She Was…

via Daily Prompt: Nervous

She was human.

She was female.

She had emotions.

Emotions which consumed her human mind.

She watched from afar as the raindrops interrupted her senses.

Far from what she had expected, she saw the very captain of the football team – the first African-American captain in her school – walk up to her.

Holding tight to his vaserty jacket, he held out an umbrella over her head.

Her eyes timidly looked up to his.

He didn’t have a smile on at all but his gesture was enough for her to feel like chalk and cheese.

Her hand wavered as she contemplated what next to do.

“You don’t want?” The boy asked. Biodun  Adedeji.

“Oh,” She immediately understood that he referred to the umbrella and she took it from him. “Thank you.”

She noticed he now stood under the rain without anything but she didn’t have the guts to say a word.

Her palms suddenly felt sweaty despite the cold in the atmosphere.

She was stuck on words to say.

Her brain couldn’t even compose a correct statement.

All that rung in her head was ‘Darn it, Biodun Adedeji is talking to me. I hope I don’t make a fool out of myself.’

“Hi, I’m Abiodun,” He stretched out his hand for a handshake. “You are?”

Her brain wavered as she said, “Nervous.”

For the first time in their interaction, a smile formed on the face of Biodun Adedeji.

“I mean I’m Venus. My friends prefer calling me Vi or they sometimes make some jokes and call me Mars or Skittles but Venus is actually my name and yeah… I think I’m just ranting and selling myself out of how nervous I am right now.” Her voice became timid as she bent her head down, a little embarrassed.

His smile grew even wider as he dropped his outstretched hand. “Yeah, I guess that’s cool. I was as well nervous before walking up to you.”

She looked up at him with her cheeks blushed and her face flushed.

“I have a game tonight and I’m not sure how well it’s going to go so I was nervous about that.”

“Oh,” Her face fell. “Well, we haven’t​ gotten any formation for the game tonight so I was and still am nervous about that.” That was the first lie that came to her head. “I’m a cheerleader.” She quickly added for better clarification.

That bit, wasn’t a lie.

He cocked his head to the side with his smile still in place. “Yeah, I’ve seen you a ton of times. You’re pretty good.”

Her blush came back. “Umm, thanks. You’re not bad yourself.”

His face changed.

“I mean with football. I’ve seen you play on the field. You’re really good. Uhm..” She tucked her hair behind her hair and bit her lip as she looked down.

“I see you’re really nervous,” He chuckled.

She looked at him, more flushed than normal.

“About the game, that is. Let me treat you,” He smiled ever gently at her. “It’ll ease you up a bit before the game.”

She smiled too really hoping that he knew the main reason she was nervous was because of him as she took his offer.

“Sounds awesome, I guess.”

The two left and Venus felt the need to pull out from the pressure he was causing her but then, there was also an ounce of excitement to the nervousness she felt.

Something inside her wanted the nervousness never to go away.

Count Your Stars

It was a Saturday when I had my first attack.

It was sudden. Unexpected. Uncalled for.

As the school’s best athlete, I had raced hundreds of metres without any cases of breathing problems – but Saturday seemed to be exceptional.

It felt surreal.

I could feel my lungs getting smaller, everything around me became blurry and hazy and I was unaware of the things going on in the real world.

I was in my own world – a world that was based on my survival.

I was rushed to the hospital. Different tests were run on me. They connected foreign materials to my body – most that I wasn’t accustomed to.

Well, that was the most I remembered before I blacked out.

The main problem wasn’t even about the attack. I had my scholarship to protect.

I was given a sport’s scholarship in the Carsen Hill State University.

It was at stake due to my health condition.

I have dreamt all my life to be a famous athlete and the opportunity was granted to me in one of the best Universities – But now, I know that my dream would remain in the realm of imaginations and man’s desire.

The thing is, during the cause of my moping, I met someone – a boy. He was handsome… But that isn’t the point, is it?

He was nice, kind, caring, understanding and… His perspective of life affected mine.

It started with him asking me out to coffee then we’d go to the park together and stay out late till the stars emblazoned the night sky.

He’d tell me stories his mother told him about the stars.

“My mum always told me to count the stars. I always did but I was never able to count them all. They weren’t even countable.”

Then he’d look at me with his striking and vibrant brown eyes and smile as he holds onto my hand.

“She says that they’re our blessings. They aren’t countable.”

Something in the way he spoke always made me feel good about myself. Like I still had a purpose of living.
He taught me to have faith, to believe, to hope for the best and forget the reminiscence.
And I did.
Maybe that was the mistake I made… Or maybe not.
Our journey turned to one of him admittedly asking me out on dates, staying even later out at night to tell each other our experiences and stories about life and even confessing our feelings – which ignited – to each other.
It took time, but it happened.
I even forgot about my scholarship because I thought I had something better – someone, better.
On the night of my eighteenth birthday, that was when all he had said to me proved to be worthless.
That night, I had a phone call from CHSU concerning my scholarship. It was withdrawn.
Why? Because of my health condition.
All my joy turned to misery, my celebration to mourning, my laughter to tears and the love I once felt to hatred.
But, was that the complete truth?
As I sat on the swing in the backyard of my house, he came.
He came to comfort me. He came to reassure me. He came to reverse all the negativity I felt.
I couldn’t do anything about it – because it was him.

I had fallen in love and I felt like it was heavenly sent.

He was sent to teach me lessons, to teach me to be patient, to teach me to move on and to teach me to learn.

That night he told me that God was testing my faith.

That statement alone made me realise that maybe not all was lost.

No matter what, God loves his own and would never let him suffer.

Since then, I got up and decided to be an example of a wonder-worker.

How ironic, right?

What would make it less ironic was how on my graduation day, I was offered another scholarship to the Doran College of Arts because of the artworks I did in my freshman year was on display.

The claim was that I had talent. Multiple talents – and you do, too.

Just because you couldn’t pass in one aspect doesn’t mean it’s all over, God has multiple plans for you – they are non-ending.

Anytime you lose hope, I want you to look up to the sky and count the stars.

They’re yours. Your blessings. They’re out there. You have to reach for them.

.

.

P.S.

Just so you know, this isn’t a real life experience. It’s my fictional friend who was just sharing her illusory experience.

P.P.S

Follow my Instagram @amara_chi_

Follow my Twitter @aj_anya

Follow up my books on Wattpad, although I am nowhere near a dedicated writer ^.^ @_Jacinth

My Snapcode a_jacinth

And last but never the least, I have a semi-good-semi-terrible voice so you can check out my singing on my Smule account @_jacinth

Stay blessed and don’t forget to count your stars.

🙂

http://jacithsblogging.wordpress.com/

His Smile

He wore his shirt.

He tucked it in his pants.

He fixed his tie.

He wore a waist coat over.

He wore a blazer over.

He sat down.

He wore his socks.

He slid his legs into his shoes.

He got up and walked to his mirror.

He looked himself over.

He smiled but it dropped instantly.

He should have adored himself.

He should have.

But he knew something was missing.

Something very delicate.

Maybe someone.

Someone more dear to him.

The only one that could make him smile.

She was his smile.

And he knew he wasn’t fully dressed without his smile.

-Anya Amarachi Jacinth