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Friends with the Most

NonsoUjubuchi7
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Synopsis
Nnọọ ná Onyebuchi; Welcome to Onyebuchi ---------------------------***-------------------------------------- They see each other as nothing more than enemies but they're about to realize that there really is more to life than meets the eye. ******** She beholds them as nothing more than peasants, people not worthy of her presence... or at least that's what they perceive it as. ****** She's steady enduring in silence and finds comfort in putting out her frustrations on the ones whom she later is surprised to realize are her saving grace. ******** "Omo, mother fate Sha! The universe sha dey craze, I swear," she chuckles and looks at the girl right in front of her and at the ones around her and chuckles again making use of her handkerchief to bat away a tear or two, "Omo nné, after everything like this... Life!" "I swear," She replies slowly shaking her head. ****** "Omo life Sha!" I say and we all break into laughter...
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Chapter 1 - ỌFỤ

We push on judiciously laughing all the way about anything and everything, we had made it a point of duty to get home in time before mma Chidera began looking for us worriedly.

Abeg! I wish this was the truth, my mumu friend right here won't just shut up and add a little more effort, I hated this side of her.

"Chidera, can you shut up and let's move on, you're slowing us down o!" I say setting the truck down carefully and turning to her, she looked at me and made that tired look she usually made at me but I was not having it today, "Chidera!"

"Ngozichi be doing the calms na, I'm on my..." I quickly cut her off.

"Don't even try this one today! See, it's you I'm helping by the way, don't mess it up abeg! Let's get this shit over with bịkọ, I have assignments to do, tomorrow is freaking Tuesday."

"Ooooh! Sorry eh, school girl, you know I don't like doing all these..."

"See Chidera, I'll leave you here o... Infact, why am I talking too much?" I make to leave but she calls me back pleadingly.

"Ngozi naaaaa! My love, baby m come back. Oya see, I'm pushing," She says and as I glance back I realize she is about driving the truck into the gutters for the third week in a row. I run quickly and help her navigate the roads, drifting away from the gutters and almost crashing into our neighbor's brand new IVM Ị̀kéngà, "Hmmm! Ngozi be doing the calms o, daddy doesn't have money to spend our recklessness."

I stare at her with feigned annoyance on my face, "Which one is OUR recklessness?" I put a lot of emphasis on "our," "For anything I'm trying to curb your indulgence, the least you can do is to appreciate it but nooooooo, you're trying to be all sassy and you think you're so classy, sass my black ass! Let's hope daddy would forgive your insolence peradventure we wreck this mọtọ, Tụfịákwà Sha!" I say and finish my sentence off with a clicking sound from my mouth, "Don't worry sef, we're almost home jare, I can do it myself... After all haven't I been doing it for the long while?" I conclude with a hiss as I navigate my way to the compound, my... Last statement was too much even for my standards I know, but in as much as I was genuinely sorry, I wasn't gonna apologize to her... Maybe I couldn't bring myself to... Chi just stood there baffled like this was the first, I had moved a reasonable distance when she finally called out to me.

"Ngozi naaaaa, oya no vex, let me push," She says catching up to me, she proceeds to add her hands but I slap it off and swiftly drive into our compound through the jagged grounds which made up the gate's foundation while she trailed behind.

"Nné, ụnụ ábàtágọ? Have you people come back?" We hear a familiar voice calling out, as I look up I behold the nice lady in her late thirties coming out of the house. Her portion of the bungalow was smaller than ours as it was only but a room and parlor, they had a separate house across the compound which housed the kitchen and bathroom. The building having been built in 1965 was ahead of its time I would say as it was a loo and a bathroom in one fitting.

"Yes mmá anyị, we're almost done sef. Just one more round and we're done, you know, Chi has been pushing it since we went four times ago till now, I just said let me close it off this final two times," I say turning to behold a bewildered Chidera.

"Ehen? Is that so Chidera?" Her happy and clueless yet satisfied mom asks looking around at the filled up once empty water drums.

"Ye.. ye.. ye.. yes ma... Mummy," She said feigning a smile, she further murmurs a 'thank you' towards me, I give her a thumbs down while slightly sticking my tongue out.

"Nné Chịụkwụ gá gọzịè ụnụ ịbụọ o?" She says as she makes her way inside.

