₦airaland Forum

I'm tagging osuolale95 and Ann2012. Update don drop o!

zorse:
Glad to see Phee jiving!

Welcome back, Blossumpowerpuff! Hows school resumption?

Thank you zorse. I wanted to tag you but I forgot, sorry. School is fine-ish, I feel so tired and my shoulders hurt so much. I miss indoor plumbing so bad because why do I have to move through 2 sets of stairs and enough distance to build a "decent" house just because I want to get water?

Chapter Nine

They got to the venue and Sean and Mariam both got out of the car laughing at an inside joke and being more touchy feely than Phee had ever seen them. It was probably the feels of a new relationship, she thought.

They'd walked a small distance to the entrance and were so caught up with each other that they'd forgotten about her. At that moment, Phee almost missed her ex. ALMOST. Daniel was a cheating, lying piece of shit and she definitely would never miss him.

It was at that moment that Phee decided she would truly enjoy the concert.

"Phee, what's up with you? Do you want to go back?", Phee heard. She looked up and realized that she'd been so lost in her thoughts she'd barely been walking and now the two lovebirds were quite far ahead of her. She put on a smile and replied, "Of course not. I'm coming. I was just thinking of something".

She caught up with them and they showed their tickets at the ticket booth after which an usher showed them the way to the VIP booth. As they went, Mariam let go of Sean and siddled up to Phee.

"I hope you're not angry that we're going straight to the VIP section, I don't want to go backstage yet. I promise we'll go backstage after the show and you can fawn over all the artists you want", she pleaded.

Phee chuckled. "Of course I'm not annoyed, we can go anytime we want. We can even decide to not go backstage at all. I'm determined to enjoy this evening"

Mariam sneered and eyed Phee, "You? you'll not go backstage when we have back stage tickets? Be realistic abeg!"

Phee made a face and hissed at her friend even though she knew she was correct.

"Thanks tho babe", Mariam said softly.

"It's fiiine! Go back to Sean, he's lonely already", Phee said, nudging Mariam back to her boyfriend who was walking ahead of them.

"You'll not appreciate me now, be pushing me to man. One day, you will miss me", Mariam joked as she caught up with Sean.

"Abegsss", Phee replied, still laughing.

Mariam, who was now walking hand in hand with Sean, turned and made a silly face at Phee. Phee only laughed and ignored her friend.

* * *
They settled into their seats and were soon asked if they wanted to make an order. Lovebird 1 & 2 decided to go for a bottle of Rosé and a platter of spicy asun, and although Phee would have preferred white wine, she agreed to share the bottle with them. Their order was soon brought alongside three glasses. The fancy looking waiter poured the drinks for them and Phee videoed it so that Mariam would enjoy her first concert with Sean - and also so she would post on her Instagram. They clinked their glasses together when the server was done and each downed their glasses.

Before long, the concert began. Phee looked down to see the throng of bodies at the regular's section and shivered at the sight. She was grateful that she could enjoy this night without sharing her personal space and exchanging bodily fluids with so many people.

Burna's band, The Outsiders, began to play and the sound immediately made her want to sway her hips. Even Mariam who preferred to simply enjoy the sounds at concerts was already on her feet. There was a huge scream from the crowd when the band began to play, but the sound went to deafening levels when Burna ran into the stage. Even Phee couldn't hold herself, she hollered and screamed in excitement as he began to sing. Her self consciousness flew out of the window and soon she was dancing and singing along.

After the song, he shucked off his jacket and threw it to the audience. The uproar and chaos in the audience only made Burna Boy smile to reveal golden teeth. He moved his hand lightly through the crowd and Phee felt a deep wanting to change spaces with whoever he was touching. If only for that moment though, and then she would go back to her VIP booth...

He teased the audience, "Have to say bye bye o..."

They went wild with the refrain, "Bye bye o"

"To the looove of my lifeeee", he crooned.

"My eye o, e don cry o!", they screamed.

"I need Igbo and shayo!!!", Phee screamed along with the hundreds of people in the concert.

zorse:
I understand. The pressure is real...

Thank you!

zorse:
Finally!

Thursday at last. Hope all is cool Blossum?

