Read Story: SEASON 2 EPISODE 35
(Semi-final Episode)
{After dark by Joji and Benee}???
•••••AUTHOR’S POV•••••
COLLETTE, BREATHE!
BREATHE!
BREATHE!
Collette snapped opened her eyes.
She was lying on a bed in the school clinic. Seated beside her was Temi.
Temi’s head was rested over the bedside table in a drowsy sleep.
Collette slowly raised her head from the hard pillow, supporting her weight with her elbow. She winced in pains as her tummy sent hot stabbing pains through her.
Her eyes hardened. ” I thought it was all just a crazy dream.”
But it wasn’t a dream. She recalled everything that happened last night.
Turning to Temi, she lightly tapped her shoulder.
Temi stirred, opening an eye. The moment she saw Collette, she instantly became wide awake.
” Chi-Chi,” she screamed, jumping on her in a bone crushing hug. ” Thank God you you’re alive. I thought I lost you.”
Collette winced. ” T…T-Temi, you’re crushing me.”
Temi immediately let go, wiping her watering eyes with her finger. ” I’m sorry, dear. It’s just,” she sobbed. ” You have no idea what I’ve been through, last night. I was scared. Soo happy you’re alive.”
Collette stared at her for sometime. She remembered Temi rushing at her with her inhaler.
She recalled Temi’s voice, ” Collette Breathe!”
Reaching over, she wrapped her arms around Temi and hugged her. ” Thank you, Temi. Thank you for saving me.”
Temi cried, hugging her tighter. ” Don’t you ever scare me like that, you idiot.”
Collette laughed softly, breaking their hug. ” What about Sharon?”
Temi didn’t waste a second. ” She’s very much alive, all thanks to you.”
” I know she’s alive,” Collette said. ” I mean what’s up with her now Bobby’s dead?”
Temi scratched the back of her hair. ” Actually, Bobby didn’t die.”
This surprised Collette. ” He’s alive?”
” He was immediately rushed to the hospital the moment we found you guys,” Temi narrated. ” He’ll live but then again, he’s going to jail.”
Collette was glad. She had had this haunting feeling plaguing her that she had murdered a boy.
Now her mind was at ease.
” And Sharon?” Collette inquired. ” What about her?”
Temi sighed. ” The poor girl was expelled earlier this morning. She left for home before noon. Turns out Bobby had been physically abusing her all these while. He also cheated on her with four of our classmates. She couldn’t stand it anymore. They had a big fight which resulted in Sharon threatening to report him to you. The rest is history. I’m sure you knew what happened after that.”
Collette frowned. ” And the four girls Bobby cheated with? What about them?”
Temi felt sad. ” Our classmates: Anastasia, Ginny, Lovett and Rene. MÔM had them all expelled this morning.”
” Bobby’s also a graduating student, isn’t he?”
Temi nodded. ” He definitely is.”
Collette threw her head back on the pillow, creasing her forehead. ” What a lucky break. I thought I was a goner.”
Temi drew her seat closer to her. ” I must say, Collette, you fought very bravely last night. I never knew you had it in you. You against a boy all by yourself. That knife fight between the both of you was about the most dangerous thing I’ve ever heard of but you fought to your last breath. Whatever gave you such strength.”
Collette’s eyes searched the white ceiling of the ward she was.
Her voice was soft and slow. ” To be honest, Temi. I…I don’t know. I just know I had to fight. At first, I hoped Bobby would kill me. I never wanted to fight back.”
She paused, passing a tongue round her soft lips. ” But… but then I thought of Lucy. I wanted to live for Lucy. Even though we are never going to be together, I decided I wasn’t going to end like this. Lucy wouldn’t want me dead. So I fought to live. My chances were slim and I could already see my life flashing before my eyes but Lucy lingered in my mind. I believe I would win and I won.”
Temi dried her eyes with a handkerchief. ” Collette, don’t ever do that again. Cause if you do and you get hurt again…. I’ll…” She laid her head on Collette’s chest. ” I’ll never forgive you!”
Collette patted her on the back as Temi cried. ” It’s alright, Temi. I can’t die.”
” Is she in?” Collette heard a familiar voice speaking to the clinic nurse.
It was Vee.
Vee walked in. Her face was messy with lack of sleep. She had been up all night putting the school in order, cleaning up the mess and answering police interrogation.
One look at her and Collette knew Vee hadn’t even washed her face.
Vee walked over to where she laid and sat on the side of the bed. ” How’re you doing, Chi-Chi? Feeling better?”
