THE GRAD LIST

13th sept

since I am graduating next year in June I have a list of things I want to do before I graduate, I don't really know how many they are so am gonna list them below.

1.) face my fears

2.) get a boyfriend

3.) straight-A student

4.) make lipgloss in chemistry class

5.) break school rules for the first time

6.) get a scholarship

7.) tp school building

8.) get an awesome outfit for prom

9.) get an awesome outfit for graduation

10.) Do an extreme sport

I guess the only ones I have accomplished are numbers 2&3, yes I have a boyfriend but it's not a big deal we don't even attend the same school which is better for me. His name is Leonard Williams he goes to a school across the street from mine. 

How did I meet him? I am not sure but what I will tell you is that it was the summer holiday in July to be precise, a lot of events were taking place in the city so I found myself at a food festival in Abuja. I went alone because my only friend in this entire world is my cousin Anisa. unfortunately for me, Anisa and her family travelled to Qatar for the summer break so I was left to spend summer by myself.  That morning before the festival I took a walk around where I lived and came across a few of my classmates. I came across fadila the girl who hates me so much for some reason.

Fadila and her friends looked at me and glared as I walked. she then yells that almost 10 years later she is still boring and plain. I ignored and kept walking and then one of the girls besides fadila says I wonder who she thinks she is?

To be honest I have known these girls since primary school but for some reason every time they said something to me I would literally ignore it or mute them mentally. But that day was different, what they said really got to me to the point that I rushed back home and starred into the ceiling for 20 minutes. I asked myself so many times what was wrong with me? why am I so basic? That's when I got up from the self-pity ball I was in and grabbed a pen to create my grad list. Things I hoped to achieve by the end of my senior year or at least by graduation day.

This now brings me to the Leonard story, I was at the festival and I saw the girls at my school sitting by the corner eating and omg!!! were they smoking? I looked away but they must have seen me starring. Fadila walks over and tries to attack me. I walk ahead and pretend like I didn't see her. I make my way to a stall selling kebab sticks and I reach for a stick and attempt to buy it then this guy with fair skin and curly hair hits my hand and says shouldn't you ask before taking food from a stall? I get confused and mumble as my heart starts to race, the thought of fadila running after me was making me anxious that I didn't realise what I was doing.

He (Leo) keeps saying hello? am I not talking to you? and that's when I came back to reality. I looked at him apologised and then asked how much the kebab was? He was about to tell me and then we both turned to the sound of KE!!! In the background. It was fadila and her battalion and they looked like they were ready to beat me and that's when I started to shake even more. Leo must have noticed this and then he put his arm on my shoulders and looked at them. I was too stunned to speak or even breathe, he whispered into my ear and said don't worry I won't let them do anything to you. I just stood there with his arm around me and starred like i was in a daze.

Fadila finally arrives and tries to drag me from the spot, I was honestly too shocked to remember what happened but I know that Leo stopped fadila from taking me and they both got into a little spat and I just stood there like a dumb person. After a while Fadila left and I was sitting behind the stall with Leo, I start to breathe funny and he goes into the stall to get some water. I was experiencing a panic attack in public with a stranger that I just met. Leo came in later with water and kebabs, I said I would pay for it before even saying thank you. he told me to just eat and calm down. 

Leo watched me as I drank the water he brought and took small bites out of the kebab, I look at him and the most stupid thing comes out of my mouth. I say hi, he then looks at me and says are you okay? i then nod my head. Leo pulls me up and starts to ask questions about fadila and her friends, i narrate to him how i caught them smoking and they started to chase me. He then just shakes his head and said I should learn to stand up to them, what if i wasn't here would you just let them get you? I didn't even know when i held my chest and started to cry, it was my first time crying in such a long time. Leo tried to change the subject and asked me how long i was going to be at the festival, i replied and said i don't have a curfew because my parents are not home. He smiled and grabbed my hand.

The festival day felt too good to be true because it felt straight out of a movie, we ate and danced like crazy. I even forgot what had happened earlier and actually started enjoying my summer. Time went by quickly and I noticed it was almost 10 pm!! I also noticed that people were packing up their stalls as well. I looked at Leo and asked him for his number and socials before making my way home. He looks at me and says see you around and i smile as i finally have a new friend that's not my cousin :). Speaking of cousins i cant wait to download all of this information and let her know what happened today.

      I haven't even introduced myself my name is shamsiya Umar I am 16 years old I love chemistry and math I dream of being a world-famous cosmologist i.e A person who produces makeup.  I am an organized teenager I love my parents and studies but I would just wish and wonder ...why am I so confused******************