𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐀

Kemi's secret

It's been a month since I was locked in the class and it has been amazing and peaceful.

I didn't have the courage to report Kosi and Williams after the incident, so Kemi did, and believe me, they were in a LOT of trouble.

The teacher had called Kemi and I afterwards and instructed us to report to him anytime Kosi and/or Williams tried to bully me.

Kemi now acts very protective towards me and it makes me annoyed sometimes, yet he never admits his overprotectiveness anytime I tell him about it.

I and Kemi's birthday is approaching and I'm excited about it. We were born on the same day, in the same year. What a coincidence. And we're both turning 12 this year.

My Mum and My Aunty still fight and argue but they don't hurt themselves anymore.

My dad and I made sure to hide all the sharp and dangerous items from them. I haven't had the chance to talk to my Dad about My mum and Aunty Enita.

He's been traveling alot lately and I feel scared being left alone with Mummy and Aunty Enita. So sometimes, I end up spending a night and sometimes a weekend at Kemi's house.

I sleep with his elder sister who is a year older than Kemi and I, she's a really cool person, despite her tendency to be bossy sometimes and I'm always excited to hang out with her.

I eventually apologized to my mother. It didn't go so well though but it all worked out.

"Mummy, I want to apologize to you... For everything. I know I'm a bad daughter and I really don't deserve you but please accept my apology" I had said that night, crying as those words left my mouth.

"I loved you alot Tega and I still do. You're not a bad daughter, not now anyway. I would forgive you but you can't fix what you've caused".

OMG!! That was totally different from what I imagined when I planned my apology. I imagined that after my apology she would forgive me and hug me, both of us crying and me saying "I love you mum".

"What did I cause?" I asked her.

"Your Aunty's planning to live with us till she gets married, if that happens". my mum muttered.

"Wait, what?! H-how is that my fault?" I exclaimed. I used to love my Aunty until I saw who she truly was.

"First of all, don't ever raise your voice at your mother and secondly, she said she doesn't have a child but sees you as one and wants to maintain contact with you, and since she's your father's youngest sister, he couldn't say no to her".

"Oh" was the only thing that came out of my mouth. "I-I'm sorry, Mummy I'm so sorry. I'll try to convince Dad to get rid of her, I promise. You're the best mum ever and I shouldn't have done what I did. I'm a terrible daughter" I said, as I knelt down in front of her crying after a long pause. Her eyes began to soften and she began to cry.

"What was I thinking. I'm being a bad mother. You shouldn't hate your Aunty, she wasn't always like this. I wasn't there for you when you were younger she was and you were right to love her more. You were naive and in your own world then and didn't know your Aunty that well" She said and pulled me in for a hug. We continued to cry and hug for a whole 5 minutes.

"Did I miss something?" My dad asked suspiciously as he walked into the room. We just smiled at him.

At school:
I and Kemi's birthday is on the 7th of October which is this coming Sunday and it's already October 2nd.

I walked up to him during lunch break, feeling really excited and impatient for the day of our birth.

"Good afternoon Kemi". I said, as I ran towards him.

"Ah ah, why are you running?! Have I ever seen you run sef". He said, more to himself and began to laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" I asked curiously.

"I just imagined you running. You know you're very slim and you're not good at sports". He said and laughed some more.

"Don't make fun of me joor, it's not my fault". I said, feeling offended.

"Ok sorry, so why did you come running towards me?" He asked.

"To discuss our birthday plans, we're turning twelve this year. Our birthday's gotta be big" I said, feeling all giddy.

"Umm, actually, I don't want to celebrate my birthday this year". He said.

"Uuh, no way, we are going to celebrate our birthday whether you like it or not". I stated.

"I said I don't want to celebrate it okay!!" He yelled.

I looked at him feeling a bit frightened. I saw fear in his eyes.

That was strange, the Kemi I knew was very strong and was barely scared of anything, how could he be afraid of his own birthday.

"Why are you scared of your birthday?" I asked, gently and carefully walking him to my seat.

"I can't tell you, it-it's personal". He said.

"I always tell you about my problems and you always help me out. I want to be there for you too". I said.

"Until you tell me about your family issues that's still bothering you, I'm not telling you about mine. I don't think I can remember the last time I've seen you happy within the past month, you like your birthday alot". He said.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but you're not still mad at me because of it, are you?" I asked, hoping he would say no.

"I'm still mad oo. I confronted you the time you stopped me and started crying, I thought you would say something after but you never did".

I took a deep breath and told him everything, from my Aunty's arrival to my apology to my mother.

"Wow, she's gotta a knife? Like, who carries a knife with her in her bag to visit her brother". He said and started laughing. I stared at him angrily, not finding it funny.

"Okay, sorry, but seriously, your Aunty Enita is, umm, you know. Anyways, I think you should try to get some videos of her doing the things your mum always claims she does. Then show it to your Dad". He said.

"Gosh!! You're a genius. I'm grateful to have you as my friend". I said, happily.

"What can I say Tega rather than I'm gifted". He said and winked at me. I began to laugh.

"So are you ready to tell me why you don't want to celebrate your birthday?" I asked. Kemi's expression darkened all of a sudden. He stood up and began to walk away.

"Don't walk out on me like that". I said, grabbing his hand.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready" He stated simply.

"Okay, but it has to be before your birthday". I pointed out.

"Okay" He said.

"So can you tell me why you act so cold towards girls?" I asked.

"It's related to the reason I don't want to celebrate my birthday. Can we talk about something else.". He yelled again and walked away.

Wow! I've never seen him this angry before. I really want to help him and be by his side but it's hard to do all that when he's not telling me anything. I hope he tells me soon.