Runs out of ghost mode! *sweating profusely lyk salah ram* morreee ink to ur peeenn!
Following
U
Lyk
A
Confirmed
Fool.
More updates dear Skarlett[color=#006600][/color]

[quote author=skarlett post=49673781]Dedicated to shilox, ps2, agromuda and smellymouth

Thirteen


For as long as she could remember, they lived in one of the fine ...

Y can't Nnanchi leave that gathering immediately she noticed it wasn't a study group.

10x. For d mention. I dy 4low bumba2bumba

somethings aint clear pls.
1. u said they lived in PH. nw d guy renovated his parents house in aluu. some piece are missing.


2. in ur narration, u write as if Nmachi is narratin d story, and in some place it looks like u are narrating the story.

3. it is nw in the new episode that we no dat the lady picked up d mid wife vocation.


my little observation ma.

ah skarlett, i knew i wasn't wasting money when i went to buy card for subscription (just to read this story). and i just have to say, your narration/story-telling techniques are so on point.

More ink to your pen dear

colik:
Why does it feel like I'm reading one of Chimamanda's works?
Wonderful storyline!
You've won yourself a fan.

I concur..

Lemme continue..

kinah:
somethings aint clear pls.
1. u said they lived in PH. nw d guy renovated his parents house in aluu. some piece are missing.

Interesting observation i must say, it shows you're actually following the story. If you look at the episode where Nena got a letter from Father Patrick, you'll see that the location is Omagwa Aluu, all my Ph people in the house know thats where Port Harcourt Airport is so is very much Ph. But ive added Port Harcourt to that chapter so non-Ph peeps can understand too.
I switched the narrative from Nena's point of view to Nmachi's so she's opening our eyes to what living in her house is like.

If youre a new reader, some episodes are indeed missing and i removed them deliberately for copyright sake

2. in ur narration, u write as if Nmachi is narratin d story, and in some place it looks like u are narrating the story.

Nmachi took over from Nena's narration from part two thats why i signified by putting them in parts. The story's point of view is first person omniscent so it isn't limited to one or two people.

3. it is nw in the new episode that we no dat the lady picked up d mid wife vocation.


my little observation ma.

Yes because Nmachi takes over the narration to tell us more about her parents. If you notice too its now that we know what Kelechi does for a living too.

I appreciate the observation dear

swann:
ah skarltt, i knew i wasnt waiting money when i went to buy card for subscription (just to read this story). and i just have to say, your narration/story-telling techniques are so on point.

More ink to your pen dear

Thanks a lot dear, more data to your phone, lol

dannybeau:
Runs out of ghost mode! *sweating profusely lyk salah ram* morreee ink to ur peeenn!
Following
U
Lyk
A
Confirmed
Fool.
More updates dear Skalett[color=#006600][/color]

Lol youre funny, thanks dear

Nice update Madam, I'm super worried about Nna falling victim to peer pressure though. The damage it can cause for her family, her mother more especially.

BIGUP

@skarlett, tanks for the explanation. so it was d house they av been staying immediately after marriage.

kinah:
@skarlet, tanks for the explanation. so it was d house they av been staying immediately after marriage.

Yeah exactly.

You're welcome

ps2:


Love was involved that's how I know... Thanks for the dedication and the updates...

Lol, okay

You're welcome dear

Dedicated to kinah

Sixteen


He drew closer. She backed up into one of the boys behind her who gave her a small shove forward to Johnny, who then put his arms around her.

“Wow, take it easy. Don’t come on me too strong,” he said with a laugh, but he held onto her. “I’ll be here for you. Don’t worry.”

They all laughed again and she struggled to get out of his embrace.

“Let me go,” she said.

“After I get my kiss. Come on,” he urged, bringing his face closer to hers.

“No, let me go,” she squirmed. He looked at the others and they tightened the circle. Panic nailed her feet to the floor. Someone shoved her closer to Johnny and she gasped but before she could shout, Johnny pressed his thick, wet lips to her mouth, cupping her breasts in his palms as he did so, and the group sent up a cry of glee.

“What is going on here?” A voice at the doorway boomed and for a second, Nma saw a flash of the fear in her eyes mirrored in Johnny’s. Everyone in the room seemed to have been struck by the same fear too and she spun back to see the blazing eyes of the Vice Principal.

