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"You are withdrawn. You're keeping something."

As she sat in her mother's living room, the exact place she'd been raped, all she could think of was Nonso and their conversation at six am that morning. He'd seen through her, he'd stated that she was hiding something. She returned to his apartment late the previous night, and she'd met him, sitting in his living room re dialling her number. Her phone had been dead. She'd kissed him and walked quickly to the guest room, making up an excuse that she was exhausted. She slept in the guest room. In the morning he'd sort her out and told her she was withdrawn. He'd ended his talk by telling her this is me, scolding you at your worst.

"Aderinsola." Her mother's voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Ma," she looked up slowly.

Her mother gestured beside her. Derin's gaze drifted. Beside her mother sat an odly familiar woman. Her fair skin was pale and adorned with stretch marks with the colour green. Her iro and buba looked out worn. She was sure she knew her, only she didn't know how. She sat up.

"Good morning ma,"

The woman nodded. Pulling off her scarf, she went on her knees. "Ejo, tori olorun. Forgive Michael, he didn't know. It's the friends he follow that set him ashtray —"

"Astray," her mother muttered, interrupting the woman.

The woman nodded. "Ehn.. Astray-"

Derin sat up. It then dawned on her that this was Michael's mother. No wonder she looked familiar. Derin couldn't imagine her step father, who always seemed to composed sharing a bed with the lady before her. It just seemed so unusual.

"Please stand up ma," Derin spoke up. Her hands stretched out, gesturing for the woman to stand on her feet.

The woman shook her head. "Will you let Micheal go?"

From behind, she saw her mother raise her nose then throw her face away. The lady before her was everything serious. She'd gone on her knees, removed her scarf and was now begging for her only child. However, Micheal had committed a crime.

"I'll think about it. He hurt me."

Michael's mother shook her head in shame. "Have mercy." She pleaded.

Just as she was about to speak, her phone rang out. She slipped it out of her jean pocket. Michelle. She swiped her broken screen to receive  the call.

"Derin, it's to twelve." Mitchell said softly.

Derin's eyes widened. "OK. I'll be out soon. No vex."

"It's okay, just be quick. We need to be in position by one."

The line disconnected instantly. Her mother raised a brow at her. She smiled. "Mami, I'll soon leave."

Her mother nodded to Michael's mother, who sat on down, stating at a portrait of her mother hanging on the wall. She looked so lost, so faraway. In that moment, Derin couldn't help but wonder what troubles Michael had put the woman through.

"Mummy, I'll think about-" Derin started, looking at Michael's mother.

Her mother shot her a sharp look. The expression said everything "are you out of your mind?"

Derin ignored her mother. "... it. But Michael must face the consequences of his actions. What he did really hurt me, and like it or not, it has... scared me."

Michael's mother nodded. "I understand,"

She shifted uncomfortably and stood to her feet. She retied her Buba tightly around her waist, adjusted her head tie and sighed.

"Iya Derin-"

Derin's mother cut her short. "Shola."

She never liked people calling her iya or mummy Derin or iyawo. She often stated that it didn't sound pleasing to the ear. Shola often emphasized that it should either be mummy or shola. If you can't call her Mummy then it's shola.

"..shola." Michael's mother nodded. "Thank you. Eshe. Olorun ma toju ara e ati ara omo é dada. The lord be with you and Derin."

Derin's mother nodded, this time her response was somewhat genuine. Michael's mother smiled and walked towards the door.

Once she was out, her mother turned to her. "Have you gone nuts? You'll do no such thing. That boy raped you, with a full intention of getting you pregnant."

She shook her head. "That was a mother's tears Maami. I couldn't bear to see her cry. You would do the same for me also, if i had done wrong."

Her mother shook her head. "Derin. Let this boy face consequences. Even Dele knows not to beg for such Nonsense."

"If you didn't want me to consider it then why did you organize a meeting between the two of us." Derin queried.

Her mother shrugged. "Because I thought you would have been smart enough to stand your ground."

With that Shola turned and walked away.

Derin stared after her mother. She let herself out of the house after minutes of tensed silence.

Mitchelle's Honda Crossteur was parked patiently infront of the gate. Derin suddenly wished she'd accepted all her father's offers, at least she'd probably have her own jeep or car. She slipped into the passengers sit and huffed.

Mitchell offered her a smile. "Bad?"

Derin nodded and went on to tell her what had happened. Mitchell said nothing. She only looked out the window and shrugged.

"Silence," Derin rolled her eyes.

Mitchell chuckled. "I really don't know what to say to this."

Derin nodded, smiling. "Ok-"

"But if you decide on releasing him, will it be because his mother pleaded or because you know if Michael goes down, you might as well go down to."

Derin was caught of guard by the question. She looked away.

"I'm selfish." She said simply. Deep down, she knew the answer and she knew that Mitchell knew as well.

She looked out the window as Mitchell roared the engine to life.

             ________

"Are you certain?" Mitchell asked for the hundredth time.

I shrugged and scanned the whatsapp message. Behind Iya bosa foods.

"This is it." She nodded.

The place was another planet. The awful smell of urine, feaces and cigarette mixed together hovered in the air. The signature pose of rough men usually referred to as agberos stood there, smoking, laughing and eyeing the car.

"I'll get down here." Derin said. "Mitchell park by the corner."

Mitchelle scoffed. "I haven't even told you the plan."

Derin nodded. "Yes. What about Agent Sodiq?"

Mitchell faced her, winding up the windows, she cleared her throat. "Did you ever ask Nonso how he knew about the rape?"

Derin creased her brows. Mitchell's question once again caught her off guard. "No."

Mitchell sighed. "He had Michael followed. Agent Sodiq did it."

Derin suddenly remember Alex asking about an agent sodiq. At that time, she'd been less interested in their conversation.

"My God. Then.. then he must know of Daniel."

"I saw the file, it had the name Derin case written on it. It was in Sodiq's office. Once i saw it, I decided to not involve Sodiq in this. He is very loyal to Nonso, very."

Derin nodded in understanding. "So what's the plan."

"We'll bug him." Mitchell shrugged. "And we'll spy on him, listen in on every of his conversation. Then we bring him down, he goes to prison, we get Micheal out with his mother as an excuse."

Derin raised a brow. "Who said?"

Michelle matched her gaze. "You want Michael locked up?"

Derin swallowed hard. "I don't know."

Mitchell sighed. "Ok, we'll discuss later,let's bug Daniel first."

Derin nodded firmly. Mitchell dipped her hand into a square shaped bag she threw at the back seat. She retrieved tiny devices, as small as nuts and handed them to Derin. Derin slipped them in her jean pocket.

"Just find a way to tag it on his cloth or something." Mitchell shrugged. "I'll listen in on you guys so if there is any problem, I'll know."

Derin nodded. She looked up to where those men were smoking. "You have to get out of here with your expensive bulldozer."

Mitchell stared at her quizzically then scoffed. "Get out. We have an idiot to put behind bars."

Derin smiled at Mitchell. In that moment, she missed Ify and Lola, more than she'd anticipated. She wished they didn't hate, she wished she'd never slept with Daniel, she just wished they were all still together.

"Hey, what's the matter." Mitchell asked.

Derin forced a smile. "I.. just miss having friends." She admitted.

Mitchell sighed. "In life, people will come and go. Sometimes we meet people only once, they impact and then disappear. Sometimes the ones we trust most betray us."

Derin inhaled sharply.

"Just like you did to Lola." Michelle completed. "Derin, in all this time, we must learn to be strong. You didn't come into the world with anybody and you won't leave with anyone. It's O.Y.O. but let me tell you something, make sure to make a good impression everywhere you go, friend or no friend. And appreciate everyone who sticks around you in the toughest times."

Before Mitchell could finish, Derin pulled her into a hug. Mitchell stiffened briefly then relaxed into the hug.

"I just... i just wish I'd been a better person. "

Mitchell patted her back. "We can't turn back the hands of time, but we can create our path to the future."

Derin pulled back. "Let's take down Michael."

"Daniel." Mitchell corrected.

"Yeah."

A sudden flash, a bright light and vase, crashing down upon her head, a hard punch landing on her stomach. Derin gasped, closing her eyes, the images blurred.

"Derin?" Mitchell called.

She opened her eyes. "I keep seeing odd things, things i don't feel or remember."

"Should be from the rape."

Her phone suddenly rang out. She'd changed her ringtone to Davido's Fia. She retrieved it from her bag and swiped the cracked screen to answer the unknown number.

"Hello."

"It's one'o clock. Where are you?!" Daniel growled.

Derin's eyes widened. She waved at Mitchell then slipped out of the car. She didn't bother looking back when she Mitchell drove off. She just hoped Daniel hadn't seen her get down from the car-

"Where are you?" Daniel snapped.

She'd forgotten he was on the line.

"At the back of Iyabosa restaurant." She snapped. "Stop talking to me like I'm your house girl."

She moved further and stopped in front of a narrow road that had it's ground muddied.

"You're in no position to shout." Daniel's voice spoke behind her.

The phone beeped and she turned sharply. It really was him. Dressed in a faded black jean and a black hoodie, part of his dark face was hidden. His hands clutched to the side. Her eyes trailed to the scars on his hands. The long sleeved hoodie surely hid others.

"Daniel." She acknowledge lightly.

He looked up. Pulling his hood down, he stepped forward. "Rinny."

She cringed at the nickname he'd given her. She moved back, suddenly thinking it was a bad idea to have agreed to meet him.

His face had a long sharp scar, starting from his fore head, down to his jaw. He looked horrible.

He gripped her forearm unexpectedly. Derin froze on the inside. Fear. She was never accustomed to fear. She was Aderinsola Adeyi Nzube, she'd learnt the hard way that fear only gave your enemy satisfaction.

Gulping hardly, she lifted her head to meet his. Her eyes locked with his sharply, then she snatched her hands away.

Daniel chuckled. "Feisty Rinny."

Derin never for once wavered. He smelt of alcohol and drugs. He smelt awful. "Daniel, what is it?"

He nodded towards the narrow road. "Let's move inside."

"No." She said quickly. "We'll talk here, I'm a very busy woman."

He gripped her forearm. "Well not only graduates can be busy, Derin. We who got kicked out can also be very busy."

Derin looked up at him, enduring the horrible smell of his breath.

"You had me raped. Why?"

The blank memory haunted her. It sent shivers down her spine and evoked anger more than anything else.

Daniel pulled her closer, their chest crashed together. "You had your daddy kick me out of school,why?"

Derin quickly put her hand into her pocket slipped out the bug. She placed it on his hands on his chest, as though to push him away and stamped the bug to his chest.

"Let go of me."

Daniel snarled. "Let's talk. Why did you do that to me?"

Derin shook her head. "I had no idea my dad would work to kick you out."

"You believed I had done that Photoshop shit."

"What other choice did i have, you'd called me a slut." Derin spat.

Daniels eyes softened. "I loved you, and you used me. You used me to save him."

Derin stared at him. "I wronged him."

"And me?"

Derin shoved him hard and moved back, unable to endure his bad breath much longer. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry ok? I was just lost and-"

"Bullshit." He bellowed, attracting passersby. "All i wanted was you by my side and my medical degree. I loved you! I used Lola to get to you!"

Derin nodded. "Well then, I'm sure you've heard that one good turn deserves another."

He growled.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," she went on. "I wronged you, I'm sorry."

Daniel scoffed. "It won't make up for the medical degree I never had. It won't.  Look at me. I went crazy after that, I'd been in my third level, third level and I got kicked out. Do you think it was easy. Before getting admission to unilag, I'd been in bowen. I'd been in four hundred level medicine when i got kicked out after i was framed up for drugs. My father threatened to stop paying my fees. My mother begged, I got admission to unilag. Then I got kicked out. You know what happened, my mother collapsed and died. Then my father disowned me. Me! His only fucking child." Daniel screamed.

Derin flinched. "You know, what hurt me the most was when Lola told me you were behind it all. I was angry,  worst was you called to tell me good bye."

Derin felt terrible, she'd destroyed him. She'd destroyed his future. It was her fault he was the way he was now.

"Imagine my luck when six years later, I bump into Michael who was so desperate to make money. He started selling drugs i made. We made money, then he stole from me. After a background check, I realized he was related to you. Nice," Daniel smirked. "I told him what he had to do to redeem himself."

Derin nodded. "To rape me and drug me right? "

Daniel scoffed. "That didn't even ruin you did it?"

It had scared her in a way. But she had somehow pulled through because she let people in and because she was strong. She was Derin. She sighed in empathy. Daniel didn't deserve the cold side of life. She had ignited it. It was her fault.

"Daniel, I'm sorry. I really am."

"If you're, then prove yourself and I swear on my mother's grave I'll forgive you." Daniel closed his eyes. "I swear."

"Shoot." Derin whispered.

"I wrote jamb this year." Derin creased her brow. "I've been admitted into Lagos state university. I want you to sponsor my education for the next seven years."

Derin opened her mouth. "What?!"

He glared at her. "That's one. Two. You'll free Michael."

Derin raised a brow. "If I don't?"

Daniel shrugged. "Nonso will know everything and trust me, I know what it feels like when the love of your life betrays you."

Derin sighed. "Aren't you supposed to.. to hate me? Why give me such options. I-"

Daniel cut her short with a loud scoff that made her inhale the sour smell of booze. She stopped herself from receiving oxygen as he spoke. "Because believe it or not, I'm still so whipped over your afro hair and black skin. You're unforgettable."

She swallowed hard, waiting for him to say what she suspected.

"I love you." He snorted. "And Lola was right, I'm stupid. I love the one who hurt me and hurt the one who loves me."

Derin looked away and breathed out. "Done."

"Hmm?"

"I said done. I agree to your options."

He smiled. "Good because i must get my degree."

"Daniel." She choked out. "What drug did you give me to forget my memory from the rape."

"I made a drug, I call it formula D. It's what Michael injected you with."

"Will I remember?" She asked, unsure whether she wanted to.

Daniel stared at her. "Yes. You will, but you'll never remember all, because even after that day, Michael swapped some of your medication at the hospital. They gave you some of formula D. So because of that, it's likely you'll not remember all the events of that day. But you'll remember some."

Derin stared at him. "I don't want to remember."

He shrugged. "I'm - you brought it upon yourself."

She nodded. "Yeah. I have to go."

She turned. His hand gripped her forearm. She turned. He placed the bugs she planted on his hood in her hand. She swallowed hard, suddenly gripped by a cold sensation in her blood.

"I'm a science student Derin. I spent the last six years on the streets of Lagos. I'm not stupid." He moved his lips to her ear. "Don't you dear double cross me again."

She stayed still, her heart pounding. She crossed her eyes as he spoke in her face. Daniel had always been nice, he'd always been too good to her, but she wondered if she even deserved his forgiveness. She'd ruined him.

She stepped away from him to walk away. She walked in hurried steps down the stone filled road.

"Rinny." He called. She stopped, her leg landing on a stone. "I love you."

                   ____________

Michelle sat still in her crossteur. Her hands on the steering. Derin looked away. The tension in the air was high. Derin's hands shook.

"Did you hear?" She whispered.

Michelle nodded.

"I hurt good people.  All this people i good. I bring out the worst in people."

Derin suddenly broke into a sob. She was done trying to be strong. She was done being angry. All the heaviness she felt suddenly became heavier, her guilt. She was tired of her life, of hurting the people she loved. She was tired of being that little girl, angry with her father, Nene and her brother. She was tired of being the thirteen year old monster she'd created.

Michelle said nothing, but she felt her arms wrap around her. Derin sobbed more, all the tears she'd kept just to be strong purred out.

"Daniel's love for you will change him." Mitchelle said.

"It ruined him."

"True, but it was enough for him to forgive you." Mitchelle stated.

"I- Nonso has to know about this."

Mitchelle nodded. "You have to tell him yourself."

Derin cried out Loud, her tears dripping on her jeans. "Will he forgive me? Will his love also forgive me?"

The silence that stressed after that confirmed her suspicion. Nonso may never even forgive her. He may never.

But Mitchell's reply was nothing like she'd expected. "Just know that any how any how shaa... I'm here."

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So! Writers block died ni oh!

crankychris hiishah__Breezyeasy Corinna203 aDesieLeleyii oceanbluesea_

Guys! For all the right reasons and more, thank you. 😘😘 check their works out, its awesome!!

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A message, for everyone following this story.  Friends will come and go. Ify and Lola were very important parts of Derin's life, yet they all betrayed each other, Derin inclusive. But like mitchelle said, we came to the world alone, and we will leave alone. Just appreciate the people who will never leave even when it becomes tougher.

I have about four chapters to go and an epilogue.

Chiziterem.

Ps. Who misses Nonso.

I do!!!!!!!!!!!!