Chapter 11: Truth at the door
1284 Words
The weekend arrived quietly.
After everything that had happened over the past few weeks, Ada felt completely drained. The constant whispers around campus, the tension with her old friends, and the pain of losing Lizzy had taken a toll on her.
So when Friday evening came, she decided she needed a break.
“I’m going home this weekend,” she told Kemi while they stood near the lodge entrance.
Kemi nodded.
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“I need to clear my head,” Ada said.
“And maybe eat real food for once.”
Kemi chuckled.
“Your mum’s cooking?”
Ada smiled faintly.
“You have no idea.”
By Saturday morning, Ada was already on her way home.
The familiar streets of her neighborhood made her feel lighter with every step. Being away at school sometimes made her forget how comforting home could be.
When she reached the house, she barely had time to knock before the door burst open.
“Ada!”
Her younger siblings rushed toward her.
She laughed as they nearly tackled her in a hug.
“I missed you guys too!”
From inside the house, her mother’s voice called out.
“Is that Ada?”
“Yes, Mum!” Ada replied.
Her mother walked out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel before pulling Ada into a warm embrace.
“You look thinner,” her mother said immediately.
Ada laughed.
“School stress.”
“Hmm,” her mother replied. “That school better not be stressing my daughter too much.”
Before Ada could answer, a deep voice came from the living room.
“Look who finally decided to visit.”
Ada turned.
Her four older brothers were sitting around the television, watching a football match.
The moment they saw her, they started teasing immediately.
“Ah, the university girl is back.”
“Hope you didn’t forget us now that you’re a big campus celebrity.”
Ada rolled her eyes.
“Please, you people should behave.”
One of her brothers stood up and pulled her into a hug.
“Welcome home, little sister.”
The house quickly filled with laughter.
The rest of the afternoon passed in the best way possible.
They ate together.
Talked about random family gossip.
The **two youngest siblings—the twins—**followed Ada everywhere like shadows, asking endless questions about university life.
“Do you really have lectures from morning till evening?”
“Do you eat indomie every day?”
“Have you met any celebrities?”
Ada laughed until her stomach hurt.
For the first time in weeks, her heart felt peaceful.
Later that evening, Ada was helping her mother in the kitchen when there was a knock on the front door.
Her mother wiped her hands and walked toward the door.
“Who could that be this late?” she murmured.
Ada continued rinsing plates until she suddenly heard her mother call her name.
“Ada!”
Something about the tone made her pause.
“Yes, Mum?”
“Come here for a moment.”
Ada dried her hands and walked into the living room.
But the moment she saw who was standing at the door, she froze.
“Lizzy?”
Lizzy stood there with a small smile on her face.
For a few seconds, neither of them moved.
Then Ada rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
“Lizzy!”
Her voice trembled with shock and happiness.
Lizzy hugged her back just as tightly.
“I missed you too.”
Ada pulled back slightly.
“What are you doing here?”
Lizzy glanced toward Ada’s family members watching curiously from the living room.
“Can we talk in your room?”
Ada nodded immediately.
“Of course.”
Inside Ada’s room, the door closed softly behind them.
For a moment, the two friends just looked at each other.
Then Lizzy sighed.
“I owe you a huge apology.”
Ada frowned.
“What?”
Lizzy sat on the edge of the bed.
“I know you didn’t expose me.”
Ada blinked.
“You… know?”
Lizzy nodded slowly.
“I realized it a few days after the announcement.”
Ada sat down beside her.
“How?”
Lizzy looked down at her hands.
“Because I started thinking about it logically.”
She took a deep breath.
“You’ve known my secrets for years. You’ve protected me before. Why would you suddenly destroy my dream in front of the entire school?”
Ada felt tears sting her eyes again.
“I tried telling you that day.”
“I know,” Lizzy said quietly.
“And I’m sorry for the things I said.”
Ada swallowed.
“But if you knew I didn’t do it… why didn’t you come to me immediately?”
Lizzy’s expression became serious.
“Because I realized something else.”
“What?”
“Someone wanted us to fight.”
Ada frowned.
“So I decided to let them think they succeeded.”
Ada stared at her.
“You pretended to hate me?”
Lizzy nodded.
“Yes.”
“And while everyone believed we weren’t friends anymore… I started investigating.”
Ada’s eyes widened.
“Investigating?”
Lizzy smirked slightly.
“You know I want to be a journalist.”
“That means I’m very good at digging for information.”
Ada leaned forward eagerly.
“So what did you find?”
Lizzy’s expression darkened.
“I found out who did it.”
Ada held her breath.
“Who?”
Lizzy looked directly at her.
“Rita.”
Ada’s eyes widened in shock.
“Rita?!”
Lizzy nodded.
“She’s the one who uploaded the announcement.”
Ada shook her head slowly.
“But how?”
“She didn’t do it herself,” Lizzy explained.
“She got help from a computer science student named Daniel.”
Ada stared at her in disbelief.
“All because of Kemi?”
Lizzy nodded.
“She wanted revenge.”
Ada leaned back against the wall, stunned.
“I can’t believe this.”
Lizzy placed a hand on her arm.
“I’m going to expose her.”
Ada looked at her.
“But we have to do it carefully.”
Lizzy smiled slightly.
“That’s why I came here.”
She hugged Ada again.
“And I’m sorry for embarrassing you in front of the entire school.”
Ada hugged her back tightly.
“It’s okay.”
For the first time in weeks, everything finally made sense.
Lizzy stayed at Ada’s house for the rest of the weekend.
Ada’s family welcomed her warmly.
Her brothers even teased them both about their dramatic friendship story.
“You two should start a movie,” one of them joked.
By Sunday evening, it was time to return to school.
Monday morning at campus was full of whispers again.
But this time, the whispers were different.
Because something shocking happened.
Ada and Lizzy walked into school together.
Side by side.
Students stopped talking mid-sentence.
Others stared openly.
“Wait… weren’t they enemies?”
“I thought they stopped talking.”
Even Rita, standing near the notice board with the other girls, looked stunned.
But Ada and Lizzy walked past them calmly.
Soon after, Lizzy started spending time with Ada’s new friend group.
Lexi, Jaden, Charles, and Rose welcomed her quickly.
The group grew even bigger—and louder.
To outsiders, it looked like everything was normal again.
Like the drama was over.
But in reality…
Lizzy was waiting.
Watching.
Gathering the final pieces of evidence.
Because soon, the truth would come out.
And when it did…
Someone’s reputation would be completely destroyed.
- Writer