Na ASUU cause am o, I've been trying to prepare for school and I've not had the time nor the energy to write. When I'm stable (I don't know when), I'll write.

zorse:
Lets see how the concert unfolds...

Thanks for the update!

You're welcome!

Chapter Eight

Phee had now spent three glorious weeks with Mariam and she knew she would have to leave soon. She'd spent those three weeks doing nothing but eating delicious food prepared by a wonderful - and expensive - chef, catching up with Mariam, and making detailed plans about her future. It was a huge relief to not have to think about how her parents would react when she broke the news to them.

However, her time was quickly dwindling and she knew she would have to leave Mariam's house soon. She heard the living room door open and then close and she knew Mariam was back from a lunch date with her friend/soon-to-be-boydfriend. Mariam had tried to persuade her to follow her to the restaurant but Phee had refused. She didn't want to be a third wheel, but she mostly didn't want to unintentionally run into any of her parents.

She heard steps on the staircase and knew Mariam was coming to see her. She got up from the large bed and walked to the door. She opened the door in time to see Mariam just getting to the top of the stairs. They smiled at each other and exchanged quick heys. When Mariam got to Phee's door, they hugged and moved into Phee's room.

"How did your lunch date go?", Phee asked as they both sat on the bed.

"It was nice", Mariam answered, faking nonchalance. But Phee knew the look on her friend's face.

"It was just nice?", Phee asked, a mischievous expression on her face.

Mariam burst into a huge grin. "Okay, it wasn't just nice! It went really well. Sean has been such a gentleman and he's been so consistent and honestly, I want to say yesss!", She gushed.

Phee let out a squeal and twitched excitedly on the bed. "I'm sooo happy for you! I'm so glad that Sean has turned out to be a nice guy. God knows the dating scene in Lagos is just wild." She put her arms around Mariam and said, "I'm really really happy for you."

"I'm really glad too", Mariam replied, a mushy smile on her face.

"See you looking all in love and shit", Phee said, laughing at Mariam. "Hard guy, hard guy, but Sean broke your walls", she teased.

"I hate you dude", Mariam replied laughing. "Anyway, Sean surprised me with backstage and VIP tickets and you HAVE to come with me!" She noticed the look on Phee's face and knew she was about to refuse the invitation but she was having none of it.

"Uh uh! You're not getting out of this one. You're leaving so soon and we've not even had one girls night out"

"But we've had our nights in, I enjoy those", Phee whined.

"I said out, not in", Mariam replied, trying to appear firm.

"Besides, I can't go out without you. If you don't come with me, I'll tell Sean I can't go and I'll cancel", Mariam said, resorting to emotional blackmail.

"Aahhhhh Mariam! That's not fair nau, you can't cancel yours and Sean's plans, Phee cried.

"I can and I will if you don't follow me", Mariam replied triumphantly, knowing that she'd had her way.

"Now, I hate you! Thank you for the emotional blackmail. I don't even have any clothes appropriate for a concert. I'll probably just wear jeans and a t-shirt"

"Ehn! Kole werk! You'll wear one of my gowns"

"Nooooo!"

Mariam only cackled at Phee.


* * *

Phee had quickly found out that it was a Burna boy concert and was now happily getting ready for their "girl's night out". She was wearing a purple, slightly-longer-than knee-length gown which had ten-inch slits on either side of it. The bust was snug and almost tight. The gown had been a birthday gift to Mariam by her younger sister a year ago but her sister had gotten the bust's measurement wrong and so, while the gown fit everywhere else, it had squashed Marian's boobs. Mariam had held on to the gown but was now happy to give it to Phee.

Mariam on the other hand, was wearing a backless yellow and purple stretchy gown which rested three inches above her knee. The purple was so they could both match outfits and the yellow was "a very nice contrast to her dark skin".

"Babes, abeg act normal when we get backstage. Don't fawn over any celebrities you may see", Mariam said. "Most of them have enormous egos which are constantly fueled by their fans", Mariam concluded bitterly.

"Me? fawn over celebrities ke?"

"Last year when we went to Tems' concert nko?"

Phee whined, "but Tems is different nau. First off, she's wonderful, un-proud, and femalee"

"Sha don't fawn over any celebrities Phee"

"Abeg!"

