~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

'What are they doing together?' she wonders, while staring intently at James and Bayo. However, upon noticing the indignant expressions on both their faces as they turn to look at her, she quickly averts her gaze. It is obvious that they are both infuriated with her. But she does not plan on waiting to find out why. Therefore, she moves quickly to her desk locker and opens it, but finds nothing inside. In utter frustration, she sighs deeply and then starts peering at the haphazard blue handwriting on the glistening white board. She knows that Bayo and James are staring the life out of her right now. But she is so afraid to look back, because she does not even know how to face them. All she does is stand there frozen in front of her desk, wondering whether to go over and talk to them or just run out of the classroom with lightning speed.

After a while, she eventually summons enough courage and turns back slowly, only to catch their unwavering eyes still shooting deadly bullets at her. Thereafter, she gradually starts to walk towards them, at which point James abruptly bids Bayo farewell and spitefully walks past her, butting her shoulder with his, as he does so. Afterwards, he takes Folake in his arm and then bounces out of the classroom. More or less ignoring his behaviour, Uju simply takes in another deep breath and keeps going. Eventually, she comes to stand face to face with Bayo, who is still glowering angrily at her.

It breaks Uju's heart to see the way Bayo is looking at her. And right now, she badly wants to say something; she wants to ask him how he is doing; she wants to tell him everything that happened to her; she wants to beg his forgiveness for keeping him in the dark about everything. But for some weird reason, the only thing that comes out of her mouth is, "Uhm... Bayo... Have you seen my rosary anywhere?"
'Damn it, girl! What is wrong with you?' she scolds herself within, while feebly trying to maintain a comely demeanor.

Bayo on the other hand, simply gasps in amazement; in bewilderment at how insensitive she truly is. "Wow!.." he sighs and then adds while picking up his school bag to leave, "...I guess people really never change."
As he walks past Uju in annoyance, she quickly grabs his arm tightly to hold him back. But then he turns to her angrily and gives her a stern 'you-had-better-let-go-of-me-right-now' gaze. However, Uju does not relent. Instead, with cold tears gathering in her eyes, she keeps on clinging firmly to his rolled-up white sleeve; one hand above, and the other around his wrist, saying, "Bayo... Please. I... I'm sorry. I messed up; I know. But... I'm sorry, okay. #Sniffs... I never meant to hurt you."

"LET-GO of my arm." he replies regardless, although his reddened eyes are painfully longing for her. But resilient Uju does not release her grip at all. As a matter of fact, she echoes at him, "No!" Then she adds earnestly, while sniffing in her sorrow, "...Please, Bayo... just listen to me."

Bayo sighs again. Afterwards, he looks up at the ceiling and then looks back at her in frustration, "So you were just going to leave?? Without any trace??..." He hesitates a bit, but then adds achingly, "...Without even saying goodbye???"
Loosening her grip slightly, Uju then moves closer to him and replies; her eyes getting even more watery, "So many things happened, Bayo. I... I didn't even know where to start... or how to..."

"...All we got was an announcement!!" he interrupts angrily. "...an announcement from Mrs. Obi after you disappeared for two weeks... that you had been transferred to another school... just like that!" he concludes, snapping his fingers at the end.

Then immediately, Uju moves in to hug him tightly and continues in tears, "...I'm so sorry, Bayo... #SNIFFS... It's just... everything has been so painful and extremely terrible. #SNIFFS... And... I wanted to tell you. I wished I could tell you but... I just..."

Bayo places his warm palms against her cheeks and then holds up her face reassuringly, saying with untold affection in his eyes, "... But I'm here now... You can tell me."

Upon hearing this, Uju quickly withdraws from him and then turns away, attempting to clean her face, "No. #SNIFFS... I can't."

Then Bayo sighs again in frustration and laments, throwing his arms up in the air, "...Uju, why are you like this??? Uju... #sighs... Uju, I love you! ...I love you so much." he confesses earnestly while in deep emotional pain; tears slowly exiting his eyelids.
"No, Bayo. You don't." Uju replies, as though trying to negate his statement; as though desperately wanting to extinguish the very truth deeply seated in his words.
"Yes I do, Uju!!!" he rebuffs in annoyance. "Don't tell me what I feel!!!"

Afterwards, Uju sighs deeply; more tears start to gush from her eyes with every breath. And then turning back to look sorrowfully into his eyes, she says, with painful resolution, "Bayo... We can never be together."

"Do you think I don't know that???... Do you think I like loving you??? #SIGHS... I hate it!... It hurts to love someone like you, Uju. But... I just can't help it. I can't help that I always want to be around you... that... I always want to know where you are and what you are doing... that I always want to hold you... or that I'm always thinking about you. It's... It's frustrating! And the worst part is... you don't even care." he purports soberly, heaving out a heavy sigh of frustration at the end.

