Okay, so there is always a 'he' in every girl's diary. Some...quite remarkable, Others? well...not so much.
Thelma always believed she was the most unfortunate girl alive. Hell, luck was just created to spite her. That didn't change even when she saw Alfred. She knew she had no chance of getting him to notice her and she had no intention of trying.


"Hi, is this seat taken?" a voice asked from behind. She didn't bother turning, she'd recognise that voice any day.
"Yes...I mean no...if you like to...its free" she muttered in one breath.

It was the eight period and the subject assigned to that, was English. English was the only subject the art and science students had a combined class in. He was a transfer student and with the way he blended in with the class high flyers, no one would have guessed he didn't start junior school with them. While he was one of the popular guys in school, she was labelled 'nerd-girl' and all through that time, this was the first time they had crossed path.


Adjusting to the edge of the seat thereby making sitting space for him, she did a quick eye sweep of the classroom. Apparently, her seat was the only double seat lacking a partner.

"Little wonder..." She murmured.
"Do you have an extra pen? I must have left mine in my locker, silly me" he added.
"Yes" she whispered, fiddling with the zip of her school bag. She brought out a bic and handed it over to him.
"Thanks" he grinned.

She noticed his gap tooth amongst other things.


He wasn't drop dead handsome but his features fit so well, If perfect had a description, he'd fit it to the teeth. He was light skinned. His nose was so straight and nostrils so small, she was sure his tiny finger couldn't fit in. His eyes which seemed to be half shut most of the time closed to form a line each time he smiled. His teeth was so white, she concluded it hadn't missed a day's brushing right from when he had grown them.

The closing bell rang, She realized she hadn't heard a word their teacher had said.

He thanked her and dropped the pen into her book as he stood to leave. His friends were already beckoning to him. With his bag swung over his left shoulder, he turned and flashed a smile.

Her heart did ten push-ups.

From then on, he waved whenever he saw her and she smiled back( blushed more like it). Three weeks later, he approached her and suggested she joined the school's debating club which he headed, She did.

The upper week, he admitted he liked her and that was when she blurted out she had had a crush on him see she laid eyes on him.
He smiled.

It was three days to their mid-term tests, he invited her to an empty class room, so they could study together, she obliged. Barely ten minutes into their maths textbook, he leaned in and kissed her.

The next day, as she got to school she sensed something was amiss, Everyone was staring at her. With head bowed she made for her classroom.

As she settled in her seat, she felt eyes boring into her back

"Pretenders do the worst." A girl hissed from behind.
Sensing what might have been the cause, she stood and headed for class 3B.


He was with his friends and they were obviously in a heated discussion but all kept mum as soon as they saw her approach.
"Can I speak with you?" she asked in a pleading tone.
"No." came the curt reply.
Her eyes bulged.
"Have you forgotten what happened yesterday?" she sniffed.
"How can I forget...I won."
"You won? won what? I don't understand..." she stammered.
"The bet love...I won the bet" he smiled and turned to join his bickering friends as they joined in a rupturing laughter.





As realisation dawned on her, She fled.

and the genius forgot to add the title...lol better yet, you guys could help me come up with a befitting title

Thumbs up for the story.
If I understand the story well, her friends set her up to fall in love, which is part of winning a bet.

whitecloth:
Thumbs up for the story.
If I understand the story well, her friends set her up to fall in love, which is part of winning a bet.

He made a bet with his friends to get her.

Debbietiyan:

He made a bet with his friends to get her.

