Kaylila’s Perspective

I woke up feeling the usual  morning slump but pushed through it. The first week of school had been a whirlwind of introductions, activities, and new faces, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was missing something. Or someone.

Norrell.

It wasn’t that I was obsessed, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Our brief conversations in the halls, the way he smiled when I was around—it all lingered in my mind long after the school day ended.

But today was different. After a long weekend of getting caught up in school stuff, I had a feeling things would take a shift today.

As I walked into the dining hall for breakfast, I spotted Skye already sitting with her usual group. Her face lit up when she saw me. “Hey, girl! How was your weekend?”

“It was good,” I said, sitting down beside her. “You know, just the usual. Getting ready for the school year to kick off.”

Skye raised an eyebrow. “Mm-hmm, sounds like you’re being modest. You were probably thinking about someone all weekend.” She gave me a teasing smile.

I rolled my eyes, trying to brush it off. “What do you mean?”

Skye leaned in, lowering her voice. “Don’t play coy, Kaylila. You know exactly who I’m talking about.” She nodded toward Norrell, who was walking by with Jayden. “You’ve had your eyes on him for a while now.”

I felt my face flush slightly. “I’m not—okay, maybe I am. But I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s always hanging out with Jayden, and I can’t tell if he even likes me like that.”

Skye chuckled. “Are you seriously doubting yourself? You’re Kaylila Arasimisoluwa Olafemi. Guys are always falling for you.”

I didn’t know if I should be flattered or annoyed. “It’s not about that. I don’t want to seem like I’m chasing him or anything.”

“You’re not,” Skye reassured me. “But I get it. It’s complicated, especially with him being all mysterious.”

That was one way to put it. I wasn’t sure if I was drawn to Norrell because of his quiet, intriguing nature or because he was just different from the usual crowd. Either way, I needed to figure things out.

Skye’s Perspective

As much as I loved seeing my best friend flustered, I could tell she was genuinely unsure about Norrell. There was something about him that caught her attention, but she didn’t want to make the first move, which I understood. Not everyone was as bold as me when it came to matters of the heart.

But I had my own things to focus on. I wasn’t about to sit back and watch Kaylila stumble around in this unspoken situation. No, I had my own plan.

The truth was, I’d noticed something about Norrell. He was quiet, yes, but there was more to him. A certain distance he kept from the world, like he didn’t want to get too close to anyone. And maybe that was why he wasn’t giving Kaylila the attention she deserved. It wasn’t about her, it was about him.

But there was someone else who seemed to be eyeing him in a way I didn’t quite like—Nenoma. She had been hanging around him too much lately, and I knew exactly what she was trying to do. She thought she could just swoop in and take what she wanted.

I had a feeling things were about to get messy.

As Kaylila and I sat there talking, I noticed how her eyes kept drifting toward Norrell. She was trying to hide it, but I could see it in the way her lips curled into a slight smile whenever he passed by. It was adorable, really.

But at that moment, I had a mission. And my first move was to make sure Kaylila didn’t get too distracted by her daydreams.

I leaned closer to her. “Alright, enough about Norrell for now. What’s going on with you and Nenoma? I swear, I’ve seen her looking at you like she wants to take your spot.”

Kaylila rolled her eyes. “Nenoma is always like that. She thinks she runs the school, and that’s just annoying.”

I nodded, watching as Nenoma passed by with her usual entourage. She shot Kaylila a smug look before walking away. “You know, she’s definitely trying to get to Norrell, and I’m not sure how much longer he’s going to keep avoiding her.”

Kaylila looked at me, her expression mixed with a hint of frustration and confusion. “I just don’t know if I should even bother. What if he’s not interested? What if I’m reading all of this wrong?”

I placed a hand on her shoulder. “You’ll never know unless you try. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? You’re Kaylila. You’re always in control, and you deserve someone who sees that.”

Kaylila gave me a soft smile, the doubt lifting from her eyes. “Thanks, Skye. You always know what to say.”

“I try,” I said, flashing her a grin. “But seriously, just talk to him. You never know—he might surprise you.”

Kaylila’s Perspective

Skye was right. Maybe I was overthinking this. I had spent so much time worrying about how Norrell might feel that I forgot to consider my own feelings. I couldn’t keep letting things slip by because I was afraid to take the first step.

As we finished breakfast and headed to class, I made a silent promise to myself: I was going to talk to him, and I wasn’t going to let Nenoma or anyone else stand in my way.

The day passed in a blur, but the thought of Norrell stayed on my mind. And when the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, I saw him talking with Jayden in the hallway.

I took a deep breath and walked toward them. This was it. I was going to make my move.

“Hey, Norrell,” I said, my heart racing a little as I approached him.

He turned to me, his expression softening. “Hey, Kaylila. How was your day?”

“Good, just… you know, the usual,” I said, my nerves getting the best of me. “Listen, I was wondering if you had time to talk later? Maybe after classes?”

Norrell looked at me for a moment, his eyes thoughtful. “Sure, I’ll be around. Just let me know when.”

I nodded, a wave of relief washing over me. “Great. I’ll see you then.”

As I walked away, I couldn’t help but smile. This was a step forward. Now, I just had to hope that Norrell felt the same way.

The rest of the day felt like it was crawling by. My mind kept replaying the conversation I had with Norrell in the courtyard. I had expected a declaration, a moment where everything just clicked into place. But instead, Norrell had said something that left me frozen in place, unsure of what to think or feel.

