CHAPTER FIVE

Amara saw them again the next day.

Danielle. Zara. Teni.

They were standing just outside the lecture hall, their voices low but lively, their laughter soft but noticeable. Just like always, people moved around them, drawn in without effort.

Amara slowed her steps.

She told herself she wasn’t staring… but her eyes lingered longer than they should have.

There was something about them something easy, something free. The way they spoke without hesitation. The way they laughed without holding back. The way they existed without shrinking.

Amara wished she understood how they did it.

Her gaze shifted slightly.

Iris stood a few feet away.

Alone.

And yet… not alone.

There was a different kind of presence around her. Not warm like Danielle, Zara, and Teni but sharp. 

Controlled. 

Unapologetic.

Iris didn’t need a group.

She didn’t need validation.

She stood there, speaking to someone briefly before dismissing them with a casual wave, her confidence almost unsettling.

Even Danielle, Zara, and Teni noticed her.

For a moment, their laughter faded.

Their eyes lingered.

There was something unspoken there not admiration… but something close to irritation. Maybe even intimidation.

Because Iris didn’t need anyone.

And somehow, that made her stronger.

Stronger than all of them.

Amara noticed it too.

And strangely… it made her feel even smaller.

She quickly looked away and slipped into the lecture hall before anyone could notice her.

Days passed.

Amara kept her distance.

From everyone.

But especially from them.

At first, she told herself it didn’t matter. That she didn’t need them. That she was better off alone.

But deep down… she knew that wasn’t true.

Because every time she saw them, something inside her ached.

One afternoon, as she stepped out of class, she heard her name.

“Amara.”

She froze.

Slowly, she turned.

Danielle stood in front of her, calm as ever. 

Zara leaned casually beside her, arms folded, while Teni gave her a small, almost encouraging smile.

Her heart began to race.

This was happening again.

“You’ve been avoiding us,” Zara said, her tone light but her eyes observant.

Amara shook her head quickly.

 “No… I.....I haven’t…”

Her voice betrayed her immediately.

Teni stepped forward slightly. “We just wanted to talk.”

Amara’s fingers tightened around her bag.

Something felt… off.

She couldn’t explain it, but there was a quiet tension beneath their calm expressions. Like they weren’t just talking to her they were studying her.

“We noticed something the other day,” Danielle said, her voice soft, measured. “In class.”

Amara’s chest tightened.

Of course.

That.

“You don’t deserve that,” Teni added gently. “The way Iris talks to you.”

Amara’s breath caught.

No one had said that before.

No one had ever… taken her side.

Zara tilted her head slightly. “And honestly… someone like her needs to be put in her place.”

The words hung in the air.

Amara felt something shift inside her.

Confusion.

Fear.

And something else… something dangerous.

“We just think,” Danielle continued, “you could help us with something.”

There it was.

Amara’s heart dropped slightly.

She knew it.

This wasn’t just kindness.

Her instincts whispered at her to walk away. To say no. To protect herself for once.

And for a moment…

She almost did.

“I don’t think I....” she started, her voice trembling.

But then she looked at them.

Really looked.

They were standing close to her now.

Talking to her.

Seeing her.

Not ignoring her.

Not laughing at her.

Seeing her.

That feeling alone was enough to weaken every wall she had tried to build.

“What… what do you mean?” she asked softly.

Zara’s lips curved into a faint smile.

Danielle exchanged a quick glance with Teni.

It was subtle.

Almost unnoticeable.

But it was there.

And Amara missed it completely.

“We’ll explain,” Teni said gently. “It’s nothing too serious.”

Amara hesitated.

Her mind was still screaming at her to be careful.

But her heart…

Her heart was louder.

She had spent so long being invisible.

So long wishing to belong.

And now, the very people she admired were reaching out to her.

Choosing her.

She didn’t want to lose that.

Not now.

Not when she had finally been seen.

“…Okay,” she said quietly.

And just like that

Amara gave in.…

WRITTEN BY: OMADACHI GRACE ELEYI 💐