KRYSTAL SPECIAL!

SO LET'S BEGIN💕.
Krystal speaks:

 Gracie and I are writing a couple of stuff before we turn 20 and I’m so excited.
A lirru flashback won’t hurt so let me start somewhere.
I knew Grace from a friend and that was when I was a second year student. We however didn’t get to be friends till I was in third year. I always knew she had a complicated life; she knew that I knew, but she didn’t know about my own life; what growing up was like, my mistakes, joys, happy days, struggles and so on.
I think the day we really bonded was when she told me about her ex one time he was treating her really shabbily. Aunty left the dodo on fire in that her cute little frying pan on her blue cylinder and hugged me wearing her small V neck chiffon kinda gown and started crying. Crystabel the emotionalista joined in the cry party until we realized that dodo was literarily burning! Haq!
Naso we comot dodo from fire, begin dey clean eye, then we started laughing.
A good friendship was started and Grace became a huge part of my life. She was the first person in this life to carve my brows, the first to do an actual makeover for me, I ran to her room most mornings to get my hair styled and get her approval to be sure I was dressing like a homeless person, and the list goes on. We shared similar music tastes, food taste, I learnt new cooking skills, we were chill really till months later.
Months later, we had a quarrel and a huge fight. I even vowed never to speak to Grace in this life and we kept to our separate ways.
I saw and heard ugly things about her, and I was terrified. Most of them were with proof so I judged her endlessly and felt ashamed to even be called her friend; could’nt place why she did some of those things but thinking about it now has made me realise that we all have our moments when we are just really young, stupid and really dumb. We have things we don’t feel proud about, and I was absolutely wrong to be the person airing out her dirty linen when mine stayed in my laundry.
Things kept going wrong and I forever regret making the mistake of telling all those vile things; both about Grace and any other person I said shit about in a anger and I am extremely sorry.
I was 2019, Grace and I still were not talking.
One day I saw her at the balcony playing music and she said hi but I didn’t reply.
By easter 2019, I can’t remember how it happened but she helped me get ready for an easter service at Bethel City (the church that transformed my friend’s life). From there she went home and I came back to spend the easter with my wonderful family people Helen, Ugo, Elder and Amos (too much information bah??? Emabinu).
Still, Grace and I weren’t cool like cool cool based on wetin sup the last time. I was all about thread with caution and don’t be  a mumu, but I had forgotten the cardinal rule of christianity which is forgiveness. No be say she even do me something wey over strong like that ooooo! (even though it was hurtful) I was just lost in my own head and pained that she would take such steps because we were friends.
The next time Grace and I spoke was via WhatsApp status. She had so many encouraging words for me because I posted about my anxiety. She was so kind, Godly, understanding, and didn’t treat me the way others were as if I was making anxiety a cool vibe. I was grateful yet still all about the be wise dear, she fit fuck you up at any time, so I just stayed in my lane.
During the time brown skin girl was released, Abigail and I went to town for a date (you know how I’m all about self love and I also impose it on others) we had a great time and bought sharwama on our way back. As small girls wey we be na, the two of us were to share but Grace (maybe now you’ll know why her instagram name is cocopops because she’s a foodie just like me) followed us to my room after waving at us from the veranda that faces the hostel entrance.
Long story short, Abigail and I weren’t pleased that we had to share our little snacky, but we did anyway and after Abigail left, Grace and I lay on my bed and talked, cried, and apologized to each other. I was so sincere to her by telling her that I had said the darnest things about her, tarnished her image and done so much shit because I was angry and I felt hell yeah! She hurt me too.
Guys!!!! Grace said she had forgiven me then she told me about Bethel City and the impact it was making in her life. We talked about God, how she had surrendered her all to him, and more than sharing my sharwama, we shared a moment.
We quickly returned to the usual girl power, friendship hype and all love relationship. Posting ourselves up on a steady and all.
I heard people saying she hadn’t changed, some told me to be careful, and some told me that she wanted to use her life stories to preach and win souls for Christ. The latter, sounded like the new Grace I met, so of all her stories, I saw the latter come to life in the quickest way possible. She had changed; she was no longer in denial of her past. Whatever she had done, it was back then. Jesus had given my friend a new life and she was out to show people and not go back to Eygpt. Omiko and I talked about our friend’s love for God and how inspired we were. We hugged her one day we all got to talk about it and began to show her love most especially after she told us of some issues like her academics (she even has it posted up on her blog. I told y’all the girl is free in Christ). Since God came into everything, Grace is a new soul and everyday I watch her grow, every time we talk about God, and whenever she lifts me up spiritually and I see she still doesn’t have sense so it’s the same girl, I am so grateful I didn’t throw a good friendship away because of hurt and anger.
I didn’t say she now has sense oooooo! But at least, she’s still funny, extremely savage, dramatic and yes, she still organizes concerts with unsold tickets for we her friends.
The reason for this long  history is that…       drum rolls
One of these days last year (towards the ending of the year), Grace and I were talking about something. You know the usual talking about our past once in a while. However today we were highlighting the things  we’ve conquered, things we still haven’t, and how we can move forward in the new year. I was telling her that somebody will see us and be like “these girls mara nma everywhere” but they don’t know about eet! Haq!
In our course of highlighting our happy, sad, trying and hopeful moments, it occurred to us both that we will be 20 this year.
Wait abeg! How does a person have so much experience under 20 years because I am not even understanding.
Told you our spirits were in sync and Grace brought up the idea that we should write something yunno; something to tell our experiences (maybe not exactly tell all) but at least the ones that can inspire others and we’d all move forward.
I’ll check my chats later for how the name “BEFORE I TURN 20” came up, but hey! That’s how Grace and I are doing a writing collab to tell our tales and make a difference.
I know you’re asking me why I bothered to give an unsolicited history of my friendship with Grace. Yes dear, whether you liked it or yes, it was necessary to give that for the story to be sweeter. So you’d start learning the lessons from the history.

