CHAPTER 1 — The Spark
The campus gates of Lagos Metropolitan University looked taller than the sky itself.
Adanna Okafor clutched her admission letter like a passport to a new world.
Heat shimmered off the asphalt, buses honked in chaos, and her heart pounded hard enough to drown them all out.
She had imagined this day a hundred times—walking into her future with grace and confidence—but now her palms were sweating, her braids stuck to her neck, and her mother's voice echoed in her mind: "Remember why you're there, Ada. Keep your head down. Focus."
Head down? Impossible.
Students streamed past like a flood of colour—shiny sneakers, laughter, perfume, ambition. Somewhere among them, she would make her mark.
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The Debate Hall
By afternoon, she'd unpacked, met her loud roommate Zara, and followed a campus noticeboard flyer that read:
> "Debate Club Tryouts – 4 p.m., Hall 3. Come if you have something to say."
She smiled. Something to say? She had plenty.
Inside the hall, a semicircle of students faced a raised platform where a tall young man leaned on the podium, talking as if the room belonged to him.
> "Passion doesn't win debates," he said smoothly. "Logic does. And unfortunately, most people don't have enough of either."
A few chuckled.
Adanna froze mid-step.
He was striking—dark skin glowing under the stage light, sleeves rolled to his elbows, a confident smirk that dared anyone to challenge him.
> "That's Tobi Adewale," Zara whispered beside her. "Second-year law. Campus golden boy. Don't fall for the smile—it's a trap."
Adanna raised an eyebrow. Trap accepted.
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Clash of Words
When it was her turn to speak, she walked up to the podium, chin high.
> "With all due respect," she began, "logic without passion is like a debate with no audience. Who listens to a robot?"
A ripple of laughter. Tobi looked up, surprised.
"Interesting," he said, stepping closer. "But passion burns out. Logic lasts."
"Maybe yours does," she shot back, "but I prefer a fire that can think for itself."
The room erupted.
For a moment, silence hung between them—thick, electric.
She felt it—the spark she didn't want but couldn't ignore.
When she returned to her seat, Zara nudged her.
"Girl, you just declared war on the debate king."
Adanna smiled.
"Then let him prepare for battle."
From the stage, Tobi watched her walk away. His smirk had softened into something else—interest.
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Later That Night
Adanna lay on her new dorm bed, scrolling through orientation messages. Her phone buzzed with a new notification:
Debate Club Pairings Announced
Team 3: Adanna Okafor & Tobi Adewale.
She sat up straight.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Zara peeked over from her bed.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm partnered with him."
"The fine one?"
"The annoying one."
But deep inside, something fluttered—a dangerous, curious flame she couldn't name.
Outside the window, the city buzzed, alive and restless.
Somewhere across campus, Tobi stared at the same message on his screen and whispered to himself:
"Okafor, huh? Let's see what kind of fire you've got."
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🔥 End of Chapter 1