i have written this on my message board before: Cheers to us with OCDs, phobias and disorders... cheers🥂 and early update bc I have time :)💕 short chapter, I'm sorry.🥺💞

028| 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝑮𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏 𝑩𝒐𝒚...

~H A N N I E L~

"Volleyball, basketball, fencing, American football, track, tennis..."

"Fencing?" I repeated in awe. "Cool,"

"I know, you have to try out one of these because we are having tryouts for the upcoming Hennessey conference. So if you want to participate..."

"Can I try out basketball then? When are the tryouts?" I cut in, a little bit too excitedly. The senior gave me a once over, biting her lower lip and composing herself in a smug manner.

"Tomorrow, okay? See you at the tryouts. Bye, pretty boy." She waved at me with a smirk and I lowered my eyes at her, also smirking, watching her every step as she walked backward instead of turning around.

I waved slowly at her and gave her a dashing smile, which ended up having the effect I intended for it to have.

I turned around and began walking to class, hands casually in my pocket. But then bumped into Ameenah.

"Oh my God!" I shouted immediately, my hand flying to my chest that threatened to burst out of its cage. "You scared me!"

Her face, however was devoid of emotions, blank faced and lacking any expression. "Flirting with a senior, eh?" Her voice was just as her face, devoid of emotions and blank.

"Was I?" I feigned innocence.

She hissed in reply. That one sound I hated with passion. Even my mom did it and it was so annoying.

She looked away from my gaze and muttered under her breath, even though I could hear, "You did not even see better senior to flirt with, now that rubbish Senior Penelope."

I chuckled and placed a finger under her chin to tilt her face. "Hey, it's nothing serious. What's the harm in flirting? Besides, she's my senior."

Ameenah looked straight into my eyes and for a moment, an emotion I couldn't decipher fleeted across her eyes and before I could recognize what it meant, she cleared her throat and hissed again, "What's my business?"

"By the way, I heard that you're trying out basketball, can you play it?"

"Definitely, yes." I answered, cockily. "Basketball has always been my favorite."

"I am a fencer and a track runner," Ameenah told me. "Believe me, it's very hard."

"Okay... she a runner, she a track star." I teased, wiggling my eyebrows at her.

"But I'm not gonna run away when it gets hard, jerk." Ameenah feigned a smile at me which melted immediately.

"But wait, you're a fencer?"

"Yep," she nodded. "Been fencing since I was 8, now it's my favorite thing to do in the world."

I gasped in amusement, "I wonder what it looks like to see you fence."

I really did.

"Check my Tiktok page." Her reply was almost instant. "Oh and by the way,"

I looked up from the ground and saw a little pout on Ameenah's face. "You know how we're hosting our inter school sports at the Jacqueline Hennessey conference? I won't be attending classes like before."

I took a step back, "What do you mean?"

"Actually, I don't really attend classes. I use most of my time to train as a fencer and few times as a track runner only for competitions, but like now that we've resumed, training's going to have to continue and I guess it'll be more intense since we're training for the conference."

"I'll be the only one to myself," I said slowly, in realization. Not that I wasn't used to it. In Abuja, I had zero friends. But now, I actually did have Ameenah, besides, I don't think I could ever be friends with Dabi and Hassan.

Sucks to have their type as friends.

"Saying that makes it really sad because I'm actually going for training right now. I have a competition tomorrow and I won't be in school. But you can do one thing."

"What's that?" I asked.

"Root for me. People don't take me serious because fencing is not a famous sport like basketball, football..."

"Do you like it?" I stopped her and took a step forward. I leaned down and noticed how she inhaled sharply after I did that. It confused the hell out of me though.

"Yes," she nodded slowly. "I don't like fencing, I love fencing."

"Then it's about you, not the people. If you like fencing, that should be the only thing that matters."

Ameenah smiled honestly at me, happiness swimming in her brown orbs as she stared at me. "Thank you for being my friend, Hanniel. And for lifting my mood today."

"Come," she held my hand, intertwining our fingers together and pulling me with her, "let me escort you to class."

By the time I got to class, the first person I locked gaze with was Komisola. Quickly, I broke the eye contact and began walking to my seat before Yusrah stopped me.

God. I sighed to myself.

Yusrah was like another Dabirah. Even more obnoxious than Dabirah and very overbearing. It was like having ten Dabirah's in one body, soul and mind.

"What's this on your back?" She uncrossed her legs and proceeded to stand up. Next thing I saw was a small, pink colored note. I knew how Yusrah was about to read it so I snatched it from her and earned a glare.

"Hey, what was that for?!" She exclaimed, flinging her arms.

"There's something called invasion of privacy, don't follow it." I told her and began walking off to my seat.

"Invasion of privacy?" She scoffed. "Excuse me, but that sugar paper was glued to your back, golden boy."

"Thank you," I looked back for a second and feigned a sweet smile at her. She really was annoying.

I walked past Hassan and Dabirah who didn't even act like I existed. Not that I expected anything from them.

After taking my seat, I began reading the words scribbled on the small pink note and I recognized the handwriting as Ameenah's.

"Thank you for lifting my mood, again. Btw, you're not pretty boy. You're golden boy."

I didn't realize it but I was already smiling. Especially at the small smiley face beneath the note at the right corner. I wonder when she'd written all this. I glued the note to the corner of my table and simultaneously looked to my right to see that next to Komisola, the window clearly showed a dark atmosphere and little droplets of rain.

It was raining again.

Just the weather I loved.

~Chapter Break~

This feeling was new.

It was something akin to regret and a feeling of missing warmth.

She knew they had both parted ways. Yet, she couldn't help but ask herself why.

That smile on his face when he read that paper note stirred something in her. Something like curiosity with a tinge of bitterness. It was a feeling she couldn't decipher. She'd built up a wall that protected herself from him, his golden smiles, eye crinkles and mind fumbling words. But now?

She could see how his face lit up with a genuine smile, just by staring at words written by that one girl who used to bully her. But stopped all of a sudden ever since Hanniel walked into CH.

Her friends didn't stop. But she did. And it confused her. It was at a suspicious timing, and she didn't understand. She didn't even throw glances her way again. And how she kept quiet whenever her friends bullied her was very strange.

To Komisola, that girl reeked of pretence and a false cover.

And that girl was Ameenah Ahmed. The popular fencer that everyone admired.

~
okayyyyyy
I'm starting to like Ameenah😭💕
but was she lying to Hanniel when she said her and Komi were two worlds apart?😕
who likes fencing? i do but i can't and i repeat, i can't fence🤺
btw please comment, vote & share
SHAREEE ABEGGGGGG🥺 ahn ahn🥺 500+ reads? thank you and we can do better🥺 bikooo🥺❤️ jebal[korean]🥺❤️ lyyyy guysss so muchhh. shout out to every reader that always engage in my book!💕