K A I R A

2 5

Friday came faster than I expected. Kazeem's request, the looming double period of Biology, and the general dread of school felt like a massive anchor dragging me down.

I slouched through the hallway, shivering as a cold breeze slipped through my thin uniform. Mum had been in too much of a hurry this morning, so I'd rushed to get ready and left my cardigan behind—even though I'd noticed the dark clouds hovering in the early morning sky.

My shoes squeaked against the ceramic tiles, no matter how carefully I tried to step. The noise announced my presence to the few students in the Ivory classroom, which was exactly what I didn't want. One of the boys, a guy from my Geography class, stared at me as I walked past. Ugh.

When I finally got to class, I shuffled to my seat, mumbling a half-hearted greeting to a sleeping Nathan with plugged ears. He always had something in his ears.

There were times I saw a novel placed before him, but for the life of me, I couldn't recall whether he'd actually been reading it. Out of boredom, my thoughts wandered...what kind of music did he like? What were his tastes? I allowed my mind to drift to other questions: his likes, his pet peeves. It baffled me how we could get through midterms without knowing basic things that friends should. In the first two weeks of befriending Caleb, I had learned a lot about him, about his little brother, who he adored, his talkative nature, and more.

Shaking off the thoughts, I reached into my bag and pulled out my phone. I always felt uneasy bringing it to school. The cold frame against my palm felt wrong.

"Kaira?"

"Eh?!" I clutched my phone to my chest, turning quickly to Daniel. Thank God it didn't slip from my hands. "Is it really that hard for you to knock?"

"Knock? Does this classroom look like your father's living room?" Daniel looked around the room. laughing as if my shocked expression was the funniest thing he'd ever seen. He sat down, his smirk widening into something ridiculous. "Or... let me guess—"

"Just keep your thoughts to yourself. You're better off that way." Whatever he was about to say, I knew it would be silly. It was probably going to be about me sneaking glances at Nathan—his long lashes, chiseled chin, or the deep brown of his skin.

"What do you think I'm about to say?" Daniel's face appeared suddenly close to mine. He was too close, his freshly shaven face and the cologne Amara had bought for him filling the air.

"Something dumb, Daniel." I rolled my eyes, placing my phone back into my bag. "It's you."

"I'm the class captain, JSYK."

I snorted at that, recalling how Kazeem had spoken in a similar way when he was about to ask me to return to the track. Despite my best efforts to block it out, the memory crept into my mind. "So what? I gave up that position because I didn't want it. Why are all the boys in this school so boastful?"

As expected, Daniel gave up. "C'mon, Kaira, it didn't warrant an attack like that. At least humor me."

"Fine."

"You were about to take a picture of Nathan while he was asleep, right?"

I drew my head back. "What? Why would I do that?"

Daniel leaned back triumphantly, folding his arms as if he'd cracked some huge mystery. "You're stumbling over your words, baby girl. So, I'm not wrong."

"You're totally wrong."

At that moment, Nathan stirred, waking up with a stretch, causing the top buttons of his shirt to come undone and reveal some skin that most girls would probably fawn over. I would've looked away, but the faint ink on his chest caught my eyes in the process—was that a tattoo? I squinted, but before I could figure it out, he began buttoning up his shirt, adjusting his tie.