***

In vain did she pray for the ground to open up and swallow her that day and the next as her parents were summoned to school as well as those of everyone in SS1B class that day. She had been given three days suspension for being caught kissing a boy in her class and despite her mother’s pleas was sent back home with her parents. Papa had said little at the school and on the way back home, he had parted ways with them to return to work and that evening still kept his expression bland.

Mama had scolded her for being in the company of such people in school and she’d cried really hard because she knew she had put her in more trouble with Papa.
That night, she was quiet. Chances were Papa would take no notice of her if she cleaned her plate and she would get lesser punishment. She had already plucked out a few of her eyelashes and placed it under his seat. She prayed frantically that the old wives tales that placing one’s eyelashes under someone’s chair made them forgive and forget your wrongdoing, would work. But Papa’s face remained bland.

The sound of the fans whirling echoed in her head, as well as that of forks scraping against plates. There was complete silence in the house, the silence of souls hiding in fear.

They had rice and chicken for supper. Even with the fan going on, the house felt so hot to Nmachi as she swallowed her food like it was cardboard paper. Eating was a chore for her as she watched and waited for Papa’s reaction to her suspension with bated breath.

Mama offered him more chicken in her sweetest voice, Nma knew that like her, she was trying to soften him up. When he thanked her politely and took a second helping, the room seemed to breathe easier. It was a good sign.
Mama encouraged by this, talked about the offer she’d gotten at a private clinic to work with them and earn a qualification of some sort. Did he think it was a good idea for her to work with them?

She didn’t mention the money she’d earn that was going to be bigger than what she was currently earning. Even when Papa’s mood was mild, you were wise not to bring up the money you’d earn in his house. He was the breadwinner in the house and they were not permitted to forget that all-important point.

Papa told Mama to wait till after dinner to bring the topic up, did she want him to choke on his food. Mama nodded demurely and apologized. The room held its breath again, that wasn’t a good sign.

After dinner, Papa waited for her to help out Mama with clearing and washing the dishes before calling her to his room. Nma felt her heart start to pound inside the vacuum, one heavy hammer stroke after the next, with a ringing that was only inside her head and was the vicious pulse of blood. The pulse of fear.

He spoke softly, as he did, always did, just before the rage. “Who was that boy you were caught kissing? Is he your boyfriend? Did you stay back after school to hang out with him? Didn’t your mother tell you to come back home immediately after school?”

Her brain suddenly felt muddled, she stared like she’d been struck dumb and paralyzed. She tried to beg, “I’m sorry Papa, he’s not my boyfriend. It was a mistake.” She knew she was already doomed, but the pleas tumbled out, a desperate defense.

Her pleas seemed to get him more riled, “So you’re trying to tell me your teacher saw wrong, aren’t you Nmachi? You have the guts to lie even after being caught red-handed like your whoring mother,” he thundered.

She was too shaken to register what he said about Mama, “Please Papa, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kiss him. Please, I wont do it again. I’ll be good,” she begged.

“You little slut! I’ll teach you to be a LovePeddler in my house,” he raged and slapped her once. It was what it took to stop her pleading and excuses. There was no question of fighting back. It was worse if you fought him.

She lay across his bed on her stomach, passive now after behind struck to submission by his slap. The sound his belt made when he slid it out of the loops of his pants was a snake hissing, then a crack, sharp slick as he snapped it.

The first whip was always the worst. No matter how many times there’s been a first, the shock and pain of the first lash was the most astounding. Nothing ever prepared you for its shocking brutality as leather met your skin and you let out a savage howl from the pit of your stomach that sounded unlike your well rehearsed response. Your body jerks in protest, then the second lands as well as the third but you cant keep count because the pain blocks out every other thought in your brain.

Soon, your cries are more savage and animal than human. Your humanity has been torn from you and buried under a pile of pain.

He talked as he beat her, and his voice became a great roar blocking out even her cries for mercy and help. Under that roar was a hideous excitement, a vile sort of pleasure she couldn’t understand. His eyes gleamed as she lay underneath him, helpless and writhing in pain and of everything, the look in his eyes scared her the most. It was like that of a man who derived some sort of sick satisfaction in what he was doing to her.

Mama would be in her room, trying to block out images of her only child being assaulted in the name of punishment and she would cry in helplessness. When he was done, and Mama came for her supine body drenched in sweat and flecks of blood, her eyes would be red rimmed after so much crying.

But while he whaled away at her she couldn’t see anything through the blood red haze that clouded her vision.

The haze was hate, she could understand that very well now.

Dedicated to dannybeau, fijumokesayo, ozila, princessadeola and blazinglove

Seventeen


When she returned to school, she avoided everyone including Victory. She left class only to go to the library and read during break and when the break was over, she came back to class to ignore everyone else except her teachers.

After school, Victory called out to her as she sped to the gate.
“Nma please wait up, I’m sorry I got you into trouble,” she said catching up with her.

Nmachi spun around and faced her, “I’m sorry too but I can’t be friends with you anymore. Excuse me,” she whirled and walked away.

“But why are you acting so stuck up? We were all caught and punished for Chrissakes!” she bellowed behind her but Nma didn’t turn or act like she even heard her. “They were right, you’re nothing but an arrogant snob hiding under your Miss Prim and Proper act. How did it feel to have Johnny kiss you, I bet you liked it, you bloody hypocrite!”

Nmachi felt her heart constrict in her chest as the tears formed. She wouldn’t cry, she kept chanting to herself as she walked briskly. She wouldn’t cry, she’d survive. Think happy thoughts, Nma. Think. She said to herself as the tears escaped her eyes and she used her cardigan sleeves to wipe it away impatiently. She’d had to wear a cardigan to school to hide the marks from Papa’s belt that hadn’t cleared up after three days.

****

“Ralph what’s the matter?” Alice was saying.

“What do you mean?”

“You know. You’ve been acting differently these days and you didn’t come for the small get together we had in SS1b class even though I begged you to.”

“Thank goodness I didn’t if not I’d have been punished like you guys. What were you thinking organizing such a thing in school?”

She narrowed her almond shaped eyes slightly, “Well it was just for fun and we were having tons of it before that busybody, Mr. Obi came in.”

“That’s right, I hope you enjoyed your three days suspension and your parents gave you an award for being a truant.”

“Actually, Daddy is on a two-week business trip and Susan, the witch, can’t utter one word of censure because we both know she’s the worst,” she said with a smirk.

“I’ve told you to stop calling your step mother a witch,” he said exasperated.

“Yeah yeah whatever. Speaking of which,” she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes as she placed a hand on his lap and rubbed it up suggestively to his crotch. She ignored the look of alarm in his eyes, “Susan is going to be away this afternoon, why don’t you come home with me so we could have some fun,” she winked, she could feel him growing hard as she fondled him slowly.

“I_I cant Alice, I have to be home early today,” he said slowly taking her hand away from his crotch, “and we are out in the open, anybody could come upon us.” Just then, Nmachi sped past them and Raphael stared at her retreating figure until she left the compound. Alice’s eyes followed his.

“I wonder what has got little Miss Prissy riled,” Alice said.

“And I’ve told you to stop calling her that, stop calling people names. I’m sure you don’t like that they call you scarecrow at your back.”

All the humor drained from her face, “that’s not even funny Raphael.”



Tbc on Friday

First To comment...Thanks ooo..If I had known dat the next update is on Friday, I would have read this one in part, bit by bit

Olabantu:
First To comment...Thanks ooo..If I had known dat the next update is on Friday, I would have read this one in part, bit by bit

Chai pele, no light, would have updated more. Thanks for commenting

aunty Skarlett, thanks for the dedication. am honoured. this is the first time am noticed this way. God bless u plenty plenty.

Alright, If for one thing I love skarlett, it is for fulfilling her promise. This is cool pls continue, Ayam OLIVER TWIST

Fijumokesayo:
Please let someone come to Nma's rescue, don't let her join the bad gang abeg. I'm afraid she's going to disappoint her mother soon..... Thanks for the wonderful update Fii and pls, find a way for Nma's mother to get pregnant for that man as a compensation. Somebody has to carry on his lineage. Thanks and God bless you dear

Lol Skarlett pls impregnate Nena o

bibijay123:


Lol Skarlett pls impregnate Nena o

Bibi, u don start ba, naso u almost killed Tomi and Victoria...Scarlet abeg no disgrace the mother nw because dat might just be the last straw that will break the camels back...

bibijay123:


Lol Skarltt pls impregnate Nena o

Somebody has to be impregnated for Kelechi's lineage to continue

Olabantu:

Bibi, u don start ba, naso u almost killed Tomi and Victoria...Scarlet abeg no disgrace the mother nw because dat might just be the last straw that will break the camels back...

