That evening, as the group gathered around a bonfire under a clear night sky, students sed stories, shared snacks, and sang songs. It was during this id-back gathering that Daniel approached Julie.

  Daniel was the school’s pyboy—a smooth-talking, fident guy who had a knack for charming anyone. His reputation as a flirt and a troublemaker was well-known, but many students seemed to tolerate him because of his charismatiature. He had a certain charm that drew people in, even when his iions wereirely pure.

  “Hey there,” Daniel said smoothly, walking up to Julie with a casual smile. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing sitting all alone? Shouldn’t you be out mingling with everyone?”

  Julie bliaken aback. “I’m waiting for someone.”

  Daniel chuckled, leaning in slightly. “Waiting for Jiko, huh? You know, I was just thinking... pretty girls like you shouldn’t be wasting their time with someone like him.” His eyes flicked toward Jiko, who was sitting a few feet away, engaged in versation with a group of friends.

  Jiko’s ears perked up at those words. His head turned slightly, and he immediately tensed, his hands instinctively g into fists. He didn’t have to hear much more to uand where Daniel’s ent was going.

  “Jiko? He’s a b guy,” Daniel tinued, his tone smooth but ced with dession. “No fun, no romance—just the same old, predictable stuff. A girl like you should be hanging out with someone... like me.” His eyes narrowed slightly as if gauging Julie’s rea.

  Jiko’s jaw tightened, his heart pounding. He could feel the heat rising in his chest. No one—especially someone like Daniel—had the right to talk about Julie like that.

  “Excuse me?” Julie said, her voice sharp with irritation. “Who do you think you are?”

  Daniel just ughed it off, like it was no big deal. “Just saying what everyohinking,” he said. “You deserve someoing, someone who’ll actually make you feel… alive. Not someone as old-fashioned as Jiko.” He smirked, making it pretty clear he thought Julie could do a whole lot better.

  Jiko’s fists ched tighter, his mind spinning. The irritation bubbled inside him, and before he k, he took a step forward, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

  “You know what?” Jiko said, his voice low but edged with fury. “ime you try to open your mouth like that, Daniel, I’m gonna make sure you don’t say a word for a week. I’ll stick your tongue and lips together so tight, you won’t even be able to spell your own hout spitting.”

  The crowd grew silent. Everyone’s eyes turoward them, curious and shocked by the sudden tension. Daniel blinked, caught off guard by the sheer iy in Jiko’s voice.

  “Whoa, whoa, calm down, man,” Daniel said quickly, trying to py it cool, though his smirk had faltered. “I was just having a little fun.”

  “Fun?” Jiko repeated, stepping even closer. His eyes glinted dangerously. “What’s fun about disrespeg someone else? You got a death wish or something?”

  Daniel hesitated, his fidence wavering. “Look, I didn’t mean anything by it—just messing around.”

  Jiko leaned in even closer, his voice ice-cold now. “That ‘messing around’ stops here. ime you even look at Julie with that smirk, you’ll regret it. Got it?”

  Dahough clearly unfortable, didn’t want to back down pletely. But before he could think of a clever response, his eyes shifted to the side, log onto Jiko’s friends—Rizvan and his crew, known as the leaders of the school’s unspokework.

  Daniel knew he couldn’t afford to escate this any further. Not with Rizvan’s influening nearby. He might have a reputation for smooth-talking, but crossing Jiko, especially when Rizvan’s circle was involved, was a risk he couldn’t take.

  “Alright, alright,” Daniel muttered, holding up his hands in surrender. “I’ll keep my distance.”

  But Jiko wasn’t finished. His gaze never left Daniel’s. “Aime you think of messing with anyone who matters to me—think again. You might not like how it ends.”

  Daniel finally realized the message wasn’t oo be ignored. With a stiff nod, he backed away, muttering under his breath. “We’ll see how far you go with this.”

  Julie watched the entire exge, slightly taken aback. She wasn’t used to Jiko getting so fired up, especially over something like this. But the way he stood up for their retionship... it made her heart swell.

  “Wow,” Julie said softly once Daniel had retreated. “I didn’t know you had that in you.”

  Jiko let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Yeah, well, I don’t take kindly to people disrespeg our retionship.”

  Julie smiled, but her expression turhoughtful. “You didn’t have to go that far.”

  “I did.” Jiko’s tone was firm. “Nobody talks to you like that. No one.”

  The campfire resumed, but the air between them seemed a bit different now—tinged with a new undercurrent of shared uanding. Julie leaned back, smiling softly at Jiko, who seemed unusually calm now, his anger having ebbed away.

  The day after the school trip, Jiko ehe , his usual calm demeanor, but something immediately feels different. The usual hum of chatter and m greetings has been repced by an eerie silence. versations stop abruptly as soon as he walks in, and his cssmates exge furtive gnces—whispers that hush the moment he approaches his seat. Jiko frowns, feeling a strange unease creeping in.

  “Hey, Jiko!” Rizvan calls out, waving him over during lunch break, that familiar grin pstered on his face—a grin that usually means trouble.

  “What’s up?” Jiko asks cautiously, sliding into the seat across from his friend.

  Rizvan leans forward, his voice low, but his eyes gleaming with amusement. “Did something happeween you and Julie during the trip?”

  Jiko stiffens. “What do you mean?” He tries to py it cool, though his heart starts to pound a little faster.

  Rizvan chuckles, the sound half pyful, half mog. “I’m just saying... word has been spreading like wildfire. Everyoalking about you two.”

  Jiko’s stomach twists. “What do you mean, ‘talking’?”

  Rizvan grins wider. “Apparently, some people saw you and Julie sneaking off he ke. You know, aloogether.” He lets the words hang, his eyes glinting mischievously.

  Jiko feels his face flush, his palms suddenly cmmy. They hadn’t done anything crazy—just found a quiet spot by the ke where they could talk and enjoy each other’s pany. They held hands, ughed a little, and shared a few quiet moments that didn’t feel staged or fake. It erfect. But apparently, someone had withem and decided to tell others.