The air was stuffy in the small hostel room the girls shared at Cedar Hall, a not-so-popular and budget-friendly hostel tucked at the edge of Lifetime University's main campus. Though the place lacked flair, Melanie, Rina, and Talia made sure their corner of it stood out. Cheap perfume filled the air, nail polish bottles scattered across the floor, and fashion magazines were stacked under pillows. Fairy lights flickered above, creating a moody atmosphere as the three girls gathered on the same bed, each with their phones.
Melanie scrolled through the freshman group chat with an expression of thinly veiled disgust. "Here we go again," she muttered.
Suddenly, a new message popped up: the matriculation date had been confirmed.
Melanie's eyes glinted as she read: "Matriculation will happen on Wednesday, February 15th! Get your threads ready!"
Almost immediately, the flood of comments began:
> "February 15th!!! So soon 😍"
> "Bella's gonna kill it with whatever she wears 🔥"
> "Katie and Bella and Justin must slayyy"
> "Bring the heat, freshmen group 👀"
> "Let's see who shows up better dressed"
Talia glanced at Melanie. "Ooh, they think Bella and Justin are going to be something official by then."
Rina smirked. "They already talking like Bella has Justin on lock. Girl, we'll see."
Melanie thumbed her phone, lips pressed in a smirk. "They're hyping it too much. And I hate it when people assume stuff, makes things easy to mess with."
Talia laughed. "I mean, She's charming. Bella glows when she enters a room. People notice."
Melanie nodded, but her expression hardened. "Yes, she's beautiful. Yes, she charms easily. But that doesn't make her own anything."
Talia snorted. "Let's be real. Bella's not even *
that pretty. It's the whole 'quiet girl with a rich dad' mystery she has going on. You know how people are with stuff like that."
"She does have presence, though," Rina admitted, fiddling with her edge brush. "Like, that last outfit she wore? Everyone was staring when she walked past the cafeteria."
"Please," Melanie said quickly, clearly irritated. "If any of us had a car and unlimited cash like she does, we'd be turning heads too."
"True," Talia agreed, now blowing on her nails. "And don't even get me started on Kathy. That girl has guts. She literally talks back to everyone and still has fans."
"Whatever," Melanie said, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I just think it's funny how everyone suddenly forgot who runs this school. We've been here since first week, making waves. And now it's like Bella, Bella, Bella."
They fell silent for a moment.
Talia rolled her eyes. "They act like they're the princesses of this school. It's giving main character syndrome."
Rina scoffed. "It's that Bella girl. Ever since she showed up with that clean look, quiet voice, and fancy car, everyone's been worshipping her."
Melanie's tone sharpened. "You know what's funny? The way she just walked in and suddenly became 'that girl.' I mean, she's pretty, but she's not all that."
"She's all that to Justin," Rina said with a knowing smirk. "Did you see the way he looked at her during orientation? Boy was gone."
Melanie froze for a split second. "I noticed," she said flatly
Then Rina leaned forward. "And Justin… can we talk about him?"
"Oh my God," Talia said with a laugh. "That guy went from the sweet silent boy to campus heartthrob in two weeks. It's the glow-up for me."
"He was cute before," Melanie added casually. "But now? He's a full package. I mean, did you see him last week in that black tee?"
"Every girl did," Talia replied with a roll of her eyes. "And from what I've heard, he and Bella are getting close."
Melanie's face stiffened slightly. "They say that. But no one has seen them actually do anything… official. Could just be rumors."
"Maybe," Rina said, then smirked. "But they're always together. People are starting to talk."
Melanie stayed quiet, biting her lip in thought. Her fingers tapped against her phone rhythmically.
"They think she's perfect," she said after a while. "Money, looks, and now Justin? Tch. Let's see how long that lasts."
Rina and Talia exchanged a knowing glance but said nothing.
"Oh, and did you hear?" Rina continued, shifting the topic slightly. "Bella's dad is supposed to be coming for matric. A big politician in Nigeria. Everyone's dying to see him."
"I don't buy it," Melanie replied. "I still think half her life is fake. Always acting lowkey but look at the kind of money she throws around."
"Right?" Talia added. "It doesn't make sense. No mom around, no noise, but she's always living like royalty."
"Well," Melanie said smugly, "if her dad does come, we'll finally see if all this hype is real. I want to see the face behind the credit alerts."
They all burst into laughter.
Melanie leaned back and stared at the ceiling, her voice more serious this time. "Let them enjoy all the attention for now. Matric is around the corner. It's not who shines before the event, it's who shuts it down."
Talia nodded slowly. "And that's going to be us."
"No doubt," Melanie replied, a smirk spreading across her face.