Wild West of the Heart
SEVENTY SIX

"Obi, i'm going out with Silva. I might not come back till late in the evening" Mira flung open the doors, seeing him upside down, facing the ceiling.

He hummed, like he fully comprehended her sentence when deep down, he didn't. "Are- Are you okay?" She stuttered, walking up to the side of his bed. She had a black leather jacket over her shoulders for the cold and Obi looked to her, and then looked away.

"Cheer up" She added, tossing him a pillow and before he knew, she was out those doors. He wished he was that easy, he wished her words were like a spell of dopamine. He also wished Mira was here more often these days. Because even though she had been home the past three days, she seemed sort of distant.

Like they couldn't have a conversation. Like he couldn't vent to her all the shit that has been going on in his life no matter how much he wanted to. His eyes darted back to the ceiling, just before he heard pebbles against his windows. He jolted up, really hoping that it wasn't Ola after refusing all his calls. But walking to his drapes, he was met with a surprise- "Nathaniel?" He whispered from his lips. "What the fuck?"

"Obi" He yelled in the middle of the streets. "Leave me the fuck alone" Obi yelled back at him as Mira and Silva pushed through those doors. He used that opportunity to run in and Mira looked up at Obi, giving him a sly wink. "Fuck" Obi cussed, walking to his doors but Nate was fast enough to have his hands against it in the nick of time. "Hey" He pushed from the other side of it. "Obi come on"

"Go away"

"You know i'm the one that's supposed to be mad. You hit me twice in the face. You and your friend" Nate yelled. "You deserved it" Obi gritted through his teeth.

"I will not deny that" His voice went low but it was as if his strength doubled against the door. "I saw the photos-"

"I just want to talk" He whispered. "And apologize for everything. For me" Nathaniel scoffed. "I'm such an idiot. An idiot that grew up with and no one and nothing but drugs and pills and that sort of lifestyle" He gave up on the door, and it closed in front of him.

Although he knew Obi could still hear him.

"Unlike you, i go about ruining everything in my path. And i think i got jealous of you and how so together you were. With your friends and everything. I remember how you stared at me in the halls on my very first day and i couldn't tell if i wanted to be you or be with you" He continued.

"What?" Obi whispered. "I liked you dumbass, and i think i still i do" He replied. "But Fiyin?"

"Fiyin just needed someone. It was never anything more than that. For her and for me. You should really talk to her by the way, she's hurting and for some reason couldn't come to you about it" Nathaniel lowered voice, sliding his back against Obi's white door.

Obi leaned against the other side, placing his hands on it.

"I'm going to get help. I'm going to stop all of this, the drugs and the lifestyle. But i can't do it alone. You can't do this alone too. Ola can't, Fiyin can't do this alone"

"What happened to them?" Obi had been secluded in his own world that he failed to realize what was happening in the real world, like the shit going on with Fiyin and Mide. "They're in the hospital-"

The door sharply opened and Nathaniel's back hit the floor.

"Ow" He exclaimed as Obi looked over him. "What happened to them?" He leaned closer and Nate shrugged his shoulders with a smirk. "Is that a you forgive me?"

"It's an i'll never punch you again" He replied and Nate hopped to his feet. "Baby steps" He still had his signature smirk on his cheeks. "And Ayo is an asshole" He added. "And so is Collins"

-

"Ayo is dead" Ola whispered to Fiyin. "What?" Her jaw dropped. "At least i think he is" He whispered.

"I hope he is, after that stunt he pulled" They made their way out of the exit for some air and Ola stole a glance at her. "What?" She parted her lips with a smile and he folded his hands in a fist. "What happened?"

"I have no fucking clue hut i think my dad killed him" Fi chuckled, assuming he was joking. She clutched her chest, as the smile vanished from her lips. "What?"

Her dead serious expression when she realized he wasn't joking was more funny that Ola bursted out in laughter as well and they clung to the edge of the parking lot.

"God i want to yell. I want to scream" He shouted, throwing his arms in the air. The veins protruded from the side of his neck and Fiyin let out a shrill scream.

"Do it" She shrugged, filling her lungs with air. "Fucking yell at the universe. At the skies, raise a fucking middle finger at it" She yelled till there was a crack in her voice. "We're kids"

"We should be doing cringe kids shit. Not all of this" Her voice cracked as threw punches in the air. "Right?" Ola turned his head to face the skies. "Fuck" He yelled in the winds. "Fuck you universe" He jumped with all his might and strength, letting out all he had bottled up the past week.

