In my entire life I have met so many people and chosen to call them friends. But how will you know if the guy is really the type of person you want as a friend.

1 CHAPTER 1: FRIENDS FOR LIFE

I have been to a boarding school where I met so many people as a classmates , roommate and so and so on life in school was the best but not the happiest you have to be strong 💪 to stand for your rights or you look for a strong friendship that can stand beside you all the time, because in the school it like a military base you have to obey before you can grumble life was through in school I was very lucky because my school was a combination of boys and girls. In the mixed secondary school like that, I was having a mother and my father and they where my seniors the school prefect was my father , at the same time had good and bad friends, in life good and bad should be part of us because that is where you know if it balances or not. In my second year I meet schoolmate whom came from my own area where I stayed and we became one it was a group of intelligent people but they were crazy at the same time it was fun. I remember one hot afternoon 🔅 we all came together and plans to kill one of the principals 🐖 but we have to strategies the killing so we gave the pig salt and a rubber bag when it was about to die we will send some students to inform the principal that one of his pigs 🐖 is dying then he will quickly come to the scene to confirm the dying pig. students do you want it or you bried it, sir, we want it then take it, from that moment it was party, time. Because we had masterminded the whole plan we know what was going on with the pig 🐖 the festival continuee for the whole weekend. But it wasn't something we do all the time once in every year, sometimes we steal chicken from from teachers, and sometimes these chickens do not sleep in their coop they sleep in the trees so it was somehow easy for us. At the beginning they never complained because the chickens were plenty it was when the number started reducing that they started grumbling about chickens getting missing. So we had to quit and move on with our studies. Fun time was over it was time for seriousness. In my time of schooling, it wasn't easy as today's education whereby you can pass exams anyhow we had to study for 2-3 hours before going to bed every blessed day except weekends and sometimes we had entertainment night and you know what really happened at night with your girlfriends and so and so on. In my school days I was very young I was about 17 years old with my friends. In my group at school, some friends of mine had a girlfriends and some of us were afraid of the whole show on relationships. We were the audience we stayed back and look at what was going on with guys who had girlfriends. The fighting, complaining and arguments it was a drama to us. We had a song for guys who were in a relationship it goes like this we don't have girlfriends we don't have problems, we don't spend our money on things like this we shall be singing it in part and they will get angry and we will laugh at them. We had so many songs for both the boys and girls.

2 CHAPTER 2: THE BOND OF BROTHERHOOD

As time went on, the bond between my group of friends and me only grew stronger. we weren't just classmates anymore; we were brothers. There was something special about the connection we made at school. Friendship that felt like family. We always watched out for one another,

We shared our food, our worries and even our dreams.

The school became our small world. And our group was like a small tribe with in it. If one of us had a problem the rest of us will find solution to solve the problem, it didn't matter if it was something as simple failing a test or getting into a fight or trouble with a senior we had each others back. It was there I began to understand the meaning of friendship and loyalty. But with loyalty came challenges our group faced temptation and sometimes we weren't always the best influence on one another.

There were times when we pushed boundaries, and the thrill of breaking the rules made us feel invisible. We did things we knew we shouldn't have done but that's the beauty and recklessness of youth. There was one night I will never forget we had just finished our study session when a few of us decided to sneak out of the dormitory and meet up by the school football field.

The moon was full, casting a dim light over the empty ground s we brought a bottle of some local wine we stole from one of the teachers quarters, and we sat down talking ,drinking thinking about our future. We talk about what we will become after school. One of wanted to be a doctor, and the other an engineer, and I wasn't sure. I told them I wanted to be someone who mattered someone who made a difference. In people's lives, though I didn't know how yet. We share our fear of being left behind the world.

In that moment, I realized that friendship was more than just fun and games. It was about being vulnerable with people who understood your struggles. It was about standing together in the face of uncertainty and helping each other find the way forward.

Of course, school life wasn't all pranks and deep talks. Relationship continued to be a hot topic in my group. Some of my friends who had girlfriends were always the center of attention.

3 CHAPTER 3: LESSON FROM THE HEART

They did came back with stories sometimes of sweat movements, but more often than not, it was stories of frustration and confusion.

I stayed out of it but watch closely. Love or at least what we called love at the age seemed complicated. The fight , the jealousy, the constant pressure to impress none of it seems worth it to me. I did watch my friends. Spend their last bit of money buying gifts or going out of their way to make someone happy. Nonsense, only for it to backfire when things didn't go as planned.

I saw relationships as something that tied them down, they couldn't focus on their studies. And they were always preecrupied with what their girlfriends were thinking or doing. I knew I wasn't ready for that kind of distraction. I wanted to stay focused on the big picture. But there was one girl who caught my attention. She wasn't like the others who were flashy and always looking for attention. She was quiet,always reading a book or studying on her own. We have never speak to each other never. But there was something special about her that intrigued me. I watch her always from a distance, wondering if she has ever noticed me . My friends teased me saying that maybe I was finally ready to join them in the world of relationship, I wasn't ready not so sure of my self. I didn't want the drama or the complication that comes with it. I wanted something simple.

Something real, if I was ever going to fall in love, it would be with someone who love me for who I was not for what I could give them and that , I knew was a rare thing.

3CHAPTER 3: THE GIRL WHO SAW ME FIRST

It was my third year in school when it met her . Her name was jenefer , and she was different from other girls,?she has this soft , clam energy that instantly drew people in but she always seemed to have here eyes on me. At first I thought nothing of it, she was those quiet girls everyone liked and never imagined she be interested in someone like me .

