I remember vividly stopping Khalil in the school corridor and asking him why he was a bully due to the videos I have seen of him doing scary things to his mates.

He simply laughed and stopped someone as well,
"Guy, am I, not a bully?"
He asked.
The boy smiled and nodded and they both left laughing while I stood still not understanding what just happened, like it was some sort of inside joke.

Two weeks into resumption and I already had my own set of friends in my class, well actually just one friend named Mary Stefan.

Mary is your typical short Tomboy, she wore glasses, never cared about how she looked preferred hanging out with the guys and she was too short to be recognised for the trouble she caused.

When I first met her I didn't like her, I thought she was being fake because I was Zuoh's best friend and she was one of Zuoh's closest friends but then she kept pestering me.

"Rachel, have you done your Maths assignment?"
"Rachel, do you need my notes to catch up?"
"Rachel, can you see from over there?"
"Rachel, are you ready to go to the next class?"

She was annoying but I learned to like her, she grew on me.

Anytime Mary wasn't around, I would go back to being quiet, even though I had Daniel - one of the people from my estate- I'd rather just stay on my own.

I stayed on my own and my classmates kind of got used to it, so one day I tried not being alone and mingling since I have observed everyone enough and my current grades were great.

A girl named Blossom Gift, is a real nuisance. She was the first ever person to make me angry in that school. Blossom ended up being somewhat of a friend but she would forever be a nuisance in my memories.

I was at the door of my class trying to peep into Zuoh and Khalil's class, that was the closest I could ever get, I was always scared of their class. I was trying to see if Khalil was there, then Blossom came from nowhere and smacked me on my butt!

I was furious, mad, irritated, I was vexed. I was trying to get a peek at Khalil but people kept coming in front of him, blocking me from seeing him, and as if that wasn't enough, Blossom just had to come with her psychotic nature!

I was mad and furious, I hardly even spoke with her... God her hit was painful.
"How dare you?!"
She looked shocked at my anger like she wasn't expecting that reaction from me. What was she expecting? Me to smile at her violation?

"Blossom why did you-"
I pushed her and walked out, on my way out I bumped into Tito. Tito was one of the boys, when I mean one of the boys I mean 'the boys'. The boys were like a whole gang but they didn't consider themselves as that but I did.

Tito staggered back a little due to my sudden outburst and I didn't wait to see his reaction I just walked hastily to the lady's toilet.

I always had bad anger issues, I had a mentor because of it, I nearly killed someone with a knife because he compared me to another girl. Anytime I think back at it, I don't know whether to laugh or be scared of myself.

After I had calmed down, I walked back out and I felt everyone staring at me. I had a feeling they had already tagged me as 'the quiet girl with mad anger issues'.

Blossom walked up to me and I glared at her, I wasn't ready for her tactics.
"I am sorry, I didn't know you would get that angry."

My glare softened and I realized how my anger wasn't called for. I sighed,
"It's okay."

Tito walked up to me smiling,
"Guy you are strong ooo. The way you pushed me, guy I nearly fell."
I chuckled, it's not like he had the strength to even stand a fight with me.

Mary was also wary of me after what happened but she smiled at me before the end of the day.

I got home and texted Khalil, we got our groove back after everything but he wasn't the Khalil I used to know, he had changed but everyone has to change, it's human, I mean I became more conserved after Niyi, I would break down now and then.

I still talked to Niyi, still cried to him to take me back, I still told him I loved him every night, I even tried manipulating him to take me back and I also did a lot of underage drinking during that sad time which I am not proud of today.

Khalil was my getaway place at that point, I was still mourning my toxic relationship with Niyi while Khalil was there like old times to make me forget but the problem was that we couldn't talk physically so not all my pain was gone.

Khalil:
Hi Rachel, you good? I heard what happened with Blossom 😂

Rachel:
is she always like that or am I easily annoyed?

Khalil:
Both, but more of Blossom being annoying as fuck.

Rachel:
😂. You make her sound bad.

Khalil:
Maybe because she is, you haven't heard of her escapades, have you?

I remember Zuoh telling me about how much of a whore Blossom was. Zuoh and Mary told me a lot about how she was a whore and I judged her a lot, maybe that was the main reason I got irritated with her.

Rachel:
I have, they told me how much she whored around with the previous 12th graders.

Then our conversation just kept drifting, we talked about everything and anything.

"You like him." Someone stated matter of factly. I was startled when I looked up to meet with Zuoh, shook to the bones. I mean I knew what her voice sounded like but that doesn't mean I couldn't be snuck up on, I didn't even hear her walk in!

"God Zuoh, where did you come from?"
I asked with a hand on my chest being dramatic as always.

"From my house."
Typical Zuoh, I rolled my eyes at her statement and watched her as she walked around my room.

Zuoh didn't like sitting, she'd rather stand and it was quite funny because I was the direct opposite, I get restless when I stand for too long while she enjoys every minute of standing.

"You like him, don't you?" She picked up my perfume from my TV stand and examined it.

"Who is him?" I asked confused. She always had the tendency of speaking in different types of English I may not understand.

She stopped examining the bottle of perfume, looked at me as if contemplating to answer me or slap me but decided to go with the first one. "Khalil, you fool."

I laughed hard, how could I possibly? If only she knew how many messages and calls I have given to Niyi telling him I love him.

"No, why would you think that?"
She dropped the perfume bottle and walked towards me as I sat up at the edge of the bed, she stood few inches away from me, folded her arms and smirked. Zuoh always tried to feel like a know it all and inwardly I rolled my eyes every time she had that face.

"Just look at you smiling at the text he sent you, you look like a psycho in love, it's pathetic."
She also rarely ever says anything nice.

I rolled my eyes at my best friend and laid back on my bed, picked my phone and read a message Khalil just sent me.

Khalil: did you know that frowning reduces your life span and smiling increases your life span therefore you would live longer than I

I smiled, Khalil and his weird facts always gets me.
"You are smiling again." Zuoh stated again but I ignored her and continued with my reply.

Rachel: well you better start smiling more because I definitely don't want you to die first and I also don't like frowning it makes me ugly.

Khalil: nothing can ever make you ugly.

I froze when I read the message. He complimented me and it being Khalil he might have not known he did it, he probably just sees it as one of his weird facts and that's what warmed my heart.

Rachel: you think so?

Khalil: yeah, so I was watching Teen Titans go and beast boy is stupid.

I laughed, Khalil did not understand that when I asked the question I wanted him to continue complimenting me. Like I said, he thought of it as a weird fact.

"Let me see." Zuoh said and I looked at her and looked back at my phone, I looked at all the things we have texted today because I had a knack of deleting my texts due to my mother. I checked and dimmed it worthy enough for her to look at.

I handed the phone to her and she read it and chuckled in some areas, heightening my curiosity.
"What is it?"
"Khalil is a fool." She said scrolling way too fast for me to keep up.

"Tell me something that I don't know but he is cute."
She handed me back the phone and I dropped it to pay attention to my best friend, Khalil could wait.

"You like him Rachel." She stared deep into my eyes as if she could read all my emotions by staring, though it scared me, I didn't look away so she wouldn't think I did.

Is it possible to like him right now? I just got into the school two weeks ago, I wouldn't lie the feelings I had for him before started to develop again but I don't think I was in anyway close to liking him.

"I don't." Is all I said but in truth I wanted to say; I don't, I still love Niyi but I didn't say it because I was scared she would judge for still hanging on to that toxic relationship.

"Yes you do."

A/N:
What do you think about Rachel and Zuoh's relationship?

❤️ Nikky