Bella had just finished scrolling through a few Instagram DMs when she decided to check her WhatsApp. She tapped through a few statuses without thinking much ,same old matriculation clips, reposts of her and Kathy's pictures, group photos, fancy gowns, congratulatory texts…
Then she froze.
A status appeared, a mirror selfie taken at the red carpet of Lifetime College, the familiar backdrop behind him. But it wasn't the red carpet or the scene that caught her attention , it was him
The guy in the photo was tall, confident, effortlessly attractive, dressed in a clean white shirt and dark trousers with a wristwatch that gleamed slightly under the sunlight. He had a calm, self-assured look on his face, the kind that didn't try too hard. His caption read:
"Here for lil bro"
Bella blinked. She tapped the profile photo.
It was his status. Not someone else's.
She didn't recognize the name immediately, the contact was saved as just "Who? 👤". No name. No emoji clutter. It didn't ring a bell.
Bella tapped on the profile again, frowning slightly.
The name at the top of the chat wasn't anything familiar or even a nickname.
It was literally saved as "Who"
Kathy, now curious and leaning closer, squinted at Bella's screen.
"Wait, wait" she said, laughing already. "Did you save his name as 'Who'?"
Bella blinked, looked at the name again, and burst into laughter. "Omg! I actually did!"
Kathy laughed even harder. "Bella! Why would you save someone's name as Who?! What were you thinking?!"
Still laughing, Bella replied, "I must've gotten his number from IG or something and didn't know what name to use… so I just wrote 'who' till I figured it out… and I never did!"
They both cracked up again, falling back on the bed, giggling like little kids.
Kathy wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "Nahhh… you're wicked. Imagine this guy texting you and all the while he's 'Who'."
Bella chuckled, shaking her head. "At least now I know who he is."
"Yeah, the mysterious fine boy from the red carpet," Kathy teased.
Curious, she clicked on their chat. To her surprise, there was a history.
They had chatted... a few months ago.
"Wait,"she muttered. "We've spoken before?"
She scrolled up.
The chat had been dry at first. Then friendly. Then... she had stopped replying. A classic "seen." The last message was from him:
Who:
"It's cool. Maybe we'll talk later when you're less busy."
That was in June last year, they were now in February.
Now intrigued, she replied to his status:
Bella:
" You were at Lifetime College matriculation?"
A reply came in barely a minute later.
Who: "Yeah, whatsup"
Bella's eyes widened slightly. She quickly replied:
Bella:
"Wait… we've chatted before?"
Who:
"We did. You don't remember?"
Bella blinked, scrolling again. The earlier conversation flashed back: he had said he got her number through Instagram; they had exchanged a few messages; talked about music, school, goals… it had been a decent chat. Until she got busy and ghosted, unintentionally.
Bella:
"Wow. I just checked. I honestly didn't remember. I'm sorry."
Who:
"No stress. I didn't take it personally. I figured you had a lot going on."
"Are you a student of Lifetime College?"
A minute later, his reply came in:
"No, I was just there for my younger brother. He matriculated also."
Bella nodded to herself, then quickly replied:
"Oh okay, that's nice! Did you enjoy the event?"
He responded almost immediately:
"Yeah, it was really nice. Very well organized. Plus, the red carpet was giving. I didn't expect that from a matric event lol."
Bella laughed and typed back, "Yeah, it really felt special. The turnout was bigger than I expected."
They kept the chat friendly and light, just talking about the event and how impressive it was.
****
Back in the dimly lit hostel, the fan hummed weakly and the room reeked of heat and envy. Melanie sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes glued to her phone, smirking.
"She thinks she's untouchable now, huh?" she scoffed, scrolling through Bella's latest pictures.
Talia looked up from her mirror. "Everyone's still posting about her dad showing up. Like damn, we get it. She's rich."
Rina chimed in, "And don't forget Kathy. Always following her around like a shadow."
Melanie paused, then smiled. "We don't need to touch Kathy for now. Bella's the queen bee here. And what do you do to a queen bee? You pull out her wings."
She opened a new Instagram account. Fresh. No followers. No posts. Just the default profile picture and the name "Truth Teller."
"Here's the plan," Melanie said, typing fast. "We message her about Justin. Let her start doubting him. Silent chaos."
"What do we say?" Talia asked, already giggling.
Melanie typed slowly:
Melanie grinned wickedly, fingers flying across the screen as Talia and Rina watched in silence, the energy in the room shifting as the message unfolded like a quiet storm:
"You seem like a nice girl. Don't let a guy like Justin ruin you. He's been seen with that girl Chloe a lot during school hours. People are talking. He's just playing smart, be careful.
"You're too smart to fall for this. But you did, didn't you? He's not going to take you seriously. He never was. To him, it's just vibes, temporary fun. If he was going to take you serious, he'd have asked you out and you both would be official by now. A pretty face he can say the right things to. But when it comes to real respect? Commitment? That's not for you. You're not the girl he'll take home. You're the one he posts when it's convenient."
"You haven't noticed how cold he gets in public? How he switches up when eyes are on him? Or how he never really defends you when people talk?"
"Open your eyes, Bella."
"Justin is always around Chloe when you're not around. Sometimes during class hours.
"Just thought you should know before you waste more of your heart. Justin is not the right guy for you"
Melanie hit "Send" and locked her phone with a satisfied smirk.
Talia squealed, "Oh my God, that was evil,but in the best way."
Rina clutched a throw pillow and tossed it in the air. "Melanie, you're a genius. That message sounded like it came from a concerned friend, not a hater."
