𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒: 𝐌𝐈𝐗 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐗 ✅

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"Can you go to where?" Mother asked in disbelief. Her iPad was long forgotten as she pinned me with a dreadful look. "What do you mean by that?"

"Mum..." I dragged while feeling extremely guilty. I moved to sit beside my Mum, forcing her to turn to me. Words seemed hard to find at this point as I looked down at my hands resting on my lap. "I know this seems sudden."

"Sudden?!" Mother snapped, getting up with a look that felt like she'd been betrayed. Of course, I'd betrayed her. "What haven't I done for you?"

"Mum, you've done everything."

"Then why?" She stretched out her hands in utter disbelief and confusion. "Why do you want to meet that beast, Nsikan? Why do you want to be a part of his life? Someone who hurt us both. He abandoned me and was never in your life."

"I understand," I pleaded, moving to my mother. "But..."

"But what?" Mother cut me off. "Am I not enough?"

I stood still as I watched a tear roll down her left eye. I could've gone over to console her if it weren't for the fact that I was a crying mess.

"You are enough," I answered, my voice barely above a whisper. "God knows I've always been and will forever be grateful for your love."

"Then why?" She asked again. "If you're grateful, then why are you bringing him up?"

"Because I want to understand him!" The room was silent as my mother stared at me with tear-filled eyes. Seeing that she wasn't going to say anything to me, I sighed and sat back on the couch. "After that day at the principal's office, he'd been appearing in our lives. Why? He abandoned us, so why now? I just want to hear him out, Mother."

"So you can leave me and live with him?" I shook my head, but my mother ignored that and went on. "He's got a stable family, doesn't he? An actual job, a wife, a child-literally everything you've desired, right? You're finally meeting your father, a title you always wanted in your life."

"It might be a title I've always wanted, but that doesn't mean I'll abandon you for him, Mum." I said to her: "I just want to hear him out and understand him. I just want to answer the question: why? Why now?"

Mother sat back down but refused to look at me. I sighed and slid towards her. "Please?"

"I don't want you anywhere near him," Mother began. "I'm scared of losing you."

"You won't lose me," I tried reassuring her. "I promise."

That got my mother to finally look at me, and she held my gaze for close to a minute. "You won't go there alone."

My eyes widened. "Is that a yes?"

"I'm coming with you," she said instead, and I couldn't help but nod rapidly. Being there with me was even better.

───※ ·❆· ※───

Stella seemed true to her words, as she didn't show up to school today. Mr Akan even had to call me aside to ask about her wellbeing. What was I to say? She was getting better. Because she wasn't.

Stella wasn't the only one not in school either; Damian was absent as well, and that was a big shock to everyone. Thompson had moved over to me to tell me that he couldn't come to school today, but not why. I took matters into my own hands and sent him a message on WhatsApp, but he hasn't responded since.

Is it because of Chuks' words to him? I thought. But Damian isn't one to hold grudges.

Sitting in the cafeteria with Thompson, Muller, Chuks, and Omolara, I hear my phone ding. I quickly looked at the screen to see that it was from Damian.