"You're still a minor." he refuses and I flutter my lashes like I didn't know what I was doing.

"That didn't stop you from qqasking me on a date." I counter.

"It was for you to get to know me, I said I'd wait we're still friends right now," he argues closing his eyes to fight his desires.

I pull away disappointed that I wouldn't be getting my first kiss today.

"Are you celibate?" I ask out of the blue and his eyelids fly wide open.

"No, are you?" he asks me.

"Why can't you just kiss me then?" I respond refusing to meet his eyes.

"You already know why," he says giving me that look.

I roll my eyes extending a hand to him. "Fine goodbye handshake?"

He cracks an award-winning smile and takes my hand. "Now that I can do."

................

When I get home Mummy is on a phone call and my Dad is absorbed in his world of NAN News.

"This country has spoiled. See Minister Hameed Lawal charged for stealing 100,000 million naira and storing it overseas," he exclaims with his hands flying in the air.

Mummy casts him a sideways glance and returns to her call. "It's your Daddy o! I don't know if he wants to bring the house down with his noise," she says and I shake my head.

Her voice rivaled the television speakers, yet everyone else was responsible for the noise pollution of the atmosphere.

"Good evening Mummy, good evening Daddy," I say and rise from my kneeling position.

Daddy nods and Mummy presses her phone to her chest. "It's your sister she's coming in two days for summer holiday."

"Okay, Mummy tell her I said hi," I respond and leave the room before she can rope me into a long conversation I was not ready for.

Don't get me wrong I and my sister were close but conversations in front of my mother was a no-no.

Both of us would receive several "igbatis" (slaps) before we knew what was happening, as we tended to tell each other secrets that wouldn't live to see the light of day.

In my room, I pack my bag for tomorrow and a piece of scrap paper rests on my little wooden table.

Don't forget rehearsals

Ah yes, I had agreed to take the place of the junior who had bailed on us and perform their poem with Demilade.

I would have to see that boy tomorrow and I didn't know how to face him after all I said today.

His words hadn't left me and now I wondered if I could truly be friends with him.

Funny how I could doubt his sincerity but believe every word from Isren.

I guess in a way Isren seemed more trustworthy, I had known him for a shorter period but in that time he had been direct and unchanging.

But Demilade never had any interest in my friendship from when we were 12-year-olds. His 360 change was harder to believe.

I scoff and lay down on my bed my mind once again drifting to my rejection.

It stung a little to hear 'no' but heightened my excitement for my eighteenth birthday.

Wait o. I didn't even know how to kiss apart from what I had seen in Romcoms.

Was it even that nice? I mean the idea of exchanging saliva did not sound very appealing.

To God be the glory Victoria's call came in to break my line of thoughts and immediately I attacked her with my questions.

"Speak up I can't hear you," she says on the other side.

I sigh and whisper-shout into my phone speaker, if anyone heard me in this house I was done for.

Luckily no one did.

"Oh, that," Victoria responds and laughs for what seemed like two thousand seconds.

She senses my seriousness and sobers up.

"It's not a big deal really, okay it can be scary at first but whatever you do make sure you don't open your mouth too wide. And when he kisses you hands are bound to roam so don't jump at his touch. I did it the first time and ended up knocking heads with the guy." she said.

I take mental notes and mull over her words to cement them in my mind.

"Also how did it...feel?" I ask unsure of whether it would live up to the expectation books had given me.

"That one may depend on you oh. But as for me all these things are gives, no strings attached. Just two hormonal people having fun." she says and I wonder just how many guys she had done it with.

The idea that a kiss wasn't supposed to be anything special just didn't sound right to me, even though I hated to hear the word abstinence in church.

Suddenly I wasn't so sure I wanted to have my first kiss anymore.

***

I work up the courage to approach Demilade but I pause when I see someone by his side.

None other than Patricia, hung onto him with her face a few inches from his.

I force my legs to move, ignoring the way my insides lurched at the sight.

Never had I hated being a school library prefect than I did now.

