Threshold of a new life(completed)✔

Chapter seventeen

I kept my eyes glued to him, like I had seen something really captivating and truth be told, he was really attracting.

I studied his looks and he looked like someone I knew, but I could not point out who in particular.

Almost when I was about uttering a word, someone interrupted me.

"Nelson!" We both looked towards the direction where the voice came from. To my surprise, it was Benjamin. He was standing at the staircase, with Chuka, Faith and some strange girl beside him.

I felt a pang of jealousy when I sighted the pretty looking strange girl, who stood closest to Benji. What if it was his girlfriend? I thought.

There was an engulfing silence which occurred amongst us that needed to be broken immediately.

"Hey cousin." Finally, Nelson decided to quench the heated silence. Cousin?! No wonder he looked like I'd seen the face.

Nelson walked gracefully towards Benji and they both shook hands, hugging each other half way. They all greeted each other, with a big smile on their faces.

I turned away to continue what I was doing with my phone, but Benjamin and the strange girl kept on popping up in my head, therefore, making me lose concentration. They were so close together that I wanted to strangle the girl to death.

I turned back to look at them again and this time, I felt my heart break into pieces. Benjamin hands was placed over her shoulders and hers over his waist.

The sofa felt hard, like I was sitting on stone. I stood up from the sofa and went to meet Joy who was gisting with her friends. I needed to get my mind off Benji at the moment.

"Ruby, where have you been?" Joy smiled, drawing me closer to her.

"I should be asking you that." My voice came out deep but audible. "You left me standing there all alone and you ask me where I've been?" I sounded hurt, angry, depressed, lonely, sad, just name it. I guess I was letting my emotions have the best of me.

"I..."

"Let's just drop it Joy." I cut her off immediately. I didn't want to press the issue. "So, what were you guys discussing before I interrupted?" I said, lightening up the mood.

"Uhm..we..were just..." She looked straight. "Isn't that Benjamin?" We all looked at the direction.

"Yes, it is." I stated, dryly.

"Let's go and greet him." She sounded excited.

"Okay."

She stood up from where she was sitting and was walking towards his direction, until she noticed no one was following her.

"What are you girls still waiting for?" She turned back to look at us.

The two girls rushed to meet her, but I was adamant. I wasn't going to meet him whether she liked it or not.

"Ruby! Come nah."

"No, I'm not going anywhere. You can all go. I'll greet him when I want to greet him." I said, firmly.

"Are you this wicked? It's his birthday and not yours."

"Like I don't know." My hands folded around my chest.

She hissed before leaving my presence.

-----

It was getting dark and still, I hadn't talked to any of them neither have they. Joy on the other hand, never came back to me. So I was forced to talk to a few of my friends in lesson and still a shocker to me, Amaka and I were talking like we have been friends since preschool. If you would ask me how, I would say, life happened. It was still surreal to me how we were conversing.