Wild West of the Heart
TWENTY-SEVEN

Ola stood at his door.

The tag engraved on it glistened in the light and it filled his gut with unease. And disgust. Principal, it was funny how that word was badly thrown around for it to have ended up in wrong hands.

The more he looked at that tag, he'd tried to imagine the pain that Fiyin felt up until that day. The pain that was caused by this monster. There was a picture of him, framed on the wall opposite the door. And Ola felt as though he should just rip it off. No rapist should ever be this glorified.

And the fact that was he was, hurt Ola so bad. It was why he stood in front of his door. So when he was done with his little speech, they might have a word. And at the sound of the final bell, Collins finally approached his office, to see Ola who was no shorter than him, in his way.

The way his forehead folded hinted at the fact that maybe he knew what was going on. "Bankole" He called, this thing were he always preferred the last name but Ola refused to budge. Instead he spat. "I know you what you did"

Collins clenched the handle of the door in his hands, not at all fazed by this intervention. "Can we go inside?" He asked and Ola scoffed. "Are you scared people will finally hear what sort of man you are? That you're a fucking rap—“ "Bankole. For your safety and well-being. I advise you watch your tone and if you want to talk, it would be in my office. If not, i would not tolerate this kind of madness" He raised his voice slightly as Ola gave way. Of course, he had no other choice. This was the man that whipped him ten for coming to school late one day. It was the man the whole SS3 feared the most. So he gave way for him to enter and he followed him behind.

Closing the door, Collins then halted in his steps.

Ola was done, done with people like him who just kept on getting away with whatever in the world.

"Now, what were you saying?" He turned around, slipping his left hand into his pockets. His gold watch stood out noticeable about it as Ola huffed. "You know what i'm saying"

"I'm talking about my friend, Fiyin" He yelled while Collins refused to flinch. "I'm sorry but i don't know who that i-"

"Bamidele" Ola interrupted and his lips circled.

"Ohh, Bamidele" Collins echoed, moving around to his seat. "You know she's such an interesting gal" It was the way he pronounced the last word.

"You son of " He stopped himself, realizing this man was evil. And he could as well get him expelled with the twitch of his fingers. "Look, i don't know whatever you heard. But you know girls these days and their crave for attention" He lied, and Ola just stepped back. "Attention?"

No ones saw what he did that day. No one saw Fiyin literally hanging on for life. The way her eyes voided and her lips, cold and pale. No one saw the blood on the floor, and her scars.

And this man dared to call it all a crave for attention? It was narcissistic, and manipulative.

You could see it in those autumny eyes of his.

"Yes"

"You know it's pretty interesting, i just off the phone with your father" They were good friends, who had the worst personalities. Good to themselves and terrible to others. "Don't change the topic or i'm going to print a newsletter announcing what you did to my friend. And the whole school, the whole town is going to know what a manipulative monster you are" Ola spat.

And a smirk appeared on Collins' lips.

"Yet another attention seeking teenager. Trust me when i say no one's going to believe shit, Bankole. It was why i advise to drop this, and never ever, will you talk of Fiyin to my face again" He croaked. "You want to know why you wont?" Ola pushed a lump down his throat.

"Because i saw your name under Johnsons. The creative writing school and we have good news for you, not only will they be coming to Hillway High but it's just you and one other that signed"

"This year, they promised to take just one applicant from each school and if you don't want your name scrubbed off that list, i advise you shut your mouth. Okay?" He blackmailed, forcing a smile across his lips.

"Think about what your father's going to say, when he hears the lies you'd be spreading. You really don't have regard for yourself. Think of your family, you want yet another heart attack?" "Especially in this very very hard time"

"Don't speak of my mother that way" Tears welled up to his eyes as he stepped back, defeated. "It's not just your mother. It's everything, that you don't even know about. All i can do i suggest you have that scholarship if you don't want to drop out" His back hit the door as he turned around.

He tried to understand what he was saying and deep down, he did. "It'll be selfish, even for your friend" He let that sink in his head as he turned back.

His eyes met his stoic ones as he parceled his lips.

"Remember, remember the deal" Ola didn't utter a word, but he knew Collins had gotten to him. His throat was sore, yet another guilty bastard, getting away with what they did. It made him question if there was such thing as consequences to the rich.

And the people in power. If there were such rules that applied to them, like to him. And the rest of the middle class world, down. They're never held accountable, and it was why there was still evil.

It was the reason they felt entitled. And as he glared back at him, he was fueled with the rage to make him pay for what he did. He had to, and he had to replace a way to do so without jeopardizing his future and his life. "Bankole" Collins called him.

"My regard to Mary-" He slammed the door on his sentence halfway and for a moment, he just rested against it, fuming at that picture above him.

-

"So" Ola said, breaking the silence between them.

"What about you? What does the future hold for you?" He paused. "You forced me then to sign under Johnsons and-" Obi rolled his eyes. "Must it always get so deep with you?" He asked.

"I hate thinking about the future"

"You hate a lot of things" Ola teased while he nodded back. "I sure do. It's only just a reminder of how fast time's going" He replied. "Mira always said if you focus on the future, you'd miss the present and before you know it, you almost thirty with a mid life crisis and no recollection whatever of your life. You'd miss everything" Obi added.

