After It Happened novel Chapter 30

I stare at the stranger beside me. What the hell happened to this girl?

Maybe she just outgrew her love for the cartoon.

I watch as my plan starts to backfire. I am not backing down though. Not yet.

"Shut up and just watch it."

"This baby cartoon? How can you..."

"Just. Shut. The. Fuck. Up." I seethe.

"Hmmph" and she goes quiet.

To be honest I never really liked the cartoon. Constantly watching the same thing and hearing the same silly music can get really annoying at some point. However, Ola, well the Ola I knew before everything, lived for this stuff. Watching her act so indifferent now makes me think of a light going off. I can't remove the image from my head- empty jet black eyes, pale skin, limbs going limp. Too many horror movies.

"Mhmm hmm hmm... And we can live forever. Right here in my arms."

I watch her but she doesn't notice. Her eyes are fixed on the TV.

"Na na na na" I see the single tear that escapes and the others that follow. She touches her cheek then stares at the wetness on her hands. When she looks at me I take a sharp breath. No layers. I see everything- the confusion, fear, hurt. She doesn't look like the scary girl I met in the school halls when I first arrived. I can almost see myself in her. Maybe even worse. As soon as her facade is down it goes up again. Her annoying phone rings. She picks it up.

"Hey. No, I'm fine. I was sleeping. Sorry." She looks at me before moving outside.

"No. I'm alone. Want to watch TV. Yeahh"

When she comes to sit beside me again the movie is almost over. The queen and princess start to sing.

"The same song? Please turn off the TV."

"But it is almost..."

"Just listen to me and fucking turn it off already!" she screams and I flinch. I switch off the TV immediately.

"Olanna why are you making noise now. I wu onye ara?" her aunty shouts from her room.