"Welcome, everyone." I say dryly. "Really. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for coming."
Everyone beams a wide smile. I study the faces one by one and can feel my temper rise.
Mr brown is here. Mrs Evelyn is here. The actress that I kinda loathe... Ok, hate is a better word. Is also here. Frank is here. Even Joshua is here?! My face finally lands on the face with the widest smile.
'GOD! THIS IS SICKENING! WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE?!'
The boy stands up, walks to me and gives me a tight hug. "I have missed you best friend!" He says in a cheerful tone. But, unfortunately I know it's fake.
The only thing stopping an action packed fist fight right now, are the adults and my mum. Especially my mum. Wouldn't want her to see the inner wrestler in me. *Sigh* That wouldn't end well.
"Hi." I say dryly and free myself in a playful manner, laughing softly and knowing that my ex-best friend got the hint.
"It's been so long, brother."
'BRO-WHAT?!'
"Yeah." I fake a laugh. "It could have been longer, but fate have a way of being..."
'... A BITCH!'
"... Surprising."
"Right?!" He asks and laughs.
'MY DAD ISN'T EVEN HERE!'
"Excuse me." I say weakly in pretense. "I'll be back. I want to go use the restroom." I say and walk back to my room.
I enter my room, sit on my bed and sigh tiredly. I was kinda expecting my dad to be among the visitors, but he is not. It's as if almost every single person I don't want to see, came. While the one person I wanted to see, didn't come.
A sudden knock on my door brings me back.
"Come in mum." I say dryly.
She enters, walks up to me and sits beside me. "You are not okay, right?"
"Why did you invite them over?" I ask, trying my best not to sound angry and rude.
She sighs. "Well, I got promoted to CEO, today!" She says in an excited tone.
"Congratulation." I say dryly.
"Thank you." She says happily, ignoring my short reply.
Normally, I would have gone wild, but the first surprise is disturbing me right now.
"Well, Mr Brown asked if he could come over. So, we could talk about your acting. Mrs Evelyn came along to discuss about you. She said you're going to be having special classes with her, after school. They were supposed to be gone by now, but I told them to wait for some while." She sighs tiredly. "Daniel on the other hand..." She pauses.
"What about him?" I ask in obvious irritation.
"He asked if he could come with his junior brother; Joshua."
"What?!" I say in disbelief.
"Yeah." She sighs. "He is living with the boy's mum and his step father now." She sighs. "Poor boy." She shakes her head in pity. She begins laughing.
"What's funny?" I ask with raised eyebrows.
"The other kids. I believe they're; Frank and Mitchell..." Her laughing intensifies. "They say you're friends with them. But, you're a very tough creature to handle. But..." She manages to reduce her laughing. "They say they'll manage. The friendship is a must and you can't escape it." She bursts into laughter again.
'THOSE PSYCHOS WOULDN'T LET ME BE!'
"Hahaha! That's because the friendship just started. Give it two days and it would be over before you know it."
Her laughing stops instantly and she deadpans. "Noah?! YOU ARE DOING NO SUCH THING, LITTLE MAN!"
I laugh awkwardly. "I know. I know. I was just joking." I say and laugh awkwardly.
"Good. You better be. Or else..."
"OR ELSE?!" I shout in disbelief.
"YES! Or else you want to tell all your games goodbye." She says strictly, causing me to choke and cough.
"What?! This is a force relationship!"
She sighs. "I know. I'm sorry, but I'm not!" She says firmly. "That's the only option we have for now! And it's rear to find good students and friends who are willing to force you into being friends."
I scoff. "How do you know they're good?"
"I asked Mr Brown and Mrs Evelyn and they both said they are."
'WOW! JUST WOW!'
"Of course they would." I say dryly. "I mean, bad students wouldn't force you into a relationship, would they?"
She chuckles and pushes me lightly. "Come on. Let's go eat. It's six O'clock. And our visitors have homes, you know."
"Okay."
"And please for my sake, act natural, okay?"
"You can count on me." I say and salute her.
"Come on, silly." She says as she chuckles. "Let's go."
We both get up and leave my room. We walked to the dinning and I walk over to an empty seat and sit.
Mum shares the food. She prays and everyone begins eating and drinking their juice that's beside their foods.
The teachers and my mum begin talking about all sorts of adult stuffs. While, we the kids just eat in silence, listening to what the adults are saying.
"So, did you miss me?" Daniel asks lowly and I look up, glaring at him.
"If you meant your absence, then yes! I sure missed it a lot!" I say dryly, in a low voice.
