NOT YET

Five: When She Doesn't Like His Vibe

Ghosting. A method of ending a personal relationship by stopping any contact with the other party and not providing an explanation.

    During the past days of Edwin talking to Vera, he'd noticed she had a special kind of character. She wasn't normal. And that was what intrigued him about the young woman who always had what to say and an opinion on things. She was also a moody person who switched moods faster than you could count to ten. And during those past days of getting to know her, he had felt his attention slowly filling up with thoughts of her. He liked her, that he knew.

  So seeing the situation now got him confused as he followed her, calling out her name and she staying mute. He caught up with her, grabbing her arm to turn her around.
"Hey, I've been calling you". He checked her ears to see if she was using any earpods. Nothing.

She looked at him. Her face stoic. "What?".

What did she mean by what? "I'm sorry?"

"Why are you talking to me? Why did you stop me?"

  Edwin thought maybe she was joking around and tried again.
"You passed me by, I thought you did not see me".

She arched her head to the side. "I did and I don't want to talk to you".

"But why?".

"Na by force?" And with a sizzling teeth kiss, she spinned and continued her walk. Edwin still not understanding the situation followed her like a lost puppy.

"I don't understand you Vera, what happened? What did I do?". He asked.

She shrugged. "I don't like your vibe".

"What?"

"I said I don't like your vibe o, I don't want to be  friends with you". And she turned and left.

   Edwin was more than shocked and he felt a foreign feeling wash over his system. He did not know if it was anger or something else. Something he'd rather not dig deep into. He convinced himself it was just mood swings and she'd come around.  But right after her class in which he waited for her, she left, without sparing him a glance.
  Over the next days, it was the same routine. She did not reply his messages on any of the social media platforms and not even on iMessage. He even tried calling and she never picked. And in school she acted like he was some stranger that she'd rather avoid. And trust their department to love a good gossip.

"Ahh the world's fastest break up" "Na who dump who?" "Edwin no like girl wey no get yansh" "Edwin no get money like her na why" "who talk say Edwin no get money, them dey craze" "Loner na rich kid, Edwin na yahoo boy her papa no gree for the relationship" "Edwin no be yahoo boy him dey do forex and him get money die una don see him house?" "I'm so happy, they did not fit" "Good for that Loner, she thinks she's all that" "Yay Ed is single again, I have a chance".

  It was all that filled the department's WhatsApp group chat and anonymous messages. It was suffocating and Vera decided she was going to be absent for classes for a week. Not only because of the departments incapability to stay out of someone's private life, it was also about the boy she had suddenly ghosted.

  Her heart broke as she scrolled through the messages he had sent.

Why are you ignoring me? Did I say something wrong?

Is this a prank of how long I can do without texting you back. I failed, please text me.

You looked good today but you ignored me, again

Hey Vera, how was your day?

Hey. What's up.

Good evening.

  His texting had lost it's emotions and It all felt so wrong to her. But she had made up her mind that it was for the best and at some point he stopped texting.

"So you met a guy you finally found worthy of your attention and you ghost him?". Tamara asked for the third time during that conversation. Vera shrugged. She'd tried all week to not think about it. But the more she bottled it up, the harder it was for her to concentrate, so she did the next best thing or worse depending on how she felt like.

   They were laying on Tamara's bed, side to side, like they always did even when they were younger, when Tamara felt down as a teenager and would complain to her baby sister who she thought had no idea what she was rambling on about.

"I got bored". It was a big fat lie. Got bored ke. She was farthest from bored. She found herself suddenly being attached during those five days. She'd wait for his text or calls or she'd call him. It was not her style. And she did not like that she was developing a crush on him so fast.

"You got bored so you stopped talking to him, a guy that piqued your interest?". Tamara could not help but cackle. You see, Vera had been one to voice the type of man she'd go for. With pictures of course and she'd vowed never to settle for less.

"He wasn't worth my time". That was also a lie. She had started fantasizing about shoving her tongue down his throat and she'd catch herself subconsciously flirting. It was a habit, she wasn't use to.

"He wasn't your type and you texted all week".Tamara nudged. She could tell from how Vera reacted to the questions that she had a crush on whoever it was she had told her about.

"I mean at first I thought he was it...but then he's the same like every other dumb guys on campus".

Tamara made a face. "And what was it that made him the same?".

"He was...too annoying". She left it at that. Not wanting to talk about it any further.

  The next week at school after enough scolding from her mum to be in class and not spend all week being a lazy bump, she chose Friday to be the day to finally walk the grounds of the school at Etta Agbor.
  Her heart raced as the thought of bumping into Edwin and ignoring her ran through her mind. It would be too awkward.

God abeg

Luckily for her, she made it through the first three classes and the was no Edwin. She was seating on her favorite spot and stuffing her face with cheap ice cream, when one of the girls in her year she spoke with walked up to her and blurted;

"What happened between you and Edwin?".

"Ahh? Hi?" She almost wanted to roll her eyes but held back. She had always thought Jennifer was too much but this was on a whole different level. Yes that Jennifer. She was one of the many acquaintances of hers. Or more like people she knew out of circumstances.

"Sorry hi, good afternoon, how are you? Now spill". Jennifer sat beside her, not caring that she was being a busy body.

"Well nothing happened between us". She could not help but state the obvious. She just had a simple conversation with the guy for one day and everyone had assumed.

People dey too do o!

"It's a lie, I saw you guys and there were rumors and now you guys don't paro again, why?". Jennifer was dressed in one of does body con dresses that left nothing to the imaginations of her bodily figure and her hair was covered in a blonde human hair bob wig. Those ones that cost a fortune.

"And so? We just talked and y'all assumed we were dating".  Vera did not feel the need to explain anything to her but had to do she could avoid further questioning.

"Ohh".

  And that one spread.

"So them been no dey date?" "I talk am say them no fit date, them no fit" "you guys it was false information I'm so happy " "So Loner no fit hold man too" "Edwin failed" "Someone please help a soul, I've not eaten for three days. Please send me money for food".

It was all one big mess and it made Edwin mad.