I didn’t know how long I stayed there before I saw George and Jerry approaching.

“Babe, why are you still crying?” George asked softly as he sat beside me.

The concern in his voice made something inside me soften immediately. I quickly wiped my tears, but it was pointless because more kept coming. Without thinking, I leaned into him and wrapped my arms around him.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

He held me tighter. “I’m sorry too,” he said. “I already broke up with Rejoice, and I will never cheat on you again.”

For a moment, everything else disappeared. The pain, the doubt, the anger, it all faded into relief.

My plan worked.

I pulled back slightly, looking at him, and for the first time since everything started, I felt at peace as we kissed.

“Romeo and Juliet, abeg make we go chop. I dey hungry,” Jerry suddenly interrupted, his voice loud and playful as always.

I couldn’t help but laugh softly through the kiss. Trust Jerry to ruin the moment at the perfect time. But he wasn’t wrong because we were all starving. So I stood up, cleaned my face properly, and led them to my mum’s place where we could eat.

By the time Monday came, things felt calmer, at least on the surface. But someone was missing.

Jerry wasn’t in school.

At first, I didn’t think much of it until George mentioned that Jerry had been feeling sick. Guilt washed over me immediately. Over the weekend, I had been so consumed with fixing my relationship that I didn’t even notice something was wrong with him.

School didn’t feel the same without Jerry’s presence. He was the loudest person in our class, always full of energy, always ready with a joke. He had a way of making everything feel lighter, even on the worst days. Now, everywhere felt unusually quiet, and I found myself missing him more than I expected.

I was still lost in that thought when something caught my attention.

Gideon… begging Bashir.

That alone was enough to make me curious.

Gideon was one of those proud SS2 boys who always carried himself like he owned everything. He wasn’t the type to beg anyone for anything, so seeing him lower himself like that immediately made me pay attention. I kept my head down, pretending to mind my business, but my ears were fully alert.

“Abeg na. How much make I send you so you go fit run Hameedat for me,” he said.

The moment he mentioned Hameedat’s name, everything clicked.

So that was it. He wanted Bashir to help him convince her to become his girlfriend.

“You never do wetin you promise me too,” Bashir replied, sounding unimpressed.

“I don follow her talk already. She say she go think am. No worry, she go date you,” Gideon said confidently.

That part confused me. Who was he talking about? Which girl had Bashir been chasing this time?

Before I could think deeper into it, the classroom door opened, and Hameedat, Anthonia, and Nafisa walked in. Almost immediately, Gideon and Bashir stopped talking and left, like they didn’t want anyone to suspect anything.

“What happened?” Anthonia asked, studying my face closely.

I quickly adjusted my expression. I couldn’t tell them what I heard, not yet. Something about it didn’t sit right with me, and I needed more information before jumping to conclusions.

“Nothing,” I said, forcing a small smile. “I’m just worried about Jerry.”

Anthonia didn’t look convinced. She studied my face for a moment, like she was trying to peel back whatever I was hiding. “We are all worried that he’s absent, especially now that exams are close and teachers are rushing to finish their syllabus,” she said slowly. Then her eyes narrowed slightly. “But are you sure that’s all?”

I sighed quietly. For a second, I almost told them everything about Gideon and Bashir, when the classroom door suddenly burst open.

Felix stormed in.

His face was dark with anger, his movements sharp and restless. Right behind him was Francis, equally furious, his voice already raised before he even fully stepped into the class.

“Shut up and listen to yourself!” Francis shouted.

The tension in the room shifted immediately.

Oh no! The twins were fighting.

Nafisa reacted first, rushing to Felix and grabbing his arm before he could do something reckless. Felix shook slightly with anger, his jaw clenched, his fists tightening and loosening like he was struggling to stay in control.

“What is the problem?” Hameedat and Anthonia asked at the same time, their voices filled with concern and curiosity.

“Ask him na,” Francis snapped, throwing his hands in the air. “I don’t even know what he sees in that Amira sef.”

With that said, he turned and walked out of the class, clearly too angry to stay another second.

The silence he left behind was heavy. All eyes turned to Felix.

We waited for an explanation, but Felix, being Felix, only hissed under his breath and dropped into his seat angrily, refusing to meet anyone’s gaze.

Nafisa crouched slightly beside him, her tone softer now. “Are you guys fighting because of Amira?”

He didn’t answer.

Hameedat folded her arms, already irritated. “Does he like her too, or he just doesn’t approve of your relationship?”

Felix let out a sharp breath, finally speaking, his voice laced with frustration. “No. He doesn’t like her. He just wants our relationship to end. I don’t even understand why it’s so hard for people to see that she actually likes me.”

Something about how he was so defensive, so desperate to believe it, made something in me tighten, that before I could stop myself, my words slipped out.

“Maybe because it’s Amira,” I said quietly, “and everyone knows she’s just going to hurt you.”

Felix’s head snapped up immediately, and the glare he fixed on me was sharp enough to cut through skin. For a second, I almost wished I could take back what I said, but it was too late.

Then his voice came out cold and bitter.

“At least I’m not like you, going around fighting another girl because you don’t want your relationship to sink.”

His words landed like a slap and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

The class went silent, I felt every eye on me, felt the weight of his words sinking deep into my chest and immediately I left the class.

Unik readers 😊

Time to share your thoughts 

Was Felix right to call Zara out, or did he cross the line by bringing up her personal situation?

Thank you for reading this chapter 📖