Chapter 4: Heartbreak Don Trend

That small boy matter just fade for my mind as life continue.

As school wahala full, I just throw the boy matter one side. No be me go dey collect pikin tears up and down.

He dey invite me play game, I dey find excuse dodge am every time.

Every time notification land, I just mute am. "Network bad", "assignment dey", any excuse. I no fit do pass myself.

Too busy, no time.

I even block notification for night, tell myself say na self-care.

One night wey breeze dey blow and everywhere dark, I log into the game as usual.

Light dey blink for hostel, mosquito dey bite. I just wan relax small, forget law book, make I run some round for game.

The small boy sharp send team invite.

No delay—na so e appear. E be like say him dey wait for me since 6pm. The speed dey funny.

LetLetPushTheWave: [Babe, you dey busy these days?]

His message land, I just dey sigh. "Babe" ke? See as wahala dey find me.

LetLetPushTheWave: [You don turn me down for one week now /crying /crying]

As I read "crying", my heart cut small. Small boy dey beg me online—wetin I go tell am?

That "babe" just remind me of our offline wahala.

The thing sting. E make all those park memory dey flash again. My chest dey heavy.

I remember him big, watery eyes, and all the sweet moments for the past three months.

Na true—three months wey we laugh, talk, plan. All those "good night" and "sweet dreams" messages just dey rewind for my mind.

Guilt dey bite me.

I dey feel like say I thief person meat for pot. Even if na small boy, e pain me.

I close my eyes, brace myself, type:

CrispyFriedLittleLobster: [Make we break up.]

The message choke me. I no even wait make he reply, my finger just dey shake as I type.

I sharply comot from the room, delete am from my friend list, come press my two palms together for game interface, bow deep.

E pain me. I just dey imagine as him small hand go dey press phone, dey wait my reply. I bow deep, do that online ritual of "sorry"—even though e no fit reach him heart.

Sorry, small boy. I no fit cross this psychological line.

I talk am for my mind, like prayer. E no go work, abeg. I no fit carry another pesin destiny put for my head.

After that, my mind just dey down. True true, I put real feelings for those three months.

E no easy to delete pesin wey you don yarn with every night. My bed dey cold, my heart dey bite me. I just dey roll for mattress, dey ask myself why I fall for online sweet mouth.

All week, I dey think: If na Tobi I fall for online, e for sweet die.

I dey imagine how campus fine boy go sound for voice chat, whether he go sabi all those sweet talk. Na daydream wey get as e be.

But I remember him stone face, always dey do like say nobody reach am.

The image just enter my mind—Tobi dey waka with earphone, eye dey ground, dey do like say everybody na air for am.

Campus fine boy, dey do online love? Abeg, e no possible.

I laugh small for myself. Who go believe say Tobi go type "babe" or dey beg for game chat? Lai lai, e no possible.

"Hot gist! Hot gist! Campus fine boy just chop breakfast!"

Qiuqiu voice scatter for hostel. She burst enter room, wig shift one side, phone for air like she win lotto.

My roommate Qiuqiu shout, dey hold her phone like say na gold.

Her face bright, teeth dey show. I dey wonder wetin go make law student happy for this kind morning.

"School forum don scatter! Dem even get video where him dey drunk dey cry."

She run come my bed, screen dey shine. "See am now, make you no say na lie!"

I follow her, open forum. As I see am, na Tobi drunk dey cry, trend for number one.

I click the link, na so Tobi face full screen. Eye red, voice shaky, bottle for table. If you see am, you go think say na heartbreak dey finish am.

"She talk say she like Li Bai, so I train tire, become top Li Bai for the whole country. I treat her well—why she dump me?"

Him voice dey break, face dey squeeze. E dey talk as if na only him dey love true. All of us for room just dey watch, mouth open.

For the video, him roommate dey try pet am.

You go see one guy dey rub him back, dey whisper. Tobi no even send, just dey pour heart.

"She no good, she bad."

He repeat am, voice low, eyes red—like person wey dem just serve cold garri.

"She always dey busy, no get time for me. If she no busy, she go talk say she no get time. Even to love me, na manage she dey do am."

The pain for him voice no be here. I nearly pity am.

"She no good, she bad."

Roommate dey nod head, dey tap him back, dey talk small-small, "No vex, no vex."

"She no talk anything, just say e don end, delete me sharp-sharp. I no even know wetin I do. No chance to explain."

My mind dey cut—so na like this person dey feel when dem dump am.

"She no good, she bad."

He repeat am again, voice lower this time. All those big man aura just dey fade.

"Na because my voice no sweet? Or my skills no reach? She break up so fast, no even shake head."

People for comment section dey shout—see as fine boy dey beg for love, na world end be that.

People dey type: "Breakfast choke! Even fine boy dey chop breakfast now."

The video just dey repeat that line—painful like wound wey no dey heal.

...

Video end there.

The silence for room choke. All of us just dey watch screen, dey process the matter.

Tobi dey cry like 200kg baby—totally different from the cold guy wey everybody know.

If you see the tears, e be like say dem off tap for him face. Nobody fit believe say na that same guy wey dey do hard guy.

Comment section full with people pity am, everybody dey wonder who get mind dump campus fine boy.

People dey type: "Fine boy no dey safe again?", "Who break Tobi heart?" Even old gist dey wake—na so gist dey spread.

I watch the video up, down, left, right.

I replay am, dey look for clue. Na so my mind begin suspect everybody.

One wild thought enter my head: E fit be say na Tobi be my online boyfriend?

If true, wahala don land. My mind dey spin.

Then how about him small brother?

If na the same family, abeg, who be who? I dey reason if I don enter Yoruba movie.

Make I confess?

Should I talk? Should I just hold my L? My chest dey heavy, hand dey sweat. This one pass Nollywood.