"Fuck you universe" Fiyin yelled, disregarding the few people that stared at a distance from them. Her back drew towards his as they faced opposite directions. They burst out laughing not so long later, so much that tears stung her eyes again, like she hadn't cried like a day ago

-five hours ago, one hour ago, minutes ago. She was crying like she hadn't exhausted her tears. And Ola held around her waist, looking into those moist eyes.

"I just want it to end. All of it, high school. I want to fast forward to like five, ten years in the future. I want to see how much different i would be" She heaved a deep breath.

"Soon" Ola whispered, like he was sure of what he said.

"Soon, it will end" He looked into her eyes, the alarming chemistry between the inches between them was enough to create a spark. Fiyin leaned in close, and he as well. But he moved his head a bit towards her, instead of his lips.

He hummed, holding her close to himself. Their foreheads touched in the most intimate way possible and somehow, it was better than a kiss. It was better than anything else.

In that moment, they forgot about the turmoil that were both their lives and they just decided to stay there. To remain there where for the first time, nothing was expected of them. Of two kids who'd been through it all. "Soon, it will be over" He said again, this time, mostly to himself. He actually wasn't wrong this one time. Because how you know when a story is coming to an end, is when everything completely falls apart just to fit back together.

-

The moment Akin opened his eyes, the first thing they landed on was his wife, Mary. Her palms squeezed his as she looked to the bandage around his swollen head.

"Hey" She whispered, with a half hearted smile which he returned. Titi came forward with her jacket in her hands and she pointed to the door. "I'm going to give you two some room-" She whispered, rubbing her sister's shoulders on her way out and Mary tilted her head a little.

"What happened?" Akin felt he needed to ask although he could remember quite vividly the events of that night. A sigh escaped Mary's lips the moment he opened his eyes.

She couldn't deal with him being in coma. She couldn't deal with slipping into coma without telling him what she wanted to.

Akin smiled. "I'm so glad you stayed" He muttered.

"I'm probably going to need as much care when we go back home" He added and his let out a subtle chuckle. She brought her chin to rest against his stomach and he looked down on her, locking eyes.

"I'm not going home with you" Mary whispered.

"I can't go home with you. Because Akin, i meant what i said when you showed up at me door" She said. "Your door?" He echoed and she nodded. "Yes, Akin that is my home now. With Titi, Olamide and I have found a home" "Away from you" She whispered.

"I'm so glad you're alive. I'm glad you made it but someone close to me once said i have to choose myself sometimes, regardless of the situation i'm in" She said.

"Regardless of everything, i thank you Akin. Because of you, i see myself in a new light. I see a future and you're there, somewhere in it, you're there" She nodded before standing to her feet. "But you're not just beside me anymore. I have to choose that future, not only for me"

"But for our son who has already been through so much"

"Mary" His lips quivered as she let go of his hands, placing it softly against the bed. "What are you saying?" He asked.

"I'm saying i want a divorce. Not now, when you're well, we'll see to it. Just focus on you for now, i'll be here. But not for a really long time, Akin" She whispered. "It was bound to happen sometime-a fire that starts off so hot, burns out the fastest. That was us" A smile crept to the side of her lips and tears into her eyes. "And this is it" She said.

"This is our inevitable end"

-

Just three days had passed since Spring Field, but it seemed like forever. In fair sight, alot of things had happened since then. And all of this was to acknowledge that. "Are you coming tomorrow?" Nathaniel whispered to Obi, tilting his head to face him. They faced opposite sides of the bed as his legs barely grazed the floor.

"I think so" He wrapped his head on how he was going to face the rest of Hillway High who knew his secret. But luckily he didn't have to do it alone. And besides— "How will we tell Obi Ayo's dead?" Fiyin asked. "And-" She stuttered. "What does this mean for your father?" His eyes locked with hers. "I have no idea" He shrugged. "We've barely made a score of sales" DaSilva beat himself up as he pushed through the entrance of the hospital.

Mira looked to him, knowing she'd at least purchased a fifty percent of those sales. She held one of the articles in her hands as the air conditioning blew right into her face. Her boots clicked against the tiles as she walked towards the receptionist's desk-

-hoping to at least show Reginald what they'd been on the past week. And that they both haven't given up on their promise, the promise to let the whole world know the truth. But little did they know.