Collette nodded, saying nothing.
Temi stood up. ” I’ll leave you two alone.”
The moment she was gone, Vee took her seat beside Collette. Her eyes watered.
” Chi… Chi-Chi,” Vee’s voice broke.
Collette said nothing. She could only stare at her.
Vee’s shaking hands went over to her face and stroked her cheeks. ” Chi-Chi, I was…you.. you scared me.”
Two rolls of tears fell off her eyes and this broke Collette’s heart.
She immediately looked away.
Vee smiled bitterly. ” I’m just happy you’re still alive. Don’t worry, I’ll fix this. The police are handling Bobby and his cult gang members. Also, I’m raising the walls of the school. The security guards would be equipped. I’ll have to employ more security guards. Anything to keep the girls safe. You’re a heroine, Collette. I…I’m Soo proud of you.”
She got no reaction from Collette. She sighed softly smiling stiffly, ” you don’t want to look me in the eyes, do you?”
Collette said nothing.
Vee brushed the hair off her forehead and leaned over. Collette felt the soft plush lips of Vee kissing her forehead.
Then Vee pulled back, rising to her feet. ” You’ll forgive me for everything, Collette. Maybe not now but someday you will.”
As Vee was heading for the door, Collette turned and called out to her.
” MÔM?”
Vee stopped all of a sudden, her hand on the door handle. She slowly turned her head to see Collette glancing at her from where she laid.
Collette’s voice was tiny, holding a lot of emotions. ” Thank you for for coming.”
Vee could hardly contain the joy in her heart. She bowed her head and sobbed. Her face was shaking. ” I don’t deserve this, Collette. Thank you for forgiving me.”
Collette clutched at the sheet of her bed. Seeing Vee like that brought back old memories.
Yes she had forgiven Vee. She forgave her because Efua would want her to forgive her.
*
*
*
*
Sitting up on her bed, Collette was fed by Temi seated beside her bed.
It was fried rice and goat meat prepared specially for the council president. Temi had made sure Collette ate very well. She was given the best treatment.
” Here, open your mouth a little wider,” Temi said, raising a spoonful of rice to her mouth.
Collette opened her mouth to receive the rice. As she ate, she thought of Lucy again.
She remembered how she had fed Lucy months ago when she was down with a fever. Now she was receiving the same treatment from Temi.
Somehow, she wished it was Lucy feeding her right now. It felt Soo hard concentrating while Temi fed her. Her mind was distracted with the thoughts of Lucy to stay focused on what Temi was saying.
Hence conversation lagged.
Suddenly, the door to Chi-Chi’s ward opened and someone stepped in.
Collette instantly raised her head to see her mother.
Mom?
Her mother’s hand were covering her mouth as she stared at the brusies and bandages on her daughters face.
Collette stopped eating.
Temi glanced behind, saw Collette’s mother and winced. She knew Collette’s ordeal with her parents.
They hardly ever visited her at school. She wondered what she was doing in school.
Collette was frowning. ” What are you doing here?”
Her mother began coming closer. ” Oh, Chi-Chi….”
” Don’t come any closer!” Collette yelled. ” I don’t want you near me!”
Collette’s mom didn’t stop. She kept coming, moving slowly, her eyes heavy.
” I think I better start going….” Temi said getting up when Collette shouted her down.
” You’re not going anywhere, Temi!” She yelled at her. ” Stay where you are.”
As Collette’s mom drew near, Collette withdraw further away from her on the bed. ” Please, just leave me alone. You never really cared about me before. Why care now?”
Collette’s mom stopped at the foot of the bed. ” Chi-Chi, can I talk to you?”
Collette glared at her. ” There’s nothing to talk about!” She paused, glancing away. ” Go home. Go be with your husband.”
Even Temi was shocked at Collette’s response to her mother.
Collette’s mom gnawed on her lips, swallowing the pains forming a lump in her throat.
” Chi-Chi,” she began. ” I know I wronged you after the divorce. The thing is, I no longer loved your father but it wasn’t really my fault. He never had time for me. We felt it best to go our separate ways. Honestly, after the divorce, I noticed everything went black for you. You weren’t happy. I never knew I made you lonely especially at this crucial time of your life. And just like my husband, I couldn’t pay any attention to you. All I did was get carried away in my new marriage and the problems it brought to me. I had Soo much in my mind to bother about you. All these years after my remarriage, I finally got to understand your father, Benjamin. I was a fool, I was impatient. All he wanted was a happy family. He was working Soo hard for the family. I was just too blinded by my own selfishness to see the sacrifices he was making for the family. Chi-Chi, I abandoned you. With time, you began to withdraw away from me, from everyone but by the time I noticed it, you had already gone far. It was too late.”
