CHAPTER FOUR

MONDAY NOON - SCHOOL OVER - 3:00pm

The sun was scorching hot, school was over, and Tobi was leaning on the rusty fence behind the football field, sipping Fanta from the bottle and pretending not to overthink.

His boys gathered around him; Femi, Junior, Chuks, and Lanre, the usual crew with their sweaty uniforms, untied ties, banter louder than their classwork.

Femi slapped his shoulder. "Omo, you no fit dull us o. You dey form lover boy this morning, now you dey act like choir master."

Chuks laughed. "Shebi na that your virgin pastor babe? Amaka abi Wetin?"

Lanre added, "The one wey greet you today and you bone like say she thief your charger?"

Tobi scoffed. "She just dey do somehow jare."

Junior raised a brow. "You dey fall?"

"Fall ke?" Tobi barked out a short laugh and looked away. "I just feel… I dunno. She's not like those other girls. This one get something different."

Femi leaned in. "Different how?"

Tobi shrugged. "She too innocent. The kain girl wey still dey sleep with Bible under her pillow. I swear, if you see how she dey look me ehn, like she trust me already. Like… she dey feel me genuinely."

They were silent for a second. Then Chuks snorted.

"Na why we dey tell you make you record am. If you fall, you go chop heartbreak o. Na girls like that go cry on your chest and still report you to their mummy."

Femi pulled out his phone and waved it. "₦100,000. One hundred K, bro. That's not play money. You wan leave that because say girl pure?"

Lanre chimed in. "Omo, you don dey slack. The way you dey act, small time we go collect the dare give another guy."

"Abi o," Junior added. "Tobi wey we dey respect. Guy wey dey run things. Now you dey look like small boy."

Tobi clenched his jaw. That word small boy hit deeper than it should've.

He wasn't no small boy. He isTobi. The senior prefect, street-smar, guy wey dey burst babe brain on sight, he wasn't weak.

But for Amaka? Something about her made his chest tight.

He sighed."Fine," he said finally. "I go do am."

The boys erupted in cheers and slaps on the back.

"Ehen! That's the Tobi we know!"

"Guy, make sure say she no go see am coming."

"Na this kind girl sweet pass to scatter."

Tobi forced a laugh with them, smiled, nodded, basically acted the part.

But deep inside, he knew this wasn't a bet anymore.this was his storm and he wasn't sure if he was going to survive it… or break her in the process.

After Many moments of silence, he glanced at Femi, who was still sipping cold malt at the corner of the field.

"Femi," Tobi said low, "How far? You don't get her number?"

Femi smirked, pulled out his phone and flipped it open."E don done," he said, eyes shining. "Got it from Mariam, Amaka's bestie. You know how that group chat dey run."

Tobi's heart stomped as he leaned closer"You sharp guy. Send am to me."

Femi copied the contact, handed the phone over.

Tobi stared at the name: "Amaka N."

He tapped it...One ring tone... and that was it.

He pocketed the phone, took a deep breath with his eyes settling on the dust of the field he put on his calmest face.

"Thanks, bro."

Femi patted him on the back, grinning wide"Heh, na your move next."

*

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*

MONDAY NIGHT - 8:42pm

Monday night, in her neatly made room, Amaka was curled up on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Her heart felt heavy. The way Tobi ignored her at school cuts deeper than any sermon on sin. Her tears threatened, but she fought them back.

She had no one to run to, her doctor, father, mother, pastor are all the adults she had who wouid give advices and uf she were older they will all have said he was the problem. But right now her heart… it still throbbed.

Her phone buzzed against her pillow. On the screen it showed"Unknown Number"

She frowned. Who would message now? She nearly ignored it, but intuition made her tap it.

"Hi beautiful 😊"

Her pulse jumped"Who is this". She tapped open the chat.

"It's Tobi."

Her breath caught "It's Tobi?"She froze, then typed with shaky fingers:

"Who is this?" (Her thumb hovered over send.)

He answered in seconds.

"It's me, from school. I got your number from Mariam."

Her everything lurched as she leaned back on her pillow, heart pounding, confusion and hope swirling inside her.

Could this change everything…???

Her fingers trembled over the screen.

"Tobi" she called out confused. She read it twice and again and again.

Her chest tightened so hard she felt like she couldn't breathe.

"You? Why're you texting me?" she typed not meaning to sound cold but her fingers typed faster than her thoughts.

"I just wanted to say hi. You looked kind of sad today… hope I'm not wrong?"

She stared at that text, then smiled like a small girl watching K-drama with her heart beating like the I better pass my neighbour generator as she typed back.

"I wasn't sad… just tired. But thank you." She typed back wondering if she had misunderstood what occurred today

"Tired looks fine on you, sha 😉"

Her cheeks flushed as she bit her lower lip. "How was he flirting so effortlessly?" She muttered but gained more courage to respond

"Tobi behave."

"I'm trying, but you're distracting."

She covered her face with her pillow, heart thudding like a church drum.

They kept texting… back and forth, little things and flirtings here and there. He asked what music she liked, If she ever snuck food during fasting, Her favorite Bible verse, Her favorite ice cream and so forth. Basically getting to know her... to build trust.

She was typing so fast, so excited,that she had her words flying all over the keypad and unto the screen.

Then she heard footsteps and she froze. That familiar sound creeping up the corridor...it eas her mummy's soft slippers shuffling toward her room.

"Amaka, have you slept?"

She flung the phone under her duvet and shut her eyes in one swift motion.

"Hmm… this girl don sleep like log of wood," her mum muttered from the doorway, standing there for a second before walking off.

Amaka waited for ten full seconds. After which she sat up, snatched the phone, unlocked it in a flash.

"Hope I didn't get you in trouble this one you're not responding 😅"

"LOL. My mum almost caught me. You're a bad influence already 😂"

"Just getting started 😉"

She giggled into her pillow, her lips quavered, her toes curling up in the air, she felt like her life was on a pause as mute state

But no, the time was flying.

"It's late… we'll talk tomorrow. Goodnight, Tobi."

"Sleep tight, beautiful. Dream of me."

She put her phone down gently, hugging her pillow like it was alive.

She'd never felt this way before and she didn't know it yet but this was just the beginning of everything that would change her life.