Kendi: Crushes, Glitches, Meltdowns Meltdowns: Feelings spiraling. Focus shattered. One move from emotional checkmate.: 2

After the lockdown, Nairobi is loud and alive again. And I can't shake the feeling that everyone's watching me.Especially now, when my life is nowhere near as under control as I'd like it to be.My plan had been simple: show up at the bus stop looking like the ultimate revenge glow-up. Groomed. Smelling expensive. Wearing an outfit that screamed, She's here to conquer.Then homeschooling happened and completely wrecked the plan.The lockdown is barely over when Alex invites me to something that is definitely not-not a date. To an amusement park.And that's where I run into Leo-the boy from the bus stop. Charming, thoughtful, and way too easy to like.A few overly sweet words later, my entire life is off balance.Suddenly, two people who mean far too much to me are pulling me in opposite directions, and every decision feels like a risk I can't afford to take.Kate calls it "an absolutely brilliant strategy."I call it the kind of chaos where I could ruin everything that matters to me.But what if the one step I know I shouldn't take is the only one I have left?Excerpt from Kendi: I Had a Plan (At First)I stared at the wall. Spotted a crack I hadn't noticed before.Or maybe I was the one cracking."That guy... in the roller coaster with you..." She paused.I could hear it in the silence: she was holding something back. Probably something reckless."What about him?" I asked, when her pause lasted long enough to make me want to throw my phone."Are you two a thing?"My mouth moved before my brain could slam the brakes."Did I betray you, Alex? I don't think so. Did I cheat on you? Nope. Are we even a thing? Because if we are, someone forgot to tell me."Kate: "Zugzwang. Move or stay, she loses. It's tragic, it's messy, and babes, I'm feasting."