Fortune was in her room, lying on the bed with her stomach. A book in her hands, she was reading. Ada always updated her with what was happening in school and always gives her notes to read. That's how she gets to know what's the teacher taught.
Her mind flashed back to the day Vincent humiliated her by calling her an hypocrite, accusing her for stealing the things of one of those girls, how dare he accuse her like that?. How dare he point fingers at her when he doesn't even know a thing about her. She hated that guy, despise him a lot. He behaves so childishly, he doesn't think before acting. And when he told her he's Chris's younger brother, she refused to believe him. He doesn't act or behave like Chris and even if he's Chris's brother. He's completely the opposite of Chris.
She always wonder what girls see in him, he's rude, arrogant, mannerless and a selfish human being. Although he's handsome but because of his personality, she found him as the most ugliest human being on earth. Everybody loved him even the boys and she also wonder why Jeff and Jeremy always follow him around like leeches or more like bodyguards.
She scolded herself for thinking about him, why would she think of that low life guy, he's not important to her. He's a pain in the neck. She returned her focus on her book when she heard the sitting room door ring.
No one was home, Jane has not returned home from work since the day is not yet over and her parents aren't home too. She was the only one in the quiet house. She wonder who might be knocking since she wasn't the type to make friends, Ada and her twin brother are her only friends. She got down from the bed, making her way downstairs to the sitting room's door. She opened the door and was surprise to see Ada.
The truth is that she wasn't surprise at all to see her but Ada didn't inform her she was coming. Well this wasn't the first time of her coming to her house, she has been coming to her house several times to do school assignments and other stuffs.
"Ada, you didn't tell me you were coming." She insinuated.
"I wanted to make a surprise." Ada smiled, walking in. "And when has it become a crime to show up on your doorstep without telling you?. Can't I come here without telling you?."
"Of course you can, don't mind me.* Fortune chuckled, closing the door and walking in behind her. "But you just showed up suddenly, did something happen?."
"When we get to your room, we will discuss that." Ada said, marching her way through the stairs to her room. Fortune followed suit.
They made their way to her room, Ada sat on the bed, Fortune joined her.
"So did something happen?." Fortune asked, worried. "Your facial expression says something is wrong."
Ada lets out a sigh before speaking up. "How are you feeling?."
Fortune wondered where that question came from, she asked her what happened and she returned her question with question by asking her how she's feeling. Of course she's feeling good, she should have seen that in her expression.
She chuckled before answering. "I'm fine, I've always been fine so tell why is your face like that?." She pointed at her face. "Did something happen, did you fight with those girls again?."
"No, it's not about me. Is about you." Ada answered, letting out an annoyed sigh.
"What about me?." Fortune asked, surprise. "What did I do?. I have been home for a week now, I have never been seen in school since the whole department see as the bad guy. So why is about me?."
"It's about your suspension." Ada said. "I came to inform you it has been called off, you're no longer suspended, I came to inform you since today is Friday..... you should resume on Monday."
"But...how.….. did this happen?." Fortune asked, still not believing what Ada said. "The Hod gave me a two weeks suspension, Today will make it a week suspension so why did he call it off?."
"Cause we found the real culprit who made you have a suspension." Ada inserted.
"Who?." Fortune asked with all the curiosity in her, she wanted to know who the motherfucker made her get a suspension.
"One of those girls did.* Ada replied. "Cara put them in your bag to make you look like you stole them, to make you look like you are jealous of them and way they live their lives."
"Of course that's not true." Fortune flared up at what Ada said. "Why would I be jealous of the way they live their lives, they are bunch of spoilt brats and I don't mingle with those kinds of people. But how did know?. Who told you?."
"She said so herself." Ada answered.
"What?." Fortune screamed.
"Actually I overheard her telling Vincent and his friends." Ada went on to speak. "She told them the reason why she put her stuffs in your bag is for you to be labeled as thief since you preach to them about the way they live their lives. So they did that to make you look like you're no different from them."
Fortune flared up the more with anger at what she heard, they did that to get back at her for telling them the truth. "I knew it, I knew those girls were behind that but I'm so disappointed that Vincent and his friends are included, well I'm not surprised. He can do more than that."
"No, Vincent wasn't included. Infact when I went to report to the Hod that you were innocent, the three girls threatened me that if I say a word to him. I will regret ever knowing them but I was surprise because Jeff and Jeremy stood up for me. They said they will tell the Hod themselves so they accompanied me to the Hod and told him the truth."
"Really?." Fortune asked, bewildered at what Vincent's friends did. "They went to that extent for me, I thought they hated me so why did they side me?."
"Because what those girls did was wrong." Ada implied. "And they're humans, they have conscience in them. They might look like spoilt kids or arrogant or rude but still they have manners."
