SCHOOL SECRETS; JAMAL MUSIALA {mini story}

i confess to you

you were sitting next to jamal in class, the same exact seats that you were sitting in on the day that you met each other. you were at a table in the back corner, a space that you were pretty unwilling to sit in at the start of the school year, not wanting to be too far away from your friends, who just so happened to be seated at the other side of the classroom. but as your relationship with jamal developed, you enjoyed the seclusion that came from being hidden in the back corner.

your friends didn't know much about jamal at all, he was just the boy you sat next to in your english class. but they didn't need to know a lot, if anything. out of you and your three best friends, you were very much the most secretive. it wasn't necessarily one purpose either, you were pretty much drama free, leaving all the interesting stuff to your friends, sitting back and soaking up the gossip rather than taking part in it yourself.

an english lesson usually just includes you and jamal talking to each other. you'd listen to what the teacher was saying and once you knew what you were having to do in that lesson, then you'd be off in your own, little world.

your teacher was currently standing at the front of the classroom, going through a powerpoint, which covered the last couple of chapters in the book you are currently reading. you made notes throughout, flicking back through the book to pull out the quotes that you had highlighted.

you had to stop mid-sentence when you felt a warm hand rest on your thigh under the table. you know jamal's trying to get your attention, but you refuse to pay him any attention, instead focusing on the work in front of you. but jamal was persistent, tapping and rubbing your leg. so you turn to him, a deep furrow in your brow.

"what?" you whispered. "i'm doing my work and you should be too," you pointed at his notepad in front of him, which was just as blank as it was when he first walked into the room.

"you look really beautiful," he whispers, those big brown eyes staring at you yet again.

"jamal, y/n, do you work!" your teacher jumps in before you have a chance to respond. the entire class turns towards you as both of you say a quiet "yes sir" before getting back to work. jamal was quick to remove his hand from your thigh when everyone turned around, so there was no chance of anyone seeing, but as soon as everyone turned back in their seats, his hand was straight back to being rested on your thigh.

this time, jamal actually did some work, not wanting to get the two of you in trouble again. out of the corner of your eye, you see jamal writing something down, assuming that he's making notes, on what he needed to do if he wanted to pass his dreaded exams. you got back to reading the next couple of chapters in the book. you weren't supposed to be reading them yet, but you'd finished the work you were doing on the previous three, and you clearly couldn't talk to anyone, so sticking your nose in your book seemed like the best option.

it must have been about five minutes since the teacher yelled at you when jamal dropped a little piece of folded-up paper onto the table in front of you. you gave him a confused look.

"open it," he said in a hushed voice.

you place the bookmark in your book, placing it back down on the table, reaching for the note in front of you. opening the note, you see the familiar handwriting of the boy sitting next to you. but it's not until you've opened it fully that you realise what the note says.

'i love you' is placed in the centre, the rectangular piece of paper being covered in little love hearts, which you noticed were coloured in with pink gel pen, thinking jamal definitely stole out of your pencil case without you realising.

but looking over the words he had written, your eyes were wide, your heart thumping in your chest. you turned your head towards jamal, looking at him knowing that you most definitely felt the same. you just didn't realise that this is the way he was going to tell you, and you could practically feel your heart swelling at the tiny piece of paper.

"turn it over," he whispered, his smile taking over his whole face.

flipping over the piece of paper, your eyes were met with more of his writing. when seeing the words 'i thought i'd tell you in the place i fell in love with you' you couldn't stop your face from being taken over by a beaming smile.

you lean in towards him, whispering into his ear, "i love you, too."

when you pull away from him, you wish nothing more than that you could kiss him, hug him or just jump on him, but you were going to have to wait a couple more hours until you could even see him again.

---

at the end of your english class, jamal offered to walk you home, telling you that he would meet you by the front of the school. hand in hand, you walked down the cold streets, tucking yourself closer to his body whenever you particularly felt the chill. he took your intertwined hands and placed them inside his coat pocket, not wanting to let go of you, but also not wanting you to feel the cold of the december evening.

when you arrived at your door, you turned to jamal, his hand still gently holding yours, not wanting to let go. he stepped closer to you, so his lips were hovering over yours. he brings his hand up to cup your cheek, his warm, gentle hands, holding your face in place as he leans down to press a soft kiss against your lips.

"i love you," he whispers against them when he pulls away, a small smile on his lips.

you look back deeply into his eyes, "i love you, too."

he flashes you a beautiful smile before he leans down, kissing you longingly on the lip, a kiss that had become your goodbye kiss in recent weeks.

"i'll see you tomorrow," jamal said, taking the smallest of steps away from you.

"i'll see you tomorrow," you smile, turning to unlock your front door. just as you're about to step inside, jamal grabs your arm, turning you towards him, so he can place his lips on yours once more.

"i love you, i love you, i love you," he says against your lips, his face breaking out in a smile when he pulls away.

you let out a laugh, "i love you, too. now go home before your mum starts worrying."