The road has been long, sometimes lonely, other times too jam-packed and draining with the wrong people hanging around us in their numbers and the right ones sidelined because we weren’t so informed to identify them and make better choices. It has been filled with tears, filled with so much joy and laughter, dramatic, in abundance of mistakes and heard learning experiences, and a God with an unfailing kind of love.
A couple of abandoned projects here and there, things we wished we had done better, opportunities lost and some maximized to the fullest, but hey! The past 20 years have been wonderful and turning 20 in the year that begins a new decade is really something we are excited for. 
I will be 20 on the 11th of May and Grace Turns 20 in September.
We are just two girls with the same big God, similar life tales, and lots of love and inspiration to give to even our readers who are over a hundred years old.
I have not quite figured out how we are gonna post this thing, but let me welcome you to our first episode of “BEFORE I TURN 20”. Kick back and enjoy, learn, laugh with us, cry on our behalf if you need to we shall drop tissues online hahaha, but then, see our story as that of conquerors and winners; ladies who have conquered everything that was mapped out to wreck them, and rose beyond the shame and intense mockery this world thought it could offer us.
     Enjoy your read dears, love you!

Grace speaks:

To be very honest yea? I have been torn between a lot of stuff...exams and short trips and what have you. Also my head has been in so many places, not sure how to start this journey but oh well, it has begun. This series was inspired by my zeal to reach out to people about my age bracket, dealing with the sort of things i have and am still dealing with. The good, the bad and the ugly.
This is basically an intro and i am soooo psyched to announce to you BEFORE I TURN 20 is officially up and running😭💪🏾❤💥😩❤❤❤. I will be working with Nnamdi Krystarbelle. To be very honest i am so grateful our friendship has got to the point where we invade each other's personal spaces and even work on a series together.
How did we even meet🤔 ...oh yea i remember, it was in a mutual friend's room and then this female wouldn't even let you hold her phone for more than 20 seconds...lol...in my mind I'm like, "who be this one"?...i only just wondered why this young lady was just si stuck up. She went on and on about the kardashians and other etv series.
I liked how she sounded like a cartoon character😂 and well that was pretty much the only thing i took note of cos i had lots of things running through my young head at the time and the scrutiny of a fellow female was really the last thing on my mind. Moving in however, at a time i really thought she was just a basic, attention seeking daddy's girl which i didn't judge...lol...i just got a little irritated and stayed away as much as i could.
Later on, once in a while mutual friend had something to say especially about how she hardly ever gave out anything. I won't deny, i called her stingy too😂😂. Things began to change and i remember running upstairs to cry about this or that and how i had been the first person to carve her brows and fix her make up.
Later in the journey of our buddy friendship, we had fought...not physically though😏...and i had been so angry about her approach towards such a little matter. Oh well we kept a little malaise and i thought....this isn't necessary you know and i typed a long heart few text and later went to apologize now look where we are today!
A lot of things that irritated me about krystal are invincible. I just think of her now as some cute teddy bear that should definitely do voice overs for cartoon characters. Its so great working with her cos she's so dedicated to this project and is basically my driving force.
My name is Grace. A civil engineering student when started her journey into teenage/adulthood quite unprepared. Sit back and enjoy this amazing journey through our lives because there are tears to be shed, scenarios that will get you rolling on the floor laughing and lessons to be learned.
Happy Valentine's though...even though I believe everyday is valentine because I love you unconditionally.

TO OUR READERS:
We love you so much, and thank you for joining us.