The Silence Between Us (2)
"He smiled, there was something in his eyes. It was pity and relief..."
Debs’s POV
It’s been a week since I’ve been trying to talk to Ada. If only she would just calm down and listen to me. I know we haven’t really spoken to each other for two months, and that’s because there was nothing to talk about—really!
I know I’ve been the worst kind of friend in the history of friendship. I shouldn’t have said those things to her or acted the way I did, but I just can’t help feeling the way I feel about her. Everyone loves her. Why? What is so special about her? No one knows her the way I do, so why does everyone like her that much? I can’t go a day without anyone asking where she is and why we aren’t together—like I’m supposed to be her handbag.
“Ada, can you just hear me out for a second? What I need to say is really important, please.” At this point, it felt like I was screaming at the top of my voice, and I knew she would never stop to listen to me.
That was the thing I couldn’t stand with her. Whenever she sets her mind on something, no one could change it. Except me—but that was then, I guess. We were done now, and I made that pretty clear when I said those things to her.
But now everything is clear, and I would like to speak to my best friend again. Yes, I know how selfish that sounds.
The past few weeks have felt like hell to me. I know we can’t go back to how we were, but I would genuinely love to talk to her so she can understand what is going on. Making friends with Anita and finding out who she really was has been a shocker to me. I don’t know what came over me.
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I watched Ada walk away without looking at me for a second. My disdain for her grew by the minute. I had forgotten how much she annoyed me. Have I always been jealous of her? Yes. Have I wanted her kind of personality? Also, yes. There is something about her that draws people in. It was what drew me to her. It was something I wish I had.
Ada is by far one of the prettiest girls I’ve seen—in like forever. It was one of the reasons we became friends in the first place. I remember seeing her at the faculty office during resumption day for freshers. She stood with her bag hung over her shoulders and a headphone around her neck. She had the longest black braids I’ve ever seen, and she had these full lips that looked like they were perfectly sculpted by God himself. It made her face look like a doll. Her skin had this caramel glow. She looked like she didn’t care about a thing in this world. Nothing mattered to her. Not the students speaking over their voices or the administrative staff screaming as they directed everyone. The office felt like a market place but in the midst of it all, she looked like she was in her own world.
I had walked up to her to start a conversation, but she barely looked at me, replying only with two words: “Yes” and “No.”
After that, it took us meeting several times for her to notice me and return my conversations. Maybe my disdain for her started then. Maybe it started when everyone wanted to talk to her through me. Or when boys I liked, tried to ask her out through me. And she would blow them off like they meant nothing.
Or maybe it was when Kels who by the way, is called Kelechi, moved to our school and showed interest in her.
I had seen him first. I had liked him first. So why did he want her? Why did everyone want her? She treats people like they’re nothing—like they’re scraps of paper she could toss away when she’s done needing their services.
Kels was supposed to be mine. Anita had promised me. But turns out, I was just a pawn in her game.
“Can’t you see she’s using you?” Kels had said to me that day.
“What do you mean?” I snapped. “Who is using me? If you are talking about Ada, you’re wrong because she has never used me a day in her life” I hadn’t spoken to Ada in a month, but I still felt the need to defend her.
“I’m talking about Anita, Debs. Can’t you see she’s using you to get to Ada?”
“Why would she do that? They don’t know each other. I don’t see why Anita would have a problem with Ada.” I was getting agitated.
“Okay, I don’t know how to say this without hurting you, but can’t you see that whatever is going on between us is mainly pushed by you? It’s one-sided.” He paused. “I don’t like you that much, Debs. I mean, not in that way, and I’m sorry about that. Anita must have filled your head with a lot of things, but the person I like is Ada, and I know she would never give me the time of day, especially now with me being a big reason for your fights. But Anita knows I’ve liked Ada since the day I came here, and she’s totally against it. So, she’s using you.”
He paused again, noticing my reaction.