I cough to grab his attention and he looks at me with a grateful smile.

This earns me a glare from Patricia, which I pretend didn't happen.

Like I wanted Demilade.

Finally I speak up after making them uncomfortable under my condescending gaze. "Hi, Patricia, hi Demilade,"

She opens her mouth to say something no doubt nasty, but Demilade's next actions leaver her speechless.

He had wrapped his arm around me in an affectionate manner and flashed his milky white teeth.

My face is a mixture of alarm and irritation so he quickly bends his lips to my ear which causes my heart to do an involuntary somersault.

"Please just play along right now," he asks and moves back to look at the girl who was probably plotting my demise at this moment.

"I'm sorry but Nims and I have some important business to attend, if you'll excuse us," Demilade says to Patricia, giving her one last smile before steering us in the opposite direction.

I snort and look back at him before I remember he couldn't be trusted so soon.

"Since when did that one start? Nims. By the way, take your hands off me." I say curtly.

His face turns a warm shade of light brown as he complies, and I hide my unsettled insides with a deep frown.

"I'm sorry for making it seem like we had a thing going on I just had to get away from that girl," Demilade says, his face a mixture of regret and something else I couldn't place my hand on.

We come to a stop in front of an empty Year 7 classroom and I twist the knob.

Those juniors would be too scared to tell us to leave their class if they returned anyways.

I turn back at him once we're in the classroom, surprised that he would say that of Patricia.

He looks at me and immediately groans. "Don't tell me you're one of them too? Patricia is just a friend to me I have never had anything with her."

I shrug and pull a seat by the window.

"Okay." is all I say to show him I didn't care.

This pushes a button in him I didn't know existed and his muddy eyes look darker than I had ever seen them.

"I know I asked to be your friend but no one is forcing you to be here," Demilade says in a quiet voice that sounded anything but meek.

My mouth hangs open and I shut it back before I worsen the situation.

This doesn't last long and to save face I give him the signature scowl I reserved for arguments with my mother.

"If I had a choice you'd be the last person I'd talk to and you know that." I retort knowing just where to strike a nerve.

This was digging at the fact that he was an outsider to the circle of church goers he was trying to penetrate.

"Turns out the church girl is a lot more like Satan, I should have expected it." Demilade taunts though his eyes looked a little glassy.

Again I saw the same vulnerability in a guy the world expected to have everything together.

It broke me a little inside. But by this time all sense had deserted me and I had gone into a rage of resentment.

For the way the world labeled Christians and how we in turn labeled each other, everyone was an outsider. The truth that none of us would ever be good enough no matter how hard we tried stared us both in the face.

Yet instead of confronting those demons, we pushed each other even further.

"How dare you! Is it because the entire school licks the ground you walk on that you think you can insult me?" I yell flinging my chair aside so I'm looking up at him in an instant.

He stares down at me and shouts back, cutting through the thick skin I had grown over the years. "Yeah, like you have it so bad with your perfect grades and stellar church attendance. Let's not forget your unrivaled title of Little Miss Bible Scholar! I'm pretty sure you're God's favorite."

"Yes, because it's so wonderful to not get to do anything I want and be a pious freak to the rest of the world!" I respond fighting the tear ducts that loved to fail me whenever I was angry.

"Oh forgive us sinners Saint Nimi for we can't possibly get the same feeling when we come into church with our filthy baggage." he mocks and suddenly all I can hear is a strange ringing in my ears.

"You little-" I exclaim almost using the most colorful words in the rainbow, but a thunderous voice causes us to jump apart.

I look to see Mr. Lawani with his nose flared like a dragon and at least twenty juniors behind him who had been enjoying the show.

We were screwed.

Author's Note

If you've made it this far thank you for reading my book! I appreciate every single one of you so much❤️. Please remember to leave a vote if you enjoyed reading it as this really helps my books. Feel free to leave a comment to say hi! Or let me know your thoughts as you read. And share this book with a friend you think would like it.

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