CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR: TOO MUCH ATTENTION
The days that followed should have been normal.
At least, that was what I kept telling myself.
Go to class.
Attend lessons.
Eat.
Prep.
Sleep.
Repeat.
Simple.
Very simple.
Unfortunately, Samuel seemed determined to make my life complicated without even trying.
And the worst part?
He didn't even know he was doing it.
Or maybe he knew.
I honestly couldn't tell anymore.
Friday morning arrived with the usual rush.
Girls running in and out of the bathroom.
Buckets clanging against each other.
People shouting from one corner of the hostel to another.
The room was already noisy before the wake-up bell even rang properly.
I sat on my bunk trying to plait my hair into a neat ponytail while listening to two girls argue over whose sponge had mysteriously disappeared.
"You took it!"
"I did not!"
"Then where did it go?"
"How am I supposed to know?"
I rolled my eyes.
Boarding school problems.
Gift sat on her lower bunk adjusting her school socks.
"You are laughing."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm laughing because you people always have one problem every morning."
Gift chuckled.
For some reason, things between us had become less tense lately.
We still weren't friends.
Far from it.
But we were no longer constantly watching each other like two people waiting for a fight.
Maybe because neither of us had openly acknowledged the obvious.
We both liked Samuel.
And neither of us planned on discussing it.
Assembly ended later than usual.
By the time everybody entered class, most students were already complaining.
"See sun."
"I am hungry."
"I need break period."
"I need holiday."
The complaints continued endlessly.
I had barely settled into my seat when Samuel dropped into the chair beside me.
"You look tired."
I stared at him.
"Why is that the first thing you always say?"
He shrugged.
"Because you always look tired."
"That's rude."
"It wasn't supposed to be."
"It is."
Samuel laughed.
The sound immediately annoyed me.
Not because it was irritating.
But because I liked hearing it.
And that was becoming a problem.
A serious problem.
The first lesson had just started when our Mathematics teacher began solving simultaneous equations.
Half the class looked confused.
The other half looked asleep.
I belonged somewhere in the middle.
The teacher wrote another question on the board.
"Who can solve this?"
Silence.
Nobody moved.
The teacher sighed.
"Nobody?"
Still silence.
Then suddenly—
"Floral can."
I turned sharply.
Samuel.
The idiot.
The absolute idiot.
The teacher looked directly at me.
"Can you solve it?"
My heart nearly stopped.
I glared at Samuel.
He smiled.
Traitor.
Pure traitor.
Slowly, I stood up and approached the board.
Thankfully, the question wasn't difficult.
A few minutes later, I finished solving it.
"Correct."
Relief flooded through me.
As I returned to my seat, the teacher nodded approvingly.
"Well done."
"Thank you, ma."
I sat down.
Then immediately kicked Samuel's shoe under the desk.
He nearly laughed.
"What was that for?"
"You volunteered me."
"You knew the answer."
"That is not the point."
"You still got it right."
I folded my arms.
"I'm not talking to you."
"Okay."
The smile on his face showed he wasn't taking me seriously.
At all.
During break period, the classroom became unusually lively.
Most students remained inside because the weather looked uncertain.
Dark clouds gathered above.
Threatening rain.
I sat quietly reading through my notes.
Or at least pretending to.
My concentration disappeared the moment Victoria and Morayo arrived.
"Floral."
I sighed.
"What now?"
Victoria dropped into the empty seat in front of me.
Morayo leaned against a nearby desk.
Both wore suspicious smiles.
I already knew I wasn't going to like whatever came next.
"Question."
"No."
"We haven't asked it."
"The answer is still no."
Morayo laughed.
Victoria rolled her eyes.
"Do you like Samuel?"
I nearly choked.
"What?!"
The two of them burst into laughter.
"See her reaction!"
"Oh my God."
I wanted the ground to open.
Immediately.
Without warning.
"Have you people lost your minds?"
Victoria grinned.
"That means yes."
"It means no."
"It means yes."
"It means no."
Morayo nodded.
"Definitely yes."
I buried my face in my hands.
This was exactly why I avoided these conversations.
Unfortunately, they weren't done.
Not even close.
"Okay," Victoria continued. "Let's assume you don't like him."
"I don't."
"Then why do you always know where he is?"
I froze.
For half a second.
A very unfortunate half second.
And they noticed.
Immediately.
"Omo!"
"Victoria, did you see that?"
"I saw it."
I wanted to disappear.
Right there.
Inside the classroom.
Thankfully, Daniel appeared before the interrogation could continue.
He dropped onto the desk opposite us.
"What are we discussing?"
"Floral's love life."
I nearly threw my notebook at Victoria.
Daniel blinked.
Then looked at me.
Then at them.
Then back at me.
A slow smile spread across his face.
"No wonder she looks stressed."
I pointed at him.
"Don't start."
He laughed.
"I'm innocent."
"You are never innocent."
"Fair."
The conversation shifted after that.
Thankfully.
Because another five minutes of questioning would have finished me completely.
Lunch came faster than expected.
The dining hall buzzed with noise.
Hundreds of students talking at once.
Plates clattering.
Prefects shouting.
Teachers trying unsuccessfully to maintain order.
The usual.
I sat between Victoria and Morayo.
Across from us sat several girls from our class.
Halfway through the meal, Morayo suddenly nudged me.
"Look."
I immediately knew better than to look.
Unfortunately, curiosity won.
I looked.
And immediately regretted it.
Samuel.
Gift.
A few of their friends.
All seated together.
Laughing.
Talking.
Looking perfectly comfortable.
My appetite disappeared slightly.
Not completely.
But enough.
Morayo noticed.
Victoria noticed too.
Neither said anything.
Which somehow made it worse.
After lunch, students gradually made their way back toward the classroom blocks.
I walked alone.
Mostly because Victoria had gone to refill her water bottle while Morayo stopped to greet someone.
The pathway was unusually quiet.
For once.
Then somebody called my name.
"Floral."
I turned.
Samuel.
Of course.
Who else?
"You left quickly."
"I was walking."
"Obviously."
I rolled my eyes.
"What do you want?"
He looked amused.
"Why do you sound annoyed?"
Because you were laughing with Gift ten minutes ago.
Because I hate that it bothers me.
Because I don't understand what you're doing.
Obviously, I couldn't say any of that.
So instead I shrugged.
"I'm not annoyed."
"You are."
"I'm not."
"You are."
I sighed.
"This conversation is pointless."
Samuel laughed again.
Then his expression softened slightly.
"Did I do something?"
The question caught me off guard.
Because for a moment—
Just a moment—
He looked genuinely concerned.
And suddenly my annoyance weakened.
A little.
"No."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
He studied my face for a second.
Then nodded.
"Okay."
We resumed walking.
Side by side.
Neither speaking.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable.
It never really was with him.
Which was annoying in itself.
After a while, Samuel suddenly spoke.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"You've been smiling more lately."
I blinked.
What kind of observation was that?
"What?"
"You have."
"How do you even notice things like that?"
He shrugged.
"I just do."
And there it was again.
That thing.
That attention.
The way he noticed little details nobody else seemed to notice.
The way he paid attention.
Too much attention.
The kind that made my heart behave strangely.
The kind that made me wonder things I shouldn't.
The kind that gave me hope.
Dangerous hope.
Hope that could easily become disappointment later.
As we reached the classroom, Samuel opened the door and stepped aside.
"Ladies first."
I stared at him suspiciously.
He grinned.
I shook my head and entered.
But as I walked to my seat, one thought refused to leave me alone.
Samuel was either naturally kind to everybody...
Or he was treating me differently.