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Christine Onyinye Nwafor

"Stomach on flat flat, ass on what's that! Okay, sis!" Nedum hyped me up when I walked into her room in a yellow short sleeved crop top and black fitted flair pants that accentuated my curves.

I laughed as I spun around, shaking my bits a little before turning to her. She started singing a rap song I had no idea of but I began dancing anyway, throwing my hands in the air, dropping low and twerking a little. When we were both done, breathing heavily, we burst into laughter.

After a long moment of trying to catch my breath, I finally stared at Nedum who was still in her plush black robe and with pink curlers in her hair.

"Come, are we going clubbing or somewhere I don't know about? I thought it's a house party." I told her and she twisted her lips, flipping her invisible hair seeing as the real thing was being held up by rollers.

"I have to slay regardless yunno. Never to be caught unfresh is my motto so you already know what it is!" She grinned widely with attitude.

"Well okay, Queen." I snapped my fingers.

As she continued with her make up, I went to take a can of Bullet from her mini fridge. Being in this room suddenly reminded me of the last time I was here.

"Oh, by the way, did I tell you of the conversation that I had with that stupid roommate of yours?" I asked Nedum.

She scrunched up her face in confusion. "You spoke to Tracy?"

"More like she spoke to me. The girl came at me with unwanted advice that I couldn't give two fucks about. Telling me how Remi has a new play thing every other day and I shouldn't get too comfortable."

"Eeya, she'll eat her tongue when she finds out that you've been upgraded to girlfriend status." Nedum said with genuine sympathy and I burst out laughing.

Although it's only been a week, it still felt strange being called Remi's girlfriend. Unusual, more like. The mere mention and reminder of the fact brought a fleet of butterflies to my belly that couldn't be helped.

Almost as if conjured by my thoughts, my phone pinged with a text.

Remi✨:
Can't wait to see you.

Reading the text, a smile came to my face as I replied that I felt the same. It's been two days since I last saw Remi due to him leaving school for some work emergency. Two days too long, the time apart only making me long to be in his presence.

Although strong communication was maintained, something I made certain of, seeing this text telling me that he was thinking of me made me happy that he was slowly but surely becoming more comfortable to express himself to me.

The party was set to begin in an hour and a half. Chinedum took over thirty minutes before she was finally ready and then we began the drive to the boys hostel. We were supposed to help them set up, hence us going an hour early.

Entering the hostel, the first thing I noticed were the badly done brightly colored balloons littered on the floor. There were colorful party strips strewn on the floor and on the table which had been pushed to the wall sat empty, transparent bowls.

Micheal walked in, a frustrated look on his face which quickly lightened up as soon as he noticed us. "The life savers are here!" He hollered. "Welcome, ladies. Please I need your help."

The desperation in his voice made me chuckle. "Obviously. Don't you guys have a helium machine or something, cause these balloons look sad."

He turned to the balloons I was pointing out before kissing his teeth and hissing under his breath, "Hassan can't do shit right."

"Don't worry, babe, we'll take care of things as usual." She adds the last part with a playful roll of her eyes. "Don't stress before you start getting grey hairs. I can't have your mom thinking that's my fault." Nedum told him, rubbing his head in a placating manner.

Micheal laughed before whispering something in her ear that made her face heat up. I raised my brows at the pair before my attention got caught by Hassan who was walking out of the kitchen and going to the stairs.

He paused and gave me a long look before ascending the stairs and I wasn't even the least bit bothered that he didn't say hi or anything. I wanted nothing to do with the guy anyway and I was glad he was respecting my boundaries.

We all went upstairs and I was talking to Jacob, one of the guys who lives in this hostel, asking him for a helium machine, when I felt hands slither themselves around my torso.

A smile — which I'm sure looked silly as hell— came to my face as I knew who it was before I even saw him. That expensive cologne he always wore was a dead giveaway.

"Hey, baby." Remi whispered, his lips near my ear. The endearment was still a bit unfamiliar and it made me feel some type of way, arousing a foreign flutter in my chest whenever the word escaped his mouth.

Remi's voice wasn't as low enough as I presumed because Jacob raised his brows at us before saying aloud with a grin on his face, "Baby? Y'all official now?"

I blushed as I felt eyes shift to us then. Damn Jacob and his deep, high-pitched voice.

Since things between Remi and I were still quite new, we'd made the joint decision to keep our relationship on the low for the time being. But I guess those plans were now in the wind all thanks to a certain giant looking man.

"This my girl." Remi said simply, the pride in his tone unmistakable as he pressed a kiss to my temple as per habit.

After getting the helium machine I was looking for out of the hostel storage room, we began preparing for the party properly.

Two hours later, the party was in full swing and everyone looked like they were having a good time as people trooped in with snacks and drinks.

Nedum and I were busy chaperoning the whole thing despite the fact that we weren't the official organizers of the event, trying to make sure that the music wasn't too loud, the video game spirit wasn't violent enough to get people riled up, and the booze was flowing.

Some people were on the makeshift dance floor showcasing all their skills and when I finally caught a break, I leaned against the wall leading into the kitchen and watched them, laughing at the occasional mishaps.

Remi came and handed me drink when he returned from the cocktail bar and I arched my brows at him in question after a brief glance at the tropical colored drink.

"Just try it." He encouraged and so I did.

I winced as I took my first sip, a burst of flavors descending on my tongue in a perfect harmony. The drink was surprisingly really good, albeit sour, the taste blended well with the alcohol. It was the type of drink you could keep taking, forgetting that it actually had alcohol in it and in no time you'd either be piss drunk or really tipsy.

"What's in this?" I ask him, smacking my lips. I raised the glass up in the light and looked at the reddish orange liquid.

"You tell me." Remi shrugged.

I chuckled before deciding to indulge him. I took a sip once more, this time honing my senses to make out the specific flavors. "Orange is definitely in it."

He hummed in agreement.

"Um...vodka." I said tentatively and with a roll of his eyes, Remi nodded.

"Obviously." I chuckled at that.

"Strawberry?"

"Just a little bit."

I took another sip. "Mango, I think."

He nodded again.

"Did you make this?" I tilted my head and finally asked Remi because it was beginning to seem like he didn't even know what it was made of.

"No." He confessed as he burst into laughter and I slapped his shoulder playfully. "But I think that's what in it though. It's one of Micheal's special concoctions. Literally the only relevant thing he can contribute to this party which was his idea."

I laughed at that but the sound died on my lips when I spotted an uninvited clique at the door. I watched as the three musketeers walked in, with Regina leading as usual. They didn't carry any snacks whatsoever and I wasn't even the least bit surprised at that. I rolled my eyes when I saw Regina surveying the room before whispering something to the group. Soon after, they dispersed and she began walking in our direction.

I was determined to keep a calm resolve though. No way was she going to get a reaction out of me today.

"Hey, Remi." She greeted him when she was finally in front of us, her eyes stuck on his face as she obviously ignored my presence. I scoffed lowly at her rudeness but yet again, I wasn't surprised.

Remi was quiet for a moment before saying, "What's up?"

"I was wondering if we could talk." The words rolled off her tongue amorously and if the audible intonation in her voice wasn't enough, she biting her lips did the job of helping you understand what she meant by 'talk'.

"So talk." Remi told her with a shrug.

For the first time, her gaze flitted to me, although briefly. She forced a close lipped smile before clarifying in a clipped tone, "Alone."

"Well whatever you have to say to him, you can say it in my presence." I spoke up this time as I gave her a straight look, tired of her blatantly disrespecting my presence.

She scowled as she turned to me before honing in the expression and pasting a fake smile on her face. "And who are you exactly?" She blinked.

"His girlfriend." I give her a saccharine smile.

I almost laughed at the way her eyes comically widened before turning to Remi as if expecting him to oppose my words, and when he doesn't, she looks at me once more.

For a moment it was silent amongst us, the vibration of the loud sound of the music electrifying the atmosphere. Regina eyed me from head to toe before saying to Remi, "I guess I'll see you around then."

And with that she walked away.

"Ugh, I can't stand her." I groaned when she was out of earshot.

Remi laughed as he turned my body to him, his hands settling on my waist. "Don't let her get under your skin. That's what Regina does best and if she's able to get to you, she'll feel like she succeeded. Don't give her that satisfaction."

I nodded, pursing my lips to keep the other insults I had for Regina from escaping my lips. As well as my question of what he ever saw in her. It was a thought that had crossed my mind a couple of times but I told myself I'd never voice it.

"You're sexy when you're jealous though." Remi commented with a lopsided grin.

I gave him a sharp look. "Jealous? Who's jealous?" What's that? I wanted to add but it'd have been too obvious that I was playing it off.

Remi didn't even bother saying anything. We both knew he was right. I didn't like feeling this way: jealous, slightly insecure and worried. Worried about his past and the many girls he's been with or the ones who have a thing for him and eyed my boyfriend like an all-you-can-eat meal. I knew all that when he asked me to be his girlfriend and yet I said yes.

And as he smiled down on me, I was reminded why. Remi took my hand and spun me around before pulling me to the dance floor with him. I feigned reluctance as I allowed myself to be dragged but in no time I was dancing to the beat.

When Rich by Megan Thee Stallion came on, my rachet button flipped on, along with most of the other females here. And in no time we were chanting the chorus

"I'm a rich bitch, with some rich friends
If he buy it for me, he gotta buy it for them
I'm a boss bitch, I don't need help
Imma tell him to buy it, but I can get it myself!"

Remi stared at me in amusement as I grinded on him.

"Don't start something you can't finish, woman." Remi grunted out and I laughed as we continued dancing, carefree with the stress of the midterms almost feeling like a distant memory.

About half an hour later, I'm exhausted and in need of freshening up so I excuse myself from Remi's presence and head to the restroom on the first floor.

After relieving myself in the toilet, I flush and head out. I stare at my slightly sweat stained makeup in the mirror, before pulling out a refreshing towel from my small purse. I didn't have on much make up and I was going to try to dry it, but I decided that I didn't like the feeling anyway so I tried to neatly wipe off the concealer with that one towel.

Afterwards, I poured water on my face and I was drying off with a paper towel when the door to the restroom was shoved open hard.

The sound caused me to jolt and for a split second I thought it was one of the guys (since this was an all boys hostel, they didn't have a female restroom) but instead, I saw Regina walk in.

Pursing my lips, I continued what I was doing before turning to leave. I wasn't in the mood for whatever she might have to say to me.

I was halfway to the door when she spoke up, "You think you're so much better than me don't you?" She laughed like the idea of that was hilarious to her.

I didn't grace her comment with a response.

"You come to my school, walk around with your shoulders held high like you're the shit, and then you have the fucking audacity to try to steal my man!" She asked incredulously. Her voice was loud and with each word she spoke, she stepped closer to me. And the closer she got, the more pungent the smell of alcohol on her breath became.

Ah, that's where the confidence is coming from.

"If you know what is good for you, Christine, you'll crawl back to the slums you came out from, gutter bitch." Regina sneers before tilting her head and grinning devilishly. "I can make your life here a living hell, don't fucking push me."

I didn't move an inch from the spot I stood as she advanced towards me but at her words, I raised my eyebrows. I'm sure my face showed my amusement at this whole conversation because I couldn't help it. She reeked of desperation.

My mind went back to the first day I met her. How I thought she was beautiful and loved her accent although she didn't speak to me much. Staring at Regina now, I wondered how someone so pretty could have such a vile character. She could literally have any man she wanted with her looks yet she was stuck on the one man who didn't want her, how sad. It still surprised me that this human being is related to my best friend.

"And what will you do to me exactly?" I ask with a smirk. "And after whatever you want to do —which, oh I'm so scared of by the way— will you get Remi back?" I pause, recalling the words of the man in question. "I'm not even gonna have this conversation with you cause you reek of alcohol and desperation, which is a bad combo, sis. Hopefully after the hangover you'll no doubt have tomorrow morning, you'll be able to make better life choices."

She's quiet, her eyes blazing with hate and fury as she stares daggers at me. I had no doubt that if looks could kill, I'd be six feet under. Too bad they didn't. "You better watch your back, Christine," Regina said in a deathly calm voice.

"Oh yeah? Or what are you going to do to me?" I asked her with arched brows, the taunting in my tone loud and clear. I don't even bother waiting for a response before turning to leave.

I felt it before I saw it. Sharp pain shot through my scalp and I instinctively held on to my head with both hands, trying to making sure Regina didn't actually pull my hair off with the amount of strength she was using to hold at my ponytail.

This shouldn't have surprised me. Being the cunning person she is, I should've expected that Regina would try some shit like this the minute I had my back to her.

I had no idea what spirit took over me in that moment and as adrenaline with a good dose of anger coursed through my veins, I endured the pain and let go of my hair only to ram my elbow into her abdomen as hard as I could.

