CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT: THE RUMOUR THAT WOULDN'T DIE
For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling above my bunk.
The rain continued tapping against the hostel roof.
Somewhere across the room, a girl was already snoring loudly enough to wake the dead.
Another girl hissed and turned over on her mattress.
But none of that mattered.
Because my attention was completely fixed on the question Gift had just asked.
"If a boy rejects one girl, does it mean he already likes somebody else?"
It wasn't a normal question.
At least, not to me.
Not after everything that had happened that day.
Not after Victoria's gossip.
Not after Daniel's confirmation.
Not after weeks of confusion involving Samuel.
I swallowed.
"Not necessarily," I finally answered.
Gift remained quiet.
So I continued.
"Maybe he just doesn't like the girl."
"Hm."
"Or maybe he isn't interested in dating anybody."
Another pause.
Longer this time.
Then Gift sighed softly.
"That's true."
I frowned slightly.
The way she answered made it sound as though she was thinking about someone specific.
Someone very specific.
And unfortunately, my mind immediately connected the dots.
Samuel.
The name practically flashed inside my head.
Before I could ask anything, the senior girl on duty shouted from the front of the hostel.
"Enough talking! Sleep!"
Several girls groaned.
The room gradually became quieter.
Gift didn't speak again.
Neither did I.
But sleep refused to come.
My thoughts kept moving in circles.
Round and round.
The same questions.
The same confusion.
The same uncertainty.
And by the time I finally slept, I wasn't sure whether I was more curious about Samuel or more afraid of what I might discover.
...
The next morning, the school compound looked fresh from the overnight rain.
The grass appeared greener.
The air felt cooler.
Even the assembly ground seemed less dusty than usual.
Students moved about lazily, some still struggling to wake up properly.
I walked towards my classroom with Victoria and Morayo.
For the first time in days, Victoria wasn't talking.
Which should have been suspicious.
Very suspicious.
"Why are you quiet?" I asked.
Morayo immediately laughed.
"She is planning something."
"I am not."
"You definitely are."
Victoria rolled her eyes.
"You people think I am a criminal."
"You gossip like one."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I accepted it anyway."
Morayo and I exchanged looks.
Some people simply couldn't be helped.
As we entered the classroom, I immediately noticed something unusual.
Students were gathered in small groups.
Whispering.
Discussing something.
The atmosphere felt different.
The way it usually felt whenever fresh gossip entered the school.
And in a boarding school, fresh gossip travelled faster than malaria.
"What happened?" Morayo asked one of the girls.
The girl looked excited.
"Have you not heard?"
"Heard what?"
"The story."
"What story?"
The girl lowered her voice dramatically.
"Somebody asked a boy out."
I nearly stopped walking.
Victoria looked at me.
I looked at Victoria.
Morayo looked between both of us.
Then she burst into laughter.
"Oh my goodness."
I immediately knew what she was thinking.
And I hated it.
The girl continued.
"Nobody knows who the girl is."
"Seriously?" Victoria asked.
The girl nodded eagerly.
"But people are saying the boy rejected her."
Immediately, several students joined the discussion.
Offering theories.
Creating assumptions.
Adding details that probably never existed.
Typical boarding school behaviour.
One person hears ten percent of a story.
By evening, everybody is discussing a completely different version.
I quickly moved towards my seat.
Wanting no part in the conversation.
Unfortunately, peace still hated me.
"Good morning."
I looked up.
Samuel.
Of course.
Who else?
"Morning."
He sat down beside me.
Then looked around the classroom.
"What is happening?"
I shrugged.
"Gossip."
"About?"
I hesitated.
Then answered carefully.
"Apparently somebody asked a boy out."
Samuel immediately groaned.
"Students don't know how to mind their business."
The response surprised me.
Slightly.
Because he sounded genuinely annoyed.
Not embarrassed.
Not amused.
Annoyed.
"You've heard it too?" I asked.
"Half the boys' hostel discussed it last night."
My curiosity immediately woke up.
"So it's true?"
Samuel sighed.
"Probably."
Probably?
What kind of answer was that?
Before I could ask another question, our Mathematics teacher entered.
Ending the conversation immediately.
Unfortunately, my curiosity remained alive.
Very alive.
...
Break period arrived.
And with it came more rumours.
More theories.
More gossip.
By now, different versions of the story existed.
According to one version, the girl was from SS1.
According to another version, she was from SS2.
Some people claimed the boy was in our class.
Others claimed he wasn't.
The story kept changing every hour.
At some point, somebody even claimed the girl cried after being rejected.
Which sounded completely invented.
I sat beneath a tree near the classroom block with Victoria and Morayo.
Trying to eat in peace.
Trying.
Because peace continued avoiding me.
"So," Victoria began.
I immediately sighed.
"What now?"
She grinned.
"You know who they're talking about."
"No."
"You do."
"I don't."
"Samuel."
Morayo nodded.
"Definitely Samuel."
I looked away.
Refusing to contribute.
Mostly because I didn't trust my facial expressions.
Victoria noticed.
Of course she noticed.
"You think it's him too."
"I didn't say that."
"You didn't have to."
I wanted to throw my bottle of water at her.
Gently.
Very gently.
...
Later that afternoon, something happened that made the rumours even worse.
School had just ended.
Students were leaving classrooms.
Some heading towards the dining hall.
Others towards the hostels.
I was arranging my books when I heard voices outside.
Loud voices.
Excited voices.
The kind that attracted attention.
Naturally, everybody became curious.
Including me.
I stepped outside.
And immediately spotted the cause.
Gift.
Standing near the corridor.
Surrounded by three girls.
The girls were talking.
Gift wasn't.
In fact, she looked irritated.
Very irritated.
The moment she noticed students staring, her expression darkened further.
Then she walked away without saying anything.
The girls she left behind immediately resumed whispering.
And just like that—
The rumour exploded.
Completely.
By evening, half the school was saying Gift was the mysterious girl.
The other half claimed she wasn't.
Nobody knew the truth.
Yet everybody spoke as though they had witnessed everything personally.
Boarding school logic.
...
That night, back in the hostel, the atmosphere felt strange.
Even the girls in our room were discussing it.
Some believed the story.
Some didn't.
Some simply enjoyed the drama.
Gift ignored everybody.
She changed into her nightwear.
Arranged her things.
Spread her mosquito net.
And climbed onto her bed without contributing a single word.
Which honestly made the situation even more suspicious.
I lay on my upper bunk.
Listening.
Waiting.
Wondering.
Then unexpectedly—
"Floral."
I looked down.
Gift was staring up at the underside of my bunk.
"What?"
She was quiet for several seconds.
Then finally—
"If people keep saying something..."
"Hm?"
"Does it automatically become true?"
I frowned.
"No."
Another pause.
Then she nodded slowly.
"That's what I thought."
Her voice sounded tired.
Genuinely tired.
And for the first time all day, a different possibility entered my mind.
What if everybody was wrong?
What if the rumours weren't true?
What if Gift wasn't the girl at all?
I stared at the ceiling again.
More confused than ever.