Collette closed her eyes, frowning deeply away from her mother. ” Just stay away from me. Don’t come close to me just like we’ve never been.”
Collette’s mother’s eyes were Soo sad it caused her to do the unthinkable.
Before Collette and Temi’s eyes, she went down to the floor and bowed to the ground, crying with a loud voice.
” Chi-Chi, please I beg of you… forgive me!”
Collette shouted. ” Stop it! What kind of a mother kneels before her daughter?!”
Temi quickly raised her mother up from the ground. ” Madam, please get up.”
Collette’s mom pushed her away gently. ” No, I want my daughter to forgive me first.”
” You never cared about me for years!” Collette shouted. ” Why now? Why do you care all of a sudden?”
” Because I was foolish!” Her mother cried. ” I made a stupid mistake, Chi-Chi and I’m very sorry. I don’t want a divorce anymore. Your stepdad and I had a long talk yesterday to fix our marriage. We’re going to start afresh as a big family. No more fighting, no more arguing. It’s just gonna be us just like it’s always been,” she paused as a smile flickered her lips. ” We’ll go for a picnic when you’re back home from the holidays. We’d also have a family dinner and…and…and on your birthday, we’ll throw a big party. Isn’t that what you’ve always wanted? If that’s not enough, we’ll invite your twin sister, Chole. Baby, anything to make you happy. Just forgive me please.”
She was still kneeling on the floor and this broke Collette’s heart.
But she was excited. A family picnic, no more fighting, a family dinner and a big birthday party.
That was all she ever wished for.
With a small voice, she asked. ” You’re not bluffing about the birthday party, are you?”
Her mom crossed her heart. ” That’s a promise, Chi-Chi. I’m ready to make amends. Forgive me and give me a chance, please.”
Collette didn’t know what pushed her. She ran off her bed and wrapped her arms round her mother.
Her mother held her tight, kissing her hair with tears in her eyes. ” Thank you, Collette. Thank you.”
Temi stood in the midst of all these, smiling.
The two women remained on the floor, hugging and crying with joy in their heart.
Outside the school clinic, the bell rang for lunch.
*
*
*
*
FEBRUARY 15th
The Chess tournament, held in South Africa……
Taking a deep breath, Collette waited for her turn as the tournament began.
Name’s were called with each players given a seat to start off with their opponents.
Collette was sweating. She had prepared for today but she hadn’t anticipated the sweats.
Why was she sweating? Was it because of the heat?
Goddamn it, it was cold in South Africa so why was she sweating?
Vee stood beside her, giving orders to two others QA teachers who had flew from Nigeria to South Africa to accomany them for the chess tournament.
Collette had beaten a whole other countries. Nigeria was on the top five left to compete.
Nigeria was to play against Ghana in the next five minutes. At the beginning of the tournament, Collette had flourished in winning many other countries, taking Nigeria to the top five.
But now she was sweating.
And it was all because of him!
ZAKI.
Zaki was the overall champion. He won last year, beating her straight in less than two minutes.
Collette swallowed. Gazing at Zaki now, she hardly believe he was the same boy from last year.
He was much bigger and fatter with those small spectacles on him that made him look like an aged man.
But he was more smarter, more intelligent, more neater and more deadly in chess than her.
Moreover, his father was a senator. He was one pompous, arrogant rich boy.
Collette swallowed when she caught him grinning at him. She had never been afraid of a boy as much as she was with Zaki.
Vee noticed the sweats on Collette’s face. She brought out a handkerchief and dabbed Collette’s face.
Collette stared at her as she did so. Vee was smiling. ” Scared?”
Collette frowned. ” No I’m not.”
Vee glanced at Zaki from the corner of her eyes. ” You know, Zaki’s just a loser. I don’t think he can defeat you this year.”
Collette rolled her eyes. ” Stop trying to make me feel better. I’m no match for that fatso.”
Vee shook her head, placing her hand on Collette’s shoulder. ” You’re just scared of losing to him. I’ve watched all his games. Zaki feeds on your fears that’s why he was able to beat you last year. Prove to yourself that you can win. You’ve got this. Show him you ain’t afraid. I believe you can win, Chi-Chi. Everyone believes that.”
But Collette doesn’t believe it. She would be crushed by Zaki. She would fail her country again just like she did last year.
