The thing about Stephen was that he was always there.
I stepped out of class, and boom—there he was, leaning against the railing like a Nollywood actor about to drop a life-changing quote.
"Jade," he said, smiling as if he'd been waiting all his life for this moment.
I squinted at him. "Stephen. Are you stalking me?"
He chuckled. "I just have good instincts. I knew you'd be leaving now."
Miriam, standing beside me, exhaled in that slow, heavy way that only Nigerian friends who are trying not to insult someone in public can exhale. She didn't say anything, but I saw the way she adjusted her bag roughly, like the situation was personally offending her.
Stephen clapped his hands together. "Where are we off to?"
"Lunch," I said.
"Perfect! Let's go."
Miriam's nostrils flared just slightly.
We walked to the cafeteria, and I noticed it again—how Stephen somehow managed to walk right beside me, always perfectly timed, as if he had studied my movements on CCTV before.
When we reached our usual table, Stephen did what he always did—he made a show of sitting with me. The kind of show that made people turn their heads.
"Jade, I swear, the way you finished those people in class today? I'm still recovering!" He slapped the table dramatically, laughing too loudly. "Too much wisdom! My own brain is vibrating!"
A few people glanced our way. I tried not to smirk.
Miriam, on the other hand, was suddenly very interested in her rice. She picked at it like a bored child being forced to eat vegetables, her spoon stabbing aimlessly at grains that weren't fighting her.
"You should have seen her," Stephen continued, grinning like an unpaid hype man. "Jade was on fire!"
I shrugged, enjoying the attention. "Well, when you're brilliant, you're brilliant."
"Exactly!" Stephen laughed. "You need to start charging people for lectures. Call it Jade University."
Miriam's spoon clinked against her plate.
I glanced at her. She still hadn't smiled since we sat down.
Stephen was still talking. "I need to step up my game in class, o. I can't be looking like a fool next to you."
Miriam exhaled loudly.
"Something wrong?" I asked her.
"No." She stabbed a plantain cube. "Plantain is just softer than I expected."
I snorted. Liar.
Stephen checked his phone. "I was thinking of heading to the library after this. Jade, you coming?"
Before I could even open my mouth, Miriam spoke.
"She won't be able to go," she said flatly.
I blinked. "I won't?"
"Nope." She took a slow sip of water.
Stephen looked between us, confused. "Oh. Alright then. I'll see you later, Jade?"
"Yeah," I said.
Miriam didn't even look up from her plate.
When Stephen was finally out of sight, she let out a loud sigh and turned to me.
"Jade, abeg, what is that boy?"
I frowned. "A human being?"
Miriam ignored me. "Because I don't understand. Why is he moving like a lost puppy that imprinted on you?"
I laughed. "Maybe because he likes me?"
Miriam tilted her head like she had just heard the dumbest thing in the world. "Oh, really? So a fine boy that just transferred to this school, with plenty girls to choose from, just randomly decided to attach himself to you? Out of everybody?"
I flicked a grain of rice at her. "Wow. That was an unnecessary drag."
"Don't 'wow' me, Jade. Use your head. The guy just landed here, and suddenly you're his oxygen? That one no make sense."
I rolled my eyes. "Maybe I'm just that interesting."
Miriam folded her arms. "Or maybe he just wants people to think he finds you interesting."
I paused. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Miriam leaned forward. "Let me ask you something. What do you actually know about Stephen?"
I opened my mouth. Then closed it.
I knew his surname—Bankole.
I knew he transferred from… somewhere.
I knew he liked to sit with me. I knew he always agreed with me in class debates. I knew he always found me.
But I didn't know where he lived. I didn't know who his friends were, because as far as I'd seen, he didn't have any. I didn't know what school he had even transferred from.
"See?" Miriam said, watching my face. "That's why I'm saying be careful."
I exhaled. "Miriam, you're just overthinking—"
"Overthinking?" She gave me a pointed look. "Jade, this guy is everywhere you are. He moves like he has GPS tracking on your shoe. And unlike Zion, who acts like looking at you in public will send him to hell, this one is forcing his presence on you."
"Maybe because he doesn't care what people think?"
"Or maybe because he cares too much about what people think."
I frowned. "What does that even mean?"
Miriam sighed. "It means I've seen this kind of thing before. You know my cousin Nkechi? The one that almost got scammed by that Yahoo boy?"
I groaned. "Miriam, this is not Yahoo—"
"Not yet," she muttered.
I gave her a look.
She raised her hands in surrender. "All I'm saying is be careful. That's all."
I stood up. "Yes, mummy."
She sucked her teeth. "Better don't go and cry in my room when this one shows his true colors."
I tossed my bag over my shoulder. "Relax. Not every guy is out to destroy me, you know."
Miriam just shook her head. But as we left the cafeteria, I noticed something—she still hadn't smiled since we met Stephen.
I wasn't going to let it bother me, though.
Because unlike Zion, unlike every other guy who acted like I was some kind of curse, Stephen actually chose me.
So why would I question that?