At that moment, Mariam's phone rang and their bickering was cut short. It was Sean calling to pick them up.

"Hey babe...yes, we're done....yes, we're ACTUALLY done...we just need to put on our shoes and we'll be out...see you in a few, bye babe".

Mariam cut off the call and turned her gaze to Phee. "Put on your shoes and let's go abeg"

Phee hurriedly did the straps on her sandal heels, not wasting any time as she knew from experience that Mariam was a stickler for being on time. She hated "African time" and was always on time for any occasion.

They picked up their bags and strutted down the stairs. Mariam informed the security guards that they might not be back home that day and they both went outside to meet Sean, Mariam happily going to sit beside Sean in the driver's seat and Phee settling alone into the passenger's seat.

Sean soon drove off after greetings and a light peck on Mariam's cheek.

Good evening guys. Will be dropping a new chapter soon but I want to quickly say a few things.

Firstly, I have two strategic days of the week in which I post here. Right now, it's Thursday and Saturday each week.

Lastly, if you'd like to get notifications about when I post, follow this thread (abi isn't that how it's done on nairaland?)

zorse:
Yeah I get...
Just remember us sha

Wish you the best!

I will, thank you.

Please leave a comment if you know something about Amazon KDP

If you are in the process of learning about Amazon KDP, even if you've just been learning about it for a few days, please tell me about it.

Open a thread and talk us through the motions. You don't have to teach us since I'm sure you might want to sell your knowledge later. Just clear the mist of doubt around it abeg.

Will I just be wasting my time on yet another venture if I decide to learn more about it?

Y'all that are actually learning about it should be honest with us abeg. How e dey really be?

I've always been terrified at the prospect of business but I've become more open to the concept of business since I want to make money.

But still, is it really so easy?

Do I just publish a book and boom! I get buyers who pay me in dollars?

I've heard about this Amazon KDP thing like a gazillion times now, and I'm beginning to wonder, is it really worth it?

zorse:
Hello Blossumpowerpuf

Hope all is well?

All is well zorse, thank you. I've just been busy with other things and trying to make money. You know the usual.

DamDiva9:
Hello. I'm in need of writers to help with an ongoing projects. If interested contact me on 08027154145. Pay is 1N/w for now.

Could you please stop offering jobs that only pay 1 naira per word? The pay is bullshit. Except you're willing to skimp on quality sha

zorse:
Glad to hear that!

I meant generally speaking for all humans tho like in the case of Phee's depature from school...

Ohh, now I understand.

zorse:
Ohayo Blossompowerpuf!
Thanks for the update

Some people won't appreciate your presence until you're about to leave...

Anyway, more grease to your wheels!

You're welcome zorse, thank you.

I don't think I'm going to be leaving anytime soon tho...

Advice number one sounds like clickbait tbh.

Chapter Seven

Time had passed quickly since her insightful weekend at the guesthouse. After her short stay, she took the trip back to school and had began to pack her belongings almost immediately.

Even though she might have liked to keep her roommates in the dark about her actions, she knew it would be a wiser option to not have them worry about her. She informed them of her decision and was met with shocked gasps. Bella had made a joke about how they didn't see her decision coming. If anyone was going to dropout, she'd have guessed it would be Greta. Greta shot her a mean look but thankfully didn't shoot back a retort which would have surely led to a fight.

They helped her pack her personal books and clothes, delegating them into their appropriate boxes. They were elated to find out that she was giving some of her foodstuffs, textbooks, and buckets away. They each received something from her and in that way, Phee was able to reduce the load she would have to carry.

Phee was sure she didn't want to formally drop out of school by filing a report or writing a letter to someone in the admission board. The school has been wicked to her and there was no need for any formality. When she "missed" the second semester exams, maybe they'd get the cue that she'd left.

Her roommates encouraged her to stay one more day with them and Phee was a little sad at the realization that it'd taken her withdrawal from uni for them to act peacefully.

On the D-Day, Phee was more than ready to leave. She said some surprisingly heart felt good byes to the coursemates she'd been somewhat close to and took a bolt ride to Mariam's house on the island.

