CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: CAN WE START AFRESH?
"Hello! Happy Friday!" he said with a smile, waving at me as I walked past.
Yeah… it was Friday. Five days after resumption, and the week had passed in a blur of classes, new faces, and lingering thoughts. I remembered vividly the conversations I had had with Victoria and Morayo after hearing everything Samuel had told me about Daniel.
"Whatever Daniel says, don't believe him! If he truly loved you, he wouldn't go around dating your cousin," Morayo had said firmly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.
"Yeah," Victoria had chimed in, nodding in agreement. "For the first time today, you're right, Morayo."
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Daniel… he said all these things to Samuel, acting as if he loved me, but in reality, he was playing me?
"See, it's not a question. He's playing you—period!" Victoria's voice was sharp, leaving no room for doubt.
I couldn't deny it. They had a point. And deep down, I knew I agreed with them. The truth was obvious, yet my heart didn't want to admit it.
"Same," I said softly, brushing past Daniel as I tried to keep my mind calm.
"Wait," he called out, stepping in front of me. "Don't you think we should have a normal discussion? We haven't talked properly in years."
I stopped, crossing my arms. "You know why. Besides… what on earth do you want to say that's so important? If it isn't worth it, I'll leave—no second thoughts."
Daniel's expression changed slightly, becoming serious. "If you hate me because I ignored you while I was in China, then you need to rethink. I had my reasons."
"Oh, a reason," I said with a sardonic smile, turning to face him. "What did Samuel call it again? 'Love fright'?"
"Samuel already told you?" he asked, surprise flickering across his face. "I did expect him to. He must have told you everything."
"Yeah, he told me all your lies. Do you think I'm daft enough to believe you?" I asked, my voice firm, though my heart betrayed a hint of curiosity.
"Listen," he said, his tone turning gentle, "everything Samuel told you is the truth. I didn't forget you. I told your brother to greet you every single night—didn't he deliver those messages? Because that was the only reason I chatted him up."
I blinked. My brother did relay those messages, but I always assumed he was joking. My brother had a way of laughing while saying serious things, making them sound less important.
I still didn't fully trust Daniel. If he truly loved me, he wouldn't have dated my spoiled cousin—especially knowing she was my cousin. That fact alone made it impossible for me to believe his intentions were genuine.
"Your brother didn't deliver my messages?" Daniel pressed, confusion shadowing his expression.
"He did," I admitted cautiously. "But even if he didn't, it doesn't change the fact that you ignored me."
"I've said my reason, Flower," he said softly, calling me by my nickname.
I stiffened immediately. "Don't ever call me that! Only people I give permission to call me that can use it." My glare was sharp enough to make him pause.
"I'm sorry. Can we start afresh?" he asked, his voice earnest, as if knowing all his previous pleas were falling on deaf ears.
I looked at him, took a deep breath, and sighed.
"See, I've forgiven you," I said, my tone measured, "but don't ever put your hopes high that I'm still falling for you. Period."
Daniel's eyes softened, and a small smile appeared. "So… we're friends now? Does that mean we'll be talking more frequently?"
"Friends? Let's just call it being normal classmates who exchange small talks. Bye for now." I turned away without waiting for a response, leaving him standing there with a look of disappointment mixed with hope.
…
Samuel resumed school the following Sunday, and it felt nice to have him back. Though, I noticed something slightly off about him, something I couldn't quite figure out yet.
As for John and me, we had become good friends. He shared stories, and Victoria's crush on him had grown stronger over time. Before long, they started dating in grade eight, first term. Everything seemed to move so fast.
Now, here I was, in grade eight—Junior Secondary School Two. I remembered celebrating my tenth birthday quietly at home rather than in school. Few friends knew about it.
Daniel had come to my house with his family to greet me and present gifts. I accepted them, letting bygones be bygones, although my heart still wrestled with his mixed signals. Samuel had also gifted me, and Victoria and Morayo had called me to wish me on the day. At least that had brightened my birthday.
Later, as Victoria, Morayo, and I entered the hall to check our class lists, Morayo whispered, "Did you hear that some students repeated?"
"Yeah," I replied, scanning the notice. "Seven students from our set repeated J.S.S. One." A small smile crept onto my face as I noticed we were in the same class.
"Do you think they'll still come to school?" Morayo asked curiously.
"I don't know," I said, shrugging. "If I were in their shoes, I probably wouldn't."
"By the way, what was your position last term?" she asked, tilting her head.
"I got third," I said.
"You're always getting third."
"When I have two lovers ahead of me, nko?" I teased Victoria, nudging her playfully.
"Victoria, what did you get?" Morayo asked.
"I don't know why I dropped, but I'll do better. I got fourth. What about you?" she asked Morayo.
"I got seventeenth," Morayo said with a shrug.
"We read together. Why do you always get that?" I asked, not entirely happy with the answer.
"At least I improved—from twenty-first to seventeenth," she said, shrugging again.
"Yeah, you tried! Out of fifty-seven students in the class," Victoria said, as we picked seats at the edge. The three-seater chairs seemed much better than the two-seater ones we had in the previous class.
"I hope John is in this class," Victoria whispered as she sat down.
"No worries," I said with a small smile. "Your prayer will be answered."
I settled into my chair, hoping that grade eight—Junior Secondary School Two—would be better. New lessons, new challenges, and perhaps a chance to leave past worries behind.
For now, I just wanted to focus on school, my friends, and maybe… figuring out what to do with Daniel and Samuel.