"Isééééé," we chorus, "Dáàlụ mmá anyị," I reply.

Chidera turns to me following her mom's departure into the house, "Thanks so much baby," I eye her up and down, she smiles as she knows what's coming.

"No thank me o, don't thank me at all! C'mon bring that gallon wey you wan carry inside come this side okpo! Rubbish," I click my tongue against my teeth at her.

"No wahl na, so na because of this small 'thanks' wey I thank you now you don dey senge..."

"Mmá!" I call out to her mom.

"Oya wait na... Haba! Nawa for you o nwá à," She says as she brings the yellow gallon towards me.

"Be fast o cos you'll be the one to carry this last round o," I shout out to her.

"Shhhh, I have heard na! Ah! Haba! Tụfịákwá ị!" She says snapping her fingers at me in frustration.

"Mmá!" I call out.

She frowns and snaps her fingers at me with a shrug, "Tụfịá gị nwá! Ị́bụ nọ ọzụ mbụ!" I laugh good naturedly as I had successfully gotten to her. I knew one way or another I was still gonna end up carrying the last few sets and she would from outta nowhere get me something I like or give me some cash and tell me, "I'm not paying you o, can't I just get something nice for my friend?" Hm! Ákíkó, story, story? story...

This was my relationship with my best friend, enyị m, ọnyị m nwáànyị, mi rafiki, ézịgbọ ọnyị m nwáànyị, my family, my love, my heart, my soul Chidera, we have lived in the same compound since like forever, we went to the same school and did basically everything together, I was the classic 'easy with my money' type and I am that way because in as much as mom and dad were ok rich and all and we could basically afford anything we wanted, they still made me work for my cheddar, old money is the way!

She, on the other hand whose mom was equally also well to do in lots of extents didn't have to work for anything or at least most things that people worked for. She would find silly excuses as to why she didn't have to work and I would end up doing all the work. But at least she was always available of course to keep me company with her gists and shakara and somehow to me, that was kinda all that really mattered, Her buying me out with my favorite stuffs was just a bonus, I didn't like her new money style of life.

"Chidera I'm going o!" I call out to her and she's soon running at me.

"Nné, calm down na bịkọ," Chidera says grasping my shoulder. She carefully slots the yellow gallon into the last empty slot for it, "Ngozichika, my love."

I ignore her as I continue pushing the truck with the eight empty yellow gallons to the borehole a few meters away from our house, it was actually in the next street.

"Nkolika, What's your problem na? This one you don't want to reply me, wetin happen?"

"Chiukwudera Adaeze Ugonabo! I've answered you shey? Ngwá nú rest! Zụè ịkè ọ?" I wasn't particularly annoyed about anything at the moment but I just for some reason didn't want to be cheerful at this point in time and I would just make use of the opportunity to mess with her, my specialty.

"Sha that one concern you, I don't know why you just wanna be..."

"Oya sorry o Chi, I'm sorry for angering you with my anger," she laughs and as usual, her laughter cracked the shell of my own laughter and I broke out a laugh.

"Nné eh, Mondays like this eh," she says, we're almost at the water spot.

"I swear, e dey quick finish, piuum! It's gone! Otilo!, ówalá like this dị' ányị, Tuesday school, as much as I love school, it's so annoying," It was not like I didn't like school or anything but I gotta support a friend and besides the days were actually seriously running faster than Usain.

"It's always the fun days that go by so fast, the boring days are sooooo long like damn!"

"Nné I'm saying eh, ah!" Chidera didn't necessarily like school, one, the present education system established by the white guy John D. Rockefeller ọdọgwụ Old money isn't necessarily ideal... Infact it's not but I didn't love school cos of the books, the teachers or stuffs, some of the knowledge was fun and all for sure but the most important thing to me in school was the relationships we build as we go, the friends we make and keep and the experiences both of which can make or mar us all in life if we allow them to, you know all those things, not to talk of character building, knowing one's self and how to tolerate others and relate with them, fun stuffs, the fun times that keep me in the shower on weekends a little while longer dwelling on the memories, breaking a tear or two with nostalgia, possibly crying a bit, wishing upon the universe to bless and honor my friends, ma rafiki who have become family, my joy givers and all that I have had a good time with over the week.

