Wild West of the Heart
FIFTY SEVEN

"Where did we stop last class?" Miss Sherperd mounted the board with a pen and stick in her hands. She was in a white shirt tucked into a short velvet skirt that had a ribbon across of it. "You mean last year?" Bade replied to the chuckle of the rest of the class. And Sherperd pointed her stick at her, failing to take the joke.

"Don't ridicule me" Everyone seemed to be in a good mood except the teachers. How could they not be, if majority of the students had passed. On count, maybe just six in general that had failed.

Deborah turned to Fiyin beside her. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed" She teased in a whisper and Fi just forced a smile on her face.

"Hey. Have you seen Obi or Ola?" She asked after a while and Deb just shook her head. Fiyin turned to the board as Sherperd wrote biology across the top of the blackboard with a chalk. She crossed her legs in the chair, sitting up. "Today, we'll be talking about planned parenthood-" She turned around.

And Fi could swear her eyes met hers. She was restive all of a sudden in that chair, abusing the goddesses of coincidences. Deb turned to the side to see how fingers tap rapidly against the table.

"Last year, we examined the several methods of planned parenthood where we discussed abstinence and use of contraceptives and condoms. And IUDs" Deb looked at Sherperd and back at Bade who'd raised her hands.

"Is abortion a form of contraceptive or planned parenthood?" There were a few murmurs from the back of the class before Miss Sherperd climbed down, holding the stick stiff in her hands as if reprimanding them. B2 silenced and Fiyin covered the side of her face with her palms for some reason.

"Bade, i'd love to answer your question but that topic isn't in your current curriculum" Sherperd said, halting by Deborah's side. "All you need to know is that not only abortion a sin, it is also murd-"

"Ma" Fiyin suddenly stood, addressing the silence of the class. Everyone turned to her, including Deb and she slowly put down her hand.

"Do you have anything to say, Fiyin?" The teacher asked and she stuttered a bit, pointing to the door.

"Bathroom" Fi nodded. "I want to use the bathroom" She whispered, stepping away from her table before heading towards the door. The creaks of her canvas echoing through the class was Deb cautiously bit into her lower lip.

She turned back to Sherperd who nodded and then back at the swinging classroom brows. Arching her brows, she really hoped it wasn't what she thought.

Fiyin ran across the hallway with tears in her eyes until she reached the bathroom. She almost had a panic attack trying to open it, trying to pull instead of pushing. Her vision had blurred and the voices in her head had went up times ten. Once she'd gotten a hand on the door, she slammed it behind her, running into a stall. Her back met against the wall as she slipped down. Sobbing into her arms, this was the moment she accepted it.

Accepted that after three tests, that all the million are you pregnant articles had been right. This was the moment she self loathed, having previously thought she couldn't hate herself anymore. She wept in her arms until her eyes had gone sour and time was no longer existent.

This was the moment she wished she had someone, wished she had her mother, Ophelia or a dad that wasn't a drunk eighteen hours a day. This was the moment she wished she had Ola, or Obi right beside her but she hadn't seen them since morning-

But interrupting that thought was the sound of the door, and a knock against it. She quieted, sealing her lips before she heard a whisper, a reminder that she still had someone. "Hey, Fi. It's me" She said. She recognized that voice, and the shoe beneath the stall before she stepped away. The door slowly opened and Deb peered from above. "Are you okay?" She asked, taking a seat beside her friend. Fiyin looked to her, shaking her head. And Deb wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in for a side hug. She sobbed, closing the door and Deborah just let her. Sometimes one needed to cry- -one needed to let it out. Deb cupped her chin, close enough to Fi before she asked. "Are you?" It took a second but Fiyin looked back at her with tears across her pale cheeks. And she nodded softly. Deborah heaved a deeper breath, holding her tighter with no intention of letting go. This was what Fi needed, and she found comfort in her-

"We'll figure this out, okay?" Deborah assured as if making a promise that she could keep and Fi nodded, believing every word.

-

"Do you want to talk?"

Ola crossed his legs and held the phone closer to his ears. James' voice hadn't changed a bit, although it was bit thicker but that could have been the cold.

