My phone chimed again — the second time in less than a minute. I groaned, reached for it, and squinted at the screen. Two texts. Both from him. The first was long — emotional and dramatic, a wall of text I didn't bother reading fully. The second was short, almost chilling in its simplicity. "If you leave me, I'll kill myself." I rolled my eyes and dropped the phone on the bed beside me. Larry Chike. Always extra.
We started as friends in school. He used to beg me to help him with his maths homework, and I'd laugh at how clueless he was. That's how it started — small talks, shared jokes. Then people started calling us "husband and wife" in class, and on Valentine's Day last year, he made it official. We started dating. I thought it was real. But last week, it all crumbled. He accused me of cheating. Me — Nkechi Donald, aka NK — cheating? Just because I started helping Jerry with his studies too. I mean, come on. It was harmless. Jerry's not even my type.
But Larry didn't care. He couldn't handle the thought of me spending time with another guy — even for schoolwork. I tried to explain. I tried to make him see reason. But he lost it. When I told him I couldn't stay in a relationship built on jealousy and paranoia, he begged. He cried. Then he got angry. Then cold. Then back to begging again. And now… threatening suicide? I didn't know whether to be worried or just tired.
My phone started ringing. Larry. I stared at the screen for a second. Then picked up. "NK… why are you doing this to me?" His voice was hoarse, like he'd been crying for hours. "What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, trying to sound calm — unaffected. "You know I love you. Why... why are you pushing me away?" I sighed. "Don't say that. Don't make this about me." "Do you hate me that much?" "I don't hate you, Larry. But you make everything about yourself. Everything always has to be your way." "But nobody's perfect," he whispered. I heard him sigh — that deep, shaky kind of sigh that comes after crying. My chest tightened.
"Larry… have you been crying?" I asked, softening a little. He didn't answer. "Please don't hurt yourself," I added quickly. "Please. Don't be stupid." Then I hung up before I could say something I'd regret.
I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling fan as it spun lazily. My room was dim, lit only by the soft blue glow of my phone screen. Did he mean it? Would he actually do something crazy? Or was it just manipulation? I wanted to believe it was just drama — that he wouldn't go that far. But part of me wasn't sure. Part of me knew how unstable he could be.
Ofcourse he has said more stupidier stuffs than this but I didn't expect much from him this time-unlike the time he said he would die for me.
I remembered when he first asked me out. "NK, I love you and I want us to be more than friends. I want us to be something special and unique," he said, standing under that mango tree near the school gate. "Be my girlfriend." He used to say my name like it was sacred. He never called me Nkechi — always NK, the name my English teacher had given me in JSS2. It stuck. Everyone called me that now. And Larry loved it. Said it sounded strong, confident. I used to love how he looked at me. But now? All I felt was tired. Tired of the guilt trips. Tired of being made to feel like I was the villain for simply having male friends. Tired of not being trusted.
I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to let it go. That night, I barely slept. And by morning, Larry was gone. No calls. No messages. No one had seen him since our call. He didn't go home. He didn't show up at school. Just... vanished.
I tried not to worry, telling myself he was probably just being dramatic again. But a part of me couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. I remembered how he used to look at me, with such adoration and love.
As the day went on, I couldn't focus on my classes.I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong. I tried to focus on my classes, but my mind kept wandering back to Larry. Was he okay? Had he done something to himself? The thought sent a chill down my spine. I didn't want anything bad to happen to him, even if our relationship was over.
I decided to reach out to his friends, hoping they might know something. But no one seemed to have any information about his whereabouts. The hours ticked by slowly, each one feeling like an eternity. I checked my phone obsessively, hoping Larry would finally reach out or that someone would have news about his whereabouts. But nothing. Just silence.