If i had known.

"What would you become?" i asked Olawale while we sat on the grasses in the school premises "anything you would become." Olawale answered and i smiled "i will like to be a businesswoman." "me, too. because that's the best way to stay by your side"

Olawale and i were best friends, we've lived together for many years in the same neighborhood, we would do everything and go anywhere together, even, some people thought we were twins, and we also believe we are inseparable from each other and this was easy because our parents are friends and were traders in the same market.Despite that Olawale was a male, he was timid, shy and become scared easily, he is just a female in a male form, this same goes to me, he was the female and i was the male because i was stronger than him, but Olawale was smart when it comes to reading and i was otherwise.

I knew he was scared of ants, so one day, i left the class before him and went to look for one, he won the quiz we had in class, so i thought it would be nice to give him something. There he was "Olawale!" I waved my hand and he ran to me "close your eyes and open your hand, i have a gift for you since you did well in class, i thought it would be nice giving you something" i said putting my hand behind me, but the look on his face shows that he doesn't trust me, he did as i asked and i placed the cockroach on his hand, he shouted and cried till we get home, i knew it was painful but i had fun doing that.

We were in the last lap of senior secondary school, we all have the believe of being free and living independently when we turned eighteen and also finished secondary school and here is the 'eighteen' us, how will we spend it? can I really tell that I'm mature now? and i would be able to beat every kid that call me by my name or disrespect me because it's not easy to turn eighteen "oh Lord! what life would i live by myself? Let's see how free it is to live an independent life." I thought to myself.

Olawale asked to meet up with him on the final day of our exam, he said he has something to say. You can't imagine how curious i was, i couldn't eat well nor sleep well, so many questions on my mind, i wondered what he has to say and i hope this day came faster.

There it was, I'm happy the day met me alive, i woke up as early as I've never been, i didn't wait for breakfast and went to olawale's house "good morning, ma. Is Olawale inside?" I asked his mum "No. He just left." his mother answered. Stupid him, he couldn't even wait for me, he knew i would ask a lot of questions on the way, I never knew i Could run this faster, i ran to school hoping our exam finished soon so that my curiosity could be satisfied, while i was thinking, i didn't know that the exam has begun and that i have few minutes left to submit, guess what i did, we all know the vowel letters are five and we also had five options in the exam questions as well, i replaced the vowel letters with the options, like this "A, E, B, D, C" that was how I had my exam, i was even the first person to submit, I'm sure the teachers wouldn't just leave my theory like that, they would give me mark. I was known to be a dullard, how come i submitted first? I can see that anger in their faces, they might think Olawale gave me some answers, if he had answers, would he still be seated? I left the exam hall and went to the garden, majestically waiting for Olawale, come and see how beautifully i was dressed, I've never been this neat to school, even my shoes and the sun were competing, one has to shine brighter. While i was waiting, i nodded off and woke up some minutes after, i wouldn't wake up if i didn't hit my head on one of the benches " oh my God, did i just slept off? I hope i didn't snore while sleeping, he might have heard me snore that's why he left. Gosh" i stood up rubbing my head because i hit my head really hard, i ran while clean my shoes that has already been covered with sand "oh my God! look at what was competing with the sun" i ran to the class, he wasn't there but his bag was, maybe i didn't sleep much, he hasn't left.I have hope then,i dropped a letter and then some of my classmates entered and asked to hangout with them. Hangout? this is strange, these girls were known to be picky and scary, they might have wanted me to join them because i look stunning, today might be a good day then. "I will join you girls in few minutes." they left and i placed the letter on his bag properly.

Everyone was having fun since it was the last day of our exam, but Olawale was no where to be found and it's getting late, where could he have been without telling me? did he go home without telling me? no way! I left there and began to look for Olawale, i went through all the classes but he wasn't there, i shouted his name as much as i could and then went to the school rooftop, i shouted his name and then heard some footsteps, i became scared and was shivering, thankfully, they didn't come near me and left peacefully, i couldn't even check their faces. "Olawale, where are you? we have to go home. it's getting late." I went back to the class, his bag and the letter was there, definitely, he was still in school, where could he have been?

or, was he sent to go and dispose dirty again? I went to where dirties are been disposed and everything was smelling of alcohol and cigarettes. "no, Olawale can't be smoking" i shouted his name again and heard footsteps like when rats were running, but that wasn't a rat, it was a human for sure, i kept moving forward, it is dark already and this place was even smelling, but I'm sure someone is here i kept moving forward "what could a human being be doing here?" and then i stepped on something, i brought out my phone and on the torch only to find out that it was...

𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒃𝒆?