Her life

chapter 5

As we headed back to the hostel, I noticed the sky darkening, signaling the end of another day. The cool evening breeze brushed against my face, and I felt a little lighter after sharing my encounter with Senior Alexander. Sophia seemed to have calmed down too, though her curiosity was still piqued.

"So, what’s the deal with him?" she asked, her tone more relaxed now. "Do you think he likes you or something?"

I laughed. "Sophia, we literally just talked about a book. That doesn’t mean anything."

She smirked. "Hmm, that’s how it always starts. Next thing you know, he’s sitting with you at every prep and walking you to the dining hall."

I shook my head, still smiling. "You and your wild ideas. Can we please focus on something else?"

Sophia chuckled but let it go. We reached the hostel just as the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky with shades of purple and orange. We were just about to head inside when one of the house prefects called out to us.

"Faye, Sophia! Wait a minute."

We both froze. House prefects usually only called you out if there was trouble. My mind raced, wondering if I had done something wrong, but Sophia nudged me and whispered, "Relax, we didn’t do anything."

We turned around to see Prefect Bola walking toward us. She had a stern look, but I could tell she wasn’t angry.

"I just wanted to remind you both that we have house duties tomorrow morning. Make sure you’re up early to help clean the common areas," she said.

"Yes, ma," we replied in unison, both relieved it wasn’t anything serious.

As Bola walked away, Sophia let out a dramatic sigh of relief. "For a second there, I thought we were in trouble."

"I know, right? She always looks so serious," I agreed as we finally entered the hostel. The familiar scent of detergent and the faint buzz of other girls chatting filled the air. I made my way to my corner, dropped my books, and flopped onto my bed.

"Honestly, today has been exhausting," I said, rubbing my eyes.

Sophia sat down on the bed opposite mine. "Tell me about it. But hey, you survived the sports session without actually doing any sports. That’s a win!"

I smiled. "True. Let’s see how long I can keep that streak going."

We both laughed, and I picked up my towel, getting ready for a quick shower before dinner. The water was cold, as always, but it was refreshing after a long day. By the time I got out and changed into my compound wear, the bell for dinner had rung.

"Let’s go, I’m starving!" Sophia called out, already halfway out the door. I hurried after her, my stomach growling in agreement.

The dining hall was buzzing with students, and we joined the line to get our food. The meal for the night was jollof rice with chicken, and I had to admit, the school's food wasn’t bad at all. I still missed my mom’s cooking, but I couldn’t complain.

As we sat down to eat, I noticed Senior Alexander a few tables away. He caught my eye and gave a small nod. I smiled and nodded back, but quickly turned my attention to my food, trying not to make a big deal out of it.

"Did you just nod at him?" Sophia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He nodded first," I said, not wanting to make it seem like a big deal.

"Uh-huh. Sure."

After dinner, we headed back to the hostel to prepare for the night’s prep. The rest of the evening was uneventful, filled with quiet studying and the occasional whisper between students. I focused on revising my notes from physics class, feeling grateful that I was finally catching up on the topics that had initially given me a hard time.

By the time lights-out was announced, I was exhausted. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my thoughts drifting back to the conversation with Alex. He seemed different from what people said about him. Maybe Sophia was right—people can be quick to judge.

As my eyelids grew heavy, I decided not to overthink it. Tomorrow was another day, and I would have plenty of time to figure out what, if anything, this budding connection meant.

With that thought, I drifted off to sleep, ready to take on whatever the next day would bring.