"The moment I stepped into Crestmont University, I knew life wouldn't be the same. What I didn't know… was just how chaotic that change would be."
—Zayne Adedayo
The sun was not smiling. It was laughing like it had personal beef with me.
I stood at the entrance of Crestmont University with a black nylon bag in one hand, a travel bag on my shoulder, and sweat running like I owed it money. I'd been traveling for nearly 9 hours in a rickety bus from Ondo State to Lagos, and now here I was—standing in front of the gates of Nigeria's most competitive university, praying my deodorant hadn't betrayed me.
My name is Zayne Adedayo, and as of today, I'm officially a fresher.
I looked up at the gates—"Crestmont University: Knowledge. Leadership. Purpose." The letters were bold, classy, intimidating. Almost like they were mocking me. Behind those gates were thousands of students who probably already had friends, connections, fancy phones, and better data plans.
Me? I had ₦3,200 left in my account, a cracked Infinix phone, and a dream.
"Next!" a loud voice shouted from the gate, breaking my thoughts.
I shuffled forward, dragging my half-dead bag behind me.
"Admission letter?" the security guard asked.
I quickly brought out a neatly folded paper from my back pocket. Sweat had blurred the ink at the top, but my name was still visible.
"Zayne… Adedayo. Computer Science?" He raised an eyebrow. "You people that always think you're smarter than everybody."
I smiled awkwardly. "Just trying to study, sir."
He handed it back and waved me through. "Orientation hall is to your right. Don't get lost. Freshers always get lost."
As I walked in, a sense of nervous excitement hit me. The campus was massive. Palm trees lined the walkways, students walked around in groups laughing and chatting, and there were banners everywhere:
WELCOME FRESHERS! CRESTMONT ORIENTATION WEEK 2025
Some students were dragging luggage across the hot concrete. Others were already taking selfies at the school sign. Then there were the ones with matching polo shirts and clipboards—definitely Student Union members. They looked like they ran the place.
I found the orientation hall eventually—after asking for directions from four different people and mistakenly entering the female hostel once (I'm still recovering emotionally).
Inside the hall, it was a chaos cocktail—shouting, laughter, the occasional baby crying (why was there a baby?!), and hundreds of freshers trying to find where to sit.
"ZAYNE!!!"
A loud voice cut through the noise like a machete in the bush. I turned just in time to get tackled into a hug.
Ugochukwu Obinna. My best friend. My day one. My drama king.
He looked like he'd just won a lottery—white teeth flashing, shirt already half unbuttoned.
"You made it!" he screamed like we hadn't just spoken on the phone the night before.
"I'm alive. Barely."
Ugo laughed and pulled me into a seat beside him. "Guy, Crestmont is mad o. I've already seen two girls that could ruin my future. And it's only day one!"
I chuckled. "You're not even settled in and you're already scouting."
He winked. "I came to study all aspects of human anatomy, my brother."
Orientation Begins
After about thirty minutes of students settling in, a slim woman with a scarf wrapped like a crown stepped onto the stage.
She held the mic with the confidence of a lioness. "Good afternoon, Crestmont Class of 2025! My name is Mrs. Adebayo, Dean of Student Affairs, and I welcome you officially to the most prestigious academic institution in West Africa!"
Applause.
"And before any of you get carried away with the 'freedom' of being on campus," she continued, "just remember—freedom without discipline is disaster."
The hall went silent. Even Ugo straightened up.
"Here at Crestmont, you will be tested—not just by exams, but by time, stress, friendships, failure, and your own decisions. But if you survive… you will come out stronger than ever."
I felt a shiver run down my back. Something told me she wasn't joking.
The Girl in Red
During the break, Ugo and I headed out to get cold drinks. That's when I saw her.
She was standing under a tree just outside the hall, a red gown hugging her frame like it was tailored by destiny. Black hair in braids fell down her shoulders, and she had glasses perched on her nose—but not the nerdy kind. The smart-girl-who-will-crush-your-ego kind.
She was arguing with a vendor about the price of gala. Gala, of all things.
"She's cute," I muttered.
Ugo followed my gaze and immediately snorted. "No dey fall for fine girls this early. We never even get hostel key."
"But still…"
"Crush in moderation, bro. School never even start."
But even as I laughed, my eyes stayed on her. She had a fiery presence. Like a character you just knew wasn't a background NPC.
The Competition
That night, we got allocated our hostel room—Room A12, shared with two other guys we hadn't met yet. It was tiny, hot, and the fan made sounds like a dying goat.
But as soon as we dropped our bags, Ugo pulled out a poster.
"Look!"
"Orientation Debate Competition — ₦100,000 Scholarship Reward!"
I blinked. "One hundred thousand naira?"
"Guy! All we have to do is register. Win. Collect money. Buy suya."
I laughed. "You mean you collect money. You're the one that talks too much."
"You'll help me prepare though."
I nodded. "Deal."
At that moment, one of our roommates walked in. He wore headphones, looked like he hadn't smiled since primary school, and didn't say a word before climbing his bunk.
I turned to Ugo. "What have we gotten ourselves into?"
End of Day 1
That night, I lay on the hard bunk bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts racing.
This was it. University.
Freedom. Chaos. Romance. Failure. Success. Competition.
I had no clue what tomorrow would bring, but I knew one thing for sure—
My life had officially entered the chat.