Wild West of the Heart
THIRTY THREE

"Is it because i'm here in a skirt?"

"It's a lot of things Obi. It's who you are" It was sweetest thing anyone had said to him. He turned his face to Abdul who did that smirk thingy.

This was the guy he'd fallen for on that app, and looking at him in that moment, it made it feel real. Real in the sense that he was afraid to come clean.

He didn't want this to change. Not the way he intentionally flirted. Or the way he looked at him.

Abdul's fingers traced the edges of the book, as if teasing it. He had dark knuckles and his nails were long, half of which were painted black. He flipped it over and then said. "He's also queer_" Obi's eyes widened. He was lost.

"In the book, the guy is queer" There was an awkward silence as Obi searched his mind for one possible reason why he said that. Was it the vibes he was giving off that made him relate him to a fictional queer character. "What?" He finally said. "No, i didn't mean it that way. I just said it" He laughed embarrassingly then shook his head. "I just said it because i was surprised. You never get to see that in a Nigerian book" He continued. "Oh" Obi softly exclaimed.

"Yeah" He tried not to make it awkward. Was it what he was looking for? He was left with more questions than answers. However, he was happy to know that Abdul wasn't homophobic at all. "I'm not really a fan of books. So i don't know" He said, trying to drain the tension between them.

"But i won't even be surprised, this is Nigeria" He added, shifting closer to him but only to see the bridge. He'd never been here, because the park was always closed when he got back from school.

His eyes went above it to the moving ferris wheel and the photo booth by the corner. Each flash, was a reason to smile. You could hear euphoric screams from the ones that rode on the wheel. With a stint of tearful ones in between.

His heart jolted for one particular girl who he'd seen having the worst time of her life on it. And even though he'd never been on it, his toxic trait was thinking he'd ride it perfectly. And look pretty while doing it. The fear in his eyes, melted and a smile found its way to his lips.

"What are you looking at?" Abdul broke into his ears and he budged. "There" He pointed at the ferris wheel. Then he dipped his hands into his pockets, bringing at coins to the bench. Obi looked at him embarrassingly. "What are you up to?" He could guess it was up to no good with that mischievous smirk across his face. "Come on❞

He stood from the bench, tucking the book under his armpit as he stretched his hand out to Obi.

"Come on. Don't you want to ride it?" He held up the cash he had in his right hand as he pointed to the colorful wheel. It took a moment for Obi to stand, mentally battling if this was a great idea.

"Come on, Obi❞ Abdul persuaded, his side profile sharp in the shadow of the moon. It was in the light that Obi noticed he had a detective mustache. And side beards that almost met.

As attractive as the Sherlock Holmes' thing was, he had to look away from it. He had to look into his open palms which he took into his. "Fine" Came an exasperated sigh as he bent his head.

"Yes" Abdul said, victoriously as they ran towards the ferris wheel booth where they had to pay. Obi looked around for maybe Ola or Fiyin as he entered under the shed, but he didn't check his phone to see the twenty missed calls Ola had left. And the message from Fiyin.

-

Fiyin: i'm at the cemetery if you're looking for me.

Deborah stopped, letting go of her hands as she sat on a tombstone. The graveyard was silent, not a drop of pin to be heard. And it showed just how far they had come from the festival.

Fiyin looked around, taking notes before she sat.

There was dust on it, as her eyes navigated to the name engraved in the stone beneath her. RICHARD DAVIS

19th September 1941 - 5th January 1970.

She gasped as Debby looked to her. Her eyes went to the same thing and she adjusted in her seat. "That was just before the war ended" She whispered and Fiyin looked to her. "Biafra war" "You know it?"

"Of course i do" Fiyin said immediately. Of course she did, who didn't know the one war that claimed millions of Nigerian's lives. It was all she knew. "Do you come here often?" She changed the subject and Deb shrugged her shoulders. "Occasionally, when i want to feast on dry bones" Disgust rattled Fiyin's face as Deb burst out laughing. "Honestly, i won't even be surprised at this point" She said and Deb punched her lightly. "You don't have much of a personality either asides basketball" She threw her shades back, though only a few days late. "Fuck you" She said. "Humans are shitty actually" She added.

"And you're?"