"Really I'm short of words." She said. "I didn't know they have those and Vincent allowed them…..he didn't stop them from going to the Hod's office."
"Why would he?." Ada rolled her eyes. "Although he's something else I can't fathom. His character and behavior is something else but he didn't stop them."
"Hmmm...that's strange." Fortune said. "He was happy I was suspended because he said it's what I got for cooking him that food."
"Yes, he said but the truth is now open and the whole class has realized you're not the thief but Cara did that to make you look like one so I'm happy you have been justified." Ada smiled.
"Me too." Fortune smiled back. "So what about the three girls, what did the Hod do to them?."
"He didn't do anything to Amanda and Clara, he only suspended Cara for doing what she did." Ada said. "He gave her a month suspension for what she did."
"What?." Fortune asked, eyes bulging out of their sockets. "But our exams are around the corner, if she stays at home for a month she will miss her exams."
"Yes, you're right." Ada nodded her head in agreement. "But we can't do anything about it, the Hod was very strict when he gave her that punishment. We tried to beg him to forgive her for what she did, he blatantly refused. He said he can't tolerate it if a student accuse another student wrongly."
"But still I will try to make him forgive her although she doesn't deserve any sympathy from me but I just can't let her miss her exams." Fortune said, thinking of a way to make the Hod call off the suspension he gave to Cara. "A month is too much, if only for a week. That's better."
"Why are you so good?." Ada asked, peering closely at her. "She and her friends including Vincent humiliated you in front of the whole class, calling you names yet you still want to help her."
"That's the different between me and her." Fortune smiled, placing her hand on Ada's shoulder. "She did that to humiliate me because she knew I'm better than her in every aspect. But I'm not going to repay her back for what she did to me, my parents didn't bring me up that way."
"You're so sweet and adorable." Ada inputs, making her to laugh. "And you're a nice person, I wish Vincent and the three girls will see that."
"But enough of Vincent and his problems." Ada added. "I came to inform you that Debby is celebrating her birthday on Sunday and she invited me and my brother so I came to inform you….to invite you too."
Debby is one of their course mates although she and Fortune barely talk to each other but she's a nice person. Sometimes she do stand up for Fortune cause she knew her as someone who doesn't try to step on someone knowingly and she's an easy going type.
"Really?." Fortune asked, rhetorically. 'But I can't come."
"Why?." Ada asked, hearing the pain in her voice. "Why would you say that?."
"Because if I show up in her doorstep uninvited and with some of our course mates there, they will still give me looks. They will still see as a thief."
"No they won't." Ada inserted. "And besides your name have been cleared and Debby told me to invite you too and that's what I'm doing. You're innocent and who ever doesn't want to believe that should go to hell."
"Wow I'm surprised you are saying this." Fortune giggled. "You hardly stand up for yourself but here you're ready to take control of the world if you're given the licence to do so."
"Having you as my friend made realize my worth." Ada prompted. "I can't continue letting people look down on me or talk trash about me and moreover I'm only defending my friend, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. I'm happy you came into my life."
Ada circled her arms around her, hugging her. "Awwww I think I'm going to cry." Fortune joked.
They giggled at their own silliness.
________________
Jane jogged her way to the gym center, as usual Kayode was on the manager counter, entertaining customers. She walked in, saying hello to him.
"Jane, how are you?." Kayode asked, looking up to her. "What happened?, You stopped coming here."
"I was busy and stressed out." She answered, stretching her hands and legs. "So I don't have the time and energy to come here."
"Oh okay." He said. "I thought you stopped coming because of that Rock star."
Kayode remained her of him now, she told herself she won't think of him again. She even went over to his parents house to tell them she's no longer interested in marrying their son, his parents begged her to please forgive their son for what he did to her.
But that wasn't the case, she willingly called it off and she was happy her father understood her when Chris parents came over to her parents house to discuss with them. Her father stood beside her and told his parents that what matters is her daughter's say in this. If she wants to marry Chris or not, that's her decision to make not them.
She saw the hurt in Chris's Mom's eyes when they left their house. She knew she was heartbroken but there was nothing she could cause she's tired of the whole situation. Chris, Cass, his parents and her sister who kept pressuring her to give in to his parents pleads and marry Chris. She just wants to be left alone and remembering Chris sent her heart racing again.
She kept asking herself if she was doing the right thing or not. Totally her heart was in so much chaos, one side of her heart was saying to marry Chris while the other was saying to forget him and move on, telling her she deserves someone better.
Which one will she follow?. She was totally scared. She didn't want to see the hurt in Chris's Mom's eyes, she has passed through enough by loosing one her son and his wife. Chris on his own side was behaving like he doesn't care of anything going on by him. She was really devastated to see the hurt and pain in his Mom's eyes.
