Growing Pains

Growing pain Chapter two

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*Chapter 2: The Group Chat [Part 1 + Part 2]*

_Total: ∼5050 words_

*Part 1: The Teddy Bear and The DM* _∼2500 words_

The next morning, my phone buzzed 17 times before I even opened my eyes.

It wasn’t a happy birthday message. It was the group chat.

`Tolu ❤️`: _Guys look what Femi got me_

[Photo: a pink teddy bear with "I love you" written on it]

`Chioma`: _OMG TOO CUTE 😭😭_

`Blessing`: _I’m single and I’m crying_

`Tolu ❤️`: _He said I’m his baby girl_

I stared at the picture for too long. The teddy bear was sitting on Tolu’s bed. The same bed we used to do homework on. The same bed we used to gossip about teachers until 2am and promise we’d never change.

I typed: `Aww congrats Tolu`

Deleted.

Typed: `Nice`

Deleted.

I left the chat on read and put my phone face down.

Mom knocked. "Ada! You’re going to be late for school!"

"Coming!"

In the bathroom mirror, I looked different. Or maybe I was just seeing different. My uniform blouse was tighter across the chest. My skirt sat lower on my hips. Mom said last week that we needed to buy a new size but "money is tight this month."

I pulled the blouse down and left.

School was noise.

Tolu was already surrounded at our tree during break. Femi’s teddy bear was on her lap like a trophy.

"Show us the text again," Chioma begged.

"He called you baby girl?" Blessing screamed so loud the SS3 students turned.

Tolu went red but she was smiling. The kind of smile I didn’t know she had.

She looked up and saw me. "Ada! You’ve been quiet o. You okay?"

I forced a smile. "I’m fine. Just didn’t sleep well."

"Girl, sleep is important," Chioma said without looking at me. Then back to Tolu’s phone.

I sat on the grass a little apart and pretended to read.

In class, Mr. Johnson gave us maths. I didn’t understand any of it. The numbers kept swimming.

Emeka turned around from the row in front of me. "You didn’t do it?" he whispered.

I shook my head.

He tore a page from his notebook and slid it back to me with his pen. "Copy mine. But don’t tell Mr. Johnson."

His handwriting was neat. Like mine.

"Thanks," I whispered back.

He smiled. Small, quick. Then he faced the board.

For the rest of the period my hand shook while I copied. Not because of maths.

After school, Mom was at the gate. That never happens.

"Ada, we need to talk about your uniform," she said as we walked home.

"What about it?"

"It’s too tight. People are talking. Auntie Ngozi from the shop said so."

My face burned. "Mom, it’s the only one that fits me now! I’m growing!"

"Then we’ll buy a bigger size. A proper size. You’re still a child. You hear me?"

I didn’t answer. I ran to my room and slammed the door.

A child.

Google said 14 is a teenager.

The boys in SS2 said girls in JSS3 were "ripe."

Emeka said my handwriting was neat.

So which one was I?

That night I couldn’t sleep. Again.

I opened my diary.

_Dear Diary,_

_Today Tolu got a teddy bear. Today Mom said I’m a child._

_Today Emeka gave me his homework and smiled at me._

_I don’t know what any of it means._

_I feel big and small at the same time._

My phone buzzed on my pillow. Unknown number.

`+234 80x xxx xxxx`: _Hey. This is Femi. Tolu gave me your number. Can we talk?_

I dropped my phone. It landed on my blanket.

Femi? Tolu’s Femi?

Why does he have my number? Why does he want to talk to me?

My heart was beating in my throat.

I didn’t reply.

I didn’t block him either.

I just stared at the message until the screen went dark.

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*Part 2: The Comment and The Secret* _∼2550 words_

I didn’t sleep until 3am.

The next day at school I was dead tired. My eyes felt like sand.

Tolu noticed immediately. "You look rough, Ada. You sick?"

"I’m okay," I lied. "Just late night reading."

She nodded but she was already distracted. Femi was walking toward our tree.

Everyone moved to make space for him like he owned it. He dropped a bag of gala and soft drinks. "For my baby girl and her friends," he said.

Tolu squealed. Chioma and Blessing said thank you 10 times.

Femi looked at me last. "You’re Ada, right? Tolu talks about you."

"Oh. Hi," I said. My voice came out small.

He smiled and sat beside Tolu. His arm went around her shoulder like it belonged there.

I ate my gala in silence.

In Computer class, we were supposed to be typing. I opened i********: instead.

