LOVE OR LUST

THE FIRST SPARK

The sun had barely risen when I woke up that morning. It was my first day at Covenant High School, and I could hardly hide my excitement. Surprisingly, I had forgotten most of my fears about changing schools. Anyone who saw the smile on my face would probably think I was excited about studying and meeting new teachers.

But that wasn’t exactly the reason.

The truth was that all I could think about was the beautiful girl I had seen the day my dad took me to enroll at the school. Her face had stayed in my mind ever since. I didn’t even know her name, but somehow I hoped I would see her again.

By 7:30 a.m., I was fully dressed and ready to leave. I grabbed my bag and hurried toward the door when my mom called out from the kitchen.

“Kelvin! Won’t you carry your lunch box?” she asked.

“No, I’ll be fine,” I replied quickly.

Deep down, I knew I might regret that decision later, but I didn’t care at the moment. Carrying a lunch box made me feel like one of those nerdy kids I usually saw on TV. I didn’t want to look like that on my first day.

By 7:50 a.m., I arrived at Covenant High School. The school looked even bigger than I remembered. Students were walking through the gates in groups, laughing and talking loudly. Some looked confident, like they had been there for years. Others looked nervous—probably new like me.

I adjusted my bag and walked inside.

For a moment, I felt strange. Everyone seemed to know where they were going except me. I looked around carefully, hoping to spot a familiar face.

Or better still… her.

My eyes moved from one group of students to another. Every girl with long hair made my heart skip for a second, but none of them were the girl I remembered.

Maybe she doesn’t attend this school after all, I thought.

“Hey, are you new here?”

The voice pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned and saw a boy about my age standing beside me. He was tall and had an easy smile.

“Yeah,” I said. “Today is my first day.”

“I could tell,” he laughed. “You look lost.”

“I’m Kelvin.”

“Nice to meet you, Kelvin. I’m Daniel. Which class are you in?”

“SS1.”

“Perfect. That’s my class too,” he said. “Come on, I’ll show you where it is.”

Relief washed over me as I followed him across the compound. The school was lively, filled with voices, footsteps, and the ringing of a bell somewhere in the distance.

When we finally entered the classroom, several students were already seated. Some were chatting while others were scrolling through their phones.

I sat down quietly, trying not to draw too much attention to myself.

A few minutes later, the teacher walked in.

“Good morning, class,” she said.

“Good morning, ma,” everyone replied.

She glanced at me and immediately noticed the unfamiliar face.

“And who might you be?”

My heart began to beat faster as every eye in the room turned toward me.

“I’m Kelvin, ma. I’m new here.”

She nodded and smiled slightly.

“Class, this is Kelvin. Make him feel welcome.”

Some students murmured greetings, while others simply stared.

Just then, the classroom door opened.

A girl walked in.

For a moment, everything around me seemed to pause.

It was her.

The same girl I had seen the day my dad brought me to enroll.

My heart skipped a beat as she walked past my desk and took a seat near the window.

I couldn’t believe it.

Not only did she attend this school…

She was in my class.

And somehow, I had a feeling that my life at Covenant High School had just become a lot more interesting.

I never believed in destiny or those things people say about the universe bringing two people together. To me, those ideas always sounded like foolish assumptions or rare coincidences.

But at that moment, I couldn’t help wondering if I had been wrong all along.

After the teacher finished teaching and left the class, some students came to greet me warmly. But honestly, I wasn’t satisfied.

I was waiting for her.

Would she come over and greet me?

Or was she the type of girl who liked to act nonchalant?

After waiting for a long time and talking with several classmates, I finally gathered the courage to approach her.

After all, there’s a saying:

“If the mountain does not come to Moses, Moses must go to the mountain.”

When I got to her seat, I almost froze again. Then I remembered a YouTube video I had watched about how to talk to girls. Somehow, that gave me the confidence I needed.

“Hi… how are you doing?” I asked softly.

She looked at me and immediately frowned.

Wasn’t this the same girl who said sorry when I almost tripped? I wondered.

At that point, I was debating whether to pick up what remained of my dignity and leave.

Just as I was about to turn away, she spoke.

“I’m Regina.”

I turned back immediately, smiling.

“That’s a beautiful name,” I said.

“Thank you,” she replied briefly.

Not wanting to look desperate like one of those guys who simp too much, I decided I should leave since the conversation felt awkward.

“Why did you choose this school out of all the other schools?” she suddenly asked.

“I’m actually from Enugu,” I replied with a smile. “My family and I moved here recently, so I thought it would be better to attend a school close to home.”

“You’ll regret it,” she said.

Then she stood up and walked out of the class.

Her words immediately wiped the smile off my face.

What did she mean by that?

The question followed me all the way home. Even when I lay on my bed later that evening, I still couldn’t stop thinking about it.

Then I heard a knock downstairs.

“Kelvin, you have a visitor!” my mom called.

I went downstairs to see who it was.

“Kelvin! How are you doing?” the visitor said. “I brought you the practical materials for Thursday.”

“Oh, Daniel! How are you doing?” I replied.

I had completely forgotten that I gave him my address so he could drop them off.

I collected the materials and offered him a drink. Soon we started talking like typical boys.

That was when he told me something shocking.

“Last session,” Daniel said quietly, “Regina and one of the female teachers were caught having s*x in the teacher’s office after school.”

“What?!” I asked, confused. “Why wasn’t she expelled?”

“Her dad is a major sponsor of the school,” Daniel explained confidently. “Most of the new buildings here were funded by him.”

So she’s a lesbian… I thought to myself.

Was that why she acted awkward earlier?

For a moment, I considered giving up on the feelings I had for her.

But then I remembered something I once heard in an online video:

“Lesbian girls are the most enjoyable in bed.”

I didn’t know how true that was, but a part of me believed it.

The next day at school, I couldn’t stop looking at her. The more I stared, the more I remembered everything Daniel had told me.

When school dismissed, I was heading home when I heard someone call my name.

“Kelvin!”

I turned around.

It was Regina.

She was smiling.

But I still remembered how awkward she had acted during our last conversation.

“Do you want to go on an adventure?” she asked.

“Alright…” I replied skeptically.

“Follow me.”

She led me down a bushy road until we eventually arrived at a riverbank I never even knew existed.

The place was beautiful. The calm water, the surrounding rocks, and the tall trees created a peaceful atmosphere. Birds chirped softly in the distance.

We sat on a rock.

Then she began to talk about her life.

“Ever since I left Ekiti, things haven’t been easy,” she said quietly.

“What happened?” I asked, genuinely interested.

Then she told me the story of her parents and how they died after standing against a corrupt king.

Her voice trembled as she described the attack in the farm, the armed men, and how both her parents were killed.

She explained how the king later tried to capture her so he could force her to become one of his women.

Luckily, one of her father’s friends—who worked as a palace guard—warned her ahead of time. She escaped with some money and fled to Lagos to live with her aunt.

“And since then,” she said softly, “I’ve just been trying to survive the trauma.”

She wiped a tear from her eye.

“No one in our school knows about this… except you.”

I was stunned.

Why would she tell me something so personal when we had only known each other for two days?

Maybe she trusts me, I thought.

Feeling sorry for her, I said the only thing that came to my mind.

“Do you… need a hug?”

She nodded slightly.

I hugged her, and she began to cry softly on my shoulder. After a while, she wiped her tears and looked at my necklace.

“That necklace looks nice,” she said with a smile.

“You like it?” I asked.

“Dash me,” she said playfully.

I shook my head and laughed.

She suddenly leaned closer and tried to grab it from my neck. Our eyes locked.

Something about the moment made my heart race.

Before I could look away, she gently held my face and kissed me.

We kissed for almost five minutes.

Afterward, neither of us spoke.

We simply stared at each other.

Then my phone rang.

It was my dad calling.