CHAPTER 1O

DON'TFORGET TO CHECKOUT MY BLOG FOR BOOK REVIEWS.

__________________

The car, travelling up to 70 miles per hour, sped past the millions of trees along the road. It was Sunday and most people had locked themselves in the safety and comfort of their homes. 

The once busy streets were almost empty except for the scurrying rats and dancing polythene bags that managed an escape from the bin.

On a typical day like this, I and my mom will go to church at the old cathedral that was just a few steps from home. After we would take a walk through the woods to the little lake there where we would go for a swim. We usually stayed until the sun died down.

Mama said we had to catch all the sun we could. Quite absurd isn't it, considering my mom is as dark as the night sky and I very dark myself.

Plus, I learned in school that the scorching sun rays in the afternoon doesn't provide much vitamin D anyway.

I always suspected that she had a crush on the man whose cabin was just by the lake. I heard my mom gossiping about him once to her friend, saying he mostly stayed home during the weekend and Sunday is the only day my mother has off.

Getting back to the present, this isn't a typical Sunday at all. For starts, Levi's girlfriend has, ever since met at the party, been asking for me to leave Levi's apartment. In fact, she is still at it.

"She can't live with you forever." Her tiny voice echoed through the car.

"I never said she would stay with me forever!" Levi retorted looking annoyed. "just a few weeks and she would be gone."

"A few weeks?" I imagined her rolling her eyes. "do you know how long she means by a few weeks?"

"No, do you? Why are you making big deal out of it anyway!"

"Ofcourse, I don't know, but she can't stay longer than two weeks." This time I rolled my eyes. 

"It isn't your apartment Nora."

" I never said it was mine." She paused and released a loud sob. " you have never allowed me to stay in your apartment longer than a week."

'And she wonders why?' I thought.

"A week!" she screamed this time. "and a stranger just comes along and she is allowed to with you until she is tired?"

"Okay really?" Levi palmed his forehead. "she isn't a stranger, we've known each other since childhood. She is my best friend."

I smiled as images of us running around the park flashed through my mind. I felt nostalgic wishing for the first time to go back in time and relive those magical moments again.

"And I am your girlfriend. I demand equal respect."

"When did I disrespect you?" he demanded, baffled.

"How have you not?" she began to sob loudly. "tell me, when I your rightful girlfriend is left behind and forbidden from spending nights with you, while you enjoy away with your so called best friend. Isn't this disrespect?"

"just stop okay, you are doing too much." He said, tired.

"No, I won't.!" She therefore continued. "how do I know you aren't.... um ......" 

she stopped abruptly, weighing her words before uttering them.

"I am not what, say it Nora." His eyes blazed red with anger. "look, I don't want to fight today okay, goodbye."

"Okay," Nora replied quietly, happy for her narrow escape.

Levi quickly ends the call before she began to rant all over again. 

I sighed loudly, releasing a breath I didn't know I was holding. The goose bumps caused by her murky and shrilly voice slowly vanished. 

"I am sorry you had to hear that."he turned to look at me.

"Don't worry about that, it is totally normal for girls to be overprotective." I lied trying to encourage him.

Point of correction, it is totally normal to feel the need to keep your boyfriend to yourself, but in Nora's case, this is just too much.

It isn't normal for anyone to expect their boyfriends to have no other friends, especially female ones, it is absurd. I have decided that she is crazy. 

We finally reached our destination. The university's apartment complexes, where I would spend the rest of my college years, reading, eating, learning and sleeping. 

The buildings were tall and classy, but a little inferior to Levi's place. They were classy but yet easy to afford, since I got it for free. It was part of my scholarship. 

Cars littered the parking lot, apart from that, the place looked totally deserted. There was a roof top garden with flashing green and yellow colours. 

I am not moving in this day, I just came to check on my sleeping space and my roommate, just in case. I was lucky enough to have been paired with only one person for this year.

Levi and I climbed the spiral staircase to the fifth floor where we located my new dorm. I knocked on the door, not wanting to appear on an ill scene. You know what I mean. 

Almost immediately, the door was swung open to reveal my new roommate. She was dark, really dark and beautiful. She had shirt curly hair rolled in bantu knots. 

She wore a bright, heart warming, and inviting smile. The contrast between her pearly white teeth and dark features illuminated her perfectly symmetrical face.

She wasn't slim like a most runway models but she wasn't fat either. She had all the right junk in the right places. Her captivating hourglass shaped body was outlined by a white body con dress which she paired with some sneakers. 

"Hello!" she beamed. "you must be my new roommate. I have been waiting forever for you."

Her eyes roamed all over me then she travelled leisurely over Levi's where they lingered a second longer.

"Hi, I am Denori." 

"Yes, I already know that. Your name has been tossed over the internet for well over a week now." She continued. 

"Any who, I am Ebony Santa, but I prefer to be called Ebony Reigns."

"Well I get the name fits then," Levi comes in. "or should I say the colour fits?"

She laughed nervously and extended her hands for a shake. I took them in and squeezed tightly, checking out her pink nails at the same time.

"Nice to meet you!" Levi took in her hands as well. "anyway, I have to get going. Call me when you are done."

He waves goodbye and walked back to the parking lot. When he was out of sight, Ebony squealed and clutched her heart, staring family at where he stood.

"That is surprising." I closed the door and walked in.

"I know him," she blushed furiously. 

"he is the actor right?"

"Um.. yeah." I replied, uninterested. 

"Where is my room?"

"Right here," she calmed down a bit as she lead the way. "You know, I have had a crush on him ever since I saw him on television. I can't believe I just met him and he shook my hands! Did I look like a freak?"

"You looked perfectly fine to me. Plus, he has a girlfriend." I said trying to eliminate any hope.

"I know!" she shrieked. She looked annoyed but not because of me. "there is nothing wrong with having a crush on someone."

I didn't reply because it was true. There was absolutely nothing wrong with having a crush on someone, especially if he is a well known star. As long as nothing stupid is done to hurt anyone because of a so called crush then it was okay.

"Anyway, trash that." She cleared her throat and smiled. "what kept you from coming to the dorm?"

"It isn't anything important." I replied and walked into the bathroom. 

"Is it because of that witch. Don't worry about her, nobody likes her anyway." She followed me.

"What do you mean by that? She has tons of fans worldwide." 

" I mean in this place." She continued. "she is rude and obnoxious, thinking she is better than all."

"Hmmm." I nod in agreement. I don't know that girl but I can just tell. I mean, if your own fiancé hides from you then, you must be thoroughly checked.

"Let's stop talking about her, as long as you know I am on your side then we are good."

"Thanks."

We spent the rest of the day bonding and getting to know each other. We talked about random things like music, books and our high school life. 

She ended up preparing strawberry smoothies to prove she could cook. It was really delicious.

I later found out that she was also from Ghana and her parents moved her and started their little restaurant. They made smoothies, coffee, baked pastries and cooked real food too.

We then watched some telenovela's while munching on our popcorn. I asked her to accompany me to get some books and she agreed. We bought all the textbooks I needed and some story books to satisfy my wild passion for reading.

Later on the evening, Levi came back for me and we went back to his apartment. He helped me with the rest of my things and we both retired to bed.

_________________________________________

Hey, everyone welcome to another chapter, I hope you enjoy it, like, share and subscribe.