The girls went on to turn a corner that led to the back of their school building and before them, stood a vast field, carpeted with dirt stained grasses and all sort of junk, ranging from biscuit & sweet wraps, empty plastic drink bottles, and what-have-you. Flies ravaged the place which also smelled like it was also home to feaces. Abeebat looked around with a shrugged nose and sighted a small uncompleted and seemingly abandoned building on the far end of the field. Lolade had freed Abeebat from her grasp now much to Abeebat’s relief.
“Is that where you and your friends hang out?” Abeebat referred to the uncompleted building with a slight tilt of her head.
“Yep. Let’s go!” Lolade was excited. Her job was almost done. This undisciplined girl was about to know whose paths she dared not cross.
Abeebat hesistated, glancing at the uncompleted building while at the same time, trying to discard the negative thoughts hovering in her head.
There was just this bad feeling that she couldn’t shake off.
Calm down Abeebat. Stop overreacting. She just wants you to meet her friends, Abeebat assured herself, so calm down.
She inhaled a deep breath before finally trailing behind Lolade towards the building. And what she saw on entering the building was appalling.
She couldn’t believe her eyes.
Dimeji, ‘her good friend’, was leaning by a wall with a bottle of Star beer in his hand, drawing fervently from a stick of cigarette with impassioned shut eyes.
Abeebat acted nonplussed. Her gaze flickered sharply to Lolade who had gotten rid of the feigned smile and replaced it with a slithering one.
It all started to make sense now. She had damned valleys of premonition and found herself in the Lion’s den…
***
Unsurprisingly, she was in Dimeji’s squad and that was why Bimbo had been scared out of her mind.
Little wonder she was so desperate to “hang out” and “show her around.”
‘’Why am I here?’’ Abeebat asked sharply, staring lasers at Lolade.
Lolade burst into a fit of laughter now, clapping her palms amusement. “See this silly girl o. I brought you here to meet my friends na, but unfortunately only one of them is here. But I trust he is the one you are really interested in meeting right?” Lolade grinned in mockery, finding absolute pleasure in toying with her new prey.
“I’m not interested in meeting any of your stupid friends.’’ Abeebat fearlessly retorted.
“What? What did you say?” Lolade blinked her eyes severally as she spoke, not trusting her ears.
‘’What? You need a hearing aid now?’’ Abeebat asked in derision, raising cocky brows at her.
Lolade felt hot liquid fill up her ears.
This crazy girl!
She raised a hand threatening to slap an unperturbed Abeebat but Dimeji stepped in right then.
‘’Leave her alone, Lolade,’’ Dimeji said, taking slow, malicious steps towards Abeebat. Lolade reluctantly stepped aside now, rolling her eyes in disgust.
Dimeji had emptied his bottle of beer which was now discarded at a corner. And he continued to drag from his cigarette which had him puffing clods of smoke, intentionally trying to choke every breath Abeebat now took. While Abeebat obviously reacted irritated.
Abeebat held her breath as he came nearer. “Can you throw that thing out?” She asked staring right into Dimeji’s eyes.
Dimeji raised a questioning brow.
“Can you get the cigarette out of your mouth? I can’t breathe.” Abeebat enunciated.
Her heart was pounding loudly against her chest but she was not going to show any sign of fear.
He dared not touch her.
He dared not.
No one dared.
Dimeji laughed hysterically at her audacity but he threw the cigarette out the window beside him anyway. “Breathing now?” He asked, raising malignant brows at her.
Abeebat ignored his wry question. “What do you want with me?”
Dimeji grinned widely. “Revenge.” He said, sliding his hands into his pockets. “But you could settle this with a nice apology you know.” There was mischief in his eyes as he spoke.
Abeebat chuckled at the ridiculousness before her. “Revenge? How old are you? What, nine? Are you a kid? And, sorry,” She furrowed her brows in feigned confusion. “Do we have an issue?”
The elusive gentle man in Dimeji began to fade off completely. He hardened his jaw now, clutching his hands tightly in his pockets. Abeeabat could see the shape the fists formed on his pockets.
Her heart started to race again but her aplomb demeanour remained the same.
He could do her nothing.
He dared not touch her.
Dimeji exhaled sharply now. His eyes were turning red and he began to pant from anger. “Tell me straight. Are you going to apologize or not?”
The frigidity of his voice sent chills down Abeebat’s spine.
But she wore on her best defiant look, staring audaciously into Dimej’s eyes. “I have done nothing wrong to you. Why should I apologise?”
“Dimeji do something to this stupid girl right now!” Lolade shouted, glancing back and forth at him and Abeebat. “She needs to be taught a lesson.” She could not bear the impudence anymore.