The ride took 4 hours rather than just a little over 3 hours because of the traffic and Phee practically jumped out of the car when she arrived at Mariam's house. Her legs were cramped from being in the small space for hours on end and she lightly stretched her legs as the driver rounded the car to open the boot where her belongings had been stowed. She thanked him and knocked on the large gate. She was soon answered by the gateman who helped carry her bags to the room that'd been prepared for her.

Phee's family were more than comfortable in terms of finances; but Mariam's family managed to take luxury to another level. She gasped in wonder at the high ceilings and pristine white walls. Chandeliers graced the ceilings even to the large dining room which had a large arch as its entrance. The furniture was sturdy and had ornate designs at the top. When she sat, she was made aware of the plush abundance of the armchair. She leaned back and felt a smile creep on her face. This was the life!

Mariam came from the kitchen and Phee jumped and ran to her, squealing in excitement and embracing her. Mariam, the picture of 'trust-fund baby' smiled and laughed at Phee's excitement. She'd packed her hair in a loose bun atop her head and was dressed in a simple t-shirt and shorts but even the simple clothing combination screamed "money!"

"Phee, I swear that I'm glad to see you but what's up with this...clinging?"

With her arms still wrapped around her, Phee replied, "I've missed you, that's all."

Mariam tightened her arms around her and reciprocated the embrace before saying, "I've missed you too babes."

Mariam's voice still has a twinge of a British accent from her time spent in the UK. She'd spent the first ten years of her life in the UK before her parents decided to move back to Nigeria. She'd begun secondary school in a new school, new country, and even a new continent! She'd visited Nigeria with her family before, but they'd never stayed more than three weeks at a time. At her new school, she was painfully shy until she met Phee. They quickly bonded and were soon the closest of friends.

They soon let go of each other and skip up the stairs, trading gists as they shorten the distance to Phee's room.

Hello nairaland!

Recently, I've tried to dedicate some days of the week into posting. I chose Wednesday and Saturday but I was busy last week Saturday and couldn't write. I'm back to my flow now and will hopefully be posting as regularly as I've planned.

Chapter seven is coming right up...

Hello nairaland! I've got a brief announcement.

To those who might find Wattpad more convenient, I'm also writing this story on Wattpad. I don't have a lot of views there since I don't have a lot of followers. I used Wattpad only for reading and I didn't connect with anyone until I started writing this story. You can find me at Blossomgrows, the story title is the same. See you there!

zorse:
Thanks for the update!

Still dreading the storm that is about to be brewed between her parents...

Who knows, they might respect her decision (fingers crossed)

You're going to wait a little while for the storm. With the way her parents have been described, do you think they'll respect her decision?

Chapter Six

She opens the cheap exercise book and it legit feels like she's opening a new chapter to her life. She knows she's being a bit dramatic, but still.

In one page, she writes 'PLANS' in bold. In another, she writes, 'TO-DO'. And in a less formal tone and a new page, she places the heading as, 'How to make sure my parents don't disown me'.

Even though she's starting with the more palatable options, she still opens the bottle of pink Moscato and pours it into the plastic cup. She takes a small sip and begins, determined to not get tipsy until she's done with the task at hand.

She starts with the first page titled, 'PLANS'. It's easy to fill out the pages since she already has an idea of the things she wants to do. She begins to write:

• Get back in touch with Saliu, the interior decorator I worked with before. See if I can work with him as his official assistant.
• Get my clothes and belongings from my hostel.
• Call Mariam and tell her that I'll be spending a couple of weeks at her place. Make sure to collect the address!
• Order a Bolt driver and have me and my things moved to Mariam's house.
• Look at Business administration courses online

The last point might seem confusing since she's dropping out. Why exactly is she making plans to start online courses? But Phee knows what she's doing. Although, the alcohol's already giving her a pleasantly airy tinge, she knows that an online business course has a lot of advantages. First off, she gets to learn at her own pace, and secondly, she needs knowledge of business if she's going to start an Interior decoration business in the future. For now, she will use that knowledge in Saliu's business and make herself useful.