"It's you making it deep now"

"It's the truth" He convinced himself.

"What if the future's in six months? Obi" Ola scoffed. "We're in our final year. We have to make the toughest decisions of our lives about where we're going and what we want to be. Where do you want to be in five years?" He asked. "Dead" Obi laughed at his own joke as Ola rolled his eyes. "It was a good joke" He said, after a light punch hit his elbows. "It was a great joke even❞

"Half of which is true"

"You can't make jokes about certain things. Like your future" Ola said, and Obi boo'd him. "Such a downer. Who said so, anyways?" He flipped his thumb over, sticking out his tongue.

"You make jokes about everything"

"Because that way you wouldn't get to think. You wouldn't get to be serious. You wouldn't want to know the truth. You want to know the truth?"

"Ola?" He called, raising his head from the sands.

"I miss the comfort of having time. You know, when I was five, without a care in the world. I miss not having to make decisions on the clock. And I looked back and it's like all the time is gone. All the time I had to grow and replace myself" "I don't even know what the fuck I'm doing anymore and it's like I have to make this decision, not just about what i want to be, but who" Ola said, a crack in his voice. "And time doesn't stop. It's an illusion at this point. I don't want to be thirty with a mid life crisis already. Because it all goes downhill from there. You're forty, next fifty. You blink, and it's another decade" Tears stung the back of his throat and it was unexplainable how he got so emotional, so fast. He wasn't even hormonal.

"It's why i make jokes because deep down i'm scared. As much as i hate that school, i know the moment that i leave, i'm going to be thrusted into the world. And i'm not ready, Ola" He added.

"I still have a lot of things to do, and so little time"

"What was your question?" He said, after a pause, wiping his eyes. "Where you see yourself in "

"Where i see myself in five years" He stood, pointing back at Ola on the grounds. "I don't know. I don't have a fucking clue, and i'm yet to make peace with that" He heaved in a deep sigh.

Ola cleared his throat as Obi faced away, to the waters. And he spread both his arms out. A mosquito flew to his ears and he swatted his face.

"You know what it's late, you were right. These monsters are already out. You should get back" Obi said, walking a bit forward as the wave washed over his feet. Ola stood, dusting sand off of his shorts. "Yeah, yeah you're right" He replied.

-

"Are you okay?" Akin came forward with a bottle of water and Mary sat up on the couch a bit. She nodded, stretching her hands to collet it.

"Ola" Was the first person she asked for. "He went to school. I made sure of that" He replied her. And she breathed heavily, gulping down the bottle. "As a matter of fact, i just got off the phone with Collins. You know Collins, right?" He asked. "My memory's fine, Akin. I remember he's the principal" She said softly and he cleared his throat. "Well he was my friend before he ever was a principal. We go way back to civil war days"

"Whatever" Akin chuckled abit.

"Anyways, he said i should greet you and i told him about our current situation and the car" He added, resting back in the chair. "Somehow you replace it difficult to tell your brother that we're poor but very easy to tell a stranger, it's charming" "You know why i can't tell James" He replied.

"Besides, Collins is not a stranger. Like I said we go way back to Civil War times and again, he said he might have a buyer for the car" He continued and Mary's eyes went wild. "What?" She smiled.

"Yes, Mary. At least that can cover up the hospital and medication bills and can get us on out feet. Maybe live a little bit, don't want you overthinking so you don't land in the hospital again" He smirked a little bit and that smile vanished from her lips. She instead heaved a sigh.

"Your mum will be so ashamed of me. I couldn't take care of the family. For God's sakes, you're bringing me water in bed" Mary said and Akin reached for her palms. He might not have been a good father but he was the perfect husband. "It's time i take care of you now"

"But i feel useless" Mary replied and he got up. Still holding her hands, he leaned forward to place a kiss on her lips. "Not later in the night" He whispered in her ears and she felt a shiver go up her body, in a way that she embarrassingly laughed. "No, Akin. I have a bad heart" She said.

"I'll fix it for you" He winked back, as he grabbed the apron. "Now, i'm going to make my favorite. Back in the day, in war we use to make this kind of soup because we didn't have much then" He said and Mary rolled her eyes. "Don't make any war delicacy" She whined.

"It will be nice, i promise" He said, from a distance and she just cupped her chin. "It just ruins the mood, man" She said under her breath.

And her mind might have darted to Ola, and maybe wandered what he would be doing by now.

"Where were you?" Obi asked, coming from behind him with the food on his table. Ola was whisked from his thoughts as he looked away. "Nothing" He said, acting like he wasn't startled.

"Just chilling. On the rooftop" It was this place, where the stairs led to. And from there, you could see the top of other buildings around. The winds were at it's peak there and it was usually serene.

And sometimes, Ola went there for inspiration or whenever he just wanted to clear his head. This time, it was as a result of the latter.

"The roof?" Obi yelled. "Without me?"