Mira pushed a lump down her throat, as if she'd run out of her convincing motivational words. And this first time, the future was blurry, not just for her. But for all of them.

"If David's right-if someone is out there killing people that are already sick in the psychotic mentality that they're doing good, everything changes" Silva halted.

"Then this isn't just the system we're fighting. It's everything. We can't just tackle with the media, we need to do something more serious. We need to do something that captivates everyone's attention" He slipped his fingers into his pockets as Mira leaned against the receptionist's desk.

"What do you have in mind?"

Without a response, the woman of the other day suddenly drew closer to them. She had a clipboard in her hands, and lighter blue scrubs this time. Mira looked down on her, because she was way shorter now that she was in boots-

And she had a half smile on her lips. "We're here to see our friend" She whispered, assuming the whole word was still kept a secret and the woman whose name was Tosin had her back slouch a bit. She heaved a sigh through her lips as Mira fluttered her eyelashes. "Reginald?" She continued.

And in the silence, she perhaps got her answer.

Mira was restive, having a chill go up her spine and she pushed a lump down her throat. "We were here the other day. I need to see my friend" Her voice cracked. "I'm here to see my friend because i just did la-"

"Mira" Silva whispered, reaching out to her arms. "Don't touch me" She screamed, shoving his hands away. "They have him in there, it isn't fair. It isn't" Tosin looked between both of them. "I'm so sorry" She muttered. "But your friend is no more. Reginald Ojo. He passed on in the early hours of this morning" The pause she took right after gave Mira time to try to fathom the news.

Not that it was enough time, that was a reach. However, Silva pulled her into a tight embrace as tears rolled down her eyes. She couldn't believe it, that he was no more.

For the second time, this took someone that was close to both of them and Mira was wrecked, wailing right in the center of the hallways. Silva held firmly unto her as the tears mixed with the mucous from her nose. She ugly-cried. "He's just gone" Her voice broke.

And in a parallel, those were the exact words of Ayo's parents the moment the doctor walked to them.

And while his mother screamed in the hallway, unknown to her how much of a menace her son actually was, her husband held unto her, comforting her delicately.

"I'm sorry for your loss" He felt the need to add, as if that was magically supposed to make everything seem better. He walked away, locking eyes with both Ola and his mum as they stared from the far back of the waiting area. Mary squeezed her son's palms as tears welled in her eyes.

"It's okay" Ola whispered to her.

"It's okay, dad" Fiyin whispered to her father. "It's okay, Mira. Everything's going to be okay" Silva said to Mira. "It is okay, Obi. You don't have to do this alone" Nate added.

More than half of them, with tears in their eyes i did say it felt a lot like rock bottom for all of them. But it isn't such a way to end.

Four days.

Four days had passed since Spring Field, yet a few torn posters were still across the walls and the grounds. Obi let a shred slip from his hands as he looked to Nathaniel.

He stood right in front of the entrance, some eyes already noticing him through the doors. "I don't think this was a good idea" He almost turned around, his heart beating so heavily. But that was before Fiyin showed up in Ola's arm. "Hey" She was the first to give to him a hug, making eye contact with Nate behind him. Ola did as well as he just stood there. Deborah was the next to walk up to them. And then Abdul went to Ola's side. They were all there

before the terrifying hallways that housed these teenagers, but the only good thing was, they weren't alone. Their hands slipped into each other as Ola whispered to Obi. "We're going to take down Collins this time" He said. "I promise you" He remembered what Fiyin had told him.

But it wasn't just that, it was every bad thing he'd done since the moment he showed up at this school. Deborah looked to Fiyin who flashed a smile at her. "Thank you-"

In the midst of all of this, there was Obi and Abdul at the center of whatever this was-intentionally. But they never did as much as look at each other. "You ready to do this?" Nathaniel raised his voice as they stared right ahead. "The moment we walk in those doors, we're going to do it with our heads held up high. Whatever any bastard says" His voice croaked, suggesting what they could've done then.

That night, the night that changed everything.

"Yes" Abdul whispered, looking slyly to Obi's pair of denim converses. "Yes" He added. "Yes?" Ola looked to Fiyin. "Yes" They chorused.

Yes.

It was just four days.

And it would take far more than that to get over it all.

To be continued...