Owwk. Thanks

guys and their stupid bets sha

~~~~~~ REFLECTIONS~~~~~~
Nelly had always wanted more.A better life,
better relationship with friends and family. She
had always lived with the feeling of not been good enough. Now, on her
dying bed, these thoughts keep running through her head... She realized how much time
she had spent living a life of trying to fit in
everyone's book of life... Realizing that she had
not lived her life, instead she lived it to suit
others. On her death bed as tears rolled down
her face, she reflected. She was a good girl and had barely lived her life.
Diagnosed with HIV and had three weeks left to
live at the age of 25. Nelly wished she had made
this one decision to be with Barry when she had the
chance. She and Barry had come a long way,
since their high school days. Barry had always
being there for her even after she lost her Mum in
a fire accident... which her father blamed her for. She had playfully set the house
on fire , her Mom died in the process of saving
her. Ever since then her father saw her as a
burden and the cause of the wife's (her mother's)
death. She grew up without the warm and gentle
love of a Mother and the not good enough feeling
the Father showed towards her... Barry was
always there to keep her sane but whenever she
left him, she found herself back to square one.
In School she was bullied and insulted by students
and most of the teachers. Nelly and Barry
graduated from high school and went to the same
University and eventually, graduated together. Nelly did her best to make
her father proud but he never gave a damn about
her. Things weren't going well again in her
father's business anymore. He, knowing fully well Nelly
would do any thing to make him happy he
manipulated her in getting married to a business
partner to bring his business back. Of
course she did it, Just to make him happy. Few years after
she discovers she's HIV positive...

Hmmm. what a nice story.

whitecloth:
Hmmm. what a nice story.

Thank you

whitecloth:
Hmmm. what a nice story.

Thank you

oga o

That first story was exactly what happened to Carie in That Stephen King's film.....she was shunned by a crush and with subsequent events , something very powerful in her was unleashed.

I hate short stories
They make u expect more only to get whacked.

Hi guys, Sorry I have been MIA for a while. Technically though, i have been here the whole time(Guest mode). Still, I apologize for leaving my favorite section of the best forum in Africa. That said, I came with an appetizer, well...sorta. I submitted this particular story as an entry in the Etisalat Prize For Literature(What ever happened to them?). For those of you who didn't hear of the competition and would therefore hasten to criticize the length. It a flash fiction of less than 300 words. If you like the story, I might...just might, extend the plot. In the mean time, enjoy.


He stares warily as she makes her way to the mango tree, her favourite spot in the park. He’s entranced, too intrigued to move. He knows her routine too well- he’d only be watching her for three weeks.

This was his first visit to his hometown. Mr Jerry, his father had insisted that he, get to know or preferably get a first-hand experience of how growing up in the town could be like, before venturing out of the country to further his education. Originally, he made up his mind not to stay an hour exceeding a week – well, that was before he saw her.

It was a strange thrill it gave him, cycling to the park every evening. Knowing she would be there...that same spot, that same positioning – her head tilted to the left, her eyes closed or slightly opened (he couldn’t tell), her lips parted. Like she was listening or waiting? He wasn’t sure.
Today is different, she is smiling.
He walks up to her; she is seated crossed-legged yoga style on the grass – underneath the mango tree. She’s looking at him- through him. A smile plays across her lips “I knew you’d come around,” she says
He smiles, he is smitten. He has never come across such quintessential beauty “How long have you known?” he mumbles
“Since the beginning,” her eyes are slits now “I have always felt your presence, it’s one of the perks of being blind.”

New Story Coming through...
All rights reserved by Me
Copyright (c) at Me

“I hate explaining myself, I do a bad job of it and end up sounding like a liar,” Titi whined ”besides, it’s his fault for taking every word I say literally” she continued, rinsing the hollow of her mug and upturning the content into the sink.

“You don’t expect him to have a T-translator built into his head to enable him interpret your true intentions from your spoken words, do you?” Femi replied shaking his head emphatically.

“We’ve been together for seven months Femi, he should be able to tell by now when I’m joking.”

“Last I checked T, you don’t randomly tell your boyfriend that you enjoy keeping male friends because they are more bearable than ‘boyfriends’ and easier to get rid of.”

“I don’t know Femi, it didn’t sound that bad in my head” she said, sinking into the black sofa. “I mean I like Charles and all but, he should respect the fact that I enjoy spending time with my friends too. He, of all people should understand, he has a so called female bff but do you hear me complain about –

“ – Actually “ Femi cuts in,

“Shut up Femi,” she grumbles “that was a rhetorical question. I don’t need you siding him now. He’s always going on about how we don’t get to spend enough time together whereas he sees her for at least six hours every day.”

“They work in the same office T, that’s different.”

“Really Femi, are you seriously going to take his side?” she asks looking hurt.

“Titi you’ve been my friend for what – six years?” he asks and continues “ I would always support you, you know that, but when you’re wrong, I wouldn’t sugar coat words just so you’ll feel less guilty. You both really need to talk about your relationship, if you both are serious about each other and, T, you can’t keep giving him the silent treatment every time you guys disagree on an issue.”

Few hours later.

Femi lay in bed replaying the conversation he had had with Titi. “I feel like we’ve never really understood each other… ” she had said.

He knew what that felt like. He had been dating Tolade, Titi’s younger sister for two years and he had asked her to marry him two months ago. The problem was, he hadn’t proposed to her because he was madly in love with her but rather, because he knew that was what was expected of him.
He had been in love with Titi, right from the first time he laid eyes on her.

But then, Titi had always been a free spirit, he knew she liked him but only as a friend so he decided to keep her as close as he could even if it had meant dating her younger sister. Unfortunately or fortunately for him, he wasn’t quite sure which… Titi was more than willing to grant her consent on their relationship.

“It’s sad I can’t have you, but at least you’re in safe hands and under my watchful eyes” she had once joked.

“Typically T”, he smiled. Those words had hurt him worse than anything he had ever felt but it also gave him a strange comfort. That she had considered him a little more than a friend. Maybe if he had waited a little longer –

His phone buzzed.

He picked it up, it was an unsaved number.

“Hello,” he spoke into receiver. “Yes its Femi – oh Charles, yes I was- we spoke for about an hour or so and then she had to get back to work- no - really- she’s what? – did something happen? Ok, I’ll get back to you. I’m sure she’s fine. Yeah. Goodnight.

As soon as he dropped the call with Charles he dialed Titi’s number…it wasn’t connecting. He tried sending her messages on her Whatsapp messenger, they got delivered but it was no use, she wasn’t online. He checked her profile…her last seen was approximately seven hours ago. It was unlike her.

Femi got up from the bed, slid his trousers on and picked up his car keys from the dresser.

He got into his car and headed for Titi’s apartment which she shared with her sister - which also happened to be his Fiancée. You don’t just visit your fiancée at 10pm asking the whereabouts of her older sister, he reasoned. Picking up his iphone, he dialed Tolade’s phone number – he had it by heart. He felt obliged to after Tolade had basically watched him dial Titi’s three numbers (the first two were redirected to her voice mail). They had just returned from shopping and Tolade had forgotten her set of keys in the apartment and she was out of call credit. She said nothing to him for the remaining part of that day and he felt like he was treading on thin ice.

“Hey love, are you home? – no, she hasn’t? – yeah – have you been crying? - I’m coming over – really – okay – yes, love you…silence. Well I’ll see you tomorrow then.

Tolade had sounded a bit off but he figured she was just worried about Titi. Certain Titi wasn’t home, he drove to her place of work. Titi worked in an IT firm as a Technical consultant. The Office complex was empty, save for the security guards parading the gated building. He visited their usual hangout spots but she wasn’t there either.

Finally, feeling distraught he headed home. As soon as he pulled into the compound, he sighted a crouched figure on his doorsteps.

“Where have you been T?” he says rushing over to her, slamming the car door as a result, relief overwhelming him. ”You’ve got everyone worked up…”

“I’m sorry for busting in on you” she whimpers, wiping the back of her hand over her forehead. Femi could tell she had been crying.

Femi gently pulls her to her feet “How long have been out here?” he asks, opening the door and nudging her in. She ignores the question, walks over to the dining area of the room and slouches on one of the chairs. Femi kneels besides her.

“While I was driving back to the office,” she started “I thought about all you had said and realized how bullheaded I had been towards Charles. I figured I still had a few minutes left before anyone noticed I was missing at the office. I drove to his house,” she sighs “his car wasn’t in the drive way but I didn’t want to leave just yet, considering the time I had spent coming over, so I decided to drop a note, using the spare keys he had given to me to get in. I went around the back, strangely the back door was opened. So I walked in. He was on the phone, I wanted to sneak up behind him and you know surprise him, but I became curious …so I just listened. I know I shouldn’t have …he was talking in muffled tones like he was trying to calm the person on the other end. I can still hear the whole frigging thing Femi!” She said bursting into tears ”He got a girl pregnant! He was arranging someplace to take her to, reassuring her that everything was going to be fine when he saw me or heard me. My handbag dropped, then he turned.”

Titi became silent for so long, Femi thought she had fallen asleep and then she straightened up “The funny thing is,” she continued ” I think I deserve it, he is a good guy Femi – ”

“That’s enough now T,” “don’t beat yourself up, it’s his fault, he made the mistake – he cheated, not you” Femi said, tucking her stray braid behind her ear “You don’t deserve that,no one does. Go take a shower and I’ll whip up something for you to eat. You need your rest now, tomorrow we’ll continue” he says, stroking her back.

“What would I ever do without you” she says managing a weak smile. Femi gently pulls her up and hugs her

”Nothing” he smiles.

Femi, sure Titi is sound asleep, lays on the couch and drifts. Some part of him, somewhere inside of him that housed his mini trident holding demon was glad she was with him, although he felt miserable watching her suffer. Still, he couldn’t help the twinge of satisfaction he had felt holding her so close to him for the first time – the first time. He thought of calling Charles back to tell him Titi was okay but then thought against it. Tomorrow he’d drop by at Charles’ place to get Titi’s bag which she had abandoned as a result of the brief dwaal she suffered at his place. He sent a quick text to Tolade telling her Titi was sleeping over and would be home the next day.
***************************
A month later…
It was two and the half hours past noon. Titi paced her hotel room balcony, finally leaning on the balustrade, wondered how her seemly simple and straight-forward life had become distressingly knotted and complicated. How does a free-spirited woman get tied down by the then sweetest guy on earth,totally ignoring the gnawing feeling of affection she felt for her best friend. Worse, how could she tell her best friend, that her younger sister, whom he dated for two years and was about to get married to, was three months pregnant for her now ex-boyfriend. She knew she wasn’t as good as they came, but she wasn’t half as bad either. What had she done so wrong to deserve fates’ spurning reaction. She thought back to the day she had overhead them on the phone…”she wouldn’t know if you don’t tell – say it was him…”

‘Him’ she huffed, if only he had known. Femi never touched Tolade- not once, during the period their relationship had lasted. She knew because Tolade had wept bitterly about it, pleading to be let in on any secret involving his sexuality. However, she knew it had to do with the fact that Femi saw Tolade more as a younger sister than an actual girlfriend. She didn’t tell her that.

She had driven home in trance. It was a miracle she had made it home in one piece. Tolade was in their room, shoving and hurling things in and out of the open travelling bags, Charles had given her a heads-up. She was crying. Titi went over to where she was, hugged her – she was crying too. She apologized for ruining her life, saying she had nothing against her, it was all her (Titi’s) fault and she was sorry for pushing her away.Then she left.

Titi’s is brought back to the present by the honking of a passing truck…she picks up her phone and dials Femi’s number.

“Hey”

“Hi”

“So, how’s the latest dumpee doing today?”

“Well, confused, I mean she just up and left but, all the same, lighter… no offense”

“None taken”

“T?”

“Hmmm”

“I love you…always have”

“I’ve known…always have”

“Are you ready?”

“Ready?”

“To fill up the gaping hole you wound open in my heart, approximately six years, three months and five days ago?”

“About that Femi,” her voice breaks “We can’t, I mean…I can’t”

“Don’t put us through this again T, I know you love me too”

“My transfer papers are ready, I’d be leaving for Abuja tomorrow, please don’t come looking for me.”

“You’re serious, aren’t you?”

“I’m sorry.”

“T…” Silence “I’d always love you.”

And with that, she ended the call, flinging the phone to farthest end of the corridor. She sank to the ground, engulfed in the sadness that suddenly enveloped her. She’d live to regret the decision she had just made. There were no two Femis’ in this world. That, unfortunately, she was certain of.

The End.

Hello, Debbie, need a writer for a mini-story of 5000words, I have the idea. Need you to expand it. Please drop contact details.

Fiyinfoluwa20:
Hello, Debbie, need a writer for a mini-story of 5000words, I have the idea. Need you to expand it. Please drop contact details.

Hey Fiyinfoluwa20, I believe that's against the rule, my twitter handle is written in my bio, you can hit me up from there.

Debbietiyan:

Hey Fiyinfoluwa20, I believe that's against the rule, my twitter handle is written in my bio, you can hit me up from there.

Done, kindly respond.

Fiyinfoluwa20:


Done, kindly respond.

Done done

New Story Loading...

R

E

Lol did makes remember my father

M

O

Nahwa oooo

Alennsar:
Nahwa oooo

lol, yeah...

V

This is interesting

Final update (for this piece) coming up. Thanks Alennsar for sticking through and being the only commentator . Really Appreciate . For other ghost guest readers, thanks for stopping by. I sight you too .