Chapter four: The Choice
889 Words
Daniel didn’t come to school that day.
Or the next.
By the third day, I couldn’t concentrate.
Every time the classroom door opened, I expected to see him.
He never appeared.
I asked Tasha what was happening.
She only told me that Daniel was dealing with family problems.
I wanted to call him.
I wanted to know whether he was okay.
But I didn’t want to make things worse.
Then, on Friday evening, my phone rang.
Daniel.
“Hello?”
“Hey.”
His voice sounded tired.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine.”
There was a long pause.
“My dad wants me to move.”
I sat down.
“When?”
“Next month.”
My heart sank.
“Where?”
“Abuja.”
I didn’t know what to say.
“That isn’t forever.”
“I know.”
“But it feels like it.”
“Yeah.”
He went quiet.
Then he said, “I don’t want to leave.”
“I don’t want you to either.”
Another silence.
“I keep thinking about what you told me.”
“What?”
“That you were scared.”
I swallowed.
“I am.”
“I’m scared too.”
I looked down at the floor.
“I don’t want to pretend I don’t care about you just because everything is complicated.”
“Me neither.”
We agreed to meet the next day.
We chose a small café not far from school.
When I arrived, Daniel was already there.
He was sitting near the window.
“You’re early,” I said.
He smiled.
“I’m trying something new.”
I sat across from him.
For a few minutes, neither of us knew what to say.
Finally, Daniel spoke.
“I don’t want us to make promises we can’t keep.”
I nodded.
“Neither do I.”
“But I don’t want to stop talking to you.”
“Me neither.”
“Then let’s just be honest.”
I smiled.
“Okay.”
He looked at me.
“I like you.”
I smiled.
“I like you too.”
There was no dramatic music.
No perfect movie moment.
Just two teenagers sitting across from each other in a small café, trying to understand what they were feeling.
We decided not to rush into anything.
We were both still in school.
We had exams.
We had families.
We had plans for our futures.
And neither of us wanted our feelings to become a reason to abandon those plans.
So we simply continued being there for each other.
We studied together.
We talked after school.
We helped each other prepare for exams.
Sometimes we argued over the smallest things.
Sometimes Daniel became quiet when something was bothering him.
Sometimes I worried too much.
But we learned to talk about it.
Then, one afternoon, Daniel came to school with a completely different expression on his face.
I knew something had happened.
“What?”
He smiled.
“My dad changed his mind.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“I’m staying.”
I smiled.
“Really?”
“Really.”
I wanted to hug him, but we were standing in the middle of the school corridor, so I just smiled.
“That’s amazing.”
He nodded.
“It is.”
Then his expression changed.
“But I don’t want you thinking I stayed because of you.”
I frowned.
“I wouldn’t.”
“I need to make decisions for myself.”
I nodded.
“Then make them.”
He looked surprised.
“You’re not upset?”
“No.”
I smiled.
“I want you to choose what’s right for you.”
That was when I understood something.
Caring about someone didn’t mean trying to control their choices.
It didn’t mean asking them to stay because you were afraid of losing them.
It meant wanting them to be happy, even when you were scared.
A few days later, Tasha sat beside me during lunch.
“You know I’m not angry anymore, right?”
I smiled.
“About Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
She sighed.
“I was just trying to protect you.”
“I know.”
“And him.”
“I know.”
She smiled.
“Just promise me something.”
“What?”
“Don’t lose yourself because you care about him.”
I thought about it.
“I won’t.”
“Good.”
The rest of the school year passed quickly.
Before we knew it, exams were finished.
Graduation was approaching.
Everyone was talking about university.
Daniel wanted to study engineering.
I wanted architecture.
Our lives were about to change.
On our final day of school, Daniel and I stood outside the gates.
“So,” he said, “what happens now?”
I laughed.
“University.”
“Obviously.”
“Studying.”
“Obviously.”
“And maybe…”
He looked at me.
“Maybe what?”
“Maybe we see where this goes.”
He smiled.
“I like that.”
We walked home together.
For the first time, I wasn’t terrified of what would happen next.
I didn’t know where life would take us.
But I knew I wanted to find out.
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