CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE: YEAR BOOK
"I like you!" I heard Samuel say, my heart skipping a beat, only for my attention to be immediately pulled elsewhere as I saw Daniel standing in front of us.
Was it him?
No, it shouldn't be. I had convinced myself that I wanted to be Samuel's lucky girl, and no one else.
"Daniel, what are you doing here?" Samuel asked him, his eyes narrowing slightly as if annoyed that this interruption had come at such a crucial moment.
"Is that what he told you?" Daniel asked, ignoring Samuel completely, his gaze fixed on me.
Now I was confused. Who exactly had said it? Samuel? Daniel? Or… was it something I misheard? My brain felt like it had suddenly gone on a rollercoaster ride.
"What are you doing here?" Samuel asked again, clearly wanting an answer.
"Is that what he told you?" Daniel repeated, his tone calm but still focused on me.
"What are you doing here?" I finally snapped, irritation creeping into my voice. I had concluded, based on his smirk and the way he looked at me, that Daniel had been the one to say it.
"Is that what he told you?" he asked again, his eyes fixed on mine as though trying to read my mind.
Samuel, clearly losing patience, shot him a look. "What if I said it?" he asked, his voice a mixture of annoyance and disbelief.
Okay, okay… who on earth actually said that? Why were they making this so confusing?
Daniel laughed lightly, tilting his head towards Samuel. "Lol! You actually said that?" he asked. Then he turned to face me again, his smirk deepening. "What was your reaction?"
"Urgh! What the heck?! No one said anything!" I blurted out, exasperated. I felt like tearing my hair out.
"Why did you even bother asking?" Samuel asked, his voice still tinged with annoyance as he looked at Daniel.
"Just curious," Daniel shrugged carelessly.
"Not enough reason… but seriously, what are you doing here?" Samuel asked, his eyes scanning Daniel from head to toe, as though he could see through his intentions.
"I came to see Floral in her hostel," Daniel replied, his eyes still on me. "But I heard she was here with you, in front of the solar building. I am talking to her, as you can see."
"I can see that!" Samuel shot back, clearly unimpressed.
Daniel's gaze softened slightly as he turned fully towards me. "I'll leave you guys to talk. I hope you're doing well," he said with a smile that showed his deep dimples.
Yeah… his dimples were even deeper than Samuel's. Daniel was undeniably cute, with those tiny eyes that crinkled when he smiled and a grin that could make anyone weak at the knees. But somehow, his behavior never really matched his looks—it was off.
"I am doing well, thank you!" I replied with a smile, trying not to let him see how flustered I was.
He smiled back and then walked away, leaving me with a strange mix of relief and irritation.
"Does he like you?" Samuel asked quietly, tilting his head slightly as he watched Daniel's retreating figure.
"I don't know… and I don't think so," I replied honestly.
"Do you like him?" Samuel asked, turning his piercing blue eyes on me.
"Why are you asking?" I said, surprised, turning my attention from Daniel to Samuel.
"Just curious," he replied simply.
"Curiosity killed the cat," I teased, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Lol! An old saying," he said with a slight smirk.
"Yeah, and it's true," I added lightly, shrugging.
---
During the last week of junior school, there was always the much-anticipated year book—a book that contained votes for categories like "most beautiful," "most handsome," "biggest foodie," "most popular," and so on. Each student could vote for anyone they liked, anonymously.
I was given the book to cast my votes, and I couldn't resist sneaking a peek at the previous votes. Morayo and Victoria had already voted, and curiosity gnawed at me. Of course, Sandra, the owner of the book, had warned me that it was an offense to check what others had voted, but… I couldn't help it.
"I'll give you the book later," Sandra said, holding it just out of reach.
"No! I want it now!" Victoria insisted, tugging lightly at it.
"Even though now?" Sandra replied, raising an eyebrow.
"Isn't it my book? I can say whatever I want with it, and I insist on collecting it now, not later!" Victoria shot back, determined as ever.
She was stubborn. Urgh! I groaned internally.
At that moment, someone called Sandra. "Sandra!"
"Yes?" she replied, relieved for the interruption. She turned and walked toward the person calling her, warning Victoria, "I'm coming. Don't try looking at others' picks!"
I quickly turned my back, sneaking a glance at Victoria's votes.
Victoria's picks:
Nickname: Vicky
Single or dating: Both
Class: J.S.S. 3A
Prefect position: Health prefect
Friends: The people that voted for me
Most beautiful: Bisi
Most handsome: Daniel (the Chinese-looking boy)
Beauty that people don't recognize: Morayo and me
Most ugly: Yetunde
Crush: John
Celebrity crush: Jungkook (BTS)
Best friends: Morayo
Enemy: Floral
Wait… Floral?
My eyes widened. That had to be a mistake! I checked carefully, but there was no sign of a correction.
I didn't have time to dwell on it because I had to check Morayo's votes before Sandra returned.
Morayo's picks were almost identical—she had also marked me as her enemy.
I frowned, checking the handwriting to ensure it wasn't someone else writing in her place. Everything matched.
Finally, I wrote my own votes:
Most beautiful: Me (lol!)
Most handsome: Daniel and Samuel
Crush: Nobody
Celebrity crush: None
Friends: Samuel
Best friend: Same as friends
When Sandra returned, I handed the book back.
Back in the hostel, I kept asking myself: what had I done wrong? I wasn't stingy, I didn't gossip, I didn't hold grudges, I laughed with them, supported them… even during the prefect elections, I brought people to vote for them more than myself.
Why?
"Where were you since?" Morayo asked, walking toward me.
"I was writing in the year book," I admitted.
"Oh… that?" she said casually.
"Yeah, you wrote?"
"Yeah, in Sandra's book."
"How come?"
"Well, Sandra said no one would see what we wrote, so I felt it was safe with her."
"What did you write as your enemy?" I asked, curious.
"Vanessa," she said without hesitation.
"You sure?" I pressed.
"Yeah, why not?!" she answered with a mischievous smile.
She was lying! I knew it.
"Hey, you talked about sharing the drinks and snacks in your locker. I'm hungry," she said, dragging me along, a playful glint in her eyes.
I couldn't help but laugh and play along, heading with her. I even asked Victoria the same question, and she gave the same answer.
To be honest, I didn't expect something like that. I had to figure out why they marked me as their enemy.
"I saw it!" I said suddenly, a mixture of frustration and curiosity bubbling inside me.
"What did you see?" Morayo asked, confused, her eyes widening as she looked at me.
"I saw what you guys wrote in Sandra's year book," I said, my voice calm but firm, hiding the storm of questions swirling in my mind.