"I just wanted to skip class. You know, have some alone time"

The thing about them, was that although they spent most of the time together now, they still respected boundaries and times when they wanted to be alone. When they wanted to be themselves. It was what made the friendship thrive.

"Fine" Obi rolled his eyes. "You know, at first I thought you were just avoiding me after our conversation yesterday. Some people take revelation like that differently, you don't know" "Why would i ever avoid you?" Ola asked him.

And he scoffed. "You did it well for ten years" There was much time to grasp that shade before Fiyin stormed towards the table. She placed hr bag on it, looking around at the few eyes on her.

"Oh my God" Her breathed were deep and rapid, like she had been running. "I just saw Collins on my way here. I was at the door, and he was about to come in, and then he just kept on looking at me and I don't know" She sat in the chair, folding her arms.

"It's torture and it's as if he's doing it purposely, you know the torture after the torture where you're just making it clear that you're still around"

"I just wanted to get through the day but i can't. I almost had a panic attack just by looking at him. And it's it's exhausting to know that he still out there and he's still close by-" Obi instantly stretched his arms out as he soothed but she withdrew. It was because of her healing scars.

"Breathe" Obi whispered to her. "Just breathe"

"I told him" Ola suddenly said. "I told him that i knew what he did. Maybe because i thought he would feel guilty. You know the torture" And Fiyin suddenly stood from the chair. "You what?"

"I told Collins, Fiyin"

"Why would you do that?" Her face scrunched up. "Why would you do that?" She raised her voice. "Because i wanted him to feel guilty"

"Men like that don't feel" She slammed the table, drawing attention to herself and the cafeteria went quiet. She stared at him through her moist eyes as she pulled her bag. "You had no right to do that"

She stormed off and headed towards the door. Ola stood his feet, following her behind. "Fiyin" He called her before he was stopped by an arm. The cafeteria was already getting flooded at the second bell and he turned around to see Ayo. "Yo" Came a subtle chant, with the rest of the football team behind him. Ola peered over his shoulders to see Fiyin scramble through the door.

"What?"

"You hanging with faggots now?" His words alongside his eyes were directed at Obi who stood at the table, with his half eaten sandwich on the table. But before he could look back, Ola's fist was up in his face and they pulled him back- -separating both of them. There was a chant while Ayo was still trying to figure out what had happened. He watched Ola push through the arms of those that held him back. Did he just punch in the face? "Come on, say one more thing" "Come on" Ola raged, and to all to Obi's surprise. There was a crack in his voice and a shimmer of tear in his eyes. "Ola" Obi called from a distance.

And before he could walk towards them, Ola suddenly calmed and he smothered his shirt. The noises subsided as Ayo raised his hands.

He scoffed, wiping his face with his palms.

"Well, that was a surprise" He chuckled deeply alongside the rest of the team behind well. "Just know that any chance you had of joining the team has now been revoked. Any chance you have of being anyone in this school is gone and for what?"

"For him?" Ayo spat, giving Obi a death glare.

"After all you missed tryouts. You know i'm surprised, i didn't know you got in you" He added and then handed over his jacket to one of the boys. "No one ever really challenges me" He said.

"I love a good challenge, don't get me wrong. But it comes with consequences, Olamide" And with that, he brushed past his shoulders and headed for the exit. Ola's heart beat in Obi's palm as he looked across the room to Abdul. Then back. "What were you thinking?" He asked, pulling him away from the murmuring cafeteria and out the door as well. "I wasn't" Ola replied, cleaning his fist against his trousers before he pushed Obi. "Ola"

Obi called unto him as he walked backwards.

"Ola, what's going on with you? You're different"

As he turned away, he slid his hands into his pockets and ran along the corridor. This was a boy desperately trying to save something, while his life was falling apart. "Ola" Obi still called.

As he slammed the bathroom door behind him, he dropped to the ground and he pulled out his shaky fist. His breathes were hitched as he pulled out the bottle of his anxiety meds. Placing one in his palm, he tilted his head back and swallowed it.

And he was fazed back into last night's events. As he walked in with sandy slides and went straight towards his mother's ward. He had a smile across his face, thinking about how good of night it was, being out with Obi. But that smile soon vanished.

He sighted his father from the door, with his hand in Mary's. She was awake, but her face was all scrunched up. "You can't hide it from him forever"

"We can't" She whispered. "Look at you, look where overthinking brought you to" Akin said.

"Akin" She whispered. "I'm not here because we don't have any money. That's not why i had a cardiac whatever. I said we'll figure it out" She said to him, and he pulled away from her arms.

Ola stood by the door, with an arch in his brows.

What did she mean, by they had no money?

"But at some point, Ola has to know. He has to know that there's no plan for him right now. Not for his university or future" Mary whispered. And in that moment, Ola hadn't felt much of a liability till then. "Hopefully the car money comes soon"

"I'll tell him. I will" Akin said. And a tear slipped down Ola's face. Just like it did in that moment as he cupped his chin. What did he just do, picking a fight with Ayo? He stared down at his fist and then at the mirror across from him, as he panted.

For a person big on futures-

-he just realized yesterday, that he didn't have one.

To be continued...