The action caught her off guard, like she really didn't expect me to fight back and I turned around, watching her stumble a bit before gaining her bearing and steadying herself.

Gritting her teeth, Regina charged at me but this time I was ready for her.

She tried to aim a feeble swing at me but she missed, her movements sloppy, no doubt from the same alcohol that she had consumed that deluded her into thinking that she could fight me.

We were going head to head when I distantly heard the sound of the bathroom door being shoved into the wall, the sound like Deja Vu before I felt somebody pull me away, strong arms wrapped around my torso.

I was heated, my skin felt like it was on fire and I was angrier than I've ever been. "Leave me alone let me beat this foolish girl! Leave me!" I yelled, trying to get out of the person's hold, but he barely budged.

"Calm down, Chris! Baby, she's not worth it." I heard Remi say from behind me, his harsh breath fanning my ear.

I was still seeing red but the knowledge that he was here helped calm down a little, my nostrils flaring in anger as I tried to catch my breath.

Hassan held Regina in his grip, much like how I was being held back by Remi, and she clawed at his arms, her teeth baring like a rabid animal. She was saying something but I couldn't make out her words past the painful ringing in my ears. She looked like she wanted a go at me again. The girl obviously didn't know when to give up if that gash on her head wasn't stopping her.

Releasing a harsh breath, I pushed Remi's arms off of me and this time he complied, his grip loosening until his hands fell altogether. "This is who you're fighting me for?" I asked Regina, pointing at Remi. "You're so shameless that you're fighting a girl for a guy that clearly doesn't want you? I feel sorry for you, pathetic piece of shit."

If she were any closer, her long legs that she aimed at me as she jumped up in Hassan's arms would have hit me, but they didn't. After eyeing her, I made a turn to leave, only to notice the small crowd that had piled themselves at the threshold of the bathroom door, all wanting to see a piece of the action.

"Everyone please make your way back to the living room, thank you." Remi commanded in a loud voice and reluctantly, the crowd dispersed, murmuring amongst themselves.

When we were finally out of there and in the now nearly empty hallway, Remi held on to my arm gently, making me stop. "Chris."

I wasn't having it though as I softly shrugged off his hand, my own hand going to my mouth which I discovered was bleeding.

Remi stared at me, deep worry etched on his face. I had a clue what was going through his head, perhaps that this whole thing was all his fault. But the truth is, I wasn't mad at him, so I let him know that. "I'm not angry with you, but I just...I need to be alone right now."

He opened his mouth to say something but thought twice about it. Instead he released a deep sigh before nodding, his fingers rubbing at his temple like not knowing what to do to make me feel better was stressing him out. If the circumstances were different, I would've found it cute. "Um, okay, let me get my keys and I'll drive you to your hostel."

"No, it's fine-"

"Take my car then. Chill, I'll get you the keys." He was ready to leave to do as he said but I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

Now didn't seem like the time to let Remi know that I'm not exactly a pro at driving so instead I told him, "I'll ask Nedum to take me back. It's fine." I emphasized the last sentence.

I pressed a quick half kiss to his lips, mindful of my bruised lip. "I'm fine, don't worry."

But as I walked away, I knew that was exactly what he was going to be doing for a long time.

I found Nedum jogging down the staircase. Her steps faltered when she saw me as she made quick work of buttoning up the top of her rib dress. I didn't need to ask her to know what she was doing earlier.

"What the fuck happened? I was gone for barely five minutes and next thing I know I'm hearing that someone got into a fight." She rushed out, eyes wide.

I nodded slowly, exhausted by this whole thing. "Yeah, Regina and I. Please can you drive me back to my hostel?"

"Hold up, what the fuck? You fought Regina?" She paused. "I hope you fucking won."

I gave her a weak smile before shaking my head. "Nedum, focus please."

"Okay, okay. Sorry." She held her hands up in surrender. "Let me get my bag and tell Micheal I'm leaving. You're telling me everything in the car."

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Regina is slowly starting to show her crazy, obsessive side. There's more to come, lol🤐

How'd you guys enjoy this chapter?

Please drop your thoughts! Also, what do you think Regina will try to do to Christine?👀 I'll love to hear y'all's speculations.

And do you think Christine is going to turn this anger on Remi? Should she?

Until next time, stay safe💕 I'll try to update soon!