“I like you, Kaylila. I really do,” he had said, his voice soft. “But right now, I’m just not ready to explore this. I need to focus on my studies. There’s too much going on for me to dive into anything right now.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, I couldn’t speak. He seemed sincere, but hearing him say he wasn’t ready to take things further… it stung. I had hoped for something more. I had dreamed of something more. But reality was different.

“I understand,” I had whispered, even though I didn’t feel like I did at all.

He smiled, though it was tinged with regret. “I don’t want to hurt you, Kaylila. But right now, I need to focus on my future. I hope you understand that.”

I had nodded, forcing a smile, even though my heart was breaking into a million pieces. “I get it,” I had replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

As I walked away from him, the weight of his words settled heavily on my chest. I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if the timing had been different. If only he hadn’t been so focused on his studies. But at the same time, I knew deep down that I couldn’t make him choose me over his ambitions.

Skye’s Perspective

When I saw Kaylila walking back to the art studio , her shoulders slumped and her eyes distant, I immediately knew something was wrong. She had been glowing earlier, but now… it was like all the light had drained from her.

“Hey, Kay,” I said, jogging to catch up with her.

She looked at me, her smile faint but not quite reaching her eyes. “Hey, Skye.”

“What happened?” I asked, already knowing that something wasn’t right.

She sighed, shaking her head. “I talked to Norrell. He… he said he likes me. But he’s not ready for anything. He wants to focus on his studies.”

My heart sank for her. I knew how much Kaylila had been hoping for something more, something real with Norrell. The way she’d spoken about him, the way she’d looked at him—it was clear how deeply she felt.

“That must be tough,” I said softly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Kaylila nodded, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah, it hurts. I thought maybe he felt the same way, but I guess I was wrong.”

“You’re not wrong,” I said quickly, trying to reassure her. “Sometimes timing just isn’t right, and you can’t control that. But it doesn’t mean it’s over.”

Kaylila shrugged. “I don’t know. I just feel like I put myself out there and got nothing in return.”

I wanted to say more, but I could see how devastated she was. The words felt useless in the moment.

“I know it’s hard,” I said, my heart aching for her. “But you’re strong, Kay. You’ll get through this.”

She gave me a small, grateful smile. “Thanks, Skye.”

Kaylila’s Perspective

Later that evening, as I sat on my bed, I replayed the conversation with Norrell in my head, over and over. The pain didn’t seem to fade. The hope I’d had that maybe we could be something more had shattered into pieces.

I wasn’t angry with him. I understood his need to focus on his future. I couldn’t expect him to drop everything for me, even though a part of me wanted to. It was just… hard.

I reached for my phone, staring at the screen for a long moment before finally texting him.

“I understand, Norrell. I hope you succeed with everything you want to achieve. Maybe one day, we’ll get the chance to see where this could have gone.”

I stared at the message, the words feeling like a final goodbye to something that had never truly started. After a few minutes, I hit send. And as soon as I did, I felt a wave of emptiness wash over me.

I lay back on my bed, staring up at the ceiling, wondering if I had been foolish to believe that something could happen so quickly. Maybe it was just a dream, something to fill the space in my life that had been quiet for so long.

But maybe, just maybe, there was still hope. There had to be, right?

The hours after I sent the message to Norrell felt like a blur. My chest ached, not just because of his words but because deep down, I knew I couldn’t change his mind.

I’d barely touched my dinner that evening, choosing instead to sit in the quiet of my room. The twinkling lights of the Abuja skyline outside my window should have been comforting, but they weren’t.

My phone buzzed. For a brief moment, I hoped it was Norrell responding to my message, but it was Skye instead.

“Hey, I’m here if you need to talk. Don’t keep it all inside, okay?”

A soft smile tugged at my lips. Skye had always been the voice of reason in my life, the one person who reminded me that it was okay to feel hurt.

“Thank you. I’ll be okay,” I texted back, though I wasn’t entirely sure if I believed it.

Sliding my phone onto the nightstand, I sank into my pillow. The tears came then, slow and silent. I wasn’t sure if I was mourning Norrell or the version of myself that had been brave enough to believe something more was possible.

And yet, I told myself, tomorrow would come. It always did.

---

Skye’s Perspective

The next morning, I found Kaylila sitting in the garden behind the school, her back against the bench and her face tilted toward the sun. She didn’t look like someone who had cried herself to sleep, but I knew her well enough to recognize the sadness in her eyes.

“You missed breakfast,” I said, sitting beside her.

She smiled faintly. “I wasn’t hungry.”

We sat in silence for a moment, the distant sound of students chattering filling the air.

“I know it hurts,” I said finally.

She turned to me, her expression soft but guarded. “I just didn’t think it would hurt this much. I knew he was focused, but I thought… I don’t know. I thought maybe I’d be worth the risk.”

“You are,” I said firmly. “But sometimes people just don’t see what’s right in front of them.”

She let out a bitter laugh. “Maybe he does. He just doesn’t want it right now.”

I didn’t know what to say to that. Norrell wasn’t a bad guy, but he had hurt her, intentionally or not.

Kaylila straightened up, brushing invisible lint off her skirt. “I’m not going to cry anymore. He made his choice, and I have to respect that. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let it define me.”

Her resolve surprised me. It reminded me of the Kaylila who walked into school each day, head held high.

“You’re stronger than you think, you know,” I said.

She gave me a small smile. “I’m trying to be.”

Kaylila’s Perspective

By the time I saw Norrell again, it was during lunch in the cafeteria. He was sitting with Jayden, laughing at something, his smile as bright as ever. My heart clenched, but I took a deep breath and walked past their table without a second glance.

I had promised myself I wouldn’t let this break me. And while it wasn’t easy, I had to move forward.

*****

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