He nodded, falling back in his bed with a smirk. He remembered that photo of both of them. "Do you still have it?" He asked. "What?"

"Our photo"

His uncle scoffed. "Of course i do. This place will always be your home" James whispered, after the long conversation they'd just had.

"I was wrong. I thought constantly and tried to lie to myself that it was for the best. That i was doing what was best for you" He added, saying just the words Ola needed to hear. "I was wrong too" He replied and there was that scoff again. "No. No, you were a teenager. And teenagers do crazy stupid stuff. I know cos i did" James said, and Ola smiled just a bit. "Fox misses you" He said.

And that bit turned to a large grin across his face at the mention of the cat. Unbeknownst to him, his mother watched from the door, watching that smile.

And she turned to Titi. "Told you" She whispered as she closed the door. He heaved a sigh, realizing up until that moment that she definitely had regrets.

No matter how lies she told herself, she always wished for a man other than Akin. She didn't even care how he was doing all alone. She didn't want to know, all she cared about was Ola and herself.

And Titi, and as far as she knew, as she walked with Titi to the couch to binge watch Nigerian idol, all three of them were good now. And her eyes could finally set on the future.

Though unclear, she was willing to accept the million possibilities, a believer of what she preached. Whether good or bad, she was ready.

"Titi" She suddenly said, comfortable on the couch. They were merely inches from each other as they stared deep into their eyes. "I want to divorce him"

The later subsided a whisper and all Titi did was nod, reaching out for her sister's hands and knowing whatever decision she'd make, she'd support her.

All the way, because after many years, they were here, they'd found their way back to each other and neither of them was letting go this time.

-

Ironically, the day was fast.

And as the students peered around out of the halls, Obi was left standing beneath a tree. And Fiyin left in the arms of Deborah who'd agreed to drive her home. Neither of them, failing to realize Ola wasn't even around. Obi was better, at least he'd stopped crying, maybe because he was in public-

-waiting for Abdul to be done with agric.

He leaned against it, picking out his phone to check the time but then he looked up, and his eyes caught someone. It was Nathaniel, and he'd remembered how terrible he was to him that morning.

As he was about to mount his bike, Obi strutted towards him without really thinking. He was surprised, i mean Nate, thinking it was some ambush and he held up his helmet. "Hey" Obi said.

Nathaniel replied with a nod as they were sandwiched by students. It wasn't really quiet but they could hear each other. "I'm sorry" Obi said, pushing a lump down his throat.

His fingers trailed the helmet as he looked around.

"For this morning" Obi nodded. "Oh" He replied.

"I mean it's no problem"

"Obi" He stretched his hands out ironically and Nate looked it before taking it. "Call me Nate" He smiled. "I also noticed bio class, you were crying"

Obi pulled away, shaking his head. "It's nothing. I'll deal with it tomorrow" He pointed, sighting Abdul from a distance and he pulled away. "Well-"

"I'll see you tomorrow" Obi smirked, his eyes still sore from all the crying. And he nodded, pointing back a finger at him. Nathaniel watched him as he walked away into Abdul and he arched his brows.

Abdul's finger brushed against his arm and he turned back, forcing Nate to suddenly face away, recollecting the incident with Ab in the hallway.

It was as clear as day that there was something between them both, and whilst the whole school could not tell, the person that had been here one day could. Wearing his helmet, he mounted his bike and paddled past them. Obi watched his back, and Abdul did as well.

"We'll figure it out tomorrow" He said after awhile on the trail and Obi looked to him. "What?" "The mock?" There was doubt in his tone and he nodded

"Yeah, yeah we will"

He couldn't shake off the feeling that he was being watched, it was why he kept looking over his shoulders. "Yeah we will" And then his eyes met someone else. It wasn't a student, it was Marissa.

For a quick second, they had contact before she closed the boot of the car that she was beside and walked back inside the school. His eyes lit up in both realization and suspicion because if anyone had access to Collins and his desktop, it'll be her.

And by that glare, she knew something. He just had to find out what that was.

To be continued...