˗ˏˋ༻ʚDelphine's POVɞ༺ˎˊ˗

"Did you know that a turtle's sex is determined by the temperature of the sand when the eggs hatch?" 

"No, I did not." 

It was a calm morning. The class was not full because it was still too early, and the majority of my classmates had not arrived. I sat silently at my desk, still thinking about what I had witnessed on Friday while waiting for the alarm to signal the start of the assembly period.

"Okay," Kim said, flipping to the second page of the book she was holding. "Did you know the saying 'it's raining cats and dogs', comes from the Middle Ages?" I glanced at Kim. "Back then, the roofs of the house were made of straws. The straws were what made the animals get warm."

"I don't get you. Straws? As in the roof?" Ever since I'd arrived at school, Kim had been bombarding me with trivia facts. I wasn't interested. I was bored out of my mind. But this? This somehow diverted my thoughts from what I saw on Friday. "How did the animals get on the roof?" 

"Hold on," She lifted her index finger and quickly flipped to a different page. "Here it is. It says there was always a woodpