It all started on a humid Monday morning at Gait High School. Everyone was buzzing about the new boy's tall, fresh haircut, perfect skin, and a smile that made girls giggle uncontrollably. But not me. The moment he opened his mouth and made that rude, arrogant comment during class, I knew I didn't like him. He was too proud. Too full of himself.
While other girls swooned, I rolled my eyes. "He's not all that," I told my friends, brushing off their excitement. But deep down, I was curious about why everyone was drawn to him.
One Wednesday afternoon, while lounging under the mango tree near the school's back fence, my friends teased me.
"Oyin, go and talk to him now. Get close to him. Let's see what makes him so special," they challenged.
I laughed. "Me? Talk to that boy?" But the dare got to me.
I approached him with full pride and confidence, already planning to prove that he wasn't worth all the hype. But the more we talked… the more something shifted. He was funny. Smarter than I expected. And somehow, when he smiled at *me*, it didn't feel like the same one he gave every other girl.
Days turned into weeks. From random hallway chats to sharing lunch under the mango tree, our conversations deepened. I found myself smiling at his texts. Waiting for him to walk into class. Laughing at his silly jokes even when they weren't that funny.
My pride started melting. I told myself it was part of the "mission" to find out about him. But by the time I realized I'd developed feelings… It was already too late.
I had fallen.
Just as I started dreaming of "us," the drama began. Other girls noticed our closeness and didn't like it. Some whispered about me. Some tried to get close to him. One even *kissed* him.
When I found out, my heart shattered.
I confronted him with tears in my eyes. "So, is this a game to you? Am I just one of your options?"
He looked genuinely hurt. "No, Oyin. I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't kiss her. She kissed me. I didn't kiss her back."
But the damage was done.
I tried to stay away, but love has a way of pulling you back.
Then one day after school, behind the classroom block where we always hung out he grabbed my hand gently and looked me in the eyes. "I don't care about any other girl. It's you I want."
Then he kissed me.
And everything changed
After that kiss, everything felt different. Suddenly, the world around me became brighter whenever he was near. His smile felt warmer, and his words sweeter, like honey dripping into my heart. We started spending more time together, laughing and sharing secrets behind the classroom block, where no one else could hear us.
He was always there, making sure I felt special. His presence comforted me in ways I never expected. The days felt lighter, and the nights held promises of something beautiful.
But deep inside, a tiny voice whispered doubts what if this didn't last? What if the other girls were right about him?
Yet, for that moment, none of it mattered. I let myself believe in us.
Just when I thought everything was perfect, the rumors started. Whispers in the hallways, glances from other girls, and sudden coldness in his eyes. I tried to ignore it, but jealousy crept in like a shadow I couldn't shake off.
One afternoon, I saw him laughing with another girl closer than friends should be. My heart twisted. I confronted him, but he brushed it off like it was nothing.
"Why can't you trust me?" he asked.
But how could I? Every jealous thought screamed louder than his words. Our fights grew frequent, each one more painful than the last. The sweet boy I fell for was slowly turning into a stranger I barely recognized.
I wanted to believe in us, but the drama was suffocating me. The more I loved him, the more I felt myself losing control
The fights became unbearable. I was tired of feeling like I was never enough, tired of doubting every smile and every word. The jealousy that once was just a little spark turned into a raging fire, burning everything in its path including us.
One rainy evening, after another fight about the girls I couldn't stop thinking about, he said something that broke me.
"I can't keep doing this. Maybe we're just not meant to be."
Those words echoed in my mind like a cruel song. I begged him to stay, promised to change, but he was already gone emotionally, and then physically.
I felt empty, lost in a storm of tears and questions. How did love turn into this? How did the boy who kissed me behind the classroom become the reason my heart shattered?
But even through the pain, I knew one thing love is never easy, and sometimes, it hurts before it heals
Days turned into weeks, and slowly, the sharp edges of my heartbreak began to dull. I spent more time with friends, buried myself in schoolwork, and even started dancing again, the one thing that used to bring me joy before everything got complicated.
One afternoon, as I practiced my moves alone in the school hall, I realized something important: loving someone else is beautiful, but loving yourself is the first step to true happiness.
I began to smile again not because I forgot him, but because I was learning to be whole without him.
Maybe one day, we'd cross paths again, not as enemies or lovers, but as two people who grew from what they once shared.
For now, I choose to grow, to heal, and to dream
Just when I thought I was moving on, he came back. One afternoon, he found me by the school gate and said, "I'm sorry for hurting you. I was careless, and I never meant to break your heart."
His eyes were sincere, and something inside me softened.
We gave each other another chance. This time, he kept his promises—no more chatting with other girls, no more secrets. I felt happy, safe, and loved again.
But just when everything seemed perfect, disaster struck.
One day, I was absent from school, and a girl called him into an empty classroom. What happened next was shocking—she kissed him.
As if fate had a cruel sense of timing, some of my friends saw them and ran straight to me with the news.
My heart shattered all over again.
When my friends told me, I felt like the ground had disappeared beneath me. I wanted to scream, cry, and run away all at once. But I knew I had to face him.
The next day, I confronted him. His face turned pale, and his silence said it all. Tears welled up in my eyes as I asked, "Why? After everything?"
He struggled to explain, but deep down, I already knew the answer.
That moment broke me but it also woke me up.
I realized love isn't supposed to hurt like this, and jealousy shouldn't consume me.
I decided to focus on myself, my dreams, my happiness.
He lost me, but I found myself.
To be continued.....