These are the things that keep me happy going to school day after day not the dumb lessons of which 70% I basically don't need, that I know for sure... Like why teach African kids European and American style of teaching in our African schools with European and American style curriculums? Which kinda mental and emotional colonization is that? When they were done fucking colonizing us personally they decided it would be so fun to indoctrinate the adults to colonize the kids to the foreign ways, religious wise and politics wise for their own selfish interests and aggrandizement.

This is Onyebuchi our quiet little town in the outskirts of the Motherland region of the former south eastern and south southern Nigeria, now the Motherland Union of Biafra, She is bordered in the north and east round by the great and ancient city of Ọnịcha Adọ N'ịdụ, Ọnịcha mmịlị, Ọnịcha dó ná mmịlị or simply Onitsha, the home of the descendants of our great and eternal ancestors Obị Ézè Chima and his first son Obị Oreze and she is bordered in the west by the great Niger river which is now also a canal, the Mfereji Naija which was created a while ago in accordance to the doctrines of the parliaments of the regions around the Niger and Benue rivers which brought about the diplomatic emergence of Oduduwa republic, a Yoruba nation for the western people of former Nigeria, the tribes closely affiliated with her naturally carved out borders by mother nature using the lengthy Niger river and Arewa, a northern nation for the northern people and the tribes closely affiliated with her, also having her naturally carved out borders in her entire South above the two other nations by the Niger and Benue rivers, the canal drives right through the middle of Arewa, the center giving them and every other nation across the axis equal access to the canal and most importantly they the Arewans easy and undeniable access to the vast Afruikan Ocean through the canal, and then there's us, Biafra, an eastern nation for the eastern people and the tribes closely affiliated with her and we possess our naturally carved out borders through the Niger river, the canal in the West and the Benue river through the North. The canal runs all the way from the former Atlantic ocean now called the Afruikan ocean all through not Lagos now officially called Eko because it's the land of the Yoruba people so they deserve to name it after themselves and not have a name affiliated with Lagos, Portugal after one of our former colonial countries but it's in the link between the former Delta state now of Oduduwa republic and the former Bayelsa state now of Biafra merging with the twin rivers of the Niger and the Benue, and all the way up to Kano and neighboring motherland region of Niger who's national language is Hausa by the way and beyond to boost trade and generate more incomes for the regions which it of course does and most importantly so that the northern region of the Republic of Arewa won't be economically landlocked from the ocean where they would be shipping and distributing their groundnuts and other basic and essential commodities as no one likes to be landlocked economically.

Furthermore, ndị Oméiwụ N'ụrụsọrọ nkè Onyebuchi, the Onyebuchi N'ụrụsọrọ Parliament, N'ụrụsọrọ iméÓbọdọ went as far as adopting a former practice of the now province of Onitsha Ádọ N'ịdụ, a Monday sit at home but it was only for the students and the education body.

One of the town's chancellor Ákpé nwáànyị Ginika nwà Mgbọrịé and her fellow Parliamentary members voted in favor of that as they believed that more relaxation helped boost the educative and innovative minds of kids and other stuffs. They further added that school should begin by

That didn't sit well with alot of the parents obviously who had to look after the little ones, part of the reason for school was so the teachers could help ease them of the responsibility for a few hours while they pursued other beneficial agendas, I'm like if you're not capable of caring for kids, strive for the cheddar and give birth later both genders applied, anyways, the kids on the other hand were very much delighted... Obvi! but the Ákpé nwáànyị and the N'ụrụsọrọ iméÓbọdọ was already doing so much good, this was kinda their only flaw in the eyes of the so called learned parents so no one really bugged her much and so our weekends as students were Friday night all through Saturday, the last day of the week Sunday and the first day of the week, Monday.

"Chai! School!" She exclaims. We had finally arrived the spot and as the situation was throughout this entire morning, all eyes were on us for some reason and they still were, they were getting very uncomfortable and unsettling fast! occasionally with giggles, snickerings and what not, we clung to each other's palms tightly,

"I don't want to go to school tomorrow abeg," she says as if to ease tension and draw my attention away from them. She then reduces her voice as people couldn't seem to be in the mood of minding their businesses and we knew that.

"Why's that love?" I ask while turning back to handle the truck, it would be a while before we are opportuned to fetch the water.

