Chapter 1: The Bullet Comments No Dey Lie
After chasing the campus fine boy for two years, he suddenly announce him relationship for everybody to see. I just dey ready to go find am, ask wetin really dey happen, make e explain.
My heart dey drum like generator for hostel compound—no warning, just wah! I no expect am at all. For my mind, I dey replay all those times wey I send am message, dey hope say this time e go reply with something sweet. Na lie. Instead, na this kind public shock greet me. My slippers nearly comot from my leg as I rush go find where breeze fit blow me small.
Suddenly, bullet comments begin pop up for my eye like popcorn.
[At last, the main guy’s final test don land. As long as the main babe pass, the rest go be sweet, romantic couple life.]
[The main guy promise to be with the main babe on her birthday, but announce relationship one month before just to test if she go still stand by am no matter wetin.]
[Wetin you go do? No let the main guy’s cold and big boy look deceive you. Inside, him dey insecure and sensitive. People like us, wey get wahala for mind, need person wey no go ever leave us.]
[Main babe, abeg try pass this test! Just cry small, the main guy fit even give you him life.]
[Na so love dey do these children. Make she just focus on her book, abeg.]
These comments dey fly left and right, like football fans for viewing centre dey argue over penalty. My eyes dey pain as I dey read am, body dey do me somehow—sometimes I wan laugh, sometimes e just dey vex me.
I freeze small, dey stare at the intimate photo of the two of them for him WhatsApp status.
I stop small, dey reason if I fit really face am. Wetin I go even talk? My mouth dry, but my leg dey push me. I no even know when my body stiff. That picture no be just ordinary post, e get meaning. The way he hold her, e get one soft look for him eyes, like person wey finally find peace after long wahala. My chest heavy, as if I swallow stone.
The smile for him face sweet and gentle, something I never see before for Tobi body.
E pain me pass say the Tobi wey I sabi, wey always form hard guy, fit dey show this kain gentle smile for another babe. For my head, e be like movie wey dem swap the main actor last minute. Na there I realize say maybe I never really know am finish.
I force smile reach my jaw, just to show say e no move me. I tap 'like' on the status—make he see say I dey wish am well—then sharp sharp delete and block am. My mind calm small, like when you finally finish NEPA bill payment. I breathe in, smell hostel dust and fried egg from corridor. Small peace enter my body.
I come post my own status: “Sensitivity and inferiority na sickness. If you need treatment, abeg go treat am. If e pain you, abeg, go lick TomTom.”
As I type that status, my finger dey shake. I no even reason the wahala wey fit follow. E just flow from my heart, raw and sharp. This life, person no go dey allow anybody use am do emotional experiment.
That night, the campus fine boy nearly burst my phone with calls.
My phone dey vibrate like say I plug am direct to transformer. Tobi call, call, call. Even my ringtone tire for am. E be like say na now him remember say I dey exist.