Dreams.
781 Words
Chapter 3
The next morning came with a smile.
I had seen Afolabi in my dream.
It was ridiculous.
Out of everyone in the world, my subconscious had chosen the quiet boy who barely spoke.
I rolled my eyes at myself and laughed.
"It's just a dream, Luna. Don't start imagining things."
The smell of burnt toast pulled me downstairs.
My mum was already awake, pacing around the kitchen, throwing complaints into the air as if the walls were the ones who had offended her.
"...and another thing—"
She kept talking.
Usually, I'd nod.
Pretend to listen.
Pretend to care.
But today, I couldn't.
Every time I tried to focus, Afolabi's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"You don't always have to carry everything alone."
His calm voice echoed in my head, soft enough to drown out the noise around me.
I hated that it worked.
I hated that one conversation with him had done what years of pretending never could.
A smile escaped before I could stop it.
"Why are you smiling?" my mum asked sharply.
My heart skipped.
"Oh... nothing."
But it wasn't nothing.
For the first time in a long time...
The chaos around me had lost.
And somehow...
A quiet boy had won.
I rushed back to my room before my mum could ask another question.
Closing the door behind me, I leaned against it and let out a quiet sigh.
"What is wrong with you, Luna?" I whispered, staring at my reflection.
The girl in the mirror looked... different.
Not happier.
Not healed.
Just... lighter.
I opened my wardrobe and reached for my school uniform. After trying on three different ribbons and changing my socks twice, I groaned.
"Since when do I care this much?" I laughed, shaking my head.
I quickly packed my books, slipped on my shoes, and threw my bag over my shoulder.
As I stood in front of the mirror one last time, I smoothed out the wrinkles on my uniform.
"Relax," I told myself. "You're going to school... not on a date."
The words made my cheeks warm instantly.
"God, what is actually wrong with me?"
I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the house before my thoughts could embarrass me any further.
The entire journey to school, I kept telling myself the same thing.
It's just another school day.
But deep down...
I knew I was hoping to see him again.
I had just finished tying my shoelaces when my mum's voice echoed through the house.
"Luna!"
"I'm coming."
I walked into the sitting room to find her fixing my stepfather's collar, smiling as though nothing else in the world mattered.
"There you are," she said, her smile disappearing the moment she looked at me. "Why are you still standing there? Can't you greet your father properly?"
I forced a smile.
"Good morning, sir."
He barely looked up from his phone.
"Mmm."
That was all.
My mum sighed dramatically.
"You see why I complain about you? Always looking dull. No wonder nobody wants to be around you."
Her words landed exactly where they always did—right in the middle of my chest.
She turned back to my stepfather, laughing at something he had said under his breath, her voice suddenly soft again.
It amazed me how quickly she could switch.
One smile for him.
One frown for me.
I lowered my eyes and tightened my grip on my school bag.
For a second, I felt that familiar heaviness creeping back.
Then, without warning, another voice slipped into my thoughts.
"Don't force yourself to smile. It's okay to be tired."
Afolabi.
A tiny smile found its way back to my face.
I adjusted my bag, headed for the door, and whispered to myself,
"I'm not letting today slip away from me."
Without waiting for another word, I stepped outside.
The morning breeze greeted me more kindly than home ever had.
I felt my mum's eyes burning into my back as I reached for the door.
Today was different.
She expected me to stop.
To turn around.
To let her words ruin my morning the way they always did.
But I didn't.
I simply adjusted the strap of my school bag, opened the door, and stepped outside.
For the first time in a long time...
I chose my peace over another argument.
Behind me, I heard her scoff.
"Look at her... acting like she's too good to answer me now."
I kept walking.
The morning air wrapped around me, cool and gentle, carrying away the heaviness I had almost allowed back into my heart.
Maybe my mum didn't notice it.
Or maybe she did.
Either way...
Today, she hadn't won.
- Writer