With the first page filled, Phee moves on to the next page titled, 'TO-DO'

• Call Tim and tell him of my plans.
• Call Mariam!
• Get a large ghana must go sack for cooking equipments and books in the hostel.
• Give out the things I can't carry along such as my buckets.
• Find out the cost of a Bolt ride from school to Mariam's house. See if I need to get some money from Tim.

Although, she has a feeling she's forgetting something, she's sure she'll write it down when she remembers. She moves on to the next page and lets out a long sigh. Her hand subconsciously reach for the bottle of alcohol but she pulls it back to her torso and places it on her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart.

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, exhaling after a few seconds. She does this a few more times before she begins to feel a sense of calm.

She grabs the biro back again and begins to fill the page.

• Call Tim whenever I'm ready to go back home.
• Call Aunty Fiona to help me beg mum and dad.

She considers calling her parents now and checking up on them, something that her parents are sure to approve of since they always complain that she never calls. But reason tells her that when she reveals the truth that she has dropped out, her father will surely ask when it happened and they'll find out that she lied when they asked about school. That's surely not going to go down well.

She sighs and leans back into the arm chair, closing her eyes for about half a minute before she sits back up and picks up her phone. She calls her twin and this time he replies almost immediately.

"Hey, how far nau?", He greets, "how are you now?"

"I'm fine Timmy. I made a few plans and I said I should let you know"

"Okay, shoot"

"Well, for one, I'm not going to Mum and Dad's place when I pack my things, I'll stay at Mariam's place for a few weeks and enjoy the calm before the storm"

She can swear that she can see the way her brother scrunches his face as he replies.

"Mariam? is that girl even in Nigeria at this point?"

She chuckles, knowing that her brother has mixed feelings about her friend. Mariam had been one of her closest friends in secondary school. She'd stood up for her a lot of times but she knows that Tim doesn't like her lavish lifestyle which is sponsored by her wealthy but absent parents.

"I talked to her recently. She's not abroad, she's in the country rn and she said she's not jetting off anytime soon"

She hears the resignation in his voice. "Well, I guess she's the best option you have right now"

"Guyyy, she's my ONLY option. She's a good person, don't worry"

"Okay madam. I won't worry"

She hisses and continues. "I'm going to call Aunty Fiona to come and beg mum and dad when I finally tell them"

"That, my dear Phee, is a very good choice. Aunty will definitely support this. She's like the only one who has any sway with Daddy and mum definitely respects her"

"Heh, that's true. I'll call her as soon as I get off this call"

"I hear you ma, I'll stop disturbing you. Bye bye, go and call Aunty"

She lets out a mock cry of outrage. "Of course I'm not sending you away! I was just telling you I'm going to call her"

"Lies, better call her now before she'll go for owambe. You can call me later. I even have somewhere to be soon"

"I love you Timmy boy. Greet Chisom for me"

"Chisom is not my girlfriend Phee. And stop calling me Timmy boy! Bye bye"

She barely has the time to form a reply before she hears him cut the call. She cackles and bursts into a fit of laughter. She knows her brother doesn't like his childhood nickname.

When she's settled, she calls her Aunty Fiona who listens to her and agrees to be at her parents' house whenever she's ready to reveal the news to them. She offers some words of advice and some minutes after the call, Phee is pleased to see that her Aunty has sent her some money. She sends a thank you text since she knows her aunty doesn't like to be "overly appreciated" by calls.

Excitedly, she calls Mariam and tells her everything. Mariam is excited at the news of her drop out since she too knows how difficult secondary school was for Phee. She congratulates her and offers to send a personal driver to pick Phee up. They talk for some more time before they say goodbye.

At this point, the time is almost 12noon and Phee feels more free than she has felt in a long time. She plugs in her earphones and plays a Rag 'n' Bone Man album. She fills the wine cup and sings along as the song 'Healed' begins to play.

Chapter Five

"Hey Phee, how far, what's up?", She hears her brother say and the knot in her chest loosens a little. She's relieved because even though her parents will be disappointed, she knows she has her twin on her side.

"I'm dropping out"

She hears him sigh. "I can't say I'm surprised. It's like I always knew this was coming. Mum and Dad should have just let you be. I'm sure you'll do really well at whatever you choose, school isn't just it for you."

