When the winner in the Creative Writing Competition was announced by the principal of Unity Secondary School, Mr. Bako the sound in whole assembly ground was like someone had just gotten a winning goal in a football match.
"The winner" he said, lifting a white envelope in a dramatic gesture "The winner is... Adanna Okoye!”
The students burst out into cheers as Adanna came forward with her heart aching like a generator that was trying to kick start. It was a dream she had dreamt of having her very first win, her very first recognition as the writer she aspired to be.
However, when she was given the envelope, she looked at the face of her best friend Kamsi. He smiled politely without being as bright as he usually was. There was something wrong about his expression. It was virtually disappointment in disguised.
In school, Adanna and Kamsi were referred to as the "Twin Pens". The two shared and competed collaboratively in matters of writing. The both of them had joined the writing contest giving each other the word that regardless of who won, it would be like a victory of all. However, when it came to this point, it was only one name that reached the top.
Adanna ran over to Kamsi after assembly and embraced him hoping he would pick her off her feet the way he always would. Rather he simply stiffened and told her congrats.
Then Adanna said "That was it, no jokes, no you deserve it, no teasing, just congrats?
Adanna felt a slight pain in her chest, she tried to shake it off. Thinking maybe she was just overthinking the issue.
Schools are little worlds and nothing is as speedy as silence. Lunch time came on, and she overheard two of the juniors talking
"Kamsi is angry that o Adanna won"
“Ah! but he never loses anything, why is he pained?”
"He wanted this one too because he told me so”
Their words stung Adanna.
She was a winner of a writing contest but she had a sense that she lost her best friend. Then Adanna came up with an idea and told Kamsi about it, she thought of both of them having to jointly write and publish a book.
Kamsi was so excited when she told him
He smiled “Together?”
“Yes. You and me will be co-authors, a short story or a series and we will begin our journey together. Why not dispense success upon us?
Kamsi smiled at his eyes at last that day.
"You win and you lose, that is all but when it comes to the right person, you will never lose as much" he said.
Month later, they collaborated on a story Two Sides of the Same Pen that was posted in a popular teen-oriented blog in Nigeria. It went viral within two days. Students approached them in hallways and asked them how they could write to an extent. The story was printed and used as a reading material by the teachers.
Their friendship grew more, not of one triumphing over the other but of both of them winning together.
Even though Kamsi lost the Creative Writing Award to Adanna, even though Adanna won over him. He lost that but here they are winning together again, he has lost one but he gained another and above all he didn't lose true friendship.
Adanna and Kamsi were celebrated by the whole school for making such a wonderful book which gave the school more acknowledgement and recognition far and wide.
Note: All pictures were generated on Meta AI
