KINGSLEY'S POV
I didn't even like the library before.
Back then, it always felt too quiet, too serious—like every book stared you down, reminding you how behind you were. But lately… I found myself coming here without even thinking about it.
Or maybe it wasn't really about the books.
Maybe it was about her.
Amara.
I told myself I was helping her. That the group project just gave us an excuse to study together. But if I was being real, I kept showing up because I liked being around her. She was calm. Smart. Unexpectedly funny. And when she looked up from her notebook and actually smiled? Man.
That smile did something to me I couldn't explain.
"Yo, Kings!"
I turned around just as I was about to walk into the library. Three of my boys—Jordan, Leo, and Slim—were posted at the back corner of the building like usual. Jordan had that smirk on his face—the one he wore every time they were up to no good.
"Where you heading?" he asked, tossing a folded snack wrapper into the bushes. "Don't tell me you're going in there again."
"Study time," I said simply.
"Study time or Amara time?" Leo added, and all three of them laughed.
"Come on, bro," Slim chimed in. "You've been ghosting us for weeks now. We're heading to the corner spot. Some new girls are coming through—real fine ones."
I hesitated.
Part of me wanted to go. Just for the ease of it. The boys never judged, never questioned anything too deep. It was simple.
But that was the problem.
Amara wasn't simple. She made me think differently. Focus differently. I couldn't explain it, but since I started hanging out with her, I'd been turning in my assignments on time. I actually understood things in class. Even the lecturers noticed.
"Nah," I said finally. "Not today."
Jordan raised his brow. "You really letting this girl change your whole lifestyle?"
I shrugged. "She's good for me."
They all whistled and booed in unison like I'd just proposed to her.
"Boy's in loooove," Leo teased.
I shook my head and walked off, pretending not to hear.
But truth was... maybe I was changing.
I found Amara sitting under the large jacaranda tree near the lecture hall steps. Her books were open, but she wasn't reading. She just stared into the distance like she had a million thoughts chasing each other in her mind.
I walked over quietly.
"You good?"
She jumped slightly, then smiled when she saw me. "Hey. Yeah… just needed air."
"You sure? You look like you're fighting World War III in your head."
She chuckled softly. "Maybe I am."
God, I liked when she laughed. It wasn't loud or attention-seeking. It was soft, like something she wasn't used to giving out freely. And every time she did, it felt like I had earned something.
We didn't talk much that afternoon. We just sat, side by side, flipping through notes, making quiet jokes. She calmed my mind just by existing.
And for once, I didn't miss the noise of the corner spot or the girls that always laughed too loudly at jokes that weren't funny.
But peace never lasted long around here.
The next day, I was walking down the hall when I heard raised voices echoing from the restroom wing. At first, I didn't think much of it—girls argued all the time.
Until I heard her name.
"Stay away from him, Amara. I'm not going to say it again."
My chest tightened.
Geraldine.
I moved closer and caught the tail end of it—Geraldine standing way too close to Amara, face hard like stone, voice sharp as glass.
Amara stood frozen, eyes wide but lips tight, like she was trying to stay composed.
"I see the way you smile at him," Geraldine spat. "You think I don't know what you're doing?"
"She's not doing anything," I said firmly, stepping forward.
Both of them turned.
Geraldine blinked at me in disbelief. "You're defending her now?"
"Yes," I said, voice even. "Because this? This is not okay."
She scoffed. "Unbelievable."
"No, what's unbelievable is you thinking you can bully someone just because you're threatened."
Her nostrils flared. "So you admit there's something going on?"
I looked at Amara, who looked like she wanted to disappear. Then back at Geraldine.
"No. But if there was, it wouldn't be any of your business anymore."
That hit harder than I expected. Geraldine's face fell for a moment—like I had pulled the last thread she was holding on to.
She stormed off without another word.
After the silence settled, I turned to Amara.
"You okay?"
She nodded quickly. "I'm fine."
"You don't have to lie."
She looked up at me slowly. "Why'd you defend me like that?"
"Because you don't deserve to be treated that way. Especially not by her."
"I didn't ask you to—"
"I know. I wanted to."
We stared at each other for a second too long.
I looked away first.
Because that moment?
That was when it hit me.
I wasn't just helping her with class. I wasn't just trying to be a good guy.
I cared. Deeply.
And that scared the hell out of me.
Later that evening, I sat alone in the reading room, trying to make sense of everything. My phone buzzed with messages from the boys again, laughing, teasing, begging me to come out.
But I didn't go.
I opened my notes instead.
And as I flipped through the pages, I realized something else—my grades were better. My focus was sharper. My life? It felt like it finally had direction.
And Amara… she was part of that shift.
It wasn't just a crush anymore.
It was something deeper.
And I wasn't sure I was ready for it.
But I was already in it.
This was new to me, and it feels real hard to admit