Chapter 2: New semester, same chaos
1365 Words
Ada woke up to noise.
Not ordinary noise.
Lodge noise.
The kind that forced its way through walls and into your dreams until sleep gave up completely.
“WHO TOOK MY POT?!”
Ada groaned and buried her face deeper into her pillow.
It was barely morning.
She didn’t even need to check the time to know it was too early for this level of shouting.
Another voice answered from the corridor.
“I SAID I DIDN’T TAKE YOUR POT!”
Ada slowly opened one eye.
The argument continued.
“You’re the last person that used it!”
“And you’re the last person that annoyed me!”
Someone nearby burst into laughter.
Ada sighed and finally sat up.
“Welcome back to the lodge,” she muttered to herself.
Sunlight pushed through the thin curtains of her small room, lighting up the chaos she had left the night before.
Her suitcase still lay open on the floor.
Half of her clothes were folded neatly on the bed while the other half had given up and slid onto the chair.
Her laptop rested on the small wooden table beside a pile of textbooks.
Computer science wasn’t forgiving.
She knew the semester would get serious quickly.
But right now, the only thing serious was the argument outside.
Ada checked her phone.
7:24 a.m.
Too early for drama.
Her phone buzzed.
Three new messages appeared from the Lodge Queens 💅 group chat.
Amaka:
Ada are you awake?
Rita:
Come outside.
Bisi:
Drama is happening again.
Ada typed back.
Ada:
It’s too early for drama.
Amaka:
Drama doesn’t check time.
Ada laughed softly.
That was true.
She swung her legs off the bed and stretched.
The argument outside was still going.
Now someone was knocking loudly on another door.
“OPEN THIS DOOR!”
Ada shook her head.
“Jesus.”
She slipped on her slippers, tied her hair into a loose bun, and stepped out into the corridor.
Immediately she was hit with the familiar lodge atmosphere.
Voices echoed from different rooms.
Someone upstairs was playing loud Afrobeats music.
The smell of frying eggs drifted from the kitchen.
A few students leaned against the corridor railings watching the argument like it was live entertainment.
Amaka spotted her immediately.
“Look who finally woke up!”
Ada walked toward the girls.
Amaka sat on the railing eating biscuits while Rita and Bisi stood beside her like commentators at a sporting event.
“You people are watching this seriously,” Ada said.
“Of course,” Rita replied. “This is episode two.”
Ada blinked.
“Episode two?”
“They fought yesterday,” Bisi explained.
“Oh.”
Ada looked toward the kitchen.
Two girls stood in the doorway arguing loudly.
One of them held an empty pot lid like it was evidence in court.
“I left the pot here yesterday!”
“And I said I didn’t take it!”
Amaka whispered dramatically.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the case of the missing pot.”
Ada laughed.
“You people are too jobless.”
“School hasn’t started properly yet,” Amaka said. “Let us enjoy peace.”
“Peace?” Ada repeated.
“Yes. Before assignments start ruining our lives.”
A few more students gathered around the corridor.
Someone from upstairs shouted, “Who stole the pot?”
Another voice replied, “Check her boyfriend’s room!”
The crowd erupted in laughter.
Ada shook her head.
“See your lodge.”
Amaka grinned proudly.
“Best lodge near campus.”
Before Ada could reply, two guys walked into the corridor from the staircase.
They carried the relaxed confidence of people who had lived in the lodge long enough to ignore the chaos.
Ada recognized them immediately.
They lived in the rooms opposite hers last semester.
The taller one was Tunde.
Quiet. Calm. Always polite.
Beside him walked Kemi, whose energy filled the corridor the moment he appeared.
Kemi looked at the crowd and sighed dramatically.
“Ah. The semester has officially begun.”
“Why?” someone asked.
“Because people are fighting before breakfast.”
The crowd laughed again.
Tunde shook his head.
“All this noise because of a pot?”
The girl holding the lid pointed at him.
“Mind your business!”
Kemi raised his hands.
“Madam, we are only observing.”
Ada watched them for a moment.
Kemi noticed her first.
His eyes paused on her like he was trying to remember something.
Then he nudged Tunde.
“Guy.”
Tunde followed his gaze.
When he saw Ada, his face brightened slightly.
“Oh,” he said. “Ada.”
He walked closer.
“Good morning.”
“Morning,” Ada replied.
“You resumed yesterday, right?”
“Yes.”
“Welcome back.”
Ada nodded.
“Thank you.”
Kemi stepped forward, studying her curiously.
“You’re Ada.”
It wasn’t a question.
Ada looked at him.
“Yes.”
“The computer science girl.”
“That’s me.”
Kemi nodded thoughtfully.
“I’ve heard about you.”
Ada raised an eyebrow.
“From who?”
Kemi pointed at Tunde without hesitation.
“Him.”
Tunde’s expression changed immediately.
“Kemi…”
“What?” Kemi said innocently.
“You talk about her.”
Amaka and Rita exchanged looks.
Bisi grinned.
Ada folded her arms.
“Oh really?”
Tunde sighed.
“Don’t listen to him.”
Kemi ignored him completely.
“He says you’re always studying.”
Ada shrugged.
“That’s true.”
“And that you never come out to hang out.”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“If the hangout involves unnecessary drama.”
Kemi looked around at the arguing girls in the kitchen.
“Then you chose the wrong lodge.”
Ada laughed.
“That’s becoming obvious.”
The argument suddenly escalated again.
“SEARCH HER ROOM!”
“I SAID I DON’T HAVE YOUR POT!”
Someone whispered, “This pot must be gold.”
Kemi shook his head.
“People are too dramatic.”
Then he looked at Ada again.
“So computer science girl.”
“Ada.”
“Okay… Ada.”
He leaned casually against the wall.
“What do you do for fun?”
Ada blinked.
“That’s a random question.”
“Answer it.”
“Coding.”
Kemi stared at her.
“That’s not fun.”
“It is for me.”
Tunde chuckled softly.
“I told you she’s serious.”
Ada gave him a look.
“Don’t join him.”
Kemi smirked.
“This semester we will change that.”
“Change what?”
“You.”
Ada scoffed.
“Good luck.”
Amaka leaned closer to Rita.
“I like him already.”
“Same,” Rita whispered.
Ada ignored them.
But she noticed something.
Kemi’s eyes held a playful challenge.
Like he enjoyed pushing people just to see how they reacted.
Ada raised an eyebrow.
“Why are you smiling like that?”
“Because,” he said calmly, “I think you’re interesting.”
“You just met me.”
“And I’m already entertained.”
Tunde shook his head.
“You’ll get used to him.”
Ada nodded.
“I can tell.”
The lodge supervisor suddenly appeared at the end of the corridor.
“ENOUGH!”
The fighting girls froze.
“Everyone go back to your rooms!”
The crowd slowly began to disperse.
Amaka stretched.
“Show is over.”
Rita sighed.
“What a disappointing ending.”
Ada laughed.
“You people need hobbies.”
“We have hobbies,” Bisi said.
“Like what?”
“Watching lodge drama.”
Ada shook her head.
As everyone began to walk away, Kemi spoke again.
“Ada.”
She turned.
“Yes?”
“Welcome back to the lodge.”
She smiled slightly.
“Thanks.”
Kemi grinned.
“This semester will be interesting.”
Ada looked around the noisy corridor again.
Something told her he might be right.
But she didn’t know yet that the person who would make the semester most interesting…
Was standing right in front of her.
- Writer
