Chapter 74 CAUGHT RED-HANDED
Godiva POV
Suddenly, the parlor went loud with people cheering, whistling, and chanting, “Jerald!”
“What did you say again?” Jerald asked, pretending not to have heard the question.
“I said have a feel of a part of my body,” Abigail repeated, licking her lips shamelessly.
“Eww, that’s gross,” Dina said, looking at Abigail with disgust.
Jerald was about moving closer to her when Ben rushed to him and whispered something in his ear. Ignoring Ben completely, Jerald moved closer to Abigail, and the room exploded with louder cheers.
“See,” Jerald said, suddenly sliding his hand right inside Abigail’s transparent crop top with a smug smile.
As the countdown from sixty began, I watched in silence, frozen to the spot, at the manner Jerald’s hand moved around Abigail’s breast. He squeezed carelessly, shamelessly vibing to the noise and hype around him as though I did not exist in the same room.
Every second of that countdown felt like someone was pressing hot iron against my chest.
“Wow, what rubbish,” Dina snapped, attempting to march into the dare circle.
“No,” I whispered, grabbing her wrist and holding her back. “Can we leave here already?” I asked, my voice sounding torn and disheveled.
“Yes girl, let me grab our bags,” Dina said, freeing herself from my grip.
I remained there for a moment, rooted like a fool, staring at Jerald and silently wishing he would turn around, just once, and look for me. But he didn’t.
“So much for falling in love.”
A voice whispered behind me.
“Yeah… so much for love,” I replied with a sigh, my eyes still fixed on Jerald.
“What!” I exclaimed, turning sharply after realizing I had responded to a stranger. “What are you even doing here?” I thundered in disgust at Slosh, who stood behind me in his jorts, Nike sneakers, and a tank top.
“I came for the party. Remember? It was a public invite,” Slosh teased, smiling at me.
“Sorry, I responded without knowing it was you,” I said apologetically as I walked away.
“It only means I guessed right that you both are lovers,” Slosh added, smiling as he followed behind me.
“We are not lovers,” I snapped before halting suddenly.
“Sorry, I meant you guys were lovers,” Slosh corrected mockingly.
“I’m sorry, you may not have realized this, but I left that place because of you,” I barked at him.
“Ouch, heartbreaking,” he said, clutching his chest dramatically as if stabbed.
“How are you even at this party? You just resumed days back,” I asked as I sat on a hammock in the garden behind the house.
“Let’s just say I have my ears on the ground,” he replied, attempting to sit beside me.
“Hell no,” I said, dropping my legs across the hammock to block him.
“Is this how you repay someone caring for you with the best intentions?” he asked, pretending to look wounded.
“You weren’t being caring. You were trying to gossip,” I replied, finally dropping my legs.
“Whatever you say. I’m not here to argue,” he muttered, sitting beside me.
“If you’ll sit here, then I’ll appreciate some silence,” I warned, shifting to the extreme end.
“But for real, hard luck. It’s no flex seeing your partner in such a compromising position,” he said, this time sounding serious.
I was about responding when I saw Dina searching frantically around the compound. That was when I remembered I was supposed to be waiting for her.
“I’m so sorry Di,” I said, approaching her with my arms spread for a hug.
“Where did you go to, girl?” Dina asked, trying hard to sound calm.
“I’m sorry. I was trying to avoid that person, but he still followed me out,” I replied, pointing at Slosh, who waved at Dina from the hammock like an idiot.
“Girl, we need to leave now,” Dina said, dragging me away violently.
“Why the haste? What’s the emergency?” I asked, almost running behind her.
“Did you even remember to check your time?” Dina queried, pointing at my wristwatch.
“What’s the time?” I asked in panic, checking it. “What!” I screamed. “It’s almost nine?”
I took on my heels instantly.
“I knew coming for this party was a wrong decision,” I said, panting hard as we hurried through the dim streetlights of the nurses’ quarters.
“Don’t even think of pushing the blame on me,” Dina thundered, facing me.
“Okay then who should I push it on?” I snapped, halting to face her too.
“You can blame yourself,” Dina retorted.
“Wow!” I exclaimed. “Who suggested we go for this party? You! Who forced me to tag along? You! Who dragged me upstairs to go see what wasn’t my business? You! It was all you!” I thundered, pointing aggressively at her chest.
“Oh wow, as if you were not enjoying yourself until your ‘boyfriend’ spoiled your mood,” she mocked, making invisible quotation marks in the air.
“Thank you for sharing the blame with me, but don’t forget I refused going a million times—”
Knock!
“Ouch!” I groaned, rubbing my head as I turned to see who had hit me.
“Wow, wow, wow,” Mama and Mrs Job said, clapping slowly.
My blood ran cold instantly.
“So you both decided to go for a party without letting any of us know?” Mama thundered, looking absolutely vexed.
“Just look at the time,” Mrs Job gestured at our wristwatches. “You made us worried sick. We were almost going to file a report at the station. Do you even have the slightest idea what we’ve been through searching for you girls since seven?” she shouted angrily.
“And what?” she continued, moving closer to us. “We were coming to pick our purses to head to the station when we sighted two animals fighting and raising voices in the street, only to discover it was our own daughters.”
“You two are shameless enough to argue in the street where gossipers can pass and feed on it for the rest of the week?” Mama thundered, veins popping on her forehead. “I don’t care who persuaded who. Last I checked, no one used chains on the other.”
My throat went dry. Dina beside me had gone mute.
“And what was all that about someone’s boyfriend spoiling their mood?” Mama asked, trying hard to calm herself.
Dina and I exchanged one deadly glance.
We were finished.