"An alien. At least i wish to be. That would be so cool" Deborah seemed like the sort of person with a wild imagination. And she really was. Fiyin just let out a soft chuckle, trying to relate because no, she didn't wish she was an alien. And no, wishing to be an alien was not a normal thing. But that was the thing, Deborah wasn't a normal girl and at the same time, she wasn't a pick me.

She was just different, and the world could use that sometimes. She fluttered her lashes, bringing out a packet of sweets from her pockets.

"You haven't answered my question" Fiyin broke the silence. "Do you come here often?" She asked, somehow dead serious. "I told you" Deb replied. "I told you the only logical answer to that"

"Shut up"

"You sure do ask alot of questions" She said, slipping a sweet into her mouth. "I'm just trying to get to know the great Deborah Albert" Fiyin said and Deborah jumped to sit right to her. "How about you give me a chance to get to know the great Fiyin Bamidele instead?" She asked, offering a piece of something in the packet and Fiyin reached for it, peeling off the wrapper. "Ask away" She said unenthusiastically, because there was really nothing all that interesting about her, except her trauma. She didn't have a fancy life, she didn't play sports. She was just Fiyin. This was the opportunity for Deborah to get to know her and she as well, didn't hold back. Her eyes went to her gloved hands, the same she had seen that day with the scars. And she asked. "Is that apart of your costume?"

"N-Yeah, kinda. It's quite original if you ask me" Fiyin replied, chewing something in her mouth and Deborah nodded. "Fi, tell me the truth" Her voice went low, lower than the chirping birds above them and Fiyin turned to look in her eyes. The atmosphere had gone tense, and she put the sweets away. "I saw your arm that day" Debby didn't hesitate to let her know she knew she was lying. And she wasn't having it. Fiyin on the other hand, raised her shoulders more defensively. "It's nothing" She insisted, recollecting that day in her head. "I just, fell" She found a lie in her head.

"You fell?" Deb echoed and she nodded. "That's original" It was her who bore the sarcasm now as she chuckled slightly. "Fiyin, i know self harm scars when i see self harm scars" She continued.

And Fiyin cleared her throat, feeling quite embarrassed that she was caught in a lie. She handed her back her sweets and proceeded to stand. Deborah held her back for a minute.

"Listen, Fiyin"

"You don't understand" Came a change of tone from the person in question. Honestly, what did Deborah say expect?

"Actually i do" She yelled in the open, they didn't have any fear someone will hear them. The least of their worries were the decaying ears around them.

"I grew up harming myself, and it was this cycle where i always tried to kill myself" There was a crack in her voice. "I'm not trying to kill myself" Fiyin said. Actually, she wasn't. There was a few times she wanted to swallow a bottle of painkillers after Collins but she couldn't go through with it.

Because for some reason, she didn't want to rot in hell. That was the only reason, and unlike how it's glorified, death by pills is actually much more painful. It involves your body slowly shutting down and she didn't need any more pain. So she didn't go through with it.

"But i think you need help" Deborah said, a very poor choice of words in that moment. "Is that what this is?" Fiyin stretched out her hands.

"Is that what this is? Is that why you brought me here? Because you have some savior complex inside of you, where you have to help somebody?" "Where you have to save someone" Deb was speechless at her words as she battled with her bags. "No" She replied with a quivering voice.

"You actually did. And you might think you have to go through all of this because you can bear it but you really don't have to "

"Bullshit" Fiyin yelled in her face, before backing away. "All of what? You don't know the slightest thing about me. No one in this world does" She reacted and Deborah stepped back. "Hawking?"

You see, in this moment you can see why Fiyin never wanted to cross paths with one of her classmates whenever she went out hawking. It always came back to her in the most horrific ways. "What?"

"I followed y-"

"You followed me. Fuck Deborah, this is why you don't have any friends. You're fucking creepy" She yelled from a distance as she pulled away. Slow steps had embarrassingly turned to a run, as she looked for the nearest way back to the Fest. Tears stung the back of her eyes as she felt a certain type of pain in her throat. She just kept running, removing her gloves after some distance.

"Fuck. Fuck" She cussed, her hands slipping down her face as her braids fell to the side. She wasn't proud of how she'd handled it back there, leaving Deborah who just wanted to help, in tears.

But she also didn't like the way she felt.

Something about reminding her of her scars made her feel triggered. And she just wanted to let out the loudest scream from the highest pinnacle she could find. The tears begun to fall after a while as she looked to her phone if Obi had replied. She neared the party as she thrusted through bodies.