After hearing this, Uju affectionately turns his averted face toward her and then says, "Bayo, that's not true."

"Please don't!... Don't do that to me, Uju." he replies, turning his face away again.

But she reaffirms, "I mean it, Bayo! I do! I have always cared about you. I... I was afraid of coming here today because... I didn't want to face you. Bayo, I have feelings for you. But my life is just so complicated that... having a romantic relationship will only make things much worse."

"But I never asked you for a relationship, Uju. We can still just be friends." he avers warmly, placing his palms against her elbows.

However, despite the warm but chilling sensation Uju feels from his touch, she slowly removes her elbows from his grasp and engulfs his palms in her hands, saying achingly as she does so, "That would not make things any easier for us, Bayo... and you know it. As much as it hurts me to say this; it is best if we just... part ways now."
Again, Bayo sighs heartrendingly while her fingers are still enlaced in his. He just cannot come to terms with the kind of mind Uju has. He does not fully understand what exactly is wrong with her. And obviously, she is hell-bent on telling him nothing, which makes it all even more frustrating. It is almost as though she likes to suffer alone.
Then moving closer to him, Uju says while staring into his marooned eyes with untold affection and a strange kind of resolve, "But know this, Bayo Alade... I will never forget you."
After saying this, she begins to move her face closer to his, until their noses make contact.

Getting a bit anxious about the way Uju is closing in on him, Bayo mutters in bewilderment, almost fully hypnotized by her warm breath, "What are you doing?"
And in a low but sonorous tone, Uju replies innocently, while still breathing on him, "Bayo... I don't know where life will take me... or if we will ever meet again. But... one thing I am sure of, is that... I want you... to be the first man that I ever kiss... that is... if you want to."
Uju needn't say any more, as with swift resolve, Bayo quickly obliges her. And in this breathtaking moment, they make sure to express every ounce of affection they feel for each other. Despite the fact that Bayo has ample experience already in this regard, this electrifying moment means more to him than Uju will ever know. Uju on the other hand, seems to have very little experience. But she keeps on snatching Bayo's warm lips with so much enthusiasm and with a strange kind of confidence that with every effort he finds more wildly attractive. 

Afterwards, they slowly begin to part ways; their hands still on each other's arms. As Uju moves away, Bayo maintains his mild grip on her and gradually rakes down from her elbows to her wrists with the surface of his palms, until only the tips of their fingers are in contact, afterwhich they finally separate with smiles of aching uncertainty on their faces.

Upon reaching the door, Uju turns back to gaze at Bayo one final time; to behold his loving eyes once more. "I don't want you to go." he confesses longingly, with aching emotion.
"But I have to." Uju replies in like manner, afterwhich she bites her lower lip and then finally leaves the classroom.
To Bayo's greatest surprise, she suddenly comes back in again a few seconds later and runs to hug him; at which point, he quickly grabs and lifts her up from the ground with exuberant might. Then with every ounce of fervour in their being, they embrace each other one last time; so tightly and affectionately that this extraordinarily magical moment will be etched on their hearts forever.
When Uju reaches the door again the second time, she turns back like before. But instead this time, she echoes at him with a smile as radiant as the sun, "Bayo!... I love you." Then she finally exits.

Afterwards, Bayo becomes emotionally disoriented. He starts to breathe heavily, as though Uju's departure cut out a massive void in his soul. Then in sheer heartache, he quickly dips his hand into his back pocket and brings out her rosary. He was with it all along, but for some reason, did not want to give it to her. So with lightning speed, he rushes toward the threshold of the classroom, intending to scream out Uju's name, just to make her come back; even if not for him, but only for the rosary. His heart aches to see her leave. And he does not believe he will ever find anyone else like her; anyone as smart as her; anyone as kind as her; anyone as ruthless as her. While he stands at this threshold and tears of both pain and affection begin to roll down his cheeks, he finds himself weeping like an abandoned child. Never before, has he felt so heartbroken yet so in love, at the same time.

As he watches Uju's form gradually fade away into the crowd of students, he decides not to call her back, so as not to face the anguish of watching her leave yet again and for a final time. Instead, he clenches the rosary within his palm and bites on his lower lip in tearful anger. He really wants to hate her. He wants to rip his chest open and cut her etched face out of his heart.
'Oh, Uju! The girl, who is destined for the world. The girl, who waits for no man. The girl, who never looks back.'
But then resting his forehead on the door frame, he sighs and wipes his tears away while attempting to whisper Uju's name once more. Afterwards, he looks down at the rosary in his palm and begins to peruse each plastic bead, each painted image. Then he looks back up at the horizon and sights what is left of Uju's distant form. He neither knows how or when, nor does he know where or if. But he hopes and believes with all his might that one day; just maybe one day, this rosary will lead her back to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                            THE END

                             ✨✨✨

Thank you for reading!
Please remember to vote for all the chapters.😊

🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