I will do my best

Olabantu:

Bibi, u don start ba, naso u almost killed Tomi and Victoria...Scarlet abeg no disgrace the mother nw because dat might just be the last straw that will break the camels back...

Thanks for dedicating to me. more wisdom

Skarlett, skarlett...you're one hell of a writer.
Been following silently and your style of writing make me wanna write. You're good, girl.
Well done.

Izyyblaze:
Skarett, skarltt...you're one hell of a writer.
Been following silently and your style of writing make me wanna write. You're good, girl.
Well done.

Thanks dear, i appreciate

ps2:
Skarle
tt one word for you: CONTINUE. By the way your moniker reminds me of that telenovela "Mariana and Scarlet, did yhu watch it?

Thanks, no i didnt, was it interesting?

Dedicated to olabantu, ps2 and izzyblaze


Eighteen


Victory stayed away from her for the rest of the term and Nmachi did her best to ignore her whenever she saw her in the midst of her newfound friends. She also ignored Johnny who tried on several occasions to get close. She had gotten used to being called stuck-up and prissy and by the end of the term, had her good grades to win her classmates awe if not respect. She was the overall best in SS1 for that term and it was no mean feat.

She ignored her once best friend Victory who seemed to be getting closer to Ejike. She was becoming popular as she rolled with Alice’s clique but Nma still heard them call her a tramp behind her. She didn’t have room to feel sympathy towards her as she was focused on her academics and blocked out irrelevances like that and the party Alice was organizing.

Alice was throwing a party at her place to mark her birthday and almost everyone in her class was invited. The exceptions being her and a few others who didn’t roll in the same clique as Alice, thus weren’t on her good graces. It was rumored to be the party of the year as everyone knew Alice was the only daughter of a wealthy father and he wasn’t sparing any expenses in letting her have a fabulous sweet sixteen party that weekend.

Nmachi didn’t mind that she hadn’t been invited, it wasn’t as if Papa would allow her attend such gathering. She was happy she hadn’t been given an invitation she would have to awkwardly decline at the end of the day.

“Hello,” Johnny said strolling over to her desk where she was studying during prep.

“Um,” she said acidly.

“Are you going to be at Alice’s party?”

“No, I wasn’t invited,” she said looking above his head to the clock to check the time. Prep would soon be over.

“It doesn’t matter though, you could come with me.”

She packed her books together and started stuffing them into her bag, “No thanks, I’ll pass,” she said.

“You know I’ve said I’m sorry for getting you into trouble and kissing you like that.” This wasn’t quite the frosty reception he’d been expecting after apologizing profusely last term and acting like a gentleman toward her from the beginning of the term. “I'm a really nice person, just give me a trial.”

“I’d rather die,” she snapped and walked off as the bell went off.

***

The party was already in full swing by 7pm and the normally quiet Sani Abacha Road, GRA was noisy thanks to the party on number 117. Boy and girls milled around the compound on the hood of the cars most of them borrowed from their parents and some were inside the party hall which was the house’s huge parlor swaying their body to the loud music.

Alice took a sip of her Guinness small stout and lit another cigarette. She hadn’t seen Raphael since she left him in the party hall to go to the bathroom, and even Victory had vanished. Now she was stuck talking to the remaining members of her clique who were waiting for their dates, Lisa, Rose and Cynthia. The girls had come to the party dressed to kill on tight mini skirts and spaghetti tops but none of them looked as beautiful as her on her skimpy black gown which encased her body like a second skin, she thought with satisfaction and blew rings of smoke into the air.

Suddenly, Raphael came out of the house greeting two boys from their class. Alice stood up from Cynthia father’s Mercedes Benz she’d been lounging on with her friends, dumped her drink on the hood and threw her cigarette on the floor. She adjusted her slimming black slip dress, and tied the straps of her brand-new silver strappy heels back around her ankles. As she walked to meet him halfway to the compound before he slipped out of her reach again, she missed a step. She flailed her arms, and suddenly she was on her butt.

“And she’s down!” Cynthia called out drunkenly. Everyone present including her clique of friends laughed. Alice quickly scrambled up, glaring at her so-called friends whose laughter died from their lips, she would show Cynthia, she thought viciously.

This was the biggest party of the year and her birthday but she felt way off her game: Her dress felt snug around her hips but she hadn’t been able to get Ralph to crack a smile as she held him in her arms and took him round the party. He was supposed to be her date and escort for the night but when she returned from the bathroom, he was nowhere to be found.

Raphael held out his hand to help her up. “Are you okay?”

Alice hesitated. Ralph was dressed in a plain white T-shirt that accentuated his strong-from-soccer chest and flat-from good-genes stomach, dark blue Denim jeans that made his butt look awesome, and black canvas. His brown eyes looked extra soulful, and his pink lips extra kissable. For the past hour, she’d watched Ralph bond with every guy there and carefully avoid her even though she was hanging on to his arm.

“I’m fine,” she said, sticking her lip out in an Alice-patented pout which she used to get many things from her father including permission to throw this bash on his and her step mother’s absence.

“What’s the matter?”

She tried to stay upright even though the three bottles of beer she’d already downed was making her feel woozy. “Can we…go somewhere private for a while? Maybe the boys quarters? To talk?”

Ralph shrugged. “Okay.”

Yes!

Alice led Ralph to the back of the main house to the boys quarters her elder brother had practically lived in when he was in Nigeria which was now hers now he was studying in the UK. The palm trees cast long, dark shadows across their bodies as they walked. The only other time Alice had ever been here was in JSS2, when she had a secret rendezvous with Johnny Obus. It had been a one time thing and she’d been inexperienced then. But tonight, she vowed, would be different. The music was still booming when she opened the door to the room and parlor self-contain apartment that was the boys quarters which was well lit. She sat down on the sofa as did Ralph.

“Are you having fun?” she asked.

“Yeah, the party’s cool. Happy birthday once again,” he said smiling at her.

Alice smiled and nodded. “Thanks and I really appreciate your gift.”

“You’re welcome,” he said.

Their faces were really close to each other. All right, chatting time was over.

Alice inched closer to him and took his square jaw in her hand and started to kiss him. There. It sort of sucked that the world was kind of spinning, and that instead of tasting the inside of Ralph’s mouth, she tasted orange juice, but whatever. She had felt like doing this with him from the first day he was introduced to her class as the new student. And despite all her attempts to have him in her bed, he had been bent on resisting her.

After a minute of kissing, she felt Ralph pulling away. Maybe this called for upping the ante a little. She hiked up her black dress, exposing her legs and bare, hairless pussy. She had walked around her party with no panties on. Let him resist that, she thought smiling to herself.

Nineteen


“Alice,” Ralph said gently, trying to pull her dress back down . “This isn’t…” He wasn’t fast enough, though; Alice had already torn the dress over her head. Ralph’s eyes canvassed her whole body that was naked from the waist down.

She saw his jaw slacken in open-mouthed wonder. “You don’t really want to stop, do you?” She reached toward him, hoping she looked smoldering yet wholesome.
“Yes.” Ralph caught her hand. “I do.”

She ignored him and tried to move her head in for a kiss again but Ralph ducked his face and held her naked shoulder. “Stop it Alice and please put your dress back on.”

Alice was shocked as she looked at him wordlessly and brought her discarded dress back up her head and on her body. Her lip trembled. “But…I don’t get it. Don’t you love me?” The words felt very small and frail coming out of her mouth.

Ralph took a long time to respond. Alice heard another couple from the party giggling outside the window.

“I don’t know,” he answered.

“Christ!,” Alice said, moving away from him on the couch. The beer sloshed in her stomach. “Are you fucking another girl?” It came out meaner than she intended and Ralph looked shocked.

“No!”

“Well then what? Am I not beautiful enough?”

“You’re one of the prettiest girls I know, Alice. Why don’t you know that?”

“Then what?” Alice asked, disgusted.

“I just…,” Ralph started. “I just think that maybe if you could have a little more respect for yourself—”

“I have plenty of self-respect!” Alice shouted at him. She shifted further away from him.

Ralph stood up. He looked deflated and sad. “Look at you.” His eyes traveled from her heels to the top of her head. “I’m just trying to help you, Alice—I care about you.”

Alice felt tears gathering at the corners of her eyes and tried to choke them back down. She would not cry right now. “I respect myself,” she repeated. “I just wanted to…to…show you how I feel.”

“I’m just trying to be careful about sex and who I have it with.” He sounded not kind, but not mean, either. Just…detached. “I want my first time to be at the right time with the right person. And it doesn’t look like that’s going to be you.” Ralph sighed and took a step away from her. “I’m sorry.” Then he walked to the door, flung it open and was gone.

