Episode 21: His Name Was In It
243 Words
Ehi noticed it the moment she stepped into class.
Something was different.
Not loud.
Not obvious.
But wrong.
Two girls at the front glanced at her and quickly looked away.
A boy behind her stopped mid-sentence when she passed.
Ehi slowed.
Her grip tightened around her bag.
She didn’t understand it.
She didn’t like it.
She reached her seat and sat down quietly.
Like always.
Then she saw it.
A folded sheet of paper on her desk.
Her name was written on it.
Ehi.
Her stomach tightened.
She hadn’t written it.
She hadn’t left anything there.
For a second, she considered ignoring it.
Pretending it didn’t exist.
But she knew she wouldn’t be able to focus if she didn’t look.
Slowly, she unfolded it.
Her eyes scanned the page.
Once.
Then again.
Her chest tightened.
It wasn’t a note.
It wasn’t a message.
It was a list.
And Daniel’s name was on it.
Not just his.
Hers too.
Ehi froze.
She didn’t understand what she was looking at.
Or why her name was there.
Or why his was beside it.
But something about it felt intentional.
Deliberate.
Like someone was trying to say something without saying it.
Ehi folded the paper back immediately.
Too quickly.
Her heart was beating too fast.
She didn’t look around.
She didn’t want to see who was watching.
But she could feel it.
This time, it wasn’t just attention.
Something had started.
And she was already inside it.
- Writer
