Heyo guys, I know you missed us. I'm sorry for keeping you guys waiting but my tablet just broke *sobs*. Don't worry about me tho

I feel really guilty for not updating but I've had quite a few things in my head that I'm not happy about but I thank God for my life .

And... Are you guys noticing anything different 😏😏😏, it's up there

I want to thank xxMarygoldxx for the banner. It means a lot, if you're also interested in banners you can check out her graphic shop and her books are amazing,check her profile to see her content.

As for the cover in the media above. I want to thank Annbanky for it. Thanks so much love😘. Check out her cover shop

Let's get straight to the chapter then...

Playlist: Pretty Little Fears by 6Lack

Valerie's POV
I run out of the path with a feeling that is foreign but welcomed. I never thought in a thousand years that I'll be learning photography and the most shocking part of today is that Shane is willing to help me.

Today, I have convinced myself that I want to be happy.  When Shane made my laughter known, I kept silent knowing that if I said anything at all, I would have been crying thinking of how I was always cheerful before his demise.

I like the way I feel today, it feels nostalgic and by the way Shane is so friendly, I think I'll be able to learn how to break free from my chains of doubt and locked emotions.

I board a bike and head home with a new feeling untold.
**********************

I  unlock the house door and mum's not in the house, I breathe out a sigh of relief and drop my bag.

I arrange the rooms and take a shower before plopping down on my bed. I hug my pillow because I try to hold in the feeling in my tummy.

My body feels jittery and for some reason, I feel so comfortable  with it. I look at the ceiling and I reminisce today's events.

I still can't believe that someone is ready to help me even without knowing my story. I don't trust him and I still have my doubts as always but I feel like he could really help me.

I make jollof rice and fried chicken for dinner and set up everything. I take my portion to my room and pack the rest in a cooler.

I eat to my fill, wash the plate and go back to the room. I realize that I didn't study as planned today but I liked the way I spent the day.

I take out my books and start studying.i solve a year's worth of maths past questions with great difficulty and then I drift off to sleep without realization...

********************** NEXT DAY

My nuisance that I call an alarm rings furiously and I nearly fall of the bed. I set a daily alarm for 4 am so that I could read  and cover up the subjects that I'm not done with.

I set it off and sleepily walk into the bathroom to take a bath, I brush my teeth and wear a top and sweats.

I continue to solve the past questions of yesterday and evaluate myself . I get some right and highlight the ones I failed so that I could attempt them later

It's already 6 am and I go to the kitchen and make breakfast and take my money from the counter as always . I wake my siblings up and check on my dear mother

I'm glad to see that she's still asleep so I quickly peel off my clothes and put on my school uniform. I am going to be meeting with Shane so I just put a hoodie in my bag to wear later because part of the school's rule is that the uniform shouldn't be worn outside the gates of  the school.

I hang my bag over my shoulder and wait for the bus. I stay at my Normal position as always and we all get off the bus.

I walk through the hallways with my head straight and walk at the sidelines to avoid bumping into anyone.

I open my locker, get my books and get to my class.
The ss3 classes are on a building of it's own and we have our own ss3 library, art gallery and canteen. I guess that's the perks of being in one of the prestigious schools of Lagos.

I'm walking through the stairs and I cringe and quickly turn away at the sight that I see. Two of my classmates are making out under the staircase with no decency to get a reserved place.

Why are they doing it here  I say in thought and quickly run up the stairs.

I take my usual seat at the corner of the front row and get ready for another uneventful day of school.

Our English teacher, Miss Odinaka . An average height woman with a golden complexion, jet black hair and brown eyes comes into view

Everytime miss Odinaka entered the class. All the boys start to behave like animals and they always compliment her in any way they can and today was no different.

We did revision on concords and phrase
************************

School's over after series of classes and practicals and I walk out of the school gates after replacing my school top with the hoodie kept in my backpack.

As I approach the familiar path that I adore each time. I Start feeling a rush of emotions when Shane comes to my mind.

I feel shaky and scared in some way, I feel shy also and I can't still help but feel nervous. I've never Felt this way before and my heart is pounding out of my chest.

I'm just hoping he can help me

I see him drawing his fingers across the sand with a lot of seriousness and i Wonder what he's doing.

I take slow steps towards the sand and halt when I see the creation before me.

It's beautiful

He draws a horse on the sand and if not for my being there,i would have thought it was impossible.

He doesn't notice that I'm already here because he's still slanting lines on the magnificent sand horse before me and I don't want to disturb his artwork because I want to see the end result.

He puts the finishing touches and he breathes out heavily dusting his hands and he's about turning around and our eyes meet.