Frank and Mitchell just stare at me, then at Daniel, then at me again.
"What?!" I say in irritation. "I thought I told you guys to stay away from me!" I snap in a low tone.
"Yeah. Well..." Frank pauses.
"We couldn't!" Mitchell says sharply, causing my whole glare to focus on her.
I look at my mum and the teachers who are lost in their intriguing conversation.
I sigh in relief. "Well, you guys can!" I snap.
She grins. "Then you'll have to make us!" Mitchell shoots back.
'WHAT'S WITH THIS GIRL?!'
"Fine, then. Good luck trying!" I say angrily.
"Calm down, guys. No need to..."
"Shush it, filth!" I snap at Daniel, cutting his speech short.
"Wow!" Frank and Mitchell say together, surprised.
The conversation ends and we all continue eating in silence. I look at Joshua who have been quiet since. He is looking at me intently, but quickly looks away.
After some minutes, everyone gets up to go.
Frank stretches his hand for a handshake and I shake it for the sake of my mum and release it quickly. Joshua and Daniel do the same and I shake too.
Mitchell hugs me. "Accept us, ok?!" She whispers in my ear.
"Nah." I whisper back and she releases me. "You'll have to force me to!"
She is smiling warmly, but instantly grins.
'HUHN?!'
"Ok, friend." She says with a wide smile. "Thanks for the compliment. And thanks for the invitation. You acted exactly how you said you will act. And to be honest, you're very good in acting."
'WHAT THE HELL IS SHE SAYING?!'
All the adults laugh.
"Are you serious?" Mr Brown asks in awe.
She nods. "I and Frank approached him, although it wasn't easy at first." She chuckles. "It took minutes to talk with him reasonably. We still accomplished it. Frank made a joke about him inviting us and he agreed."
'WHY ARE THEY LISTENING TO HER NONSENSE?!'
"But, he said he'll deny it and pretend like he didn't know us." She looks at me innocently, obviously enjoying the look of shock on my face. "I'm sorry for exposing you. I just couldn't help myself." She chuckles.
"It's okay, love." My mum says happily. "You did the right thing.
"WOW! It's seventy-thirty! Let's go people!" He says hurriedly.
"Bye, friend." Frank says and winks at me.
He is damn lucky I'm not with pepper. He would have been begging for his eyes by now.
"Bye, friend." I say with a fake wide smile.
Mitchell hugs me again. "You can't escape us." She whispers in my ear and chuckles.
"I can! You just won this night. There is a next time." I whisper back.
"Just think about it well, tonight!" She says calmly and release me. "Ma'am, can we come to do study together with him?" She asks with such innocence that it is sickening.
'NOOOOOO!'
"YES! OF COURSE! THAT WOULD BE NICE! I WOULD REALLY LOVE THAT!" My mum says happily.
'YES, WAS ENOUGH!'
Mitchell beams an angelic smile. "Thank you very much!" She says happily. "Bye, friend!" She directs her smile to me.
"Bye, friend." I smile wide. "Be gone, for it is too late."
"Sure!" She says and chuckles.
"Good bye." Joshua says.
"Yeah. Good bye." I reply.
"Alright! That's enough! It's eight O'clock on the dot!" Mr brown says quickly.
"Don't worry, I'll drive you guys home." My mum says. "Thank goodness, we're street neighbors."
'Street... Neighbors?!'
"Noah, play some games with Daniel and make him feel at home." My mum says with her 'make-me-proud' smile.
All, except Daniel, walk out and I quickly close the door.
"Hi. I'm Daniel." He mumbles.
"Hi. Do I look like a lion to you?!" I say dryly and move to my room, entering it and banging my door close.
I sit on my bed and sigh tiredly.
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH MY LIFE?!" I shout in frustration.
Daniel knocks on the door.
"GET THE HELL AWAY!" I shout.
The door opens and Daniel walks in. I try to hold myself as I feel some parts of my body twitch.
"Hi." He says calmly, a wide smile on his face. "I'm Daniel."
"Hi! I'm Angel Noah!" I say dryly.
He laughs. "Ok." He walks over to me, stopping right in front of me. "I'm sorry." He says calmly.
"Ok." I smile.
"Really?!" He asks in disbelief.
"Yeah, sure. Just leave my room to seal the forgiveness contract." I say, widening my smile.
He sighs tiredly. "You sure are a dummy." He says and begins laughing.
Before I could stop myself, my fists lands on his right cheek, sending him back a little.
He begins laughing more. "There it is!" He shouts, a hint of excitement in his tone. "There is the NOAH I'm looking for! The NOAH that is active!" He continues laughing.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!"
He walks forward. "Yes! Yes I am!"
The twitching intensifies. "I see you're craving for death." I say calmly.
He chuckles. "Maybe?! Maybe I am!"
"GET OUT!" I shout, ready to give him another blow.
"No!"
"GET OUT!"
"No!"
I rush forward to punch him, but he simply dodges my attack. I try again, but he dodges me again.
"Hear me out and I'll go." He says calmly and I stop.
"NO! GET THE HELL OUT!"
"LISTEN TO ME!" He shouts back and for some reason I shrink back. "LISTEN TO ME, NOAH!" Tears begins running down his face. "LISTEN TO ME, PLEASE!" He shouts and moves one leg forward.
"Bro?! This isn't a movie." I say and begin walking back. "Do you want me to beat you up?!" I snap as my back touches my room door.
"What I want?" He asks in a cracking voice. "I want you, brother! I need you!" He begins walking towards me.
"NO! GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!" I snap in disgust. "That sounds gay!"
"ARE YOU STILL ANGRY?!" He shouts and I shrink back again. "Are you still angry about the past?!" He asks calmly.
I stare at the fair skinned Nigerian boy in fear. Yes, fear! Something about him is different.
"Ye... Yes I am." I reply in a shaky voice.
He walks up to me and stops directly in front of me. "THEN, TAKE IT ALL ON ME!" He shouts as more tears roll down his face. "I'm sorry for all I caused you!" His crying intensifies. "TAKE IT ALL ON ME!"
"NO! GET AWAY FROM ME, MAN!" I shout and angrily punch him hard again. "I'm... I'm sorry." I say calmly, causing him to chuckle.
"You're sorry?!" He asks in amusement. "Does... Does that mean the old Noah is still inside?!"
"NO!"
"HOW... HOW CAN I BRING HIM BACK?!" He shouts as more tears runs down his face.
"You can't..." I trail off as tears begins running down my face. "You just can't.
"I CAN!" He laughs dryly. "I know I can! Just tell me!"
"BY STAYING AWAY FROM HIM!" I snap. "NOW, GET OUT!" I shout, as I push him forcefully.
He lands on the ground and begins laughing again.
'I WAS RIGHT! SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT!'
"I knew you would reject me, and so I came prepared." He brings out a pocket knife from his pocket, opens it and places it on his left wrist. The place where the vein shows clearly.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?! ARE YOU INSANE?!" I shout in horror.
He chuckles and gets up. "So, you still love me as a brother!" He says in a tone that instantly fills me with discomfort. "You still love me as a best friend!" He chuckles dryly.
I am to dumbfounded to talk.
"I'll make the old you come back and I promise you, we will make your dream come true. Just give me time and I promise you, that I'll be back to bring my old friend back." He says, causing my flow of tears that have stopped to continue.
"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU GOING, IDIOT?!"
He laughs dryly. "On my journey to make a perfect world for you and I, brother! On a journey to give my all, even if my life is involved! On a journey to build the world you dream of! I shall use all my strength to make the world a reality!" He says in a cracking tone and coughs.
"DON'T DO ANYTHING STUPID! WE BOTH KNOW THE WORLD CAN'T BE MADE REAL!" I say quickly.
"Goodbye, brother. Until we meet again!" He laughs. "Thank you for giving me hope." He says and begins to walk away.
I quickly run to him, turn him around, land another punch on his face and hug him tightly, tapping his back.
"I have forgiven you, a little ! But, as a friend, I wouldn't want you to do anything stupid! Don't do anything stupid!" I say in a surprisingly angry tone. "As long as you're good and you're changed, I will always love you as a brother!"
He frees himself. "NO!" He shouts, shocking me. "Until I have done my purpose, I won't rest and we aren't friends! Until I have achieved your dream, which is now also mine, I won't forgive myself!" He says calmly.
"What..."
"I'm sorry!" He says and walks out.
I walk over to my bed and sit down, feeling a lot of disgust. Tears begins rolling down my face as I hear the gate open and close. I lie on my bed, thinking what just happened. I have always hated him. So, why did one night change that. Maybe it's the fact that I have a stupid soft side. *Sigh*
I walk to my toilet and begin washing my face in the toilet sink. I look up and see DANIEL standing behind me, through the mirror. A dark wide grin is on his face.
My eyes are wide in horror and my body shaking.
"Hello, missed me?!" He says and licks his lips as he brings out a knife.