Coming from a strick background. I had always kept my distance from relationships. My parents raised me with the belief that education was the most important thing in life, and that falling for some one too soon would only be a distraction. In my house everything was about discipline and focus. I wasn't even sure if I knew how to talk to ladies in the first place. It was something I find so difficult to do,

But jenefer wasn't that type of girl I could ignore. She always found a way we could talk to each other, she has a way of making me feel like I was the only man fro her in the world.

One day after classes she caught me by surprise. I have noticed how hard you work, she said, but you never seem to relax what are you afraid of? This words of her hit me very hard. I didn't know how to explain my feelings to her because I was afraid. After the conversation I avoided jenefer for some time. Telling myself that focusing on my books was the right thing to do, but she wasn't someone you could easily avoid.

4CHAPTER 4 :

FEAR AND CONFESSION

Jenefer listened carefully as I speak about my fear. I told her how difficult it was for me to express my feelings, to her because I have some most of my classmates go through rejection. You don't know how many of my friends have been rejected by your friends. They have tried asking them out and they rejected them.,embarrassed with broken hearts so because of that I don't go through that process, she laughed and smiled softly and reached out touching my hand gently.?I ma not like the other girls or my friends.

And I know you are not like your friends. She said I see something in you that's different your are kind respectful and focused. That's why I want to be with you. Not because you are easy to win over. But I need you to understand that if this , it has to be serious I ma not playing games .

5 CHAPTER 5 THE COLLEGE JOURNEY

Graduating from high school was a huge milestone, and heading off to college felt like stepping into a new world. I was ready for it, well at least I thought I was. The idea of moving on without my girlfriend, by my side was really bothered me. We did applied to different colleges, and I was prepared to face the next chapter of my life without her close by. But life has it surprises, and this one I didn't see it coming.

The first day on campus, I spotted her across the quad , casually walking with a backpack as though she owned the place. My heart skipped a beat. How could this be? My girlfriend was attending the same college! I couldn't believe it. Turns out she'd transferred at the last minute without telling me, just to surprise me.

Even at' that our relationship grew even more serious from that point on. We spent every moment we could together, between classes during study sessions, and even late night walks around campus. My friend on the other hand, couldn't stop asking me questions how did you meet her? They would ask, their eyes filled with curiosity. I just laughed and keep most of the story to myself. There are certain things only the two of us needed to know, moments that were just ours to cherish.

But the truth was , our connection had become a symbol of trust and companionship, growing stronger with every challenge college life threw at us. From late night study sessions to the chaotic rush of exams, we face together.

6 CHAPTER 6: THE BEGINNING OF US

Jenefer had a determination that I both admired and struggled to fully understand. She wasn't just focused on the here and now, like most of our peers, she had her eyes set on something far beyond the walls of our campus. Ever since I had known her, Jenefer dreamed of studying abroad. To her , this wasn't just an idea, but a long held goal that she had clung to through thick and thin. It was like a flame that kept burning even when everything else seemed uncertain.

I remember the first time she talked to me about it we were sitting under a mango tree on campus, enjoying a rare moment of peace between our hectic schedules. She had this faraway look in her eyes, and I knew something important was on her mind.

Kwabena, she started, her voice soft but steady, I want to study abroad. It something I have always wanted. Long before I even met you.

Her words lingered in the air between us, and for a moment I wasn't sure what to say. I didn't want to hold her back, though if anyone deserved to see the world and chase their dreams ,?it was Jenefer.

You will make it, I told her, trying to keep my voice light ,through my heart was heavy with thoughts of her leaving. I know you will.

She smiled at me then, that quiet confident smile that always made me feel like anything was possible. I wanted to be the kind of person who could march her drive of person who could count on, just as I counted on her. But wonder if I was enough for her Jenefer had a strength and determination I hadn't yet found in myself.

As time went by we grew closer, and our relationship deepened. But on matter how strong we became as a couple Jenefer dream to study abroad. remained at the forefront of her mind. She work tirelessly to make it happen. While we both juggled our studies and part-time jobs she always made time to research for scholarships and opportunities and attend countless interviews and test. It wasn't easy for her , and I could see the toll it was taken .

But Jenefer never worried, and I admire her even more for it

One evening, after a particularly stressful day of classes, Jenefer asked to meet her at the usual spot under the mango tree on campus, when I arrived she look different. There was a lightness to her , a sense of relief I hadn't seen in months. She smiled as I approached her, and I could feel she has good news .

I did it she said, her voice trembling with excitement. I got the scholarship.

For a moment, I was speechless. I knew how much this meant to her and how hard she had worked for it. But at the back of my mind I was also thinking, that I am finished , if Jenefer leaves this country I don't think I will be strong to face the challenges by myself alone.I wanted to tell her not to travel, but I was afraid, because she has worked so hard for this. She notes I was crying, then she told me not to cry no more.

Then she said it's not just for me , Kwabena I got one for you too.

Hearing her call me my love for the first time I felt something deep inside me. It was as though every moment we had shared had led us to this day, this moment of pure vulnerability and honesty I could feel the weight of her words, the love and sacrifice she had poured into making this dream a reality not just for herself but for the both of us.

I promise you , I said finding my voice, I will never disappoint you, Jenefer. I will always love you and I will always stand by you. I called her my love for the very first time then and it felt like a promise, not just to her but to my self as well. From that moment on our connection was no longer just about surviving the challenges of college.it was about building a future together, one where we could chase our dream side by side.

For Jenefer, studying abroad wasn't just a nice thing to have experience, it was the culmination of years of ambition and hard work.

From the moment she stepped into college, it was clear that her goals went beyond the usual classroom aspiration. She wanted something more something bigger. The world outside of Ghana called to her in a way that I hadn't felt until I met her . She was driven by his need to break boundaries and push beyond the limits that others set for her.