Chapter Two

Greggs' Residence

*****

"Hey bestie" Tana half yelled when I finally picked up the phone. I had been so engrossed in my sketching that I totally did not hear the phone ring until the third time my ring tone filled the air. In my defense, the phone was tucked underneath my pillow and my phone's volume wasn't exactly at its loudest.

"Heyyy"I drawled, not with as much enthusiasm as she gave off. I was exhausted, lethargic, unmoving and she noticed.

"What's wrong?" She asks concernedly. I couldn't bring myself to explain that I had been trying to get a good sketch out, but they all ended up in the trash. I was not feelibg inspired, I was beginning to let my fears get to me and it was affecting my skills.

" I.." I started, after much reluctance, but she didn't let me finish.

"I'll be with t you in a minute, we're going out. No best friend of mine is going to get depressed, not on my watch!" She rolled all of that out so quickly, I could barely catch on to what she said. Tana hung up before I could decline her offer. I groaned as I got out of my seat. I had to dress up before she came to drag me out of the house looking like a hobo.

I wondered why she would leave her job just after noon to come take me out of my brooding state.

Perks of being self employed, I suppose. 

Tana runs a modelling agency, she looked like a model herself but never participated in pageantry, she would never want to give up junk food, not for anything in the world.

I was in the middle of dressing up when my room door came open. Of course, who else would barge in without knocking? I stifled a grown just as I adjusted my green chiffon top tucked into black trousers. I turned around to glance at the creature seated on my bed. There she was, cute button nose, almond shaped hickory brown eyes, small pink lips that stood out against her very light complexion. She was clothed in a black sleeveless mini dress and a pair of nude heels. Now that was a major contrast to the slip on sandals I planned on wearing.

"Uhh... What are you wearing?" She beat me to it this time as she scrunched her nose up in disapproval.

"Uhh... I'm supposed to be asking you the same thing." I retorted. "Why are you dressed like we're heading to the club or something?, it's just one in the afternoon." I was confused, honestly.

"Madam, I'm just coming in from the office, what do you expect?" She asked rhetorically.

"That explains it,but why a mini dress for work?" I found myself asking.

"Well, I just felt like wearing it, so I did. And you know I don't go clubbing." She glared at me and continued. "But I have the dress and I have to wear it."She shrugged casually and I just shook my head with a wry smile on my face.

" Well..." I mimicked her pouty voice." You're not wearing that." I stated plainly, pointing at her and before she could protest..." Where are we going anyway?" I questioned. 

"The mall."She replied, not looking up from her phone. 

"The mall?" I asked, utterly shocked. I almost smacked her right there. I shook my head again, Tana had a way of making me do that whenever she was around. 

"Come with me." I beckoned her and she gave me a puzzled look. 

"We're changing this outfit." I pulled her with and took her to the mini walk in closet I had. 

Tana has a more petite build, compared to mine. She was also a few inches taller though while I had more defined curve but I did have a few of her stuff which she had left behind whenever she slept over. 

"I'm going to change out of this outfit only on one condition." She finally decided to concede after minutes of arguing back and forth. 

"What is it?" I rolled my eyes, she was never one to back down without a fight. 

"You're changing out of this too."She stated, eyeing my outfit like it was the strangest thing ever. 

" What's wrong with my outfit?" I pouted this time around. I actually had to check myself in the mirror. 

"That green top isn't doing it for me." She faked a gag. I gasped in mock horror. 

"You're mean, but it's fine. I'll pick something else." I went for a white top with cute inscriptions and replaced the sandals with a pair of black converses. 

Tana on the other hand, replaced her whole outfit with a pink polo top, white jeans and a pair of black sneakers she borrowed from me,at least we had the same shoe size. 

We were out the door after thirty minutes of bickering over our outfits. I almost face palmed at the thought. She got to her vehicle before me, her Hyundai Azera sparkled under the sun. The red color always had me admiring it and even more its plush interiors. Tana loved this vehicle if hers a lot as she bought it with the proceeds from her business. It was a thing of pride, I wanted the kind of independence she had, I yearned for it. 

"Alright, let's go." I said to yer, interrupting her phone fall. She just nodded, got into the car and started the engine, the phone still placed on her ear. She continued talking on the phone as she drove us out of the estate where I resided. 

****

"Why did you sound so downcast over the phone?" Tana asked after we had settled in. We were currently seated in a food court munching on some snacks. I did not hesitate to tell her the reason and the response I got was the one question I dreaded the most at the time. 

"Have you told them?" Her eyes narrowed and I involuntarily froze. 

"Lola..." She tsked, fully aware I was too terrified to speak up to my parents about what I wanted for myself. 

For years, Tana had been trying to get me to speak up on this issue, I just never did. 

As usual, she lectured me for what seemed like hours. It was only a few minutes by the way. 

"Talk to your siblings." She suggested for the thousandth time, she knew the outcome of such an attempt, I had told her many times over but she kept on suggesting it. 

Here's a short take on the relationship between my siblings and I. We have something I'll call a very cordial relationship. We don't exactly fight, but we're never intricately involved with one another unlike many other families. Every sibling had their own lives to live and no one was allowed to interfere with the other's. 

We're not exactly the affectionate kind of family so this shouldn't come we a surprise. My immediate elder and only sister turned out to be an exception but this started only a few years earlier. 

Back to Tana, we finally left the mall after she made me swear on my favourite pair of shoes that I would do the needful. She dropped me off and I walked into the house only to be met by a surprise.