The boy they couldn't see

Chapter 6: Rida is not okay.

Africanmagic - a series of the channel known for displaying African movies.

RIDA IS NOT OKAY

I stole a glance at Mr Levi and he had his eyes still glued to his phone. Pretentiously, I let my pen fall to the ground and bent to pick it up, stalling in that position, I looked up to Bayo who stared back at me.

"I told you to leave," I told him in a whisper. He tilted his head a little to the side, his brows furrowing for a second but soon kept his head straight once more.

"I need your help and in return, I'll help you with your work."

I glared at him. I hated this situation with all my being. He shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be speaking to him and worst of all, he didn't have any right to think he was better than me academically.

Looking away from him for a moment, I let out another light sigh.

"I don't need your help and I'm not helping you with anything."

"Please, Rida..."

"Stop it! I said I won't do it. I don't want you here..."

"Rida." The call from Mr Levi forced my immediate turn to him. He was up from his seat, leaning a little to the side of the table that I'd bent towards. He wore a confused expression on his face. His eyes watched me like I was someone else, not the Rida he knew.

Quietly and steadily, I sat up straight once more.

"Who were you talking to?" He had to ask the dreaded question. I looked up to Bayo, hating the fact that he was still here, seated, watching and I couldn't help but start to think that he was enjoying tormenting me.

"No one sir. My pen fell so I went to pick it up." I replied barely meeting his gaze. Gently, he sat down once more while his eyes still focused on me.

He looked left and right to be sure we were alone before focusing on me once more.

"Are you okay?" His question threw me off guard but, the truth was if I keep talking to an invisible boy, soon the whole world is going to ask me that question.

"I'm fine. I... I'm almost done with my work." I changed the topic and directed my attention to my book, in the pretence of studying. It worked as Mr Levi backed off, leaning back into his chair and watching silently.

* * *

I watched as Mr Levi walked out through the gates and once the doors shut, I let out a sigh of relief and turned to the young boy that has been hanging around.

"Choose one, die in peace or go back into your body," I told him coldly as I packed up my books.

"Do you believe I haven't thought of those choices but what can I do, I'm stuck. Nothing seems to be working and that's why I need your help."

"We've gone over this discussion, I'm not helping you in any sort of manner," I told him as I began my walk back into the house.

"My mother is sick." He blurted out and I stopped on my tracks in the living room. Thankfully, no one was around. I wanted to keep on walking, ignore him but my heart wasn't all that made out of stone so I turned.

"She is? Don't worry about that, she'll go to a doctor and everything will be fine."

"No, she won't. My father is late and she has been working day and night to take care of I and my siblings but sometimes, it's never enough. Right now, my hospital bills have been barely paid... You might not understand but in her eyes, my family... I was their saviour. I'm to graduate and save them from poverty but now, I'm stuck between life and death. If the doctor tells her the machine is what is keeping me alive, she'll do everything in her power to afford it. She won't spend any money on herself."

Wow. His story felt like something right out of Africanmagic. His story did feel a bit of cliché but believe it or not, I know for a fact that it was most people's life stories. I felt a bit of empathy towards him but at the same time, I didn't see so much of how I could help.

"So... do you want me to... give her some money?" I don't know why but I just had to ask his reason for telling me everything.

The look he gave me was different, somewhat filled with disbelief, embarrassment and surprise.

"What? You told me about her illness and how money is an issue. What was I supposed to assume?" I defended myself almost right away.

"I don't know or perhaps, anything else but he's a beggar after all."

"Well excuse me for having kind thoughts. You don't have to stand a judgmental person such as myself. You can just walk away and never return."

"How many times do I tell you!? I can't. You're the only person that can help me."

"You keep saying that and I still don't see how that's possible."

"Just talk to her. I need you to talk to my mother."

"What?"

"Kamharida." Immediately, I turned to the direction of the voice and saw my mother staring back at me. Her gaze filled with questions and confusion, almost the same as the one Mr Levi had when he believed he saw me conversing with the air.

I gulped down hard, knowing I was in trouble. My mum was a person very hard to convince. Telling her what she just saw is something she didn't see was something I'm not sure I'll be able to pull off. Nevertheless, I was going to try.

I watched as she began making her way towards me.

"Who were you talking to?" She threw the question as she walked up to me. I hesitated, a lot, maybe because of fear, I wasn't sure but I just knew whatever story I come up with has to be reasonable. I couldn't help glancing Bayo's side once more and saw the sympathetic look in his eyes.

Sympathy? I told him so many times to stop talking to me. Now, one by one, everyone was starting to think I was losing my mind.

"No one. I recalled a movie and was trying to copy the characters."

"Why?" Another question came right away once she stood in front of me, her eyes observing and trying to burrow down into my soul at the same time.

"Well... no reason in particular. I just felt like role-playing. I have an assignment. Let me hurry up and finish it before dinner." Using that as an excuse, I hurried past her, and up the stairs, straight to my room.

Inside the room, I waited for a while, listening and waiting to see if mum would show up at my door in demand that I let her in on what was going on with me but nothing happened.

I felt a presence and turned to see Bayo. I glared hard at him and then it dawned on me, he was never going to stop. Also, probably, I'll never stop telling him to go away and people might start to believe I was losing my sanity. I need to put an end to this as soon as possible before things get worse.

"What do I do to get you out of my life?"