Yesterday's Future 2✔️

6. The front page.

<FLASHBACK: 10 years ago>

09:28pm,
Simi's hostel, NIG
September 2015.

"When are you going home for the holiday?" He asked after she smoked the glass pipe in her hand and she squeezed her face, held her breath, passed it to him on the sofa where they sat, leaning on each other and listening to a slow hardcore music in the middle of her dark clouded room, passing the tiny gadget to one another. Simi exhaled the harsh smoke from her mouth.

"I thought I told you. I'm not going home. I'll be here for the break taking some -some extra classes." And some extra money.

"No kidding! Throughout? Man, that's sick. I wish we could switch places. Your family's cooler than mine."  Simi chuckled while he straightened up, repeating the action before dropping the pipe in the tray, and he leaned her head on his shoulder again, exhaling a cloud of smoke. For some seconds, there was silence and a lot of smoke between them. The music in the background changed into "Soke", a Burna Boy's song.

"I don't know. I feel like... I need some time alone you know..." She went ahead to explain.

"You've always felt like that," He snickered and she pinched him in the thigh with her long nails, causing him to twist his face in pain. "Ouch! That stings bully. I'm not saying it's a bad thing. Ouch!"

"I know. I just need this solo joint." She sighed.  "Deep down, I'm actually looking forward to the loneliness, plenty room for... plotting."

"Plotting?" He repeated, smirking. "You're a freak. You know right?" Well, that was how and why he liked her, they were both freaks in different ways that kind of aligned.

In a lower tone, he added. "You're living the life Simi. If only I could be free like you but, my Mom, nah she's too protective. And she and my sister are picking me up tomorrow... early in the morning. Can you imagine? Aargh!"

"Relax it'll be fine. I know how much you've missed your family. You've been talking about them nonstop since exams finished."

"But you don't know how much I'm gonna miss you. It's a long holiday."

Simi put her hand around his arm and smiled. "I'll miss you too but you'll be back in no time  and you have those trainings you signed up for to keep you going."

"What about you? What's going to get you going? And please tell me it's not that dude in my department, the one with the gold hair always acting like your boyfriend or something. You guys actually have been seen hanging around a lot lately. Makes me worried about you staying back here."

"Are you talking about Jagga? Pfft! He's just an acquaintance, nothing more. You know that."

"Simi, you should be careful around that guy, he's up to no good and you also know that. He's threatened me to stay away from you, on my way back to the hostel some nights back, with his little minions." He scoffed.

"Jagga threatened you?" She sat up to face him, her eyes opened wide and a line appeared between their brows.

"My point is... that guy is a menace and scares the hell out of me. He's crazy."

"He's a bluffer, that's not news. Him and I are just cool, he helps me out with... err is stuff... And he has nothing on you. He can't do you anything. He's not that stupid."

"Yeah, not if he's stupid obsessed with you Simi and he's a fucking cultist, if you want me to point it out.." He pushed himself up on the sofa. Looking sideways at Simi with his most worried look, he let out an exasperated sigh, brushing his hands together.