Chapter Five

I did a double take. Was that still the same girl I saw earlier? A little bit of glam and she was nearly an entirely different person.

When Cee-Cee made her way up to the stage, she danced around with the rest of the band and gave the crowd a show of her own. At some point, she even got Ayo to spin and dip her. When we were done with our performance, we made our way off the stage with the crowd still cheering wildly behind us. I had to admit, I loved every second of it. We went back to the private room.

"You guys, that was awesome!" Shouted Cee-Cee as she hugged us but lingered when it was my turn. "Just as I thought Michael, you really do have a great voice. I..." She said as she took a step closer.

Just then the door flew open and in walked Laura and Idris. I had never been so glad to see them!

"You guys rocked the stage!" Idris exclaimed as he threw his hands up in the air.

"I see that Michael did perform eventually." Laura said with a smirk. 

"Look, I know you and Ayo cooperated on this. I just don't know what the payback was for."

"Don't worry your pretty head about that now, we'll let you know in due time. Idris, why don't you come with me? Let's go have some...fun." Laura said as she dragged a concerned-looking Idris out of the room with her.

I didn't miss the mischievous grin on her face. I could only hope that Idris would be prepared for whatever was coming his way.

"I'm heading out to the main party too, see you later." Ayo said. Just like that, he was gone too.

I was about to make my way out too but unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough.

"Mikeeyy... come keep me company." A feminine voice slurred. It was Cee-Cee but she sounded slightly off and I suspected that she'd probably had a few too many strong drinks at some point.

She sent me a sloppy grin and promptly tripped unto the couch. Her already short dress rode up even further. I didn't want her to embarrass herself any further, so I grabbed her shoulders to steady her. Unfortunately, she took this the wrong way and locked her arms around my neck instead.

What da... I thought.

"I think you're way too drunk to know what you're doing right now. You-" I started to say but got cut off by Cee-Cee.

"There's no need to deny it Mikey. I've known since you first got here that you that you had your eyes on me. We both know what we feel." She slurred.

I knew what she felt alright. It was the effect of whatever drink she had taken. I'd had enough and wasn't interested. I walked over to a water dispenser, filled up a cup and handed it to her.

"Drink this and wait here while I get someone to watch you."

I looked back to find her half asleep already and shook my head. I didn't think I should just leave her there unconscious. It was a quick decision. I walked back to where she was and picked her up. A brief search revealed an empty bedroom. I laid her on the bed, pulled off her shoes and put the blanket over her. Just as I was about to leave, I decided to place the plastic waste bin closer to the bedside.

Just in case.

I left the bedroom, locked the door from outside and slipped the key under the door. I hoped she'd notice it when she woke up. As I made my way back to the party, I stopped short at the sound of Laura's voice from the speakers.

"... and now, make some noise for my pal Idris as he performs his rendition of Taylor Swift's 'We Are Never Getting Back Together'!"

The crowd actually cheered him on.

As she walked off the stage, she gave the microphone to Idris who dragged his feet up the stage but anyone who looked closely would notice the death glare he sent her way. She just returned it with a wide smile.

What has he gotten himself into?.

I wasn't sure that I wanted to stick around for the humiliation. However, my request was granted in a less than pleasant way.

I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. Quickly, I left the room and found a quiet bathroom. The number was from home.

"Hello?"

"Michael, you've got to come home!" I heard Ola's frantic voice.

"Ola, calm down. What's going on?"

"I just got a call from the catering company. I was asked to put you on the line but I told them you weren't home. They wouldn't tell me anything, so I had to give them your number. Michael, I think something happened to mom." She whispered the last sentence.

Despite how fast my thoughts raced, I first tried to reassure her.

"Listen Ola, there is nothing to panic about. We don't even know for sure that anything bad has happened. Maybe they just wanted to give us some information. Let's not assume the worst alright?"

"Alright." I heard her sigh.

"I'm coming home right now okay? I should be there soon. If you get another call, redirect it to me."

With that, I ended the call and ran out of the bathroom.