Love Across Boarders

Chapter ten

It was the night of the students mixer and I didn't want to be here.
The music was too loud, the lights too dim, and the room was packed with students laughing, talking, and dancing like this was the event of the year. It wasn't. It was just another mixer an excuse for everyone to drink, flirt, and pretend we didn't all have papers and projects hanging over our heads.
I leaned against the wall near the entrance, arms crossed, scanning the room for a glimpse of Sarah. She'd practically dragged me here, insisting it would be "fun," but now that we were actually here, she'd disappeared into the crowd the moment we walked in. I hadn't wanted to come, but she had that way of making things seem like they'd be more tolerable than they actually were.
"This'll be good for you," she'd said with her wide grin, the same one she used to convince me to do things I didn't want to do. "You need to loosen up, meet new people. You can't be all books and no fun."
What she didn't understand was that I wasn't here to have fun. I was here to succeed, to prove that I deserved my place at this school. Socializing wasn't part of the plan, and neither was getting dragged into these events where everyone else looked like they belonged.
I scanned the room again, trying to make myself invisible in the crowd. The place was filled with the usual suspects-the rich kids who acted like the world was their playground, and I was the outsider, the one who didn't quite fit. Not that I cared. I'd learned to keep my head down and avoid people like them.
But there was a small part of me, deep down, that felt a little envious. Not of their money or their privilege, but of how easy it all seemed for them. They didn't have to try so hard, didn't have to constantly prove themselves. They just...belonged.
"Busayo!" Sarah's voice snapped me out of my thoughts as she waved to me from the bar, a drink in hand. "Come on! I found a group you should totally meet."
I shook my head, trying to signal that I wasn't interested, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Before I knew it, she was pulling me into the thick of the crowd, where people stood in small, buzzing clusters.
Reluctantly, I let her drag me forward, plastering on a smile I didn't really feel. The last thing I wanted to do was mingle with a bunch of people who probably didn't even know my name.
"I'll be right back," Sarah said with a wink, before disappearing into the crowd yet again, leaving me standing awkwardly with a group of strangers. Great.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other, trying to make myself look comfortable even though every fiber of my being wanted to bolt. Just as I was about to make up an excuse and sneak out, I heard a familiar voice behind me.
"Well, look who decided to show up."
I didn't even have to turn around to know who it was.
Darren.
My stomach twisted as I turned to face him, already regretting not making my escape sooner. Darren stood there with that trademark smirk, a drink in hand, his posture casual, like he had all the time in the world.
He wasn't alone, of course. A few of his friends, people whose names I hadn't bothered to learn, stood around him, laughing and chatting like this was just another ordinary night. And maybe for them, it was.
I tried to keep my expression neutral, though I could feel my annoyance bubbling just beneath the surface. "What do you want, Darren?"
He raised an eyebrow, like my question amused him. "Just surprised to see you here. Didn't think this was your kind of scene."
"It's not," I replied flatly, crossing my arms. "I'm only here because Sarah made me come."
"Ah, forced fun," he said with a chuckle, taking a sip of his drink. "I see. Well, I guess even you have to take a break from being perfect once in a while."
I narrowed my eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"
He shrugged, his gaze steady on mine. "You know what I mean. Always so focused, always so serious. It's like you're afraid to let loose, even for a second. It's exhausting just watching you."
I clenched my jaw, his words hitting a little too close to home. "Maybe some of us don't have the luxury of coasting through life."
His smirk faltered for a second, replaced by something else-something I couldn't quite read. But it was gone as quickly as it appeared, replaced by his usual cocky expression.
"Maybe," he said quietly, before taking another sip of his drink. "Or maybe you just like keeping everyone at arm's length."
I hated how he always seemed to see through me, how he knew just what to say to get under my skin. I didn't have a clever response ready, so I just stared at him, trying to figure out why he even cared.
Before I could say anything else, someone called Darren's name from across the room, and he turned slightly, glancing over his shoulder. For a moment, I thought he'd walk away and leave me in peace.
But then he turned back to me, his eyes softer now, his voice lower. "You know, it wouldn't kill you to relax a little, Busayo. You might actually enjoy yourself."
I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could say anything, he was already walking away, his drink in his hand, disappearing into the crowd like he hadn't just left me standing there, reeling from his words.
Enjoy myself? At a mixer full of people who couldn't care less about me? As if.
I stayed where I was for a few more moments, trying to shake off the strange feeling Darren always left in his wake. There was something about him-something I couldn't quite pin down-that made me feel both infuriated and...curious. And I hated that.
Taking a deep breath, I made my way back to the corner of the room, where it was quieter, and leaned against the wall again, grateful for the momentary solitude. My mind raced, replaying Darren's words over and over, despite my best efforts to push them away.
I didn't want to think about him. I didn't want to care about what he thought. But somehow, despite everything, he was always there, lingering in the back of my mind.
The truth was, Darren wasn't as easy to ignore as I wanted him to be. And the more I tried to push him away, the more he seemed to seep into my thoughts.
Maybe Sarah was right. Maybe I did need to loosen up, if only to stop thinking about Darren for just one night.
But even as I stood there, watching the other students laugh and dance, I knew that was easier said than done.