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Chapter 32- Fatal Addiction

This chapter is dedicated to adejube the recent birthday girl and also the reason I've increased my word target to nothing less than 4.5k words 🥺 haewww. I declare this part OPENNNN

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ERLING'S POV
(Erling Tobechukwu Kingston)

They say the fastest way to a man's heart is through food, I never chop real food since na why my heart be like stone.

Mama Freda travelled two weeks ago to visit her family and all the food she stored in the fridge before she left is finished, the house is almost totally empty. Idara tried to prepare some okra soup yesterday and I must say, I didn't even know I was eating okra- there was more vegetable and pepper more than the okra itself. I watched my dad as he took the first bite of his dinner- expected him to voice the truth out- but instead he told her

"Wow, well-done Idara you're really getting better at this" he almost choked on the lies he was spewing

I as a very responsible and honest brother couldn't take it, I just couldn't pretend- now that I think about it maybe I should have just shut up- I told her the truth

"First you forgot to add Maggi, second the water is too much, third ahannn do you want to kill us with pepper?" I said with my whole mouth on fire

And that my people, is why the only thing I've eaten today is cornflakes

Nobody has offered me any food today, they don't even know if I'm dying of hunger behind the four walls of my bedroom. I was literally helping her improve on her cooking!

I drag my MacBook out from the wooden space it's hidden beneath my desk and pry the top open with my fingers. The vibrant colors of my wallpaper welcome me, reminding me that I forgot to turn it off last night oh crap. Notifications from different apps flood in as I connect the WiFi, including the stupid cooking game Idara downloaded during the period she lost her iPad charger. I wish the games actually taught you how to cook

I open the file containing my computer assignment, the teacher told us to create a book cover using Photoshop and since I don't like stress I'm creating a cover for a motivational book, any background picture fits a motivational book. I could literally put a glass of water and the title of the book would be 'the power of positive thinking', yep that's definitely what I'm going to do Erling Tobe Kingston you have done it again

A harsh pain in my stomach reminds me that I still haven't had any real food to eat for the day, an unexpected growl- that would have been embarrassing if someone else was here- erupts from my tummy forcing me to pause my work and get up from the chair. I walk past Idara's room like a breeze- so she doesn't know my 'hard guy' has crumbled- and stealthily glide down the stairs. I bend my big toe at the end of the stairs and muffle a wince as I limp into the kitchen good things come with a price. I crane my head around to see no one is watching before I feast on the bread and scrambled eggs on the kitchen island, whoever was eating it will probably blame it on the dog, yep blame it on Reagan

"Tobe" caught in the act

I slowly munch on the remaining piece of bread in my mouth before turning, humming my response to the call

What the-

A figure clad in a grey oversized bath robe, bonnet and fluffy slippers saunters towards me. A strand of her golden tipped braids is sticking out at the back of her head and her eyes look as red as a drunk's.