(Tobi's POV)
The night after our date, I came home to find the house eerily quiet. My heart sank as soon as I stepped through the door and saw my father sitting in the living room. He looked up, his face pale and drawn, and for the first time in years, I saw genuine emotion in his eyes.
"She's gone," he said quietly.
I didn't need to ask who.
The world seemed to spin, and my knees buckled as the weight of his words sank in. My mother—my kind, strong mother—was gone. I had known it was coming, but it didn't make it any easier.
The days that followed were a blur. My father, who had been absent for most of my life, suddenly decided to step up. He arranged the burial, spoke to relatives, and played the role of the grieving widower. I couldn't stand it, but I didn't have the energy to fight him.
When the day of the burial came, I was grateful for my friends. Emeka, Ada, Veronica, and Chinonso all showed up to support me. Seeing them there made me feel less alone.
After the service, everyone came back to the house. I was sitting in the corner, staring blankly at the floor, when Chinonso came over and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"It's okay to cry," she said softly.
Something about her voice broke through the wall I had built around myself. I pulled her into a hug, burying my face in her shoulder as the tears finally came.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ada watching us, her expression darkening.
(Ada's POV)
I shouldn't have come.
I sat in the corner, watching Tobi and Chinonso. The way he hugged her, the way she comforted him—it was too much. That should've been me. I've known Tobi since kindergarten. I've always been the one by his side, through every up and down.
But now, it's like I don't exist.
When Tobi let go of Chinonso and smiled at her, something inside me snapped. I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up, muttered an excuse about needing to leave, and walked out.
Back at home, I threw myself onto my bed and pulled out my diary.
"Tobi isn't supposed to like her. He's supposed to like me. I've been his friend the longest. I've been there for him through everything. Why can't he see that? Why does it have to be her?"
The words spilled out of me, raw and angry. I wrote about how much I hated Chinonso, how I wished she would just disappear. And then, a thought crept into my mind.
What if I could make her disappear?
(Chinonso's POV)
The weeks after the burial were a strange mix of grief and gratitude. Tobi and I had grown closer, but something felt off. Ada had started avoiding me. She wouldn't sit with us at lunch, wouldn't talk to me in class. At first, I thought she was just giving Tobi space to grieve, but as time went on, it became clear that something else was going on.
I tried to talk to her, but she brushed me off.
"It's nothing," she said, avoiding my eyes. "I'm just busy with exams."
I didn't believe her, but I didn't push it.
Then the rumors started.
It began with a post on the school's anonymous gossip group. Someone accused me of having an affair with Veronica and Miss Danwell. The comments were cruel, filled with homophobic slurs and disgusting accusations.
At first, I tried to ignore it. But the whispers followed me everywhere—between classes, in the cafeteria, even during assembly.
When I finally tried to defend myself, another post appeared, this time revealing my biggest secret: my father's abuse.
I couldn't breathe. The walls closed in around me as I read the cruel words, the mocking tone. How could anyone know?
The principal called me into his office the next day. He said the school couldn't condone such "behavior" and that I was setting a bad example for the other students. I was expelled but allowed to stay until the WAEC exams were over.
I didn't cry. I didn't argue. I just nodded and walked out.
(Ada's POV)
I watched as Chinonso walked out of the principal's office, her head held high despite everything. For a moment, I felt a pang of guilt. But then I reminded myself why I had done it.
She deserves this. She took Tobi away from me.
But the guilt didn't go away. It gnawed at me, growing stronger with each passing day. I stopped sleeping, stopped eating.
Ada's POV
I watched from the sidelines as Tobi tried to protect Chinonso. It made me sick to my stomach. Why was he so focused on her? Why couldn't he see what was right in front of him?
I had been his friend for years. I knew him better than anyone else, and yet he was throwing it all away for her.
I hated seeing them together. But as much as I tried to stay away from them, I couldn't stop watching. It was like I couldn't turn away from the train wreck I had created.
TOBI'S POV
I couldn't stand seeing her like this—distant, silent, like a ghost of the girl I knew. I tried everything to break through, but every time I reached out, she pulled further away.
"Chinonso," I said softly one afternoon as we walked together, the silence between us thick and suffocating. "Please, talk to me."
She kept her head down, eyes focused on the ground, avoiding my gaze. It hurt more than I was willing to admit. "You've been shutting me out for days now. What happened? Did I do something wrong?"
She stopped walking. "You didn't do anything wrong," she replied, her voice a whisper. "I'm just… I'm trying to figure everything out."
I stepped closer, hoping she could feel the sincerity in my words. "You don't have to figure it out alone, you know. I'm here, Chinonso. I'm not going anywhere. Please, just talk to me."
Her eyes flickered up to meet mine for a moment, but then she quickly looked away again, her hands clenched into fists.
"I don't deserve your help," she muttered, almost to herself.
That stung. I hadn't heard her sound so defeated before. "You do. You do deserve it. You don't have to carry this on your own. Please, let me help you."
She turned away from me, walking ahead without saying another word.
I watched her go, my heart aching. There had to be something I could do. I couldn't just stand by and watch her shut down. Not when I knew she was hurting.
The next few days were agonizing. I tried to talk to her after school, during lunch, but she would either walk away or give me one-word answers. I was losing her, and it was tearing me apart.
That evening, after a long day of trying and failing, I found myself outside her house, staring at the front door. I had no idea if she'd even let me in, but I had to try. I knocked on the door, feeling my heart race.
The door opened slowly, and there she was—eyes red, hair messy, but she still looked as beautiful as ever.
"Tobi," she said quietly, her voice hollow.
"Can we talk?" I asked, stepping forward.
She hesitated, then stepped aside, letting me in. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I knew I couldn't let this go on any longer.
Chinonso's POV
We sat in silence for what felt like forever. Tobi didn't pressure me; he just sat there, waiting for me to speak. I knew he was giving me space, but I could feel the weight of his presence, his concern.
"Chinonso, whatever it is you're carrying, you don't have to do it alone," he said softly, his voice breaking through the stillness.
I finally looked at him, feeling the tears start to build behind my eyes. I wanted to say something—anything—but I couldn't find the words.
"I don't know what to say," I whispered. "I don't even know what's real anymore."
"Talk to me," he said, his voice filled with quiet urgency. "Tell me what's going on. Let me help."
I shook my head, tears falling. "I can't. I've already hurt so many people. And if you knew the truth, you'd hate me too."
Tobi reached out, taking my hands gently in his. "I could never hate you. I don't care about anything except you being okay. Please, Chinonso, just let me in. Please."
I met his gaze, and for the first time in a long while, I felt the weight of everything lift, even if just for a moment. Maybe I could let him in. Maybe he could be the one to help me face it all.
(Chinonso's POV)
The weeks leading up to the exams were a blur. I avoided everyone, even Tobi. I couldn't face him, couldn't bear to see the pity in his eyes.
After the exams, my mother and I packed up and moved to a new town. I didn't say goodbye to anyone. I just wanted to leave it all behind.
But the pain didn't go away. At night, I lay awake, replaying the betrayal over and over in my mind. I didn't know who had posted those things, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was someone close to me.
Then, one day, I found Ada's diary.
It was lying on a desk in the library, forgotten. I picked it up, intending to return it, but curiosity got the better of me.
As I flipped through the pages, my heart broke all over again.
It was her.
(Ada's POV)
I couldn't keep it in any longer. The guilt was killing me.
At the final assembly of the term, I stood up in front of the entire school and confessed. I told them everything—that I had made up the rumors about Chinonso, that I had posted about her father.
The principal scolded me, the students whispered, but I didn't care. I just wanted to make things right.
But Chinonso was already gone.