CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN: THE CONVERSATION WE COULDN'T ESCAPE
There are some conversations life keeps bringing back.
No matter how many times you avoid them.
No matter how many excuses you make.
They wait patiently.
Until one day...
Running away is no longer an option.
That week seemed to pass more quickly than any other.
Perhaps it was because of the continuous assessment tests.
Or perhaps it was because my mind had become occupied with too many things at once.
The tests had finally begun.
Every student suddenly transformed into a serious reader.
The noisy conversations before classes disappeared.
Instead, students stood in small groups revising notes, asking last-minute questions and praying they had studied the right topics.
Even Daniel looked unusually serious.
"I didn't sleep well," he complained as we waited outside the classroom before the first test.
Victoria looked at him.
"Why?"
"I was reading."
Morayo laughed.
"Who forced you?"
"My future."
Samuel chuckled quietly.
"I never thought I'd hear Daniel say he was reading all night."
Daniel sighed.
"I've changed."
"No," Gift replied from beside him.
"You've become afraid."
The rest of us burst into laughter.
Daniel pointed at her dramatically.
"You'll apologise after I pass."
"I'll congratulate you instead."
"That sounds better."
The tension eased immediately.
For a brief moment, everyone forgot about the test.
Then the examination bell rang.
"SS1 students, enter your classrooms!"
The corridors became busy once again.
...
The first paper ended better than I expected.
As soon as the scripts were collected, students poured out into the corridor discussing answers.
"I wrote B for number seven."
"It was C."
"No, it was B."
"You people should stop arguing."
"I know what I wrote."
The usual post-test debates had begun.
Daniel walked beside me towards the dining hall.
"I refuse to discuss answers."
"Why?"
"Because if I'm wrong, I'll lose my appetite."
I laughed.
"That's actually sensible."
"I know."
Samuel caught up with us.
"How was your paper?"
"It was okay," I replied.
"You?"
"I think I did well."
Daniel folded his arms proudly.
"I definitely passed."
Samuel smiled.
"Confidence."
"I don't have any choice."
We laughed as we continued walking.
Behind us, Gift was talking with a few girls from another class.
She glanced in our direction briefly before continuing her conversation.
...
The following afternoon, after the last paper for the day, the class became unusually relaxed.
Students chatted more freely.
Teachers had fewer lessons.
The pressure had reduced.
I was arranging my notes when Samuel spoke.
"Floral."
"Hm?"
"Wait for me after prep."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
"I want to tell you something."
My fingers froze on my notebook.
"What is it?"
He smiled.
"If I tell you now, I won't need you to wait."
"Samuel..."
"You'll wait?"
His tone wasn't playful this time.
It was calm.
Almost careful.
I nodded before I could stop myself.
"Okay."
He smiled.
"Thank you."
Then he stood up and walked away to meet one of his friends.
I stared at his back until he disappeared through the classroom door.
"What did he want?"
I turned quickly.
Daniel.
"When did you get here?"
"I've been standing here."
"Oh."
He looked at me carefully.
"You look worried."
"I'm not."
"You are."
I sighed.
"He just said he wants to tell me something after prep."
Daniel remained quiet for a few seconds.
Longer than usual.
Then he smiled.
"I'm sure it's nothing."
But somehow...
His smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
...
Evening prep felt longer than ever before.
No matter how hard I tried to concentrate on my Chemistry notes, my mind kept wandering.
What exactly did Samuel want to say?
Was it about our assignment?
The tests?
JSS3?
Or...
Something else?
I sighed quietly.
The clock on the classroom wall seemed determined not to move.
Finally...
The closing bell rang.
Students immediately began packing their books.
I did the same.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Gift and Daniel left together, discussing one of the test questions as they walked out.
Within minutes, the classroom had almost emptied.
Only Samuel and I remained.
He zipped his bag before looking at me.
"Let's walk."
I nodded.
Neither of us spoke as we left the classroom.
The compound was peaceful.
Most students were already heading towards the dining hall.
A few juniors hurried past carrying buckets from the tap.
Some boys played football with a plastic bottle near the edge of the field despite repeated warnings from the prefects.
We walked side by side in silence.
Finally, Samuel stopped beneath the old mango tree beside the classroom block.
It was quiet there.
Far enough from the crowd.
Close enough that no one would question why we were standing there.
He looked at me.
Then looked away again.
For the first time...
Samuel seemed nervous.
"You wanted to tell me something," I reminded him softly.
He nodded.
"I know."
Another silence followed.
Then he took a slow breath.
"Do you remember asking me why I never finished what I wanted to say in JSS3?"
"Yes."
"I wasn't ready."
I remained quiet.
"I thought maybe..."
He smiled awkwardly.
"...if I waited, the feeling would disappear."
My heartbeat quickened.
"But it didn't."
I stared at him.
Unable to say anything.
Samuel rubbed the back of his neck.
"I tried convincing myself that it was just because we were classmates."
He laughed softly.
"Then I thought maybe it was because we'd known each other for years."
His eyes finally met mine.
"But every time you smiled..."
He stopped himself.
A long breath escaped him.
"I realised I was only making excuses."
My heart pounded so loudly that I was certain he could hear it.
"I like talking to you."
He smiled faintly.
"I like studying with you."
Another pause.
"I like how you understand me even when I don't explain everything."
The breeze moved gently through the mango leaves above us.
Neither of us noticed.
"I've liked you for a long time, Floral."
There it was.
The sentence he had failed to finish in JSS3.
Finally completed.
"I don't expect you to answer me today."
He spoke before I could react.
"I know this is sudden."
I almost laughed.
Sudden?
It didn't feel sudden at all.
It felt like a conversation that had been waiting for years.
He looked at me carefully.
"I just didn't want to keep pretending anymore."
I lowered my eyes.
My mind was filled with every memory I had tried to ignore.
His cardigan.
The bottle of water.
The pen.
The notes.
The chocolate.
The way he always noticed when something was wrong.
The unfinished confession years ago.
Everything suddenly made sense.
"I..."
The words refused to come.
Samuel smiled gently.
"You don't have to say anything."
"I do."
"No."
He shook his head.
"I've already waited this long."
"I can wait a little longer."
I looked back at him.
He wasn't asking for an answer.
He wasn't pressuring me.
He was simply...
Being honest.
For the first time.
"I'll think about it," I whispered.
His smile widened slightly.
"That's enough for me."
The dining hall bell rang in the distance.
Students hurried across the compound.
Life continued as though nothing extraordinary had happened.
Yet everything had changed.
Because after years of wondering...
After months of confusion...
After countless conversations that ended halfway...
Samuel had finally said the words we had both been avoiding.