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In my high school days, I used to have a crush on a lot of guys, especially the ones who were really cute. It was more of an admiration thing, you know? As in when you see someone and you're like, "Wow, this guy is so cute!"
Many boys would ask me out back then, but I couldn't even imagine myself being in a relationship.
I couldn't think of it after seeing all the drama girls used to put up in the hostel.
I remember Lizzy, Gideon's girlfriend, would come to our room and complain about how he dared to slap her.
“He slapped me, Gideon had the guts to slap me” she will sob.
“He's just going to do it again. Come on, girl! Stop shedding crocodile tears. It's not the first time." Ugochi, her best friend will say.
Snr Lizzy would be upset about the slap for like three days, planning her breakup speech. But she never actually went through with it because Gideon would apologize and give her a beautiful bracelet or necklace.
On the other hand, Senior Peace never had a truly happy week. Her boyfriend was a player, always asking out junior students, sharing his food with them, and protecting them from punishment.
There was always breakup news every week, some even came with blackmail.
I never said yes to the guys I liked. I had this belief that all boys were heartless.
However, someone proved me wrong.
It was a new session, and I was beginning SS2. I was very excited to meet my friends after a long holiday and at the same time worried about my parents. I always feel sad whenever we leave them alone at home with only my little cousin for company. I can always imagine how quiet the house will be.
Also sad because I will miss the good food, my favorite TV show, church activities, etc.
“Back to prison” I will sigh, whenever we drive into the school gate.
We attended the 6:30 a.m. mass that Sunday, allowing me to return to school promptly at 9 a.m. To my surprise, I was the only one in my class who arrived so early. The rest were either juniors or seniors.
After organizing my belongings, I decided to take a stroll towards the school gate, hoping to run into some of my classmates.
I walked past the lush green courtyard with benches and trees, admiring the newly trimmed flowers. I decided to sit on one of the benches and wait for any friend that would come my way.
Then someone caught my attention. I looked up and saw a charming young guy walking towards me.
Naturally, I couldn't help but think to myself that he was handsome.
"Hi, my name is George. I'm a new student," he introduced himself.
"I'm Phyna. Welcome to our school," I replied, offering him a warm smile. He returned the smile graciously.
"So, which class are you in, George?" I asked. "I'm in SS3," he responded, flashing another captivating smile.
"Really? How?" I inquired, as the school only admits students into JS1 and SS1.
"I guess you haven't heard yet, but my dad is the new principal," he revealed.
The news was astonishing. I had no idea we would have a new principal.
As soon as my classmates arrived, I eagerly shared the news with them.
Later in the evening, George approached me again in the dining hall and joined our table.
We started talking extensively, and he told me that I was his only friend.
We became good friends and he taught me further maths and physics which he was very good at.
He was different from the other boys I knew—brilliant, smart, handsome, caring, and honest.
He eventually asked me to be his girlfriend. But I couldn't accept it because I was afraid of being betrayed. But he knew how much I loved him, so he didn't want to pressure me. He was very understanding.
Then we became best of friends. We read, eat, gists and play games together. I was so emotionally attached to him.
It once happened that I didn’t get to see him for three days when he went to an external competition. I developed a fever the second day when I couldn't hear from him. I only realized later that it wasn't malaria when I became well with just his hug.
“So it wasn’t malaria, it was George” my friends teased.
"I've missed you every passing minute for the past two days. I can’t believe how much I love you," he had said to me.
These words made my heart skip a beat and filled me with an overwhelming sense of love and joy.
Our connection was so strong, and even without physical intimacy, our feelings were pure and untainted.
It was a love that came from the depths of our innocent hearts.
However, What mattered most to me was being able to replace the confusing moments of an unhappy relationship with a genuine friendship that lasted.
I’m happy to say that I and George were best friends until he tossed his graduation cap, and our friendship has continued to flourish since we got admitted into the same university.