"No." She answered. "Why would I stop coming here because of him, I don't have any kind of relationship with him. We're just frenemies but why did you say so?."
"Because of the way you acted that day, you behaved like you share a bond with him more than being frenemies."
"No, I don't." She said, sharply. "I don't share any kind of bond with him. He's just a random friend to me."
"Really?." Kayode asked, giving her a skeptical look. Looking over her shoulder. "Tell me the truth, is something going on between you and him. Don't worry your secret is safe with me."
Jane could her heart racing at his question. Why is he so adamant to know if there's a thing between her and Chris. "I said I don't have a thing with him. Why would you ask me that?."
"Because he's making his way to you." He pointed to Chris, who was walking up to her. Her heart almost skipped when she laid eyes on him. Is he always here?. Why do she always run into him in this gym.
She turned back to Kayode. "Why is he here?."
"How will I know?." He answered, sensing something was off judging by the way she was reacting when he told her Chris was making his way to her. "He's always here."
"Can I talk to you?." She heard Chris said. What does he want now, why does he keep returning even after what she told him?. She turned to him, plastering a fake smile on her face.
"I'm sorry, but I don't have the time to do so." She smiled sarcastically at him. "As you can see I came here to work out." She walked off from where he stood talking to her.
If only you know you're talking to the boss of this place, you won't have said that to him. Kayode mumbled to himself.
"I need to talk to you about something." He said, following her to where the rowing machine is.
"And I said I'm not in mood to talk to you." She said, about to sit on the rowing machine when he grabbed her arm abruptly, dragging her to another place in the gym that looks more like terrace. No one was there, they were the ones there.
"How dare you drag me out like that?." She asked, snatching her arm from him. "You don't have the right to do so."
"Why are you being stubborn?." He asked rhetorically. "I just wanted to speak to you, why are you being so impossible?."
"You're the only one who is being so impossible." She retorted back. "I told you I'm no longer interested in marrying you, what's your problem?. What did you want from me?. You're a musician and you have many female friends to get married to, why me?."
"Jane, I know I have hurt you in the past with my attitudes and I'm sorry. Every day I go to my parents house, I see my Mom moody cause of what you said and I really hate to see her that way. Please reconsider."
When she heard what he said, she felt really sad. She hated to see his Mom heartbroken but what about her?. Will she choose to sacrifice her happiness for his Mom and she knew he was only doing this for his Mom not because he feels something for her.
"I'm sorry for that but I can't go back to my words." She said, averting her gaze from him to anything in the terrace. "There are girls out there in the world for you to marry and there are good girls with good upbringing, so why me?."
She kept asking that one question.
"Why must it be me?." She asked again.
"Because you're my fianceé." He prompted, taking her by surprise. He kept saying those words. "I came to your house with a marriage proposal and you gladly accepted. Why call it off now, I told you the reason why I did what I did with Cass. Why are you still upset with me?."
"Chris I'm not upset with you." She said, giving him a weak smile. "I have forgotten about that too but I'm a human not some robot that listens to everything anyone says to it. I deserve some happiness, I don't want my love to be one sided. I can't get married to man who doesn't feel a thing for me, I just can't."
He saw and heard the pain in her voice and eyes. He saw the tears building in her eyes and ready to pour down anytime soon. He was tempted to reach out and wipe them off, he hates to see tears in her eyes. Maybe she's different from the girls he came across.
He reached, turning her face to look at him with his fingers. He peered closely in her eyes and saw the fear and the pain in them. "I know how you feel about that, I understand your pain but who knows I might fall in love with you along the way after we get married."
She wished his words to be true but she can't trust him anymore. She removed her gaze from him. "Chris I don't want to force the feelings on you." She began. "You deserve a better girl, you deserve to be happy so please I'm begging you….. just stay away from me. I have already killed what feelings I have for you in me. I can't keep tormenting myself with dreams that won't happen."
She turned to leave when he held her back. "Please Jane listen to me. Think of my Mom…. think of the state she's in."
Is he trying to blackmail her using his Mom?.
"If not for me, can you please do it for my Mom." He pleaded with his eyes. "She really likes you, she really wants to make you her daughter in-law."
What about you?. She cried inside her. Why don't you feel a thing for me. Why don't you see more than a friend.
After giving him a long intense look, she didn't say anything to him. She wriggled her arm free from his hold and left.
Chris was surprise at her behaviour. She didn't want to marry him even after using his Mom. She didn't budge in. What else will he do to make her accept to marry him?. She was still adamant and headstrong.
He ran his hands in his dread in frustration. He's used to this habit ever since her parents told him she was his bride to be.