He shakes like a jelly fish then he holds his chest

"Holy crap, you scared... I mean I didn't see you there" he takes his hand off his chest and scratches his head.

I know that he was scared, seems he just wants to behave bold

"Sure you didn't" I say sarcastically.
He looks at m quizzically

"You're the most complicated person I've ever met " he looks at me funny and I shrug

"It's really beautiful" I look at the sand horse

"Thank you, I was about to give it a shot when I saw you, would you like to take the picture"

As he says this I nod because I really enjoyed using the camera the day before and I'd love to use it again.

He hands me the camera and his hand slightly brushes against mine, I instantly shift my hand as I feel a spark and hang the camera on my neck.

I shift back and take a shot and then I take a perspective shot. I take a few more shots and give him the camera.

He takes it and views the pictures
"Wow, these are really good. It seems like the student is learning really quick"

I shrug "I'm a fast learner"

"Hmm, sure you are" he says sarcastically and laughs

We stay in silence for a while and he clears his throat

"Okay, so would you like me to start helping you with the problem now?" He gives me a warm smile

I can do this, I will make Chinedu proud and be free from this

"Yes I would"

We walk through the sand and seat on mats facing each other. I feel the urge to pick at my fingernails but I resist.

"Okay so, first of all I'll tell you what I went through and how I broke my wall" I nod and he takes a deep breath.

"I know I'm social and smile alot but there's a lot that has happened in my life.
When I was nine years old...my mum died due to a seizure"
he gulps and I don't know why but I placed my hand on the small of his back hoping it will help

"Thank you... Days passed and I was still in pain, I cried everyday hoping she'll come back but obviously even my tears couldn't bring her back.... I... I couldn't accept her demise and that threw me into deep depression and that's when I built an emotional wall" he stops and takes a deep breath and I feel his pain

" I started painting pictures of darkness and anything that looked sad and doubtful. I drew a lot of artworks that depicted hurt and pain, I did that everyday, then I took a room of my house and made it my art sanctuary"  this time he cleans his eyes and I realize that he's crying.

He's Been hurt just the way I feel

I rub the small of his back and then he clears his throat to continue

"I wasn't able to express my feelings and tears, I only expressed them in the artworks I made and my dad made things complicated.... We were a happy family and my dad was the owner of a small time shop , he always paid attention to me and my mum and when she died, he visited her grave with me everyday"

"But how did he make things complicated?" I ask out of curiosity hoping his father didn't blame him the way my parents blamed me

"One day when he was going to get his goods to restock his shop, he found a rare diamond in one of the cartons and when he sold it. He was told that it was one of the rarest diamonds in the world... He became popular and was awarded money and lots of opportunities"

" From that day, my life changed forever. My dad started to only visit my mum's grave once in a while and later on he didn't visit it at all because he was always too busy.... He opened businesses around the world and started sponsoring companies... He became a big business tycoon"

he sniffles and I search through my bag and hand him my bandana. He smiles and cleans his nose

" He was not around anymore and that made my situation worse, I even have to book an appointment with my father just to see him. He paid a therapist and I started therapy, I wasn't open at first but I became more open to the treatment and now I'm here"

" I'm not saying the scars of the past fade but at least the wounds heal. That's my Story"

I was speechless, his life is really tough and yet he's still able to be free. I want to be like him, his personality is genuine

"I'm sorry for everything that happened to you" I say

He laughs "why are you sorry, it's not your fault"

I'm astonished by the way he handles things, really

"So, you're ready to be helped right?"
I nod

"I know it'll be hard but you have to tell me the last time you were happy and when you built this wall"

I remove my hand that I had forgotten on his back and pick at my fingernails.

"When was the last time you were happy Val" he says

And my eyes well up with tears...

*cleans sweat* *cracks knuckles*
*Chug water* *Breathes out a sigh of relief*

Phew!, This is a long chapter as promised, spicier ones ahead.

I was blank at first when thinking of what to write on this chapter but thanks to the motivation I get from you guys,i was able to finish it

I hope you guys like it

What's your view on this chapter?

Was it boring?

I promised myself that I will update today no matter what it takes, my journey with you guys has been so incredible and I hope you all think the same

I dedicate this chapter to my ghost readers. I salute you

And there's one B like that, that has been asking for an update so here it is. we had an unsettled matter but that's solved now but tell her to stop dragging things and people with me . Anyway she knows herself 😏

Please guys, if you feel like this book is worthy, Nominate it in Nigerian readers Choice awards 2020. I'll be dropping the link on my announcement board. Thanks again❤❤❤

~ Bye loves