"Sometimes the hardest part of the truth… is realizing who was lying the whole time."
—Zayne Adedayo
7:00 AM – D-1 to Debate Finals
Crestmont University was unusually silent for a Thursday.
It wasn't power outage silence.
It was scandal silence.
Investigation week had begun.
Three students were placed under "academic review." All classes were either shortened or monitored.
DPSS had gone underground.
LPC had gone viral.
And me?
I was caught in the middle, holding broken pieces of friendship, ambition, and something dangerously close to love.
9:30 AM – The Notice
As I approached the faculty board, students crowded around a freshly pasted announcement:
🔔 NOTICE: Inter-Departmental Debate Finalists Confirmed
Computer Science: Amaka Eze and Zayne Adedayo
Mass Communication: Naya Okonkwo and Uchechukwu Bello
Others: [List continues]
I stared at the names.
Amaka vs. Naya.
And me… caught between.
11:00 AM – The Call
My phone buzzed.
Mr. Durojaiye: "Zayne, I need to see you. Now. Faculty Office."
I rushed over.
He looked exhausted—coffee in hand, tie loose, beard uneven.
"Close the door."
I did.
He leaned in. "The Vice Dean is angry. There's pressure from above. Allegations. Screenshots. Club warfare."
"What does it have to do with me?"
"You're the only student on both sides of this. LPC trusts you. DPSS trusts you. I trust you."
My heart skipped.
"I need you to give me everything you know. Privately. Off record."
I paused.
"Naya says Tayo harassed her friend. Amaka says it's slander. I don't know what's real anymore."
He sighed.
"I'll make it simple, Zayne. You can protect the truth… or protect someone."
"But not both?"
He shook his head.
1:00 PM – Ugo's Discovery
Back at the hostel, Ugo had gone full detective.
"Zayne. I was checking the metadata of that leaked Google Doc…"
"You what?"
"Guy. I watch too many crime shows."
He handed me a printed sheet.
"Look at the origin email used to dump the evidence anonymously."
I squinted.
My breath caught.
"…She used the press email?"
"Bro… Naya was behind the leak."
I sank into my chair.
Everything suddenly made sense.
The calm.
The confidence.
The access.
She didn't just expose the truth.
She weaponized it.
3:00 PM – Confrontation
I found Naya near the English Department garden.
She was typing on her laptop, alone.
"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked.
She looked up slowly. "Tell you what?"
"That you were behind the leak. You used your press account."
"I didn't lie. I just didn't give you the whole picture."
"Why, Naya? Why use me?"
"I didn't. I trusted you."
"You trusted me, but you put me on a chessboard between you and Amaka."
She stood.
"No, Zayne. You put yourself there. You're the one who didn't choose."
Her voice trembled now.
"I liked you. Still do. But truth matters more than feelings."
I nodded.
"And what about your friend? The one Tayo hurt?"
She looked away.
"She transferred. After what he did. No one listened. But now they will."
"And Amaka?"
She was quiet for a long time.
"I don't hate her. But I won't let her shine while others suffer in silence."
5:00 PM – Under the Mango Tree (The Final Pre-Debate Talk)
The tree felt smaller today.
Colder.
Amaka arrived in jeans and a white top. No blazer. No defense.
"You found out, didn't you?"
"…Yes."
"She's been planning it for weeks. Watching me. Digging up stories."
"You know what your cousin did?"
She looked at me.
"Yes."
That shook me.
"I knew… but I didn't think it would surface."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because he's family. And I thought… maybe some things are better buried."
"And now?"
She looked away.
"I hate him for what he did. But I also hate her… for making me hate him."
Silence.
Then she added softly:
"I wanted to win the finals… not just for myself. But for you."
I blinked.
"What?"
"You made me feel like I didn't have to be perfect all the time. Like I could just… be. Laugh. Lose. Talk nonsense."
My throat tightened.
And then, without warning, she leaned in.
Her forehead rested against mine.
"I'm scared, Zayne."
I whispered, "So am I."
7:00 PM – The Night Before
Back at the hostel, I couldn't sleep.
Tomorrow would decide everything:
The department rep
The debate winner
My standing
My… heart?
Ugo tossed and turned beside me.
"You know what I think?"
"No."
"You should bomb the debate."
"What?!"
"Make them both tie. Refuse to win. Give them a reason to work together again."
"…You're insane."
"I know. But you're in love with both enemies. So technically, you're worse."
I laughed.
Then stared at the ceiling.
Was he right?
Could I win anything without losing everything?