We were at an infamous hospital in Onyebuchi, the owner who is late as of years back was a renowned medical practitioner and philanthropist, the free water for all that came from far and wide across the city of Onyebuchi was of course and would for a long time remain one of her most famous philanthropic achievements, she was now an ancestor to whomever her descendants were and she would continue to bless us as we honor her through her philanthropi youc work, Iseee!

Chidera looked at me disappointedly, I felt bad, I felt I had failed an easy test and the disappointed look on her face was killing me. Finally, like a four year old kid who had lost their kicks on Easter evening, I remembered, I replied so loudly but thank the ancestors I cut my intonation off really quickly, "Friiidaaay! It came unexpectedly shey? And I forgot to help you that day because I was busy with senior Tobe, yes, did anything out of the ordinary occur?"

She looks me square in the eyes with disappointment, I turn a bit and catch a glimpse of the video which was tickling some of the guys' fancy.

"You see, I entered the bathroom to see if I can wash up a bit before heading home, you were no where to be found, if not all these things would not have happened, not that it matters now anyways, you had your priorities aright then and I should have..."

"Chi, love, it's..."

"It's ok... So she got me in her life videos and refused to delete it."

"Are you serious?" I exclaim upon realization.

"It looks like I'm joking na? But anyways what can I do? I went to report to Órí àkụ, the principal but she simply said she would handle it and what ever... It's funny that people can be comfortably ok viewing stuffs like this without..."

"If you can take a look at the predominant gender that's here right now it won't be so surprising to understand why they find this hilarious," I grab her shoulder, she looks down.

"Look," she shakes her head with uncertainty, "Can I go home? I can't even stand the quizzical stares..." All of a sudden, she takes off, I assume she's running home, my mind is too clouded to even follow her. I look up to one direction and see two guys hurdled up, I encroach them from behind.

"Ké dụ way ụnụ na? How far?" I greet but they ignore me, I glance at their phone.

"Omo, but this Esther fine o," One of them says.

"I swear down guuuuuyyy!" The friend responds.

"But guys, see wetin she do this fine girl na, it's somehow, like how she go dey video for front of the girls' bathroom again? Like ndị girl's bathroom," A guy across says as he's setting his gallons to fetch water.

A girl in front of them chips in, "Asin eh, I just dey wonder since, that girl, she go soon collect one of these days, she's just lucky I'm not going to that you people's school," Another girl chips in.

"I'm telling you! That Neche or what ever she calls herself..."

"Esther!"

"Her dirty name no really concern me, we no really send her papa name for this side, my own na she go soon collect!" She, suddenly hyped up begins to jump up and down as if ready for a fight. "Chai! I wish say I dey that una school... Had it been... chai!"

"I swear..." Another girl chips in.

"See these girls o, abeg, na the girl sabi joor! Why you go carry your dirty body enter where person dey do video..."

"Wetin you dey talk sef this guy! Na she put herself there? Why your yeye crush go carry her self dey... Una get sense at all? Infront of bathroom for school... Girls' bathroom for that matter!" A guy by our side attacks him.

"Nnya eh, na so dem dey blow? Na so the blow nwánụ dey hungry am? She for post her nude na, she go blow fast fast," Everyone around explodes in laughter but I for some reason didn't find it funny.

"Abegi, seriously, how are you just comfortable spitting such nonsense from your word hole this guy?" I say turning him around to talk to him properly, "Like, don't you have a sister at home? How are you... You don't respect ladies at all? Don't you have a mother at all?"

"Bia way this girl, kpálị kwá onwé gị o this girl, dey nice o, make I no enter you o, who woman help sef?"

"Gay!" Someone chips in and a few giggle.

"Ọ́nyé ọkpọntụ!" Another says and others laugh it up some more.

"See who wan enter me? What can you do? You can't do more than jị ágwọ rụ ágwọ, you can't do more than a dead rat! Look at you!" People around us burst into laughter, some in mockery of me but I didn't mind, neither did I mind that the guy I was challenging was evidently and easily by far physically stronger than me but I just didn't care, only Chidera was on my mind at this point in time.

"See if not that I respect women..."

