Her phone rang again, but she didn't answer. Star sat still, moody, dull, and visibly unhappy. Her eyes have been red for days, a result of the cries she couldn't stop. She is heartbroken and has ghosted her lover.
"Star, please answer his call. This is the fifteenth time, if I'm not mistaken," Lizzy said gently.
"Answer that bloody being? You can't be serious," Star snapped, her voice low but filled with rage.
"I know he betrayed you, but can't you give him the chance to explain?" Lizzy pleaded.
"When Purple showed me the evidence of their relationship, there was nothing left to explain."
"It's been three days now since you met Purple and made that deal with her. You haven't even tried to hear Miguel's side of the story or explanations for the action. He's been calling nonstop. At least tell him what he did wrong. Maybe then he'll stop calling. Look at you, three days without eating properly, lost in thought all the time. Think about your baby. That innocent child needs food, not this junk you've been managing to swallow. The foetus needs strength from you to survive. You took that money for the child's sake, remember? So stop torturing yourself. Move on," Lizzy said earnestly.
Star was quiet.
"It's hard, Lizzy," she whispered, her voice cracking. "The thought of being a single mother drives me crazy. I never planned for this."
"Nobody ever does. But you need to tell him the truth, let him know why you won't pick up his calls. Tell him about the pregnancy. And most importantly, you need to stop worrying and start eating again."
Lizzy was interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. She picked it up, spoke briefly, then stood up.
"All right, I'm coming out," she said into the phone. Turning to Star, she added, "I'll be back soon," and walked out of the room.
Outside the compound, Lizzy opened the gate and stepped onto the street. A black Hummer Jeep was parked nearby. Miguel waved at her from the driver's seat. She walked over and got into the front seat without smiling, unlike her when she sees him.
"Good afternoon, Lizzy," he said.
"Good afternoon, Miguel," she replied coolly.
"Thank you for coming out to talk."
"Save the thank you. I'm only here because of my best friend's state."
"Her situation?" Miguel asked, confused. "What do you mean?"
Lizzy gave him a sharp look. "You want to act like you don't know what I'm talking about? You seriously don't know she met her?"
"Met who? Can you be more direct?" Miguel asked, his confusion seeming genuine.
Lizzy narrowed her eyes. "He's just pretending," she muttered.
"What was that?"
"Nothing. So tell me, who is Purple to you?"
"Purple? She was my classmate in secondary school. We met again on campus. We chat sometimes on WhatsApp and Instagram."
"You never knew she was Star's stepsister?"
"I did. But nothing is going on between us."
"She told Star she had her father pull strings at UNILAG just to be close to you."
"Yeah, she said that back then. But it doesn't mean anything. I don't love her. I've never loved anyone until I met Star at the auditorium. I remembered her from the bar. I saw you two at the canteen, but I was with Purple then. She told me Star was her sister, but refused to give me her number. Said she wasn't close to her."
Miguel paused, then added,
"Purple likes me, that's true. But I don't feel the same. She dates lots of guys. She's flashy, a party type, I've known that since secondary school."
"Really?"
"Yes. What has that got to do with my Star?"
"Do you usually make out with Purple in your house?"
"Aside from childhood visits those days, No,…. wait a minute,… She had visited me once. All I can tell you is that she once came to my place and gave me a box of chocolates, my weakness. I couldn't resist, but something was off. I dozed off, and when I woke up, I was alone, naked in my bedroom, instead of the parlour. I have no idea what she did, but I swear, even half-asleep, I could never… touch her. Not her."
"Jesus," Lizzy gasped.
"She probably did something crazy, but I'm sure I didn't sleep with her. Even back then, when I used to play girls, she was never my type. I mean, come on, I can't be with someone like her."
"What do you mean?" Lizzy asked, trying to keep calm.
"I mean… almost all my friends have slept with her. She's rich, yes, but she throws herself around. No dignity. No pride. And even when I was at my worst, I never stooped that low."
Miguel was very anxious; now he knew Purple's visit was without a plan. He had waved it off when he woke up that day, all naked. But whatever she had plotted, he knew he would win her.
" Even in my right senses, I can never have sex with her no matter how horny I feel, for Christ sake, I can't put my dick in that gutter"
"She showed Star a picture of you and her in your bed and..."
"What? Oh my God!" he shouted, cutting her off before she could finish.
"What's the meaning of that?" he asked, bewildered.
"Are you asking me? She's already ruined things between you and Star," Lizzy replied.
"I knew it from the very moment she walked into my living room. But I couldn't resist the chocolate she had come with. She knows it's my weakness... I can't believe she stooped so low with that cheap stunt."
"Well, that 'cheap stunt' managed to separate you two," Lizzy said, relaxing into the car seat. "Guess it wasn't so cheap after all, more like clever."
"No," he said firmly.
"Star is mine. Forever. No one will ever come between us."
"So what are you going to do now? Because I'll be leaving soon," she said, checking her wristwatch.
"Leaving? Where to?"
"Back to Abuja. I'm going to be with my family, and we're heading to Chicago for the summer holiday."
"When are you leaving?"
"My flight's at 3:15 p.m., so I'll be at the airport by 2."
"You're not attending the convocation night party next week?" he asked.
"Nope, Star will collect my certificate for me."
"Alright... I just can't believe Purple would go this far."
"It's really unfortunate," Lizzy said, shaking her head.
"So that's why Star's been ignoring my calls and texts for the past three days."
"Yes, dear."
"I planned to visit her yesterday, but I had to take my dad to the hospital for his weekly check-up."
"Is he sick?"
"I think it's just old age catching up with him."
"It's okay, dear."
"Can I come in and see her?"
"She doesn't even want to hear your name being mentioned"
"Alright. Thank you for coming out. You're truly a wonderful friend."
"Abi? Anyway, you're welcome, dear. Please fix it up. See you." She opened the car door.
"Sure, I will. Safe journey, dear."
"Thank you," she replied, shutting the door behind her.
***********************************
Threesome Palava
***********************************
The music inside the Adam and Eve club was loud enough to burst one's hear. There were many people inside, girls in transparent short gowns, some on bumpshot. Each with a guy, some are with more than one guy, maybe about to have a threesome sex. Other girls are walking around trying to gain attention from single guys sitting and drinking.
The place smelled of weed and alcohol, with many girls smoking while twerking their waists, vibing and dancing to the background music. Miguel was moving from one table to another, looking at each girl on the face. Two girls held him, making seductive moves at him, but he pushed them away roughly. Suddenly, his eyes caught the back of a girl with a purple wig.
"It must be her", he said and hurried towards her. Purple was in the midst of three guys smoking weed and drinking. One of the guys was touching her exposed breast.
"I like your tattoo", he said to her.
"Then you gonna suck the hell out of me", she replied puffing out smoke from her mouth.
The guy was referring to the butterfly-shaped tattoo on both of her breasts.
"Are you sure you're fit for the two of us, because we're hard and rough riders?" another guy asked.
"Wow, I love hard riders. Yeah, Rough bangers are my favorite," Purple purred, but her smile faltered when she turned and saw Miguel standing with hands akimbo.
She rose quickly, leaving the guys.
"Baby Miguel, it's been so long. I've missed you," she said, reaching out for a hug.
He stepped back, gently pushing her away.
"Preparing for a threesome, I see?"
"Oh, those guys? They're just friends." She laughed awkwardly, pointing toward the three men.
Miguel frowned. "Can you please cover your chest?" He handed her his handkerchief. She was wearing only a bra in an open jacket, tattoos etched across her skin.
"I don't see anything wrong with it," she said, covering herself with a shrug. She had respect for the guy standing in front of him, the only one she wished to spend the rest of her life with.
He didn't smile. "What kind of chocolate did you give me the last time you visited?"
She paused.
"Just something to make you feel a little dizzy..."
"And the naked picture you took of us?"
"Oh... she told you?"
Miguel's voice was cold. "I knew you had your ways, Purple. But this? This is wickedness. Why do you sometimes act like a witch, even from basic school?"
"You're calling me a witch? Over that poor girl?"
"That virtuous woman is worth ten of you; she is not filthy and dirty like you."
"Star? Please," she scoffed, but then he landed her a slap on the face
His slap was sudden and sharp. She staggered.
"Miguel! You slapped me?"
"Talk about her like that again, and I won't stop at one."
Purple's eyes gleamed with fury.
"Go ahead! Be with her then. But know this, she chose money over you!"
That dropped like a bombshell. He had always given his woman everything. His heart skipped.
"What do you mean?"
"We had a deal. She took five million to leave you and relocate after the convocation night. Don't worry. You'll never see her again. It's just the beginning for us..."
"Us?" He laughed bitterly. "You and me?"
Her smile faltered as his hand rose again.
The second slap echoed louder, drawing people's attention. Purple screamed, but people around dared not interfere in the slay queen's business. The two men she was with earlier at the table rushed over.
"You think I'd date you? With this kind of life?"
"I love you, Miguel," she said, tears mixing with rage.
Miguel looked at her and the two girls in anger.
"This is how you spend your life every day, partying and having sex with so many guys. Don't you think about the future, because you're rich and you think the world is a bed of roses. Hmm. I can never date someone like you in my life, your hole is a gutter, and I can't enter into a dirty place", he shouted at her.
"I am a gutter?" Purple asked slowly, crying.
"You don't have any dignity. You are a whore and a rich harlot", Miguel said and made to go but stopped and looked at her with the guys beside her again. This time, his look was more of a warning.
"For the last time, let me warn you.", he said, pointing fingers at her.
"Don't approach my woman again. I have had enough of your lies, and now be informed, I am getting married to her, and nobody, not even you, can stop that. And please, for the sake of your life, try and visit the hospital and go for a test. I bet with this kind of lifestyle, they may diagnose you with gonorrhea or human immunodeficiency virus.", he said and walked away.
Purple stood there speechless; she left the guys and went home.