Alice was so embarrassed and angry, she couldn’t speak. She tried to stand up to follow Ralph, but she felt light headed from the beer and sank back into the couch. She lay face up on the couch, holding her thumbs over her eyes, so tears wouldn’t pour out of them.

***

Somewhere in the house, an already drunk Victory was being led to the masters bedroom by two of her classmates, Ejike Aneni, her date and Johnny Obus, Ejike’s friend. She had only had two bottles of beer but was already feeling out of sorts and was grateful for the help both boys rendered in keeping her on her feet.
They burst into the room but it was already occupied by two girls, semi-naked from top down and kissing each other passionately.

“Eugh! Lesbian alert,” Victory said drunkenly and laughed.

“Wanna join us sweetie?” the darker one of the two said facing them with her voluptuous breasts jiggling to be free from her two-sizes small bra.

Ejike and Johnny steered her out of the room casting disgusted looks at the girls who were friends from Alice’s primary school.

“I’m with them!” she called out as they left the room and laughed hysterically again.

They burst into the next room which was empty and shoved her into the bed. Victory felt nauseous lying there with the boys eyes roaming over her skimpy skirt and top hungrily. Before she could make an excuse to go to the bathroom, Ejike was upon her, kissing and sucking her lips feverishly. She heard Johnny unzip his trousers before she slipped into unconsciousness.

Dedicated to royalkeed

Twenty


The news was all over school on Monday and it became harder for Victory now. Some of the boys who had been at the party teased her and her supposedly loyal girlfriends didn’t do much to protect her, either. Everyone of them seemed to think that Johnny and Ejike sleeping with her and parroting it all over school, was funny and not very serious.

Victory looked so lost, Nmachi felt sorry for her. She brought her head out of her books long enough to stare at her sitting at her friends corner, brooding and keeping her eyes down while the other girls laughed and boys tormented her. It was a free period for the class as the English teacher had called in sick that day. Finally, not being able to stand it anymore, she got up from her desk and went to where Victory was sitting.

“Why are you sitting here with them?” Nmachi snapped at her. “These aren’t your friends, look at how they’re having fun at your expense,” she said glaring at Alice.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alice demanded. “Its not our fault that she’s such a tramp, anything that happened to her, happened because she allowed it happen.”

“Sure,” she said. “Nobody needs enemies with friends like you.”

“Just let the matter rest, Nma,” Victory said quickly before Alice could respond.

“How can you still call them your friends?” she asked bewildered.

“Because she’d rather be friends with us than with Miss Prissy,” Cynthia said viciously.

“At least she’s having fun with us,” Alice quipped getting nods of agreement from her gang members.

“You call what they’re saying about her fun?” Nma gesticulated at the boys cracking ribald jokes. “You’re all sick.”

“Shut your mouth!” Alice said rising, “or I’ll shut it for you. Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Will you just go away,” Victory cried. “You’re just making everything worse for me.”

She looked at her, at the pleading in her eyes. She really felt sorry for her former friend but she didn’t know what to do.

“You’re just jealous, that’s all,” Cynthia said. “You’re dying to have a man put his hands on that precious body of yours, Miss Prissy.”

The girls laughed.

“Yeah, its different than you putting your hands on yourself,” Alice said. They all laughed again.

“At least I won’t have to deal with a man rejecting me even though I was semi nude,” Nmachi retorted, a satisfied smile on her face as she watched the laughter die out of their lips. She had overheard Cynthia narrating to Rose and Lisa, the story of how Alice had been rejected by Raphael. They had been outside the girls toilet and though conversed in hushed tones, Nma had heard everything they said from the toilet. The three girls hadn’t seemed sympathetic towards Alice.

Alice stood up shocked, “What did you say?”

“You heard me. Raphael rejected you at your party even though you were almost naked and begging him to sleep with you. Talk about desperation,” Nmachi said with a smirk.

Victory had her mouth open, she had obviously never seen this side of her friend that could be mean and downright cruel too. Rose, Lisa and Cynthia tried to ignore each other’s eyes but Alice was enraged.

“How dare you!” she raved and shot out her hand but Nmachi was faster and held her hand.

“I wouldn’t dare do that if I were you,” she said savagely and pushed back Alice’s hand before walking back to her seat majestically.

Before the end of the day, everyone had forgotten Victory’s romp with two boys in her class and were instead wagging their tongues about Alice’s failed attempt to seduce Raphael.