The knot loosens a little more and she stays silent for a little while, revelling in the relief. Her twin, Timothy, knows not to talk.

"Thank you", she finally says, her voice choked with emotion and the tears already threatening at her eyes. "I'm going to go cry now, thank you so much Tim, I love you bro, thank you."

"Of course, you know I've got your back always. Call me soon though, I want to know all the details. I'll come back to Lagos whenever you're ready to tell mum and dad."

Although, she feels her stomach lurch at the thought of telling her parents, she consoles herself with her brother's support.

"Of course dude. I'll text you tomorrow. Good night, stay safe"

"Good night Phee, don't overthinking it, you're doing what's best for you."

Her sniffle is what replies him but she mumbles a "bye bye" and cuts off the call.

It's like the call was the only thing holding her together and the cut button was the trigger. Her tears begin to flow, they're not tears of sorrow, she's immensely relieved and she wishes that she thought of this sooner. Of course she should have thought of her own happiness and not only of what her parents expected of her. There was no reason for her to court with suicidal thoughts just because she was fed up of school. More tears run down her face and she curls into a ball, holding on to the pillow and letting it all out.



* * *

The next day is Saturday, and although her sleep was fitful, she wakes up feeling like she has no worries. There are no thoughts of carryovers or lecturers, and she was not woken up by the loud shrills of her roommates. All of that doesn't matter now because she's dropping out. She chuckles at the thought that she's glad to be dropping out. The thought of it would have filled her with dread at how her parents would react but now, she's filled with joy.

The sun light ellipsing from the half opened windows informs her that's it's already morning. A quick check at her phone shows her that it's 8:43am and shucks the sheets off her body, taking off her clothes from last night and putting on a towel. She unpacks her hair from her silk bonnet and packs it back into a shower cap. Fifteen minutes later and she's done with her bath. Some five minutes later and she has located her tooth brush and tooth paste. She goes through the motions of moisturizing and then picks out a large t-shirt and a pair of shorts to wear. Today is going to be a casual day. Casual with a side of drop-out.

Hunger lances through her middle and so she's forced downstairs, comfy slippers at her feet and her purse in hand as she goes to look for breakfast.

The smell of fried eggs calls her and she finds herself back at the mallam's stand. This time, she doesn't opt for noodles, she gets bread and fried eggs. The fried eggs are littered with diced pepper and onions and are placed into the bread's inside and the bread is browned on a frying pan, but only for a little while. She collects her breakfast after about fifteen minutes of waiting in line for the other patrons who came before her. This time, she greets the mallam with a cheerful good morning, evading his questions about where she lives as he puts her breakfast together. She waves a cheery bye as she leaves, the relief in her making her feel as light as a feather. She gets a bottle of water on the way back to the guest house since soft drinks make her gassy and the feel of the cold liquid running down her throat burns a little.

She gets a bottle of pink moscato at the bar and heads back to her room, a happy tune humming at her lips.


This time, she slowly eats her meal, enjoying the mixed taste of bread and fried eggs peppered wit the vegetables. There's a bit of deja Vu since she usually ate bread and fried eggs on Saturday mornings with her family when she was younger. Until her father complained that the family needed "real food" after the children did their chores. Her mother had promptly changed the meal time table.


When she's done eating, she drinks some water and heads to her bag to pick up a new notebook, a pen, a purple highlighter, and a plastic wine cup that she'd stashed in her bag as she packed.


One thing she really loves is organization and that's one of the ways school stole her mojo. In her hostel and with classes, she'd almost never been able to place things in order. When one thing started to fall into place, something new popped up: a new argument with her roommates, an impromptu assignment from a lecturer, water scarcity e.t.c. It was simply the ghetto and she's glad that she'll soon be away from it all. Now, she can place her things in order and she'll start by writing them down.

osuolale95:
we hope you'll bless our weekend with the continuation of the writeup

Yessir! Coming up right about now...

osuolale95:
tooor, don't quote me wrong ma'am... I develop reading habit lately, and i love your write up and i think that's all

Okay sir, thank you.

osuolale95:
This is becoming more interesting... Keep updating us, we love you

Love ke? :-D Thank you tho, I'll do so.