"Taaa! Look at you! you say you respect ladies but you don't acknowledge the nonchalance of your stupid bimbo crush, a stupid person crushing on his fellow idiot, birds of the same feather."

"Who's the girl to me? I only know Esther, my one and only, ásà m, fuck the other person for all I care and who's the girl to you sef?"

"I swear, how the girl take concern us?" Another guy across the corner supports him.

"Nnya eh Ndubuisi, see these girls o..."

"Ndubuisi or whatever you call yourself make I no enter you o!" I call out the so called Ndubuisi.

"Heeeiii! You wan beat me? You dey threaten me? See this Mgbékè o, see, dey nice o, I no be Nnamdi o, and I no get lady for house say I go con dey fear you in the name of respect, I go massacre..."

"No wonder! See person wey him papa no train am well, I sure die say your papa dey beat your mama for house..."

"See, this girl, I go bang your head for this iron, shey you dey craze ni? See these girls o, una don dey develop liver like this!"

"See I no go just too talk for this matter but where I go take craze na when management go off this water, I go beat all of una black and blue!" A huge guy old enough to seriously big brother most of us all gathered there called out. He was shirtless, dark and you could clearly see his biceps, triceps, abs and his blood shot eye from like a mile away, he was steady fetching water since the conflict had begun and didn't seem to mind us up until now.

"See who dey..." I reply him curtly and amidst the sudden alarmed screams, woahs, hms and exclamations of the crowd he drops the two just filled up 50 litre gallons he was carrying with a reckless thud as if to face me... Yup it was me alright.

"I talk am, Ade, shey I tell una say na all this small small Onyebuchi girls wey una dey adopt as pikin for this town in the name of ásà, babe, girlfriend, these mụchéchès una con dey follow up and down dey cause all these insults, now see this ékụkè, this Aba nkápị, this werey from Owerri, she don forget say na me be Dagger, Mmá ọkụ! Mmá n' ébéwà! Na me dey use scissors dey cut water wey dey run from tap but this ákàkpọ been don forget con dey talk to me less because maybe one of una don dey bend am dey give am ìfè ọnà chọ..."

"Opueh!" Someone says from afar and they begin laughing.

"Opueh to the world mehn!"

"Ịmákwà!" Another replies.

"Chaiiii, mmụà bụ nó Mma! Mmụà ná dagger things on things..."

"Ọdọgwụ nnà!" Another hypes.

"Ọdọgwụ nwọké nó'lụ!"

"Na me dem dey see less?" The crowd explodes into laughter.

"Alaye, sir, Oga m! please, I no be áshánà o, I don't do hookup please, don't talk about me like that o, nobody is bending me o bịkọ kwà," I reply hastily amidst all the hypes and the guy rushes at me with a wet rusted rod he quickly picks from the sides.

"Omo the pikin still get mouth dey follow me talk? chai! She dey talk to me less? Mmááááááá! K way gị na?" He sends the rod at me but someone quickly pulls me out of the way, the rod missing me narrowly.

"Imagine you Mmá, dagger! just imagine wetin dey occur and you still dey look am? She dey talk to you less, Chai! Dagger! You dey f up o!" Nnamdi the guy from earlier before seems to hype him up to aggression as he further progresses towards me hastily, jumping from the raised platform towards me.

I see it's the same person, she one of the girls from earlier before, pulling me, we make away as fast as we can. Soon enough, we turn back and we realize the guy had stopped chasing us.

"I don't wanna know your name or who the hell you are just yet because I just wanna first of all remind you of how stupid you are this morning," The girl tells me as we stop in front of a kiosk.

"What did I do now?" I ask focusing on her squarely.

"You're crazy o, ịnápụzị àlà aswear, you don't know what you did? You're very funny. Either you're incredibly courageous and bold or incredibly and extremely stupid because you challenged two local champions and a drug addicted town's bully and you somehow believed you would come out alive and on top, for this part of Onyebuchi? Inland town? Hm!"

"Female rage, it's powerful!"

She laughs long and sarcastically, "See werey o! Okpo no be for where dem dey fetch water, it's evidently powerful as it almost got you killed... literally but save it for when the ladies actually need help especially to stand up to psychopathic misogynists and potential rapists, don't go around wasting it on roadside arguments and bickerings."

"You're right sha, we only get one life in this body right?"

