Plot Twist Number 25:I woke up to the sound of my mum yelling my full government name."Ariella Grace James!"
Now, when a Nigerian mum uses your full name at 6:47 AM, you have exactly two minutes left to live. I knew my obituary was about to be written.
She stormed into my room, holding my phone like it was carrying anthrax.
"Explain this video. Now."
I snatched my phone and saw the principal's message — a glorious slow-mo video of Ivy tripping Amara headfirst into a tray of spaghetti while I laughed like a hyena in the background. Soundtracked by somebody yelling "WORLDSTARRR!"
Me:"Mum, I can explain—"
*"Explain to the Holy Spirit, because you are suspended."
Plot Twist Number 26:Yup. Officially suspended for two whole days. Not a regular detention. Not a parent-teacher chat. A whole suspension. I could feel my ancestors shaking their heads.
Ivy called immediately.
"We're LEGENDS."
"We're DOOMED."
"Meet at your place in 10. I'm bringing snacks and Lucifer."
Emergency Bestie Crisis Meeting at My House
Exactly 14 minutes later, Ivy arrived with:
Three jumbo bags of chin chin
A Bluetooth speaker
Two tubs of Blue Bunny ice cream
Lucifer the Cat inside a Baby Shark backpack
"Okay," she announced, dumping everything onto my bed, "first of all: we're officially suspended bad girls now. It's giving rebel queens. Secondly, WHAT IS UP WITH YOU AND ZAYNE?"
"I don't know, Ivy! He kissed me, called me his girlfriend in front of Satan's junior sister, then asked me to meet him at midnight like some Wattpad plotline!"
"So… wedding colors? I'm thinking lilac and gold."
I slapped a pillow at her."Be serious!"
"I am! You love him."
"I do NOT—"Lucifer yawned dramatically like even the cat was over my denial.
Plot Twist Number 27:We drowned our problems in ice cream and watched High School Musical 2, screaming the lyrics to Bet On It like it was the national anthem. Ivy did the Zac Efron golf course dance routine in my living room with a broomstick while Lucifer judged us.
"Okay, but real talk," Ivy said, flopping down next to me mid-chorus, "what are you gonna do if he confesses his love tonight?"
"Die. Definitely die."
"I'll have a shovel ready."
The Rooftop Rendezvous
At exactly 11:57 PM, I ninja-slid out of the house, dressed in my black hoodie and sneakers like a bootleg Catwoman. The streets were quiet, except for a stray dog that barked at me like it knew my business.
When I climbed up to the school rooftop, Zayne was already there, lying back, arms behind his head, a box of pizza next to him like he owned the universe.
"You're late, Princess."
"It's called making an entrance."
"You mean being scared of your mum?"
"Shut up."
Plot Twist Number 28:I sat next to him and immediately grabbed a pizza slice. Priorities.
"So… why the rooftop? You planning to push me off or something?"
He chuckled, eyes reflecting the stars.
"Nah. Just wanted to see you without all the drama. And pizza makes confessions easier."
"What confession?"
Plot Twist Number 29:He got quiet."I need to tell you something about my family."
I paused, ice cream-flavored trauma rising.
"My dad left when I was nine. No goodbye, no explanation. Just dipped. My mum's basically a ghost who works 24/7 to avoid everything. My brother… he's in rehab. I act like an idiot half the time because it's easier than people asking me if I'm okay."
My heart shattered.I reached over and grabbed his hand.
"Zayne… I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I just… I thought you should know. You deserve to know the whole disaster you're dealing with."
"Too bad. I'm still keeping you, chaos and all."
Plot Twist Number 30:His eyes softened and for a second it felt like the entire universe held its breath.
"Ari… I think I—"
Plot Twist Number 31:The rooftop sprinklers EXPLODED.A freezing blast of water shot out of nowhere, soaking us both like some badly timed movie scene.
"ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" I screamed, slipping on wet concrete while clutching my pizza.
Zayne burst out laughing, water dripping from his hair."Guess the universe ships us after all."
"I. Hate. Everything."
Plot Twist Number 32:Even soaking wet and shivering, he leaned closer, cupping my face."Even wet and angry, you're still my favorite person."
And because my life is chaos, I sneezed directly on him.Right. In. His. Face.
We stared at each other in horror for a beat before we both collapsed into hysterical laughter.
Emotional Damage Tally:
Parental trauma unlocked: ✅
Love confession interrupted: ✅
Suspension confirmed: ✅
Midnight pizza date in the rain: ✅
Almost drowned on a rooftop: ✅
Sneezed in crush's face: ✅
Still weirdly in love with him: ✅