***

Victory came to see her after school as she packed her bag.
“Thanks,” she said with a small smile.

Nmachi looked up at her and shrugged. “You shouldn’t hang around those girls, friends don’t gloat at your unhappiness.”

“Well, when a certain somebody said she won’t be friends with me anymore, I had no choice.”

“You won’t understand,” Nmachi said and slung her satchel over her shoulders.

Victory stood before her, “then make me understand Nma, I thought that’s what friends are for.” Nmachi sighed and averted her eyes but she didn’t say anything. “I thought as much,” she said. “Anyways, are we walking home together or what?”

“Isn’t Alice’s driver dropping you off at your house?”

“Well, I decided to walk home today with my real friend,” Victory shrugged.

***

They walked home in companionable chatter, catching up on old gist and trying to make up for lost time until Victory suddenly grew quiet and sad.

Nmachi elbowed her lightly, “See who’s locked in brown study.”

Victory sobbed suddenly and then threw her arms around Nma, hiding her head in her neck.

“Victory what’s wrong?” she asked, panic rising within her and a little shame because they were on the road.

“Oh, Nma, I was such a big fool, how can I live with myself and the memories,” she sobbed.

Nmachi placed a hand on her back and soothed her softly. Never had Victory held her as tightly and in public too. She felt sorry for her.

“Its all right Vic, its well. You’ll live everyday as it comes and one day the memory won’t hurt so much to think about anymore.”

Victory’s sobs seemed to subside a little at Nma’s words and soon she was wiping the tears from her eyes. Nmachi gave her her bandanna and she used it to wipe away her tears.

“They raped me,” she said in muffled tones and started walking again. “We were all drinking in Cynthia father’s car. The music was loud. Everyone was having so much fun. I didn’t watch myself, I just did what they were doing because I thought Ejike liked that. He was drinking beer and I was drinking the same thing. Johnny came with him and they took me to Alice’s bedroom. I felt weak and woozy but they supported me. They dumped me on the bed and…”

“What?” Nma asked. She appeared to be recalling that night as she narrated it to her.

“Ejike started kissing me. The room started to spin then I heard Johnny unzip his trousers. There was a blackout and I don’t remember what happened after. I just woke up and found myself naked on the bed. I don’t know what they did to me, Nma. I saw stuff on me, on my legs and stomach. And I felt so much pain down there and there was so much blood, I thought I’d die.”

“Oh, Vic, oh God no,” Nma moaned softly and hugged her friend closer. “That was so horrible and despicable of those boys.”

“They helped me dress up and cleaned up some of the blood and disgusting stuff. But Ejike and Johnny made it seem like I enjoyed what they did to me and everyone believed them.”

“Did you tell your mother?” Victory’s father was dead and her mother worked in a bank to take care of her three children.

“I couldn’t Nma, I was so ashamed. I should have listened to you and stayed away from Alice and her crowd. Oh, I’m such a fool,” she wailed and Nma held her tighter.

“You’re not a fool Victory, you’re just human and humans make mistakes. Nobody is perfect.”

She cast a sidelong disbelieving glance at Nmachi, “Surely not you Nma, you’ve got everything under control most times and you’re certainly smarter than me. You’re the perfect daughter any mother would pray to have.”

For the first time since Victory started her narration of what happened at the party, Nmachi smiled, “Not everything is as it seems, Vic.”

***

Nmachi Amadi found it nearly impossible to sleep that night, but when she did, she dreamt about what happened to Victory at the party. Only in her dream, she was the one being led to a room by a man whose features were not clear. At the very last moment when he deposited her on the bed, she saw his dark eyes glittering in the darkness and his swarthy skin complexion was unlike anyone she’d ever seen.

“Who are you?” she asked him fearfully.

“I’m your father,” he said and leaned toward her to kiss her. But when he drew closer, his face became Papa’s face, a leering, smiling face with wet lips like Johnny’s had been. He wore the same look of sick pleasure she’d seen on his face as when he punished her. She tried to back away, but he seized her shoulders and drew her closer to him, closer and closer until…

She sat up from her bed with a start, sweating and breathing hard. For a moment she didn’t know where she was or what had happened. Her heart was thumping in her chest. She took a deep breath and hugged herself. It was just a dream she whispered to herself. A very bad dream, she thought with a sinking feeling of dread.


Tbc on Tuesday
Please leave your constructive criticism of the work because i'd like to get better at this, dankie