The sun was just starting to climb the sky, casting golden rays through the school's wrought iron gates. Everything shimmered, as if dipped in gold, and the air carried a strange weightlessness. Rita stood at the entrance, her neatly pressed uniform fitting perfectly, her hair in two perfect puffs—so perfect, it felt almost... staged. But she didn't notice that.
She smiled, adjusting her bag as the morning chaos unfolded around her. Students rushed past, their voices blending into a familiar melody of chatter and laughter. Everything felt just as it should.
Then came the voice.
"Ritty!"
The name rang through the air, and Rita turned just in time to see Evelyn sprinting toward her, her shoes barely staying on. It was so natural, yet something about it sent a soft ache through Rita's chest.
"Evelyn," she breathed, her lips curling into a smile before she even realized it. How long had it been since she last saw her like this? Since they last talked like this?
"Slow down! You're going to give yourself a heart attack before we even start the first class," Rita teased, the words slipping from her mouth like second nature.
Evelyn skidded to a stop, bending over dramatically, hands on her knees. "Girl, you wouldn't believe what I heard! You know the new kid from 3B?"
Rita tilted her head. "The one who smells like an entire flower shop? Yeah, what about her?"
"She totally borrowed my glitter pencil today. My glitter pencil, Rita! Do you know what that means? She's basically in my debt forever."
Rita giggled, the sound warm and real. "You're such a drama queen, Evie. Are you going to start charging her interest?"
"Oh, absolutely," Evelyn said, before breaking into laughter.
The conversation flowed effortlessly, each word familiar, each reaction natural. They walked into the school building, side by side, dodging teachers and whispering secrets like they always did. Every detail—Mrs. Olayiwola's sharp gaze, the way Evelyn exaggerated her excuses in class, the lunchtime jokes—all unfolded with a comforting rhythm, as if playing on a loop.
And yet, something tugged at the edges of Rita's mind. A shadow of a thought. A feeling that something wasn't quite right.
It wasn't until lunch, as they sat under their usual tree, that the feeling intensified.
"Did you see Anne today?" Evelyn asked between bites of jollof rice, wrinkling her nose. "I heard she was doing too much in English class again. She thinks she's the teacher's pet."
Anne.
The name sent a strange ripple through Rita's thoughts, like a stone skipping across a still lake.
Anne.
The girl who had forced her way into Rita's world, changing everything. The reason Evelyn's voice had faded into the background. The reason—
Rita blinked.
Something felt... off.
She looked at Evelyn—really looked at her. Her friend was still laughing, still eating, still rambling about something ridiculous, but—
Hadn't Evelyn stopped sitting with her at lunch?
Hadn't things changed when Anne came along?
A breeze blew past them, ruffling the leaves overhead. The schoolyard seemed to blur at the edges, like a painting melting in the sun. Rita's heart clenched.
Why did this feel like something she had already lost?
The day carried on—more classes, more whispered jokes, more mischief—but the weight in Rita's chest only grew heavier. This isn't real, a voice inside her whispered. This is how things used to be.
By the time the final bell rang, Rita was walking alongside Evelyn again, their laughter mingling in the air. It was perfect. Too perfect.
And then, just as Evelyn turned to say something—
Rita jerked awake.
Her breath was shaky. The room was dark, the ceiling fan spinning lazily above her. It took her a moment to realize where she was—home, in her bed.
Gone was the golden sunlight. Gone was the sound of Evelyn's laughter.
Her chest ached with longing.
She had dreamed of Evelyn. Of how things used to be before Anne. Before everything changed.
Rita curled up, blinking away the sting behind her eyes.
I miss her.
And for the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to admit it.