This is the final chapter I will be posting online. Thank you so much for all your support in reading my book. It has been a pleasure and an honor. Enjoy the holidays and the new year. Happy new year in advance!

Chapter 20

Tireni walked sadly through the cold, dark night, ignoring the anxious beats of her heart. She just wanted to be alone without the problems of other humans. She had no friends and her family didn’t care about her. Ayo only cared about Sophia, Tomiwa only cared about Patricia, and Patricia now thought she was a murderer.

Alex was the only one she had and that wasn’t a friendship by choice. Her body was wracked with pain and hurt as the tears streamed uncontrollably. She struggled to drag her feet as she walked. The sad part was this wasn’t even part of the top ten worst moments of her life. But that didn’t make the pain easier to handle. She felt like curling up in a ball in the sticky clay and staying there forever. She wanted to feel numb and push all her problems down like she usually did, but she couldn’t. Patricia’s words stung, and she couldn’t believe that she would ever say such about her, no matter the evidence. M.K. had gone too far with this, and the worst part was she couldn’t do anything about it.

“Ah ah fine girl, what are you doing here?” a burly voice grumbled into her ear as the owner slid a hand on Tireni’s waist.

Without thinking, she turned around and punched him square in the face. He fell to the ground, annoyed and confused. He had not expected such a reaction especially from someone looking so vulnerable. Tireni’s anxiety turned into anger with her breathing escalated and heart rate speeding. She kicked his head with her black flats and kept hitting all parts of his body. He wanted to retaliate so badly, but he could only scramble around on the ground with kicks coming in from left and right.

“Don’t touch me!” she screamed

“You have no right, you pig!” she landed a kick deep in his stomach.

“Who do you think I am?” she stomped hard on his chest. Tears clouded her vision but she just kept on hitting and hitting and hitting.

“I am a BANKOLE!”

With one final wave of anger, she kicked him hard on his back. The assailant had passed out long ago with blood dripping down the edge of his mouth. Sweat dripped from her forehead as she struggled to catch her breath with her hands on her knees. Shock hit her when she finally looked up and saw the damage she had done to him. Another bout of tears hit her and she crumpled slowly to the ground. While others may rejoice at single-handedly defeating a thug, Tireni had sworn off violence years ago after being released from the hospital. Anger was a slippery slope for her, and she hated the impulse that drove her crazy.

“Sophia please stay safe” she whispered to herself “I miss you so much”

“I wish I could be with you right now. If only you could see how much Ayo loves and cares for you. Not only him. Our family loves and cares for you. Everyone loves you and no one even remembers or thinks of me. Honestly, it wouldn’t be so bad being you for once” she thought, wiping tears from her eyes.

“I’m being stupid” Tireni whispered “You have your own problems too”

Her phone buzzed from her dirty bag that she had accidentally tossed aside during his beat down. She crawled to it slowly and pulled out the phone.

Come home, Tireni please. Alex misses you and I’m worried- Mum

Tireni ran her hand through her wet hair, contemplating her mum’s message. She knew she really wasn’t worried. Her mum just wanted her to take Alex off her hands. How a grandmother couldn’t take care of her grandson baffled Tireni, but she knew not to judge her openly. She couldn’t leave here without M.K’s permission, and she knew his answer already. Her life was so messed up, and she hated it so much. It had always been messed up and every single time, she couldn’t do anything to make things normal.

She grabbed her belongings and picked herself from the ground. Wanting to not be triggered any further, she walked as fast as she could to the nearest, safest place she knew which was the theatre they had just left. Pulling the key from her purse, she unlocked the backdoor and forgot to lock it back up. The entire theatre was pitch black, and it brought some sort of comfort to her. She carefully walked to the stage, to where it had all happened, the start and end of their friendship. She remembered it like it was yesterday.

Tireni had entered through the backdoor to come practice in the theatre as usual and she didn’t notice the girls that were practicing in a corner downstage. Her headphones blocked all their little sounds.

“Hey, you!” Patricia yelled at her from the other side of the stage.

Tireni jumped in shock and removed her headphones.

“M..Me?” Tireni asked, confused and scared

“No, the person behind you” Patricia replied sarcastically.

Tireni looked behind her ignorantly and felt even more confused.

“Of course I mean you! Are you here for the auditions?”

“Auditions? Oh no no I’m sorry. I didn’t know there was an audition here. I will leave.”

Tireni hurried to gather her belongings, but Patricia crossed the stage and grabbed her hand.

“You are a good dancer.”

“Thank you…” she murmured to the floor, drawing circles on the floor.

“Can you at least look at me when I talk to you?”

“Oh sorry sorry.”

Tireni lifted her eyes from the ground and parted her hair to look directly at Patricia.

“Would you like to join my dance team?

“I’m sorry…I can’t.”

“But you are a good dancer and we need good dancers on our team”

“Thank you for that. But I still can’t.”

Patricia paused for a moment and then asked

“What’s your name?”

“Tireni.”

“Tireni what?”

“Just Tireni.”

“Well just Tireni, I’m not going to ask you again. Join our team.”

Tireni chuckled softly to herself and lifted her bag to her shoulders.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because for someone that wants something, you are really rude and mean about it” she said smiling.

Tireni walked past Patricia towards the exit.

“Okay fine fine.” Patricia sighed “Will you pleasseeee join our team?”

Tireni turned back and smiled. “Isn’t that much better?” she said and kept walking to the door “My answer is still no”

“I have noted you, Tireni! You are going to join the team whether you like it or not” Patricia yelled snottily

Tireni kept laughing to herself as she exited the building.

Patricia was the first person Tireni had had a conversation with in the weeks since she relocated to the area. Patricia’s attitude had somehow encouraged Tireni to toss aside her shyness. Strangely, Tireni found herself a member of the team just as Patricia had said. But she did like it. She loved it in fact. But all that was over and it crushed Tireni.

The lights were suddenly turned on and Tireni sprung from the floor, looking around for the intruder. She turned to her right and saw Ayo standing over by the light switch, panting.

“You walk really fast, Tireni”

“Were you following me, Ayo? Do you know how creepy that is!” she shouted angrily

“I saw you beat up that man.”

Worry swept over Tireni at she thought about the things she had said in her moments of anger.

“And so what? You shouldn’t have stalked me”

“I just wanted to make sure you got home safe, but you handled that situation way better than I would have.”

“Whatever…” she murmured.

“You called yourself a Bankole, Tireni” he said, sporting one of the largest smiles she had ever seen.

“What?”

“You said you are a Bankole. In fact, you yelled it.” Ayo said, his smile growing even larger.

Tireni didn’t know what to say. She could not come up with any lie at the moment.

“Sophia’s maiden name is Bankole and I know for a fact that she doesn’t have any siblings.”

Tireni was still speechless.

“What had she done?” she thought

“So either you are miraculously another person with the exact same name and face of Sophia or you are in fact Sophia Bankole.”

Tireni was on the verge of having a panic attack, regret over her actions filling her mind.

It wouldn’t be so bad being Sophia. That stupid thought crept into her mind once again. But now there was only one possible solution.

“So can you please tell me the truth and say who you really are?” Ayo asked with warmth and love in his eyes. By this time, he was standing right in front of Tireni.

“I…” she started, eyes fixed to the ground. Summoning up her courage, she made up her mind and looked right at him.

“I am…” his caramel eyes flickered with excitement

“I am Sophia…Sophia Bankole…the wife of Ayo Oloruntobi”