Melanie leaned back on her creaky hostel mattress, arms folded behind her head like a queen on her throne. "Exactly. It's not about shouting. It's about subtle poison, you slip it in, and let it ruin her from the inside."
The three girls burst into laughter again, the room buzzing with anticipation.
Talia added, "Let's see how long her little fairy tale with Justin lasts now."
Rina pulled out her phone, refreshing Bella's story page. "She hasn't opened it yet… but she will. You know she's always on her phone at night."
Melanie's eyes glittered. "Now we wait. Silent chaos, ladies. It's about to begin."
They all exchanged knowing looks, smug and satisfied, completely unaware that their little spark was about to start a slow emotional wildfire.
****
Back in their private lounge, Bella and Kathy sat comfortably, reminiscing about everything that had happened over the past few days. The excitement of the matriculation, the glitz, the unexpected moments, it all felt surreal.
Suddenly, Bella's phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and smiled brightly. It was a message from her mom, "Congratulations, Bella! So proud of you. Can't wait to see you soon. We'll meet up anytime now."
Bella's heart fluttered with joy. After years of little contact, despite living in the same country, this reunion was finally happening. She wished her mom had told her the exact day, but just knowing it was near filled her with hope and happiness.
Kathy smiled at her friend's glowing face. "That's amazing, Bella. You deserve this."
Before they could say more, a knock came at the door. Bella opened it to find Mr. Stephen standing there with a warm smile, holding a beautifully wrapped gift box.
They greeted each other warmly, the room filled with a comforting sense of family. Mr. Stephen asked, "So, are you both enjoying yourselves so far?"
Bella nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, it's been amazing."
He smiled and handed over the gift box to Bella. "This is the new phone I promised you for your matriculation."
"Oh my God, Dad, thank you so much!" Bella exclaimed, carefully unboxing it. Her eyes widened in delight, it was the newly released iPhone 17.
She couldn't contain her happiness. "Thank you so much, Dad! I love you so much!"
Mr. Stephen smiled back warmly. "Anything to make you happy."
Then he turned to Kathy. "And as for you, Kathy, your car will be arriving in about a month."
Kathy's face lit up, and she let out a joyful scream. Both girls expressed their gratitude, their excitement filling the room.
Mr. Stephen looked on, genuinely happy to see the two girls so overjoyed
Bella held up her phone, the screen lighting up her face in the dim hotel room. "Dad, look! Mom just texted me," she said, excitement bubbling in her voice as she showed him the message. It was a simple note,warm, affectionate, promising that their long-awaited reunion was finally happening. After years of distance, despite living in the same country, Bella could hardly believe it was real.
Mr. Stephen's eyes softened as he read the message over her shoulder. "That's wonderful news, Bella. I'm really happy for you," he said, his deep voice carrying a rare tenderness. He reached out to gently squeeze her shoulder. "You deserve this after everything."
Bella smiled, her heart swelling with hope and happiness. The thought of seeing her mother again, sharing moments that had been lost to time, felt like a fresh start.
But then, his tone shifted, a shadow crossing his face. "There's something else I need to tell you," he began carefully, folding his hands. "We won't be able to stay at the Noble Hotel until Sunday as we planned."
Bella's smile faltered. "What.. why?"
Mr. Stephen sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I've just been called back to Nigeria. There's an urgent conference meeting I must attend, something I can't postpone. The flight is early Saturday morning. I've already booked my ticket."
The weight of his words settled over the room. Bella swallowed hard, feeling a sudden tightness in her chest. She'd been hoping for more time here, to relax, to enjoy the rare moments of freedom away from school and all the pressures waiting for her.
"I was really looking forward to staying longer," she admitted softly, her eyes flickering with disappointment. "There was so much I wanted to do... more time to just be here."
Mr. Stephen gave her a reassuring smile, though his eyes betrayed a hint of regret. "I know, Bella. Believe me, I wish things were different. But sometimes, responsibilities come first. We'll make the most of the time we have now."
He reached out and ruffled her hair gently, an unspoken promise in that small gesture. Bella nodded, trying to push the sadness aside. She knew there was no point arguing or wishing things were different. Duty called her father back to his world, and she had to accept it, even if it meant saying goodbye too soon.
Mr. Stephen smiled warmly, pulling both girls into a strong, heartfelt hug. "Take care of yourselves, okay? I'll be back before you know it," he said, planting a light kiss on Bella's forehead and giving Kathy a fatherly pat on the back. With that, he adjusted his suit, nodded once, and stormed out of the room with the quiet confidence that always trailed behind him, his guards following closely.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Bella practically leapt to the bed with excitement. "Finally!" she squealed, grabbing the gift box and unboxing her new phone. It was sleek, glossy, and stunning, the newly released iPhone 17 in midnight titanium. She ran her fingers along the edges, eyes wide with admiration.
"I've been dreaming of this since the release!" Bella said, practically bouncing with joy. "Oh my God, the camera, the features, look at this screen!"
Kathy laughed, her eyes lighting up. "Congratulations, babe. That's a serious upgrade."
"Thank you! Ugh, I love my dad," Bella gushed, clutching the phone to her chest dramatically.
They both laughed, sinking into the couch as Bella began setting up the phone. Between excited giggles and swipes on the new screen, they continued gisting,about the matriculation, the trending posts, and of course, Bella's mom's text.
It was a rare moment of calm, a bubble of luxury and warmth that neither of them took for granted.