But Dimeji still stood stoically. A kind of hot liquid was coursing through the whole of his being. He was going to deal mercilessly with this girl.
Abeebat could feel the dampness of sweat on her forehead and palms. She was getting really scared of what the lunatic before her was capable of. But still, she didn’t bat an eye.
Out of the air, a rage filled Dimeji shove Abeebat roughly against the wall behind them, trapping her with one strong hand and then raised the other fisted hand in readiness to throw a brutal punch across her face.
Abeebat was scared to death. She shut her eyes tightly, ready to scream on top of her lungs for any sort of help.
Damn pride.
But before any loud sound could escape out of her mouth, she felt another close presence, prompting her to open her eyes. Sodiq had already grabbed a hold of his friend’s wrist.
Dimeji released his hold on Abeebat and whirled at Sodiq with a Hitler face. “Are you mad?”
“Let her go D-boy.” Sodiq said, letting go of Dimeji’s hand. “Don’t waste your energy on a girl like her.” He spoke calmly, further igniting his friend’s anger.
In a fit of rage, Dimeji grabbed a handful of Sodiq’s shirt by the front. “I said no motherfucker should tell me what to do!”
Abeebat flinched. She was terrified.
Sodiq slowly brushed away Dimeji’s hands off his shirt. He smoothened the creases his friend caused on it and shoved his hands into his pocket. “Don’t pick fights with girls. It’s low man. Have some self respect.”
Kamil entered the building now.
Dimeji chuckled in disbelief at Sodiq’s words and then headed straight to Kamil. “Did you ask your dog to intervene in my business?” He briefly glanced at Sodiq accusingly before facing Kamil again. “Huh? Did you?!”
Dimeji literally had fire burning fiercely inside him.
Kamil faced Abeebat now, ignoring Dimeji and then signalled to door with his head.
Abeebat was confused. What was he saying?
“Leave.” Kamil said quietly.
“What?!” Dimeji growled at Kamil, who wasn’t even looking at him.
Abeebat found her way out of the building before anyone else pounced on her. But of course, she did so with equanimity. She wasn’t going to allow this set of idiots think that she was scared of them.
Not a chance.
“What did you just do? How can you tell her to leave like that? I was not done with that skank man!” A furious Dimeji spewed all over Kamil.
“Why did you let her go like that Kamil?” Lolade complained. “Do you how much she insulted us?”
‘’You too.’’ Kamil said, facing Lolade.
“What?”
“You too leave. I want to talk to my friends alone.”
Abeebat rolled eyes and snorted loudly before leaving her boyfriend with his friends.
How annoying!
“Start talking dude,” Dimeji continued with his rant, gritting his teeth. “Start talking now. Why did the hell did you let that crazy girl go?!’’ He could not contain himself. He was beyond furious.
“Look, d-boy,” Kamil started with the calmest voice, “the guys belong to us. Okay? But the girls let them be. We can’t be picking fights with them.”
“Don’t fucking tell me that man!” Dimeji bursted out in anger again. “Have you ever seen me with fight with a chick? No man! But that girl is…I’m going to…” He cursed loudly under his breath.
Kamil heaved a frustrated sigh. He was starting to lose his patience. His friend was really stepping on his nerves. “D-boy, listen to me please, you cannot…”
“Don’t tell me what…”
“Keep quiet Dimeji! Just keep quiet!’’
Kamil couldn’t remain calm anymore. Dimeji was startled. He hadn’t expected him to raise his voice like that. Kamil hardly raised his voice except he was extremely mad. “Keep quiet and let me finish. I’m not done!”
Kamil looked aside now and exhaled sharply in an attempt to calm his nerves. He turned to his friend again. “I need you to understand that you can’t hit girls. No matter how much they annoy you. Okay?”
Dimeji’s features contorted to a dark one again as he clutched the hands by his side into fists. He moved closer to Kamil now and stared straight at him with a wicked glint in his eyes.
“Not when a bitch is fucking with me Kammy.” With that, Dimeji stormed out of the building, kicking away the twigs that blocked his way.
Kamil sighed as Sodiq walked towards him.
“He is an idiot but he will grow up soon.” Sodiq said.
“Do you have a cigarette there?”
“Sure.” Sodiq replied, bringing out a pack of cigarette from his back pocket.
Kamil took a stick out of the pack and lit it with his standby lighter.
As he smoked, he thought about his parents.
Especially his mother…
Was Kamil wrong to have let her go?
What would Dimeji do next?
Who would save Abeebat from Dimeji’s brutality?
What’s with Kamil’s mother?
Hope You Enjoyed this Episode?
Catch up with the next episode next week Friday, by 7:30pm.
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