Love Across Boarders

Chapter six

I didn't expect to see her again after that argument. The yoruba girl with the sharp tongue and that fire in her eyes. Busayo. She'd barely been here for a week, and already she was disrupting things, making me question... well, everything.
I shoved my hands into the pockets of my coat, the cool October air biting at my face as I crossed the quad. The day had been quiet, just how I liked it, until she showed up in my Econ class this morning-same as always, head held high, as if she wasn't walking into a room where everyone was either ignoring her or staring at her like she didn't belong.
Honestly, I don't know why I even cared. I've had a good thing going at this school since day one. People knew me, respected me. I wasn't trying to stand out, but it was impossible to blend in when your family name was practically engraved on every building on campus. The last thing I needed was some girl coming in and throwing my world off balance.
Yet here I am. Thinking about her. Again.
I rounded the corner towards the library, hoping to clear my head with some peace and quiet, but as soon as I walked in, there she was. Sitting alone at one of the study tables, her face buried in a book.
I stopped short, feeling that knot in my stomach tighten. Damn it.
It wasn't just that she was smart-smarter than most people gave her credit for. It wasn't even that she challenged me in every possible way, from her ideas to the way she looked at me, like she could see right through the façade I wore every day. No, what bothered me was that I couldn't get her out of my head.
Not since that first day when I said something stupid-more stupid than usual-and she called me out on it. No one ever calls me out. Not the guys on the team, not the professors, not even my parents. But she did, and I could still hear her voice, clear and steady, as if she had no idea who I was.
And that made her dangerous.
I moved towards the back of the library, careful to keep my distance. I had no interest in talking to her again-at least that's what I kept telling myself. Maybe if I ignored her long enough, these thoughts would go away. Maybe she'd go away.
But then she looked up. Our eyes met, and for a second, the room felt smaller, like it was just the two of us. She raised an eyebrow, like she was daring me to say something.
I didn't. Instead, I turned around and left.
Because the truth was, I wasn't ready for whatever this was. Not yet.
I left the library, but I couldn't shake the feeling. Her eyes, that brief, knowing look. She knew something, maybe more than I wanted to admit to myself.
I headed back to my dorm, my footsteps heavy on the stone pathway, frustration simmering under my skin. It didn't help that everywhere I went, she was there. Not physically-no, she wasn't following me-but in my head. Every class, every meal, every conversation with my friends, it all circled back to her. And it pissed me off.
Why? I barely know her. And I'm not the type to be distracted by people I don't know, much less someone like her.
"Darren! Yo, Darren!"
I glanced over my shoulder and saw Ryan jogging up to me. He was out of breath, which wasn't unusual. The guy avoided the gym like it was a disease. "What's up?" I muttered.
"Bro, you missed practice today. Coach was asking about you."
I shrugged. "I had some stuff to do."
Ryan gave me a look. He knew better than to push. "You good?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
But I wasn't, and I could tell Ryan knew something was off. He didn't push, though. Instead, he just walked beside me, hands in his pockets, eyes scanning the students around us as if looking for something more interesting to talk about.
"You know that scholarship girl?" Ryan said suddenly.
I stopped in my tracks, my jaw tightening. Scholarship girl. I hated that term. As if that was all she was-some charity case. "Yeah," I said slowly, trying to keep my voice casual.
Ryan didn't notice my shift in tone. "Some of the guys were talking about her. Said she's been crushing it in classes. Apparently, she put Professor Walsh in his place during Econ today. Everyone's saying she's gonna be top of the class."
Something in my chest tightened again, but this time it wasn't anger. It was pride. As if her success was somehow linked to me, which was ridiculous. We had nothing to do with each other.
"She's smart," I said, trying to play it off.
Ryan laughed. "Yeah, well, I wouldn't worry about it. She'll fade into the background like the rest of them."
Something inside me snapped. "She won't."
Ryan blinked, surprised by the sharpness in my tone. "What?"
"She won't fade. She's not like the others."
Even as the words left my mouth, I realized how true they were. Busayo wasn't like anyone else at this school. She didn't care about status, didn't care about fitting in. She was here to succeed, and it was obvious she wasn't going to let anyone-least of all me-get in her way.
Ryan raised an eyebrow, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Oh, I see what this is."
I scowled. "You don't see anything."
"Oh, I see it clear as day." He nudged me with his elbow. "The rich kid falling for the scholarship girl? Man, this is like something out of one of those corny movies my sister watches."
"I'm not falling for anyone," I snapped. The words felt hollow, though. Even as I said them, I knew they weren't true. I just didn't want them to be.
Ryan snickered, but he dropped it. "Whatever you say, bro. Just don't let Coach catch you skipping practice again. See you around."
He jogged off, leaving me standing there, fists clenched at my sides.
I wasn't falling for her. That would be absurd. I barely knew her. She annoyed me, made me feel things I didn't want to feel, and that was exactly why I needed to stay away from her.
But as I headed back to my dorm, I knew that wasn't going to happen.
Because the more I tried to avoid her, the more I thought about her. And the more I thought about her, the more I realized that this wasn't something I could just walk away from.
No matter how hard I tried.