Chapter 22
"I asked you question first so you'll need to answer that before I do" Fred smirked
"So is that it?" Lucy asked
"Okay, I'll answer" she added as she explained everything to him from the day Doris had called her to get back home immediately, how she'd warned her not to go out and she'd disobey her by going out with Arthur till the accident happened
"You and Arthur?" That's the only thing Fred could point out out of all her story
"You mean you're going out with him?"
"No, no, no, it's not what you think. We're just best friends you know as we went to the same schools and my mum and his mum are friends" she shrugged
"I know" he snapped as he took his hand from her knee, rested his back on the wall and sighed heavily.
"So what about you?" She asked
"My answer"
"Hmm, first of all, I called you yesterday right?" He asked and Lucy placed her forefinger on her chin trying to remember
"You picked it and told me you'd call back cause you were busy"
"Oh yeah, then I was..." She paused not wanting to tell him she was with Arthur again cause he seems to be displeased with that
"You were what?" He asked
"I...I mean I was really busy at that time" she stuttered
"That you couldn't even give me audience?" He arched a brow
"I'm sorry" she murmured
"Well, I wanted to tell you that I'd been coming home today before and feed you with the good news that I'm now a graduate"
Lucy gasped and buried her mouth in her palms "you mean you've graduated?" She asked and he nodded smiling
"Oh my God!" She hugged him
"Do you tell mum any of this?" She asked
"I told her about the graduation stuff and I also told her I'd been coming home any time soon, though just for a visit cause I'll still be going back"
"Going back?" She frowned
"Come on, you look scary when you do that" he laughed covering her face with his palm but she pulled it away and still continue to give him the look.
"Okay, this is it. Mom said you'd come join me in the school so I'm still taking you back" he explained
"Really?" She smiled too
"Yap" he rolled his eyes
"God saves you" she said sitting back and Fred made a sigh of relief, she'd been resting on him for a while now
"So continue your story" she said staring at him
"Or you think I'll forget about it?"
"Of course no, I've known you very well to be always a lover of gossips" he teased
"What?" She said raising her hand to punch him
"Joking actually" he quickly said to stop her
"Better" she snapped
"I'm listening"
"The cab I took pulled up immediately Mom came out of the house and I noticed her trembling and rushing to get the doors locked as she fumbled through the keys and finally ran and hop in her car, immediately I sensed something was not really right so I decided to buy the man's cab I was in"
"Buy a cab?" Lucy's eyes twitched
"Do you want to become a cab driver or what?"
"Believe me I didn't know what I was doing at that moment anymore, I just knew I transferred some money to the man using my phone and immediately I shoved the sluggish man away so as to have my way and be able to catch up with Mom"
"So you're telling me you bought the car immediately, at that moment just to trail Mom and leave it over?"
Fred heaved an heavy sigh as his face turned pale "I don't really know if you should say that and I don't even know if I bought it or settle the man, everything was just out of control and I didn't know what I was doing but I was still sensible enough to realize I shouldn't just violently take over the car from the old man if I don't want him wailing and screaming unnecessarily to call attention and being followed at that moment, probably arrested which wouldn't have made me reach to you guys so I made sure I settled him in the way I could". He said with his last three words drowsily slow as he flickered his eyes closed
Lucy knows she no more needs to ask any question or make him talk as she watched his stressed face, even despite the stressed look on Fred's face, he still look as handsome as ever with his masculine body as perfect as ever. Lucy took her time to study his face again, that face and hair she'd always played with almost fifteen years ago now, yeah she and Fred had had a very keen childhood, they'd played childishly together like mates and she'd spend most her time clung to her brother's chest stroking his hair, or picking something on his face and most times when she had nothing to do, she'd nestle her head on his shoulder, she'd grown to becoming more affectionate with only Fred (not even her mother, Doris ) as she'll cling unto him, here and there and everywhere he goes but this had to stop when Fred had to go to highschool cause he was put up in boarding school by both Linda and Doris.
Lucy was left feeling shattered and lonely, she wasn't even used to anybody, not even her strict Mom and only then did it dawned on her that she had no father anymore. She decided to get used to her lonely life but not when she's with her brother as she always feel strong, protected and happy.
"Only God knows if he had taken after Dad" she murmured underneath staring at his side face from where she was sitting beside him hugging her knees to herself
"So, you wouldn't sleep now?" She heard him blurted out from, should she say his sleep. She hissed under her breath as she quickly buried her face between the space in her knees before he could look up but she felt her palm cold now and her body was not pleasant as they show disapproval to the cold, then she realized she'd not been wearing some good clothes that could fight off the cold from winning over her body as she was only caught up in a a sleeveless satin top with a pair of jean trouser, at least she hadn't see this coming, she didn't know she would be sleeping outside tonight, even till that morning, she couldn't bring herself to notice till she realized a drop of what seems like tears dropped on the bench from where she'd been burying her face.
Oh! She'd been crying, she thought as she was about using her right palm to clean the tears secretly, she felt a cool texture covered her from the back and Fred manly voice said
"You don't just hop in to your wardrobe and wear any clothe out during winter"
Lucy was not sure of what to say but she knows she had to reply since he already knows she was not asleep, she pulled her head up to smile to smile at him completely forgetting she still have some tears dancing in her red eyes
Fred's face fllutter and he frowned
"are you crying because of cold?" He asked with concern
Lucy, caught up in what to say find herself nodding and shaking her head again, is she crying because of cold? Or because of fear? Yeah, the fear of what she'd thought just not now, she didn't know, she wasn't even sure as something in her told her this is just the beginning, like her mother's house, watching the house she'd grown in burning down before her is not the beginning?, she thrilled in fear, no that can't be true, what's the meaning of these? Why's these happening to her? She thought, not noticing when another tears rolled down her face.
"You should stop this, it's not getting funny anymore and I'm beginning to get scared" she heard Fred says. Yeah, the only person she can ever be opened to and always feel confident around and with
"Okay, you look scared now" he said as if reading her thought
"Yeah" Lucy mumbled as she rested her head on his shoulder
"You shouldn't" Fred whisper and the two words sounds reassuring and shouldering her he added in a likely mean and serious voice
"I'm back now and I'm going to fight this through with no one getting hurt again" he said squeezing her shoulder's lightly and calmly
"Not you and Mom"
TBC...
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