It was then, she knew how bad of an idea this was.

By the time she got to the center of the crowds, the clock struck ten. And she halted, looking up at the fistful of stars in the skies. And there he was-

-Obi. On the ferris wheel, next to Abdul.

Strapping the belt, the wheel slowly moved till they reached somewhat of a height before it stopped. From there, they could see the vast distance of the festival through the streetlights.

It was a sight, away from all this Lagos madness, and atop it instead, it was a sight. And heaving a deep breath, Obi took it all in. He looked to Abdul who desperately searched for the perfect picture out of the ones he took. Some of them, with Obi.

He looked away, pretending not to see him stare at a particular one with him. The winds from the altitude hit him in his face and blew his skirt open.

He was thankful he wore the netted socks.

But somehow, the motion managed to catch Abdul's attention. Now the phone was on a different photo, one with him and a particular girl in a hijab. Obi felt a sting in his heart, seeing how close they were. He didn't have the right to feel jealous, because they were nothing-

he wasn't even sure they were friends.

"Who's that?" He still asked, and his face turned to the screen. "Oh that. That's my sister" He said, with a smile across his face.

Relief washed over Obi's embarrassed face.

The thought of incest still crossed his mind and he still felt jealous at how close she was to him, his arms around her shoulders. "Oh" He exclaimed.

"She's getting married next week. Yeah" Abdul added. "I think you said it once before" Obi said.

"No, i don't think i did" He replied and Obi tapped his thighs. "Yeah, you did. The time you told me about how much pressure your family was putting on you to find the perfect wife as w—"

He paused, realizing the mistake he made.

Abdul didn't tell Obi that, he told Neighborguy118.

"Shit" Obi cussed, looking down at high he was from the ground. And the impact it would have if he just jumped from the ferris wheel that moment.

But then, slowly it started moving and they progressed steadily towards the clouds. "I don't understand" Abdul said, arching his brows.

"How?" The way he scrunched up his face showed he'd already done the maths, and by his last question, they were already a hundred feet in the air. And the fireworks just sparked off beside them. It illuminated his moist eyes, and Abdul's. "You're neighborguy118?" He had said.

-

"Hey" Someone said with a shrill voice from behind and Fiyin turned around, taking her eyes off Obi. It was Anna, with a bunch of girls behind.

They had on the slutty nurse costume and the cap, and white thigh high socks and a shirt that was barely buttoned. Fiyin assessed her in a second.

"Hi"

They'd barely talked in like a month. "How are you doing? It's like a barely see you" She said, fluttering her lashes like a glam doll. She had on a southern accent, making something she picked up from her last travel. Because she as well hadn't been in school. It was a pro of being a politician's daughter, you always went on campaign rallies.

"It's no surprise since you're now hanging with the losers, right girls?" She turned around to the girls who maniacally nodded. Fiyin rolled her eyes, brushing past her shoulders. "You can turn your back all you want" Anna yelled at her. And she halted.

"You'll still come back to us. Suddenly you feel you're too good to be with us, but it's going to change soon. You realize they're two people in the world" Fiyin didn't bother to turn around.

Her voice alone was enough.

"There's us. And there's them" She said, before carrying on with her dolls. Fiyin heaved a deep breath as their footsteps drew away. There was much more pollution that settled in the air that she couldn't tell which made her this nauseous. But amidst the soot, she'd sighed Ola puking in the nearby shrubs. She rubbed her eyes before running across the road to meet him.

"Ola" She called, her hands reaching for his back as he let out an exhaustipated yawn. There were tears in his eyes when he looked up. And he looked a combination of dirty and hungover. Fiyin slowly patted his back as she noticed the ferris wheel had also come to a halt, meaning Obi would be out any minute now. She held unto Ola, who stood up straight before leaning right into her.

"Ghosts are fucking real" He whispered, as if it were a top secret before he fell asleep. She held unto his arm as she sighted Obi too from afar, he increased his steps once they'd made eye contact.

And once he'd reached her, he panted as if he'd been running from someone. Fiyin looked at him, as he looked to Ola. "Long night?" She asked, and he sucked his cheeks a bit. "I need to go home." "Me too" Ola muttered, in her arms.

"Ghosts are fucking real, Obi. I was wrong-"

To be continued...