in search of inspiration.

The iphone that he had gotten me not long ago, during the time that I had stayed in his family house.

Recalling all of that was a feat for me. Remembering how he had kept me in his house, without his father's permission, and made sure that I was the most comfortable. I was practically living there, eating there, sleeping there, and he never for once made me feel like I was a burden.

He took care of me.

Every single chance he got.

Even when my presence in that house caused a rift in his family, he still took care of me. Always, he did.

Marcus Acha knew how to love.

He knew how to give love too.

And, that, I wanted to learn so badly.

I also wanted to know how to show just how much I loved and cared about him. I wanted to know how to not let my insecurities cloud things, and make me put them over everything I felt for him.

Like, concern. Concern for how he had been through out these days. I knew it was not easy, and I wanted to know if he was okay, but with everything that had gone down that day, the only thing on my mind was Kelechi. Kelechi. Kelechi. Kelechi.

Like Love. I felt so much affection toward him, so much that it hurt, and the best way my body could execute that in my moment was frustration and fear was to hurt him back.

Fear made my body do so many things that my spirit fought against.

But, I did love him. I love Marcus Acha. Why then was it so hard to show that to him?

I looked around the room for inspiration of what to start typing, and all that stared right back at me was the dozens of pictures around Chika's room of Female Boxers and Women Activists on the white walls.

Like Chika had adviced, I decided to go right ahead and pour out my heart.

I looked to Marc's Whatsapp DMs and was more than glad when I saw that online status shining at the top left bar. Relief could not cut it. Not even close. At least, he was online.

A massive dilemma quickly struck me.

Do I voice call? Or just text?

"Text." I quickly decided, frowning upon the latter idea.

Honestly, I wondered why I even considered such. Calls absolutely terrified me to the core.

With fingers that shook softly against the screen of my phone, I started to type what I could safely say was a whole bunch of nonsense.

Clyde❤️

Hey, if you haven't blocked my number forever, it's me; big head Aurora.

Or well, like you say, Runaway Aurora.

<<Sent 7:22pm