Wild West of the Heart
SIXTY NINE

Her eyes slowly opened, blurry at first before it focused unto the things around her. It was when she moved just a little that she felt a hand in hers. She groaned, fluttering her eye lashes. Her back hurt and it didn't take long for her to realize she'd fallen asleep on the hard school bed-

Even longer before she remembered what had actually happened. That she hadn't fallen asleep. She was rushed here after fainting in the main auditorium. She moved, placing her hand against her hurting neck. "Hey hey" Olamide's call was subtle.

He raised the top half of the bed so she could sit up more comfortably. But instead of muttering a thank you, she pulled away from his hands.

"What happened?" She scanned each corner of the white washed walls, asking as if her memories were not coming back in fragments. She could remember sitting opposite the representative and then giggling into the oversize arms of her wine cardigan.

She could also remember falling down the moment she tried to stand up. And lying limp on the floor, she remembered some of the whispers above her.

"You fainted" Ola sat into her bed and she cleared her throat. "I'm aware" She flatly replied and Ola arched his brows.

Now for somehow who hadn't seen her for such a long while, it was awkward that they'd reunite while she was lying helpless in a school clinic.

"Deb-" She cut him short as she sat up, getting herself back in less than a minute. "I'm okay, i promise. It was nothing" She uncovered the duvet the nurse had lent her as she brought her bare feet to the cold grounds. "You fainted-" Ola whispered.

"And now, i'm fine" She replied in a defensive tone.

They sat facing opposite directions in the silence.

Ola tossed his head over his shoulders as Fi looked down on her button skirt that was open. There was that pain that radiated through her lower abdomen again. She pushed softly against her skin, mouthing an inaudible gasp. "You can leave" She whispered.

Ola turned to her, his fingers intertwining with each other. "Fiyin, what's actually going o-" "I need to change and get the class" She interrupted. "But..."

"But the design school. They're still out there. You can still make it" He replied. "It has passed, Ola. You should know when something has passed" They locked eyes with each other as he stood, trying his best to configure what that last statement meant.

Walking out of the door, he recognized Obi's cologne. It was why he wasn't surprised on seeing u him pacing the corridors. "How is she?" He immediately asked Ola, forsaking their ongoing malice and he just pocketed his hands. "I really don't know"

"And you?" Obi threw back another question and his eyes darted from the floor to his eyes. "Me?" Ola echoed and Obi looked pointedly to the hall where they were all just coming. "Johnsons" He hit him in his shoulders.

"Now, i don't know why exactly you bailed but the guy's still there. If you fail to have him interview you today, it all crashes down" Obi inched closer to him as tension seeped into his bloodstream.

"I know how much you want this. And now, it seems all our heads aren't in the right place" His eyes went to the clinic door and back. "But there's a future after this. There's our future after this-"

"Obi" Ola whispered as his hands gripped him. "I'm sorry for the other-" "Just go, Ola" He raised his voice as he took a deep breath. Obi turned around, watching him pace towards the auditorium with his half tucked in shirt that dropped beneath his blazer.

A deep breath escaped his lips as his palms fell to his waist. As Ola's eyes tried to navigate the dispersing crowds for the man he was with earlier, Obi braced himself for the conversation with Fiyin.

Now, he'd seen her with Nathaniel earlier to have a livid idea of what was going on, he just didn't understand why-his guess however, was perhaps it were the same reasons as his when he did them. Perhaps she was hurt.

It all came down to the very question-Why.

-

She sat upright, completely regaining consciousness over the last minute. And now she had bottle of pills in her right hand and two capsules in her left.

These were the painkillers she was prescribed with earlier and though they were to last two extra weeks, she downed them in days. Her uterus was inflamed each passing second and if it wasn't that, her joints would ache so bad that she'd want to fall.

These were the things she didn't see online about getting an abortion-the aftermath of it. She wasn't warned how excruciating it was than the actual process.

So there she was, throating the pills without a second thought. But that was before the door suddenly barged open, and in came Obi. She searched for her pockets, slipping the pills right before she turned around. "What are you doing here?"

She knew it wouldn't take long till they inserted themselves through her bloodstream, temporarily taking away the pain- it was why she preferred the shit Nathaniel gave her. They seemed to be more effective, taking away both the pain and the terrible thoughts as quickly as mere seconds.

"I know what you're doing" Obi pointed an accusing finger at her as he walked round the bed. She matched his eyes below before he ravaged her sheets and then the drawers next to her, in search of something. "Where are the drugs?" He gritted through his teeth as if he wasn't her, just a few days ago. And she just stared pretentiously at him.

"I don't know what you're saying. It's the stress i've been under lately and even the nurse said the sa-"

"Bullshit" Obi cussed. "I'm not a fucking idiot, Fi. I saw both of you walk out of that storage closet. And if i was so oblivious, i'd think you had your tongues down each other's throats but it's worse. I know he's giving you pills-" He continued. "I know that because he was giving me. And i might not know how you too met or even why on this fucking planet you would chose to do them, on a school day. On fucking career day" Obi raised his voice before stepping backwards. "You had your future right in front of you. You had it all planned" Obi stretched out his arms as Fi turned her eyes away. "It's all over, Obi" She replied.

"You know what this sounds like?"

"Like self sabotage" Obi brought his lips close to her. "It sounds like you won't ever allow yourself to be happy. Like you keep letting your trauma get the best of you. Get ahead of you-" Tears welled up in her eyes and you could tell he was smitten.

Because most of the times when you love someone so much, you'd let them know the truth.

Even if it hurt them.

"You have no idea what you're talking about" She gritted through her teeth, turning away from him. "It's fucking pathetic but i don't blame you" He paused, looking over to the door. "I blame fucking Nathaniel"

And with that, he was headed out of the door with balled up fists and anger in his eyes. The tears slipped down her cheeks as she stood. "Obi-" She called, before clutching her stomach.

"Ah" She softly exclaimed, limping a bit forward. It was then her eyes settled on the stained bedsheets below her. And she hastily bent over to pack them in her hands. "No, no. Fuck" She cussed, realizing it was her fault and she looked over her shoulders.

Alongside the pain, she'd been bleeding for about a week. And this was twice that of menstrual cramps. It was agonizing, in the worst way possible.

"Fiyin"

She heard that effeminate voice call her from behind and she straightened her back. There was a mirror right in front of her, through which she could see her reflection and the one behind her. Her lips parted with a whisper- "Deborah?"

Now, just outside of the back of the building were the two best friends, pacing towards each of their destinations, only to land in the same exact place. The school auditorium.

Alot of things seemed to have already happened there just that morning. And though, career day was over and the representatives were packing up, Ola still made his way inside in hopes of meeting his.

Once he did, he jogged towards the table, interrupting the packing process with his long heavy breathes. He panted, hands on his knees as the man looked to him.

"Olamide Bankole" He recognized him. "I'm so sorry" Ola apologized. "I panicked and i left. And i don't know what seemed to have gotten in me. But i do know i want this. I want Johnsons" He added.

"And i might not have the straightest and most definite plan for my future. I believe each day brings me closer to figuring out myself. One day it's medicine, because of my mother. The other, it's computer science because of my uncle. Name it"

"I never really asked myself what it is that i want" He whispered, finally catching his breath.

"All i know is that in every dream, or every sequence. Or every time i see myself in the future. Five years, ten years. Twenty. Or even as i'm dying-i see a pen" He continued. "All i want to do is write and it took me so long and my best friend to realize that. I want to apply for Johnsons but i do not have the resources, it's why i hope i get considered for this scholarship. Without this-"

"Without all of this, there is no future for me" He said, realizing that as he made that statement, he realized his competition was a girl who seemed to like him since the very first he arrived here. Bade. The representative, whose name was Henry sighed, allowing him to finish. He had empathy in his eyes as he handed a card to him. Ola collected it like it was a medal and they shared eye contact. "I'll keep in touch" Was all Henry said before walking past him with a brown box in his hands. And Ola just stood there, heaving in a deep breath.

His fingers nervously pulled on his hair behind him, but he didn't get much time to think. Or even sulk at how badly he'd presented himself. Suddenly, he heard someone throw a punch behind him.

And the next second, there were students holding two people apart. Ola turned around to see Obi with a finger up in the air, pointedly at Nathaniel. He arched his brows, moving closer to the scene where the sudden chants came from.

"Stay away from her" He yelled, before making his way down the podium. "Obi-" Ola called as he was headed towards him but he didn't halt. Hitting him across his shoulders, he fumed out of the door.

And Ola looked to Nate, realizing this could only be about one person. And that was Fiyin.

To be continued...