Vee stared worriedly at her. ” Collette, don’t let losing bring you down. You did your best. You’ve made it this far. If we fly back home with a bronze or a silver, I’ll be more happier than ever. I’m not like my mother. I’m not going to ask you to do more than yourself. Do your best. You got this. I trust in your guts. Use them.”
Collette took one brief look at Zaki. Their eyes jammed and Zaki made an undertaker’s I’ll–Kill–you sign around his neck with his thumb.
Collette shivered like a frightened rabbit.
Vee gave up. She stood up, sighing. ” Oh what I’m I ever going to do with you, Chi-Chi?”
Suddenly her phone rang in her pocket. Vee took it out from her pocket, expecting a call from the president or minister for sports but it was a totally different number.
She answered the call. ” Hello, who’s this?”
Collette watched her as she screwed her face then lightened up with a bright smile on her face.
” Oh, that,” Vee’s smile brightened even more. ” She’s here with me. I don’t know, she’s got cold feet. Maybe you should talk to her.”
She handed the phone over to Collette. ” Someone wants to talk to you.”
Collette raised an eyebrow. ” Who?”
Vee shrugged. ” I guess you better find out for yourself.”
Collette took the phone and placed it over her ear. ” Hello?”
” Chi-Chi!”
Collette stiffened and she felt her heart racing. She recognized that voice.
It belongs to…it belongs to….
Collette’s eyes watered. ” Lucy, is that you?”
Vee watched as Collette closed her eyes, smiling as she spoke with her step sister.
” You’re live on television, Collette,” Lucy said over the phone. ” You’re awesome. The way you destroyed those other schools was amazing. I had to call. Hope you don’t mind.”
Collette wiped a tear off her eyes. ” Mind? No, I don’t mind. I don’t mind at all.”
Lucy’s voice came again. ” I missed you, Collette.”
Collette held her chest as if to stop her heart from tearing out of her chest. ” I missed you more.”
” Go make us proud, Chi-Chi,” Lucy said. ” My entire family are watching you. Your dad’s here, mom’s here, Damian and chole are also here. Everyone’s here. We even printed your name on our clothes to cheer you up. Bring back home the gold trophy. We believe you can do it.”
It only needed that from Lucy to motivate Collette. So long it was Lucy, nothin else matters.
” She closed her eyes. Thanks Lucy, for everything. I won’t disappoint you.”
Lucy laughed and Collette blushed.
” I know you’ll do great,” Lucy said lovingly from the other side of the line. ” Go teach that fat motherfúcker how it’s done. Ghana must go!”
” Lucy, watch your language,” Collette smiled, imagining those big beautiful eyes.
Lucy giggled. ” I will. Good luck, Collette. I LOVE YOU!”
Collette felt butterflies in her stomach. She held the phone tightly to herself. ” I LO….”
The call cut.
Lucy had hung up.
Collette felt bad. She had wanted to reply Lucy back.
The voice of the announcer broke into her ears. ” And now, Collette representing Nigeria from Queens Academy would compete against Ghana’s chess champion, Zaki from….”
” Got all the motivation you need?” Vee asked, leaning over to her.
Collette nodded, returning the phone back to her. ” I can take down the motherfúcker.”
Vee was horrified. ” Geez watch your language.”
Collette hugged her. ” Thank you, MÔM. Thank you very much.”
Vee rubbed her hair. ” Go make us proud, my pet.”
Two minutes later, Collette sat before her opponent, Zaki.
A bright spotlight was centred on the two of the two players, camera focused on them, spectators seated around the large hall, breath held in soffacting suspense.
Zaki stared right at Collette, mocking her with his eyes. ” You’re dead, princess.”
Collette kept still, looking deadpan, indifferent and ice cold.
Behind that mask of coldness on her face was a hidden smirk.
” Lucy would be watching,” she thought within herself. ” My country would be watching, Efua would be watching. I’m going to win this. I’m going to return home with the gold. I’m not afraid of Zaki anymore.”
Suddenly the game started. Zaki made a move with his knight on the board and tapped on the chess timer.
Collette made another move. ” This is for you, Lucy.”
*
*
*
*
To Be Continued….
Author’s Note ✍️:
Who de Zulu ????
Collette if you like fúck up. I go use coconut break ya head ??
{{comment.anon_name ?? comment.full_name}}
{{timeAgo(comment.date_added)}}
{{comment.body}}
{{subComment.anon_name ?? subComment.full_name}}
{{timeAgo(subComment.date_added)}}
{{subComment.body}}