"Exactly, who knows what you may wanna be in your next life?"

"Abi? Tree, animal or whatever, anyways So, who's the drug addict?"

"Hmm, so you no know? You no dey this town o this girl? That one they call dagger abi na Mmá, you can clearly see and hear his name Mmá, knife, his name is dagger and you get mind challenge am? On top irrelevances such as those? Omo, no be mind again o na foolishness, see as the guy quick pick rod wan pin you to the walls and you still no run? This girl sha!"

"But you no see say those guys were making a mockery of my friend? It was my girl in the video, my baby, my heart, you'll not understand, sometimes these guys need to be put in their place."

"He could've pinned you to your place, werey!" She takes a deep breath, "I understand, it's wrong in all ramifications, it's unjustifiable but you should've have channelled your rage to the two fools and not a guy that took one wrap of sativa immediately after waking up just before coming to fetch water. No use female rage for roadside bickerings, I don tell you, go and extensively research Female Rage then come back and think again, Bịà nné, you dey craze so?"

"Sha na true o."

"Sha na true o," she mimicks me with mockery, "No, go on, and see now, guess what? they'll seize your truck and gallons, what will you do about it? Wetin you go tell your people when you reach house?"

"Omo, I no reason that one o," I exclaim in realization.

"Noooo, continue, Ódụá female rage, Mahsa Amini younger sister!"

"Chai! My baby o, I love that girl, may her soul rest in peace, She'll never be forgotten."

"Abi?" She replies, "I can't believe the great Iran did that to her but we will never forget, we're ladies and ladies always find their strengths together."

"You're right nné, that's the only reason I don't like them, they don't value women, the divine feminine, they don't respect it. My only wish is if Mahsa is to reincarnate she should be brought to Africa, my family, we'll value her," She looks at me confusedly.

"Alright? It's well Sha omo the only reason I knew about her was because she died," I look at her not surprised.

"Terrible reason but no problem... Me too." I laugh and she chuckles along confusedly.

"It's well, my girl Mahsa Amini, Princess Mahsa, Mahsa baby," she chuckles.

"Pray for us," I say. She snubs me and continues.

Amen my sister... Saint Mahsa daughter of Amini.

I laugh, "Ónyé nsọ Mahsa..." "Anyways, can you help me na nné?" She eyes me up and smiles shaking her head with a slight hiss.

"Romantic comedy! Sha you're lucky he's literally my next door neighbor, he lives in our compound, I'll just tell my brother to help me get it from him, shey na for my brother to give am one wrap for free... Abeg forget joor!"

"One wrap of what?"

"Forget, seriously, ah!" she says sternly.

"Ok o, so where do you live na?" I ask.

"Onitsha road, this side," She says pointing to a junction behind us, "What of you?"

"Muammar al-Gaddafi way," I reply pointing to the road beside us.

"Ok, you go chop?" She hands me a snack which she purchased from the kiosk as we were talking.

"Gala? Oya na thanks."

"So lemme excort you home before you go and slap soldier," We laugh.

"Abegi! So Nkechi right?" She looks surprised, "What?"

"What are the chances? You know me before?"

"Nooo, did I guess right?" She giggles.

"Omo, you guess right o, lemme guess your own na, em Ebelechiukwu?"

"Uuuhhh! She sends it across the field but for the crossbar, what an excellent effort I must say."

"You dey watch ball?"

"Sometimes."

"I'm guessing I didn't get it right abi?"

"You try Sha, I'm Ngozi, luck no dey your side today," I say with a mouth full of Gala.

"Abi?" She giggles again.

"Na my house be this o," I point at the next gate by our side.

"Ehen? E fine o," she says with admiration.

"No dey whine me jare, this house wey old pass my mama and papa sef, it was built in 1902 by my grandfather Obieze."

"Exactly, that's why I'm admiring it seriously, it's old fashioned and interesting, so many intricate designs from the very early 1900s, una try o. Even this una neighbor house sef, early 20th century style, nice! una try."

"Abi, so like my gallons na abi? You go bring am? With the truck?"

"Yes, I'll help you out, I promise but I don't promise you you'll see it today sha," she says thoughtfully.

"Ok na, no problem, thank you, you try," I slap my forehead, "Omo I forget something o."

"What happened?" She asks worriedly.

"I forgot to buy ọkpà from that ọkpà lady in that junction," She stares at me a while as if wondering.

"You're very dramatic o," I chuckle loudly, "Is that why you slapped yourself like that?"

I laugh, "Nné no reason am abeg."

"Nooo, I no dey reason am o." She says and turns to leave, "Omo, tomorrow na school like this o."

"Aswear down, I just tire, na to go sleep like this before I go con do my assignments."

"Abi, Ehen, Ngozi which school are you going to like this?"

"Obianuju high o," I say and she seems surprised.

"Omo, I'm going to the same school o, wow, which class?" Nkechi exclaims.

"I'm in ss2," I relay to her, she's further surprised

"I'm actually in ss1 sha, I wonder how we've not seen before."

"Nnya eh, I'm ss2b"

"No wonder, I'm in the same sha but na C class."

"Ok, do you know Chidera?"

"Hmmm," she gives it a thought, "Asa Chiedozie?"

I give her a stern look.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She asks, the smile kinda slowly fading from her cheeks.

"That's disgusting! It's irritating that you're addressing your fellow girl, you only know someone, your fellow girl for that matter as the girlfriend of some guy, it's alarming."

She stares at me a while, "You sef rest! Ah ah, nawa for you o, I see you love arguing with everyone, that's nice, you seem to forget that I'm the one holding something of priced value to you and you're capping two, e ná kọ lụ m tu, you never ready to learn."

"I'm just saying that you should stop treating ladies as properties of men and..."

"Does it matter? Even the bible says that Eve was made for..."

"You know what, you can keep the gallon, keep everything, imagine, you can't have a proper conversation without someone... Nné I don't think you're being logical if you're source of argument is the bible, like can't you use your thinking brains at all, you can't be logical... Infact why am I wasting my time with..."

"Ngozi where are you going na? Ngọzi! Ngo... Oya be going na, na you go still con beg me, see this one o, like what the fuck sef? See this werey o," I hiss back at her loud enough to be heard.

When I get home I see Chidera curled up in my bed, her arms encircling her tummy.

"Nné kè way gị na? Are you feeling any better?" I greet.

"Shey you're done with your new bestie abi?" She replies without turning to me.

"How did you...?"

"Shey you wan lie for me? You think you can lie for me? Anyways, I'm hungry sha."

"See ọkpà and orange juice," I hand her what I bought, she arises and quickly pounds on it.

I join her, "So what about the Esther issue na?" She inquires.

"I'll see what I can do tomorrow, till then, let's focus on what really matters..."

"You didn't bring back the truck back, why?"

"I left it there, I'll soon go back," I avoid her gaze like the plague.

"You're talking to a six year old who met you yesterday abi?" I finally stare at her back, "You got into an argument and got our truck seized and that girl is gonna help you out and you'll pay her shey?"

"I give you an 80% on accuracy, I mistakenly challenged Mma," She's evidently shocked at the last statement, she begins rummaging through my body and clothes looking for... something, "What?"

"Did he injure you? Did anything happen to you?"

"No, chill out ah, nothing sup," I shake her off, "But if not for that girl eh..."

"Nkechi Ejeagha."

"You know her? Where did you even see her from?" She nods in the positive.

"I know Nkechi na, so she was willing to help you? Your window is overlooking the main road did you forget?"

"Abi."

"So she was willing to help you?"

"Ehhhh... She was willing to at first though," Chidera slaps her forehead.

"What did you do now? Wetin you tell am this tozo?"

"Bịà jịlị nwáyọ o, jịlị nwáyọ ná kpó m áfá, no dey insult me o," She smirks, "I got into an argument with her but it was just a small, minor one," She uncrosses her legs from the bed and bangs her head on the mattress backwards and she instantly begins to cough and I rush to get her some water.

"See as your stupidity wan make me choke, Ngozi eh!"

"Adaeze Ugonabo! You no know say this lady dey pack pepper for her ọkpà like egg inside bread," I clap on her chest repeatedly and cautiously, "Be careful o, Sha, échị gá kà mmá, tomorrow will be better."

"Isééééé! I guess."

"I guess yị'a gbàgbụ'e gị ébéá, that your 'I guess' fire you for there."

"Abeg shift!"