Wild West of the Heart

"I saw the news"

Mary wrapped her arms around her only son, some sense of relief finally soothing the building tension around her fragile heart. She held unto his stained clothes, placing her heart against his. Ola was shaken, who wouldn't be

it was why the first thing he did was locate a bike man, and he didn't care if he got to pay twice as much, he just wanted to get out of there. That no matter how badly he hated his life, he couldn't die by a bullet. Maybe on his own terms yes, but not in the arms of the police.

"Citizens claim that the police opened fire on the once peaceful protesters around se" Titi turned off the news, realizing it was what hastened Mary's heart. Luckily you weren't there to see how frantic he had gotten. The same fear she transferred to him once Ola remembered Obi and Fi and how he'd left behind.

He pulled away, scratching his eyes and then his head. "You should take a shower. I'll boil some water before you get dressed-" She still held his sleeves and he nodded, a chap in his dry lips. "Obi" He muttered before she nodded. "He'll be fine, Ola" Titi leaner against the doors as Mary watched him walk halfway up the stairs. And then he came to a halt, looking back at her. "I haven't forgotten. Collins" He pushed a hard lump down his throat. "I" Mary stuttered, making it obvious she was about to tell a lie. "I know nothing about that man. He was your father's friend, never mine" She replied and Ola fixed his gaze at her. She was edgy as she stepped backwards. "But i think i know someone you might want to talk to" She added and life filled his eyes again. "But you have to tell me Ola, what's really going on?" "Who is that?" He ignored her question and upon the silence he received, he turned back. "She just wants you to be safe" Titi continued and he only took one step forward before her lips parted to speak.

"Janet"

"Collins' wife. She might want to speak with you" A sigh escaped his lips as he made his way up the stairs. He didn't utter any words after that, perhaps he was still traumatized from all that had happened that evening, alongside many others. The first thing he did as he closed the doors was lean against it, crying into his arms. For whatever reason, he began to feel better because of that.

Mary felt a light squeeze around her shoulders and she bent her head to lean against her sister. "He'll be okay" She said, seeing through character and the way he acted.

Besides, it was not like the door before them was soundproof. Mary heard her son weep, and that was enough to hurt her already healing heart. A tear slipped down her cheeks as she nodded, perhaps telling herself. Reassuring herself that everything will be okay, it had to be soon because everything was falling apart. Everyone was falling apart in what was meant to be the prime of years.

"I can't wait for all of this to be over. Start a new life maybe" There was a crack in her voice as she locked eyes with an empathetic Titi. "It will soon❞

And only Mira could wish the same.

-

She stared at the news but somehow she'd tuned her ears deaf to the audio. She was sick and tired of requesting that they'd change the channel. But it was everywhere, alongside the reminder of how much of a failure everything was. How much of a failure that she was.

She sat on the bench, holding around her knees as she rested her head into it. It had been hours into the night and still, she'd heard no word from a doctor or anyone. She just sat there, hope, the most that she could have. "Mira"

She'd immediately recognized that voice and raised her head to see Dare at the center of the hallway. Mira felt the spite propel in her as she arose to her feet. There was rage in her eyes as she saw his military uniform and a rose in his right hand. She walked towards him but he held her arms.

"Don't you dare touch me" She yelled as if she wasn't the one that plunged herself at him. "Don't you-" She almost choked on her tears and the moment he let go of her hands, she was quick to dash him a slap across her face. "I said don't touch me"

"I don't ever want to see you again" The halls echoed her voice as loudly as the slap. And Dare pushed a lump down his throat, holding his cap firm in his hands. "You did this" She raised an accusing finger at him. "You did this" "Your people did this. Your people turned what was a peaceful protest to all of this. All of this. Look around you Dare" Her voice broke. "Look around you and Mira is in there, because of you" She hit a finger in a chest so hard that he stepped back. He heaved a deep breath, taking all of this in and knowing he knew better than reply a word.

Mira had tears in her eyes, hurt in the sound of her voice as she pulled away. He had never seen her this way, and it was quite scary. The rose fell to the ground and all she did was trample heavily against it as it were the root of her offense. "You have no idea how much i'm going to hate you if Silva doesn't come out of that room. You shot him and his blood-" She looked to the where the droplets were before they were cleaned. "And anything that happens to him will be on your hands. I hope you have a good night rest thinking about. Pondering about the events before" She added.

"I didn't kn-" She turned her back on him, blowing raspberry. "You have some guts coming here" She never knew of the day she would hate him this much. And there he was, watching her sit in the exact position as before.

But only from a distance, he wouldn't dare go close. And even the confrontation brought tears to his eyes but he pushed it back, nodding to the security before making his way out of the exit. He knew of the only way he could make this right and somehow change everything.

And he was close. He really was.

Mira sat there, cleaning her eyes snd refusing to turn back up at him. All she could bear to think about were the what ifs-such as what if Silva didn't make it, she knew that would change everything. She knew she wouldn't survive it. ELEVEN YEARS EARLIER

"I met someone. His name's Eli-"

In a new city, Eli was the very first person that Silva made a real connection with. They were roommates, like the start of every cringe wattpad novel. However, Eli was straight. Until he wasn't-Until Silva.

Silva saw himself as nothing more than the boy he was in that moment, taking life with utmost levity and without a single thought. It was why the first time he ever had an attraction to someone was now. "Hey" Eli sat there as Silva unpacked. "I'm Eli"

"Nice to meet you. I'm Silva" He was flustered, looking away as Eli crept behind him. "We should go out later. See around?" He patted his shoulders like they'd known themselves since childhood and Silva just let out a scoff. "What?"

"I'm new. You're new. I mean..." He stretched his dark palms out and it was the thing Silva looked at before his eyes, sparking one of the best friendships he'd have throughout college. Since then, they both transitioned into being the best of friends, though Mira never met him.

She only knew of Eli when Silva was done with school. And how they were obviously more than just best friends. But it was on campus, in one of the most homophobic states to ever exist-so there wasn't room to explore or do something quite similar to that.

They'd often just sit apart, eyes fixed on the ceiling, waiting for the words that would never come out.

Silva's eyes met Mira's as he paused. "I dont know. I think it's just me though. Eli was-" He shrugged his shoulders. "There was nothing" His voice fell, remembering the times that Eli would sneak girls into his room and he'd have to go to sleep with the excruciatingly awkward soundtrack coming from the opposite side of the room. He was wild, and free. Perhaps it was what Silva admired about him.

What Silva aspired to be. Because Eli wasn't fazed by shit like bad grades or rejections, he just lived in the moment and one could say he was actually happy while Silva was left with the remnants of mixed signals, ones like his delicate touch, his steady eye contact in the showers or just the way he talked to him. It seemed Eli was more confused than Silva most of the times but whenever it did happen, he didn't want it to end-he didn't want the staring to end. "And i didn't even tell him i was leaving" He muttered as Mira came to sit right next to him, squeezing his shoulders. "Have you told mum?" She whispered to him and he looked into her eyes, shaking his head. "Well," She paused. "We'll figure this out" She replied, holding his head upon her shoulders. "I promise" There was that taillight that shone through the tent and Mira closed her eyes, unsure what the future had for the both of them. Little did she know. NOW

"I can't believe we only have a few weeks left" Deborah's voice flickered the candle in the centre of the cabin. And her arms wrapped around Fiyin who was sat on the carpet.

She passed her the leftover chocolate for dinner as her eyes stared at the wavering reflection of the candle she'd lit. Night had fallen outside the windows and seeing her low network service, she knew they had until morning. Luckily, Fi wasn't alone. Truthfully, she never was.

"It's like we've spent the past year, waiting and praying for it all to end and now, it's almost over" Deb whispered. "And i'm kind of anxious i mean, there isn't that fence or that sort of secondary school protection around us. We'll be out in the real world, fending for ourselves and making every decision and knowing it would always affect us" She added.

"I guess" Fiyin rested her head back. "I want to go to a federal school but my mum insists on private for some absurd reason" "At least you have a plan" Fiyin interrupted, taking a bite of the chocolate.

"What about you? I thought you had design school"

"I fucked it up. Never got back to me since then, and i don't think they ever will" She replied. "It's not your fault" Deb heard the self-blame in her voice and continued. "I never said it was. I'm just dealing with the repercussions and besides, after school, i will have the time to take care of my father. Maybe take up farming like the days when i was still little and i'd follow him with a cutlass in my hands" Fi said.

And Deb heaved in a deep breath.

"What?" Fi looked up at her. "It's very recreational" She scoffed, bursting out in laughter once she realized how much she sounded like her dad. "Fi, you downplay yourself a lot. You can be so much more than taking care of your dad and farming-" "I didn't say it's,"

"I'm not saying it's such a bad thing to do" Deb shushed her. "I'm just saying there's so much more to life than all of that. Sometimes you should do things for you, even though it's a little selfish. And i'm sure Tobi would want to see you happy" Deb said and Fiyin scoffed.

"I don't have a choice Deb. Is that what you want to hear?" She asked calmly. "I don't have many choices like federal or private schools or for fucks sakes what i even get to eat for dinner like you. I don't have choices so i'll settle for what i have. Don't say anything please" It was her turn to shush her. "I promised myself i won't give it much thought till after the finals this week, then i'd be forced to face real life"

Deborah pushed a lump down her throat, somehow hurt by what Fi had said, but deep down it was because she knew it was true. And her eyes were finally open to the certain privileges that she had. She held Fi between her thighs as they both looked in the distance ahead of them.

Till sleep crept into their systems after a long day, and their eyes closed, falling asleep in each other's arms. "Goodnight Fiyin" Deborah muttered.

To be continued...