Tangled hearts

Ada hated packing. Not because she had too many things—if anything, she packed less than most people—but because packing meant one thing: the quiet comfort of home was ending. Her small bedroom floor was covered with clothes, notebooks, tangled chargers, and a half-open suitcase that refused to cooperate. She pressed her weight on it. The suitcase popped open again. Ada groaned. “Why are you like this?” she muttered to the suitcase. From the kitchen, her mother’s voice floated through the house. “Ada! Have you finished packing?” “Almost!” Ada called back. That was a lie. She pushed a hoodie deeper into the suitcase and tried again. This time it closed halfway. Good enough. Her phone buzzed beside her on the bed. She picked it up. The notification was from a group chat called Lodge Queens 💅. Ada shook her head before opening it. The group chat belonged to the girls in her lodge—mostly 400-level students who had somehow decided she was their unofficial younger sister last semester. They were dramatic, loud, and always involved in something. Still, Ada liked them. The messages were already piling up. Amaka: Who is resuming tomorrow? Bisi: Me o. My siblings are driving me crazy. Rita: Same. My house is too noisy. Ada laughed quietly. If Rita thought her house was noisy, she clearly forgot what the lodge sounded like during generator hours. She typed. Ada: I’m leaving tomorrow morning. Almost immediately the replies came. Amaka: Good! We need you. Ada: For what? Bisi: To help clean the common room. Rita: And to bring snacks. Amaka: And gist. Ada rolled her eyes. Typical. Her phone started ringing. Amaka calling. Ada answered. “Hello?” “Ada!” Amaka’s voice exploded through the phone like she had been waiting all day to talk. “Yes?” “Have you heard what happened yesterday?” Ada leaned back on her bed. “What happened now?” “Two girls fought in the lodge yesterday.” Ada sat up immediately. “Fought?” “Yes! Proper fight. Not small argument. Real fight.” Ada laughed. “What were they fighting about?” “Man problem.” Ada nodded. “Of course.” Amaka continued enthusiastically. “Apparently the guy was talking to both of them.” “People have too much energy,” Ada said. “You say that now,” Amaka replied. “Wait until you resume. The lodge is already hot this semester.” Ada sighed dramatically. “I just want peace this session.” Amaka burst into laughter. “Peace? In that lodge?” “Yes.” “You’re funny.” Ada smiled despite herself. Last semester alone she had witnessed: A loud midnight argument about missing noodles. A two-hour debate about who refused to clean the bathroom. And one unforgettable afternoon when two girls almost fought over a borrowed wig. The lodge had more drama than some television shows. Her mother knocked on the door and stepped inside. “You are still on the phone?” she said. Ada quickly ended the call. “Sorry, mummy.” Her mother looked around the messy room. “You students carry your whole house to school.” “Mummy, it’s just clothes.” Her mother lifted one of the thick textbooks on the bed. “This is clothes?” Ada laughed. “Computer science problems.” Her mother shook her head. “I don’t understand what you people study in that course.” “Coding,” Ada said. “Hmm.” Her mother helped push the suitcase closed properly. “You like that school too much,” she said. Ada shrugged. Maybe she did. Home was peaceful, yes. But school meant independence. Friends. Freedom. And the strange chaotic life of the lodge. The next morning came quickly. By 7 a.m., Ada was already dressed and ready to leave. Her mother stood by the door holding a small food flask. “Take this,” she said. “Mummy, I’ll buy food on the way.” “Still take it.” Ada accepted it with a smile. “Thank you.” Her mother hugged her. “Face your books. No distractions.” “I know.” “And call me when you reach.” “I will.” The journey to Lagos took hours. Traffic was heavy as usual. By the time Ada finally arrived near the university area, the sun was already high in the sky. She dragged her suitcase down the familiar street toward the lodge. The building looked exactly the same. Three floors. Faded cream paint. A balcony filled with drying clothes. Somewhere behind the building, the generator hummed loudly. Ada smiled slightly. Home number two. She stepped into the compound. Immediately she heard shouting. “Give it back!” “I said I don’t have it!” Ada stopped walking. Two girls stood in the corridor arguing loudly while a small crowd watched. One of them pointed an accusing finger. “You think I’m stupid?” “Then stop shouting!” Someone in the crowd whispered, “This is getting serious.” Ada sighed quietly. She had been back for less than five minutes. And drama had already started. Behind her, a familiar voice spoke. “You came at the perfect time.” Ada turned. Amaka, Rita, and Bisi were walking toward her with excited smiles. “You guys are watching the fight?” Ada asked. “Of course,” Bisi said. Rita crossed her arms. “This is round two.” “Round two?” Ada repeated. Amaka nodded. “They started yesterday.” Ada shook her head. “What are they fighting about?” “Phone charger,” Rita said. Ada blinked. “Phone charger?” Amaka shrugged. “That’s what started it.” “Started it?” Ada asked suspiciously. Bisi grinned. “But the real issue is a boy.” Ada sighed. “Of course.” The shouting in the corridor got louder. One of the girls stepped forward angrily. “Stop lying!” “Remove your hand!” Someone in the crowd gasped. Amaka leaned closer to Ada. “Should we separate them?” Ada raised an eyebrow. “You want to?” Amaka paused. “…No.” They all laughed. A few minutes later, one of the lodge supervisors finally appeared and ended the fight. The crowd slowly began to scatter. Rita turned to Ada. “So… welcome back.” Ada looked around the noisy corridor. Voices echoed from different rooms. Someone was playing loud music upstairs. Another person dragged a plastic chair across the floor. Chaos. Pure chaos. Ada sighed. “I’ve only been here ten minutes.” “And?” Bisi asked. “And I’m already tired.” Amaka slung an arm over her shoulder. “Relax. The semester just started.” Ada glanced back at the corridor where the fight had happened. Something told her Amaka was right. This semester was going to be loud. Messy. And very unpredictable. She just didn’t know yet that somewhere inside this same chaotic lodge were two boys who would change everything. One who liked her far too much. And another who would challenge her in ways she never expected. And somehow, before the semester ended… All their hearts would become tangled.