I slipped the envelope into my pocket and walked back to class, still wondering what could be inside. Money? A letter? A cheque? Well, I’d soon find out.
The empty seat where Lucy used to sit caught my eye. Her absence weighed on me. Where could she be? Still under house arrest? When would she return? Then my gaze drifted to JK’s desk. Memories of the risks I’d taken with my friends flooded my mind. Our so-called victory was nothing but pyrrhic. Lucy, the ultimate prize, was gone. The girl I loved most, and the boy I hated most, both were absent.
I sat down, careful to avoid eye contact with my “CID” mate until the closing bell.
When school finally ended, I headed straight to our meeting point behind the toilet. She wasn’t there. Perfect. I quickly pulled out the envelope and tore it open. It wasn’t money. It wasn’t a cheque. It was a letter.
The name at the bottom made my heart stumble: Lucy.
I checked to make sure no one was around before I started reading.
---
The Letter
Hi KD, I’m so sorry for what happened to you last Friday. I wish I had the chance to apologise in person, but I couldn’t. Please forgive me for what I’m about to tell you.
I will no longer be attending this school. My dad is taking me abroad to continue my education. I know this is hard, but trust me, I’m hurting too. I thought now that we had agreed to date, you would finally show me your love, but it never came to pass.
I wish you the best in your studies, and I hope you’ll find another girl who will cherish you. My mum told me you’d come to our house on Sunday evening, but you didn’t. I had planned to tell you then. Since you didn’t come, I had no choice but to write this letter. I’ll be leaving for Accra this afternoon. I don’t know if I can see you before I go. Goodbye.
---
My heartbeat went wild. My hands shook. Lucy was leaving. Abroad. For good.
Fear pinned me to the ground. My brain froze. But then hope flickered—she said she’d leave this afternoon. Maybe I could catch her before she left.
I shoved the letter back into my pocket, ready to run, but just then my “CID” mate appeared. She looked smug, as if victory were in her hands.
Finally, the kiss.
“I’m leaving,” I told her flatly.
“Hey, you can’t go. You know what happens if you refuse?” she snapped.
I turned on her. “Look, girl, I don’t care what you know or who you’ll tell. Do it fast. I don’t care anymore.”
She reached for my arm. I pushed her off. She landed on the ground and hissed that she’d report me. I didn’t even care.
I ran. I ran without my bag, without thinking, without breath—just running toward Lucy’s house.
A voice inside kept saying it was pointless, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t.
And then I saw it. That same posh car her mum had driven last Sunday. It slowed, stopped.
Lucy’s voice called me. I ran to the window. She was crying, her face wet with tears, words trapped in her throat.
Her mum leaned out and told me goodbye—they were running late.
The car drove off.
I collapsed in the middle of the street and cried like a baby. I didn’t care about the cars, the stares, the threats from the CID girl, JK, or even MEGA BRAINS. None of it mattered.
All that mattered was the love I had lost. The girl I never truly had.
THE END
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