Chapter 10:
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The first day back at school after a long weekend felt heavier than Favour expected. Her backpack was full of books, her mind full of ideas, and her heart buzzing with excitement from the chapter she had just finished the night before.
Walking through the crowded hallways, she felt both invisible and exposed. Everyone seemed to have their own world — laughter, gossip, and friends all around. Favour had always loved school, but lately, her mind had been elsewhere. Writing had become her secret life, her magic that few people knew about.
Her best friend, Amara, spotted her from across the hall.
"Favour! Wait up!" Amara's voice was bright, teasing, but warm. "You've been MIA all weekend. What's up? Working on one of your novels again?"
Favour smiled sheepishly. "Maybe… a little."
Amara nudged her playfully. "You need to show me one day. I swear, your stories always make my brain explode."
They walked to class together, chatting about homework, teachers, and the latest school drama. Favour tried to keep the conversation normal, but her mind kept drifting back to her laptop and the words she had written the night before. She realized she had missed the spark of living outside her stories — the real connections, the laughter, the chaos of school life.
But school wasn't just fun and friends. By second period, Favour encountered her first challenge of the day. A group project partner, someone she had hoped would cooperate, was openly dismissive of her ideas.
"I don't think that'll work," the classmate said flatly. "Why don't you just… stick to your little writing thing?"
Favour felt her cheeks burn. Old doubts began to whisper: Maybe you're not good enough. Maybe your ideas don't matter.
She took a deep breath and remembered her last lesson: courage doesn't mean absence of fear — it means moving forward anyway.
"I think it can work," she said confidently. "Let's try it my way, at least once. Then we can compare results."
The classmate grumbled but reluctantly agreed. Favour smiled inwardly. Even small victories counted.
At lunch, she and Amara talked about the morning's drama. "You handled that so well," Amara said. "I would have just given up."
Favour shrugged. "I guess… I'm learning. I can't just run away from challenges, at school or anywhere else."
By the end of the day, Favour realized something important: writing wasn't the only place she needed courage. Life, friends, and school demanded it too.
And the best part? She was ready to meet each challenge — one day, one word, and one choice at a time.
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