I Did Not Want To Fall For You

Our First Meeting

"I love you."
"I love you too."
She leaned up with a grin and waited for him to press his soft lips to hers. Just before she could bask in the goodness of his kiss, she woke up with a loud gasp.
Kamsi stared wide-eyed into the dark, her heart pounding in her chest. What on earth was that!? She snapped back to reality and immediately knelt on her bed and made the sign of the Cross. Were spiritual husbands real as her mother said? Spiritual boyfriends too? How on earth did she dream of kissing a boy when she was not lusting after anyone?
Really? A voice teased and she groaned. Stupid crush!
"Mother Mary, please, deliver me from any crush," She cried silently, "I don't want to kiss anybody in the dream or in real life! I am going to finish my last year in school with no romantic relationships whatsoever!"
*
Kamsi walked along with the rest of the students leaving the refectory to the block of classes.
It was a Monday morning, a week after resuming for the second term and as usual, her Monday morning didn't find her in her best mood. She rolled her eyes in annoyance as she was bumped into, twice. The perpetrators walked on, oblivious, chatting and laughing loudly.
"Kamsi!"
She smiled at Toyosi who was in front of her class, the only SS3 commercial class, waving at her. She waved back and proceeded to walk on then reluctantly changed direction and headed for her when she was beckoned on.
"What is it this early morning, Toyo?" She drawled, pretending not to notice the attention of the few commercial boys also outside their class.
"Calm your horses" Toyosi, black-skinned, slim beauty with the worst hair on the planet, rolled her eyes, "am I right? Is it calm your horses or hold your horses?" She added, pulling her into the class.
"I don't know, search your brain. The answer must be there somewhere."
"You're too sarcastic for my liking" Toyosi huffed, opening her window side locker, two seats from the back.
Kamsi leaned against the opposite locker, watching.
"What is it?" She questioned, "it's almost time for assembly."
"It's time" Toyosi informed her, busy with something in her locker.
She looked out. Indeed students were already trooping out in their numbers towards the assembly ground.
"Then hurry up" She beckoned, turning back to her friend, "I don't like being chased like a homeless dog."
"Too late" Toyosi laughed and she looked out of the window again to see the games master, Mr. Musa, swinging his long cane and running after her mates.
"Mehn, that cane is my undoing." Mary, one of Toyosi's classmates, exclaimed, hurrying out of the class. She was quickly followed by others and loud banging of lockers and scraping of chairs.
"Keep your bag here. I wanted to give you something to give Samuel, I'll give you later. Let's go." Toyosi said, slamming her locker shut. She dropped her bag as told and followed her out of the class, the both of them jumping down the corridor, narrowly escaping the fuming wave of Mr. Musa's beloved cane.
"That man is always angry, I've noticed." She laughed, greeting few of her mates as they ran away from the always angry man.
"His wife doesn't feed him well." Toyosi joked.
"Is he even married?"
"Do I care?"
They laughed, slowing to a walk now that they were in the clear.
"What is it you wanted to give Samuel? Hope it's not a love letter oo. I don't like being a middle man." She spoke, adjusting her uniform which consisted of a long-sleeved white shirt, blue flay skirt, and a blue blazer.
"Shut up" Toyosi chuckled, "It's his biology note. I borrowed it on Friday."
"What happened to my own?" She teased further.
"I couldn't find you" She shrugged, "you know Valentine's d..."
"Class girl!"
Kamsi could barely dodge before she was barrelled into by Victoria, her classmate.
"Victoria, I'm too young to die oo." She joked, patting her awkwardly on the back.
They had already arrived at the crowded assembly ground. They were on the line for the Ss3s.
"I missed you." Victoria pouted, pulling away and moving to Toyosi.
"Toyo, Toyo!" She exclaimed, punching her back.
"Biko, leave me." Toyosi said, not so pleased, pushing Victoria away.
"Don't mind me. I'm just so happy today, I don't know why." Victoria replied, oblivious or choosing to disregard it.
"You're always so happy." Toyosi muttered.
"What can I say? I'm... John!"
And Victoria ran off.
"As I was saying" Toyo laughed, amused, "Valentine's coming and I'm wondering..."
"Eheh, Kamsi!" Victoria came running back.
"Oh no" Toyo face palmed. Kamsi laughed.
★
"... And we've come to the end of our class. I'll advise those of you who can't keep their eyes open to be more serious. This is your last year in secondary school and your Waec is approaching very fast..."
Kamsi half listened as their Physics teacher went on and on about lazy students and approaching exams. She didn't like the teacher, Mr. Ebun, and she didn't dislike him either; he was in her neutral zone. The same thing with the subject. She passed Physics well, mostly with an A but it wasn't on her list of favourite subjects. She didn't even have a favourite subject or favourite food or anything.
"Kamsi, pass me your note, please." Daniel, who sat to her right, pleaded. She passed the school's blue higher education to him with the usual "my note must come back the same way it left" warning.
Daniel was always borrowing her notes because he always ended up sleeping halfway through the class or getting distracted by sketching random things on the back cover of his note or a piece of paper and shipping it to her[as she preferred to call his folding the paper into a ship and throwing it on her locker] during lessons instead of writing notes.
The top of her locker was filled with his drawings.
Daniel was the one guy she could call a friend since she transferred into the school in SS1. She didn't relate much with the boys in her class or with boys in general.
"Our next class would be at the lab. Good day." Mr. Ebun concluded and left the class.
It was a joint class of two out of the three science classes so his leaving was followed by the other science class, SS3b's leaving.
She busied herself with searching for her next class notebook, immediately rearranging any mess she made. She had a thing for organized places and she preferred cleaning up before things got too messy.
"Kamsi!"
"Yes!" She shouted back in reply, already knowing who called her. Michael, the class captain.
"Your physics note."
"I've given it out."
"I'm not the one who's asking."
She turned back to see him since his seat was two seats behind hers. She noticed the guy standing by his locker, chair in hand. Both of them were looking at her. He was also called Michael but he was more commonly known as Kaito or Tochukwu, abbreviations of his native name, Kaitochukwu.
He was an SS3b student. She knew him because she knew all her mates of over two hundred and because of his neatness and charisma. He was mostly calm and composed, his uniform always without a crease, socks always white, and shoes carefully polished. Not even after a tiring school day will you find a speck of dust on his shoes. They had exchanged a few words before but they were nothing close to acquaintances.
She smiled at him.
"It's with Daniel."
"Do you mind if I borrow it after him?" He asked, adjusting his hold on his chair.
"What's wrong with Michael's?" She asked instead of responding.
"I don't write notes, I jot. What's the use of writing notes when I already have a textbook." Michael jumped in, looking up over his locker door.
"I don't know. Maybe because it's easier to read and that they mark notes." She retorted.
"Well" She gave her attention back to Kaito, "you can ask anybody else."
"I told him your note is the best." Michael butted in again.
"Why do you need my note? You don't write notes too?"
He smiled.
"To cross-check some things." Was his simple reply.
"Okay." She shrugged helplessly and then informed Daniel, giving him a nod after.
She heard his faint thank you as she turned back to search for her note and his brief exchange with Michael before he left her class.
"And Michael?" She called after watching him enter his class, "I love my notes, don't just recommend it to anyone." She scolded, even if she knew that Kaito wouldn't even let a drop of water near her note.
Michael laughed, "He's my good friend. He'll take care of your baby."
"My baby?" She scoffed lightheartedly, slamming her locker shut.
She walked to the next lesson with Daniel.