Tolu had posted again. Her and Femi. The same tree. She was leaning on his shoulder and he was holding the teddy bear up to the camera.

Caption: `My person ❤️ 30 days and counting`

The comments were already at 200.

`Couple goals`

`You guys are so cute`

`Femi is lucky`

Then I saw it. A comment from `@user_483920`. No profile picture.

`She thinks she’s better than everyone. Especially her "bestie".`

My stomach dropped to the floor.

Better than everyone? Bestie?

That had to be about me.

Who else would it be?

I scrolled the profile. 0 posts. 1 follower. Created 2 days ago.

My hands were shaking.

"Who are you looking at?" Emeka was suddenly behind me. I slammed my phone down.

"Nothing," I said too fast.

He raised an eyebrow but didn’t push. "You okay? You look pale."

"I’m fine."

But I wasn’t fine.

After school, Mom dragged me to the market to "look for a bigger uniform." We didn’t find any. "Next month," she said. "We’ll manage this one."

At home I couldn’t focus. I kept checking my phone.

The unknown number hadn’t texted again.

But the comment was still there.

At 11pm, my phone buzzed again.

`+234 80x xxx xxxx`: _You didn’t reply. Are you mad at me?_

I sat up in bed.

Mad? Why would I be mad?

I typed: `Who told you to message me?`

Deleted.

Typed: `Don’t text me again`

Deleted.

I put the phone down. Picked it up.

Finally I typed: `What do you want?` and hit send before I could think.

The reply came in 10 seconds.

`Just to talk. Tolu said you’ve been quiet. I was worried.`

Worried.

He was worried about me.

I stared at the word until my eyes hurt.

Then another buzz. This time it was the group chat.

`Blessing`: _Guys did you see that comment under Tolu’s post?_

`Chioma`: _Which one?_

`Blessing`: _The one saying Tolu’s bestie is acting funny_

`Tolu ❤️`: _What?? Send me screenshot_

My blood froze.

They were talking about it. In the group.

I didn’t reply.

I couldn’t breathe.

My phone buzzed again. Femi.

`Can I call you? Just 2 minutes. Please.`

I looked at the door. Mom was asleep.

I looked at the message.

I looked at the group chat where they were now arguing about who the "bestie" was.

I didn’t call him.

But I didn’t say no either.

I typed: `Text only.`

`Femi`: _Okay. I just don’t like seeing you like this. You’ve changed since Tolu and I started dating._

Changed.

There it was again. That word.

I didn’t know what to say. So I didn’t say anything.

`Femi`: _You can talk to me, Ada. I’m here._

The screen blurred.

Was he being nice? Or was this wrong?

Tolu was my best friend.

This was her boyfriend.

I threw my phone under my pillow and cried. Quietly. So Mom wouldn’t hear.

At 2am I finally slept.

The next morning there were 3 missed calls from Tolu and 5 messages.

`Tolu`: _Ada please answer me_

`Tolu`: _What’s going on?_

`Tolu`: _Did you see the comment? Do you know who it is?_

I didn’t reply.

In school, Tolu ran to me before assembly. "Ada! Talk to me! Did you see it?"

"I saw it," I said.

"Do you think it’s about you?"

I shrugged. "I don’t know."

"Why are you acting like this?" she whispered, and for a second she sounded like my old Tolu.

The bell rang.

During break, Emeka found me alone under the mango tree. "You’ve been weird," he said. He sat down without asking.

"Am I?"

"Yeah. You didn’t even laugh at Johnson’s joke today."

I almost smiled. "Maybe I’m growing up."

"Maybe," he said. Then he offered me half his meatpie. "You need to eat."

I took it.

That night, I opened my diary again.

_Dear Diary,_

_I got a DM from my best friend’s boyfriend._

_There’s a hate comment on her post and everyone thinks it’s me._

_Emeka gave me meatpie._

_I don’t know who I am anymore._

_But I know I can’t tell anyone this._

My phone buzzed one last time before I slept.

`Femi`: _Goodnight Ada. Sleep well._

I didn’t reply.

But I didn’t delete it.

_To be continued..._

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*Author's Note:*

Chapter 2 is DONE! 😭💛 5000+ words for you loves!

Omo the drama is starting already. Femi is texting Ada, there's a hate comment, and Tolu is suspecting something!

QUESTION FOR YOU: Should Ada tell Tolu about Femi's DM? Or keep it secret?

Comment, vote, and add to library pls! It helps me so much.

Chapter 3 drops in 2 days!