“There’s also the thing about Anita and Ada being stepsisters.” He continued.
I froze.
“I don’t think Ada knows, but Anita does, she did her digging and found out but yeah, she doesn’t like Ada that very much.”
I was losing my mind. Everything looked blurry. It felt like I was in an alternate universe. The world was spinning around me. I saw his mouth moving, but I couldn’t hear a word.
“… Debs? Debs? Deborah? Are you with me?” He snapped his fingers at me.
“Yeah.” I managed.
“I’m sorry, but Anita isn’t who you think she is. She’s doing this because she knows I don’t like you—in that way. And because she’s trying to hurt Ada” He smiled, there was something in his eyes. It was pity and relief. It looked like he was pitying me and he was relieved that he could finally say this.
Oh my God. I’m such a fool.
Everything Anita did now made sense—dragging me to clubs, claiming Kels wanted me there, only for him to leave or suddenly find something important to do when I arrived. All those times I thought he was staring at me meanwhile he was staring at Ada. And all the lies Anita said about Ada—why did I believe her?
“Did she lie about you and Ada kissing too?” I asked Kels, who was now busy on his phone.
“What?” He asked, oblivious to the fact that I had turned white in his presence.
“Did Anita lie about you and Ada kissing that night?”
He stared at me, his eyes shifting nervously as if words were caught in his throat. As if he was fidgeting with his mind if he should tell me the truth or not. “I don’t know what she told you or showed you but Ada never kissed me. I kissed her and she slapped me in return.”
I felt nauseous.
I had to be a fool. No, I’m actually a fool.
“But why? Why would she do any of that?” I didn’t know why I kept asking any of these questions but I wanted answers even if they hurt.
“You’d have to ask Anita, but I know her mom had a daughter in her first marriage, and she always compared Anita to her. Anita has always had a personal vendetta against this imaginary sister for a long time. So Anita had been in search for her—and then we moved here and she found her.”
“If I had known who Ada was from the start, I wouldn’t have pushed my feelings; because that just somehow complicated everything,” he added.
I drank the water beside me to steady myself. It tasted like chloroquine but I pushed it down my throat. I wanted to leave, but I knew if I stood up, I’d faint.
Kels adjusted the couch, shifting the throw pillows he’d been using as makeshift headrests. I was at his place—or rather, the apartment he and Anita shared. Even though she had her own space, she practically lived here. She always claimed they were like siblings because they grew up together, so I never thought twice about it. But now, it feels like that was just another one of her lies.
“Were you and Anita ever in a…?” I trailed off, struggling to finish the question, unsure if I even wanted to hear the answer.
He looked up at me, I could tell he felt slightly uncomfortable but he answered anyway.
“Yeah, there was something between us at one point, but it was never serious. We didn’t date or try to take it further because, honestly, I never saw her that way. So yeah, it happened, but that’s all.”
Yeah, I was a fool.
That was my cue to leave, and since then, I haven't stepped foot there. I've been avoiding Anita because I’m not sure how I’d react if I saw her again and she tried to fake-link me to Kels.
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Ada returned from class late in the evening, and I was determined to talk to her today no matter what. Whether she responded or not, it didn’t matter—she had to hear what I had to say
“Ada I know you don’t want to talk to me anymore but please, just hear me out”
No response.
“I’m not with Kels or Anita anymore. I’ve not been with them in a long time, that’s because…”
“Honestly, Debs, I don’t care. I’m tired and want to sleep. Leave me alone,” she cut me off.
I didn’t care. I was going to tell her everything today whether she liked it or not.
“Anita is your step sister”
Thank you for reading!
Most of you voted for this to become a series so here goes everything, I guess.
The third part is coming soon.
I enjoyed writing this. I hope y’all enjoy reading it too🥹
Almost procrastinated writing this second part but the devil is a liar. Wrote this around 1 am so yeah, send the flood because my eyes hurt sjksjsk
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Please? Thank you!🤍