The Unexpected Love

Sarah, Joyce, and Esther were at a bonfire night, having a nice time together. Also at the gathering were Jonah and his friends, Dave and Joe. They were all there with their classmates.

They were teenagers, between the ages of sixteen and eighteen, and the night was filled with laughter, music, and fun.

As the night progressed, someone stood up and asked, Can we make the night more fun?

Dave looked at him and asked, What should we do?

Another person replied, Let’s play spin the bottle.

Everyone agreed.

The game began, and it quickly became interesting. But, as expected with teenagers, the game soon started getting a little wild.

It was Joe’s turn to spin the bottle. He gave it a good spin, and when it finally stopped, the bottle was pointing directly at Sarah.

There was a loud scream from Joyce, Esther and others who were there.

Joe smiled and said, I want a kiss.

Sarah immediately became restless. She was reluctant and uncomfortable with the idea.

Come on, Sarah! someone shouted.

She was told that if she refused, she would have to dance on stage during the next school assembly.

Her friends encouraged her to kiss Joe because they knew she was shy and terrible at dancing. They teased her that she would become a laughingstock if she chose to dance.

Sarah felt she had no choice.

Eventually, she stood up and gave Joe a quick kiss.

Immediately afterward, she left.

Sarah was an introvert. She had never really had a male friend before. She had always been quiet and calm, and it was actually her friends who had convinced her to attend the bonfire night.

She felt embarrassed about what had happened and could no longer stay with them, so she went home.

Monday Morning

Monday came, and they were all back at school.

Joe was in his final year, while Sarah was in her second year of high school.

During lunch, Sarah was sitting with Joyce and Esther in the cafeteria when Joe suddenly walked in.

Joe was one of the richest and most popular students in the school, so his presence was always noticed.

Sarah looked up and saw him.

Immediately, her heart began to beat faster. She quickly lowered her head.

Her friends noticed.

Esther looked at her and asked, Sarah, what’s happening? Why are you so unsettled?

Joyce laughed.

Her man is here.

Sarah quickly looked up.

Which man?

Don’t even start, please.

Sarah replied.

For some time now, Sarah had been thinking about Joe. She could no longer concentrate properly. She was always distracted by thoughts of him.

Even when she was at home, Joe was constantly on her mind.

One day, Sarah saw him on her street. She tried to avoid him, hoping he wouldn't notice her.

But Joe had already seen her.

Sarah! he called.

She stopped and turned around, shocked.

She was surprised that Joe even knew her name.

What? Are you surprised that I know your name? Joe asked after noticing the look on her face.

Sarah began to stutter.

I... I...

Don’t worry. I understand, Joe said with a smile. How are you doing?

I’m fine, she replied.

They began talking, and before long, they were having a long conversation as though they had known each other for years.

Sarah completely lost track of time because she enjoyed talking to him.

That conversation made her feelings for Joe even stronger.

The Jealous Girls

A lot of girls had crushes on Joe at school. He was handsome, friendly, and, most importantly, he came from a wealthy family.

Because of this, many girls saw Sarah as a competitor.

Sarah, however, was an introvert. She didn't pay much attention to people's opinions or behavior because she considered them unimportant.

One day, Sarah was with Joe during lunch, and they were chatting as usual.

Suddenly, a girl walked past and spilled water on Sarah.

Oh, I'm sorry, the girl said sarcastically.

It was obvious to Sarah's friends that it had been intentional.

Joyce and Esther were immediately ready to confront the girl, but Sarah begged them not to fight.

Please, leave it, she said.

They reluctantly agreed.

A few days later, Sarah arrived in class and was shocked by what she saw.

Her books were scattered across the floor. The pages had been torn and littered everywhere.

She was furious and heartbroken.

Sarah picked up one of the books and suddenly noticed a note on her desk.

She opened it.

THIS IS YOUR WARNING SHOT. STAY AWAY FROM JOE.

Sarah broke into tears.

Her friends were furious.

We have to tell Joe, Esther said.

They went looking for him.

When they found Joe, he immediately noticed that they were angry.

Why are you guys looking so angry? What happened? he asked.

Esther replied, A few days ago, a girl spilled water on Sarah simply because she was with you. Now they've torn her books apart and left the pages all over her classroom. They also wrote a note telling her to stay away from you.

She continued, Please, we beg you. Leave our friend alone. We don't want her to keep getting bullied because of you.

They walked away angrily.

Joe stood there, completely dumbfounded.

He couldn't say a word.

He was sad and angry for the rest of the day.

The Investigation

The next day, Sarah didn't come to school.

She stayed at home, crying.

After school, Joe went to her house, hoping to see her, but he was denied access.

Sarah didn't return to school for an entire week.

Every day, Joe went to her house, but he couldn't see her.

Finally, Sarah returned to school.

Joe immediately rushed toward her, but Joyce and Esther stopped him.

Give her some time, they told him.

Later that morning, during assembly, the principal announced that Joe had important information to share with the students.

Joe was highly respected by the school principal because he was a brilliant student and had won numerous awards for the school.

Joe stepped forward.

Good morning, everyone, he began.

I believe that, as human beings, we ought to treat one another with the utmost respect. We shouldn't bully, intimidate, or make anyone feel unsafe.

Last week, an incident occurred. One of our students was bullied so badly that she couldn't come to school for an entire week.

I decided to investigate and find out who was responsible. I have identified those involved and reported them to the school authorities.

Let this be a lesson to everyone. Bullying is wrong, and we should learn to respect one another.

Thank you.

The principal then called out the names of the students involved.

They were suspended from school for two weeks.

A New Beginning

After the assembly, Joe finally got the opportunity to speak with Sarah.

He apologized for everything that had happened and assured her that he would never allow anyone to hurt her because of their relationship.

Sarah accepted his apology, and the two of them began getting along again.

Later, Esther approached Joe.

Joe, how did you figure out who bullied Sarah?

Joe smiled.

I remembered the girl who spilled water on Sarah that day. I confronted her and eventually got her to confess. She gave me the names of the other students involved. They planned the whole thing together.

Awwwnnn! That's so sweet, Joyce exclaimed.

She looked at Esther and laughed.

Honestly, now I know you love Sarah so much!

Then Joyce added, Esther, let's leave these two lovebirds alone and go look for our own lovers.

Everyone burst into laughter.

And for the first time in a long while, Sarah smiled without feeling embarrassed.

What started as an innocent game of spin the bottle had unexpectedly created a space for two lovers to exists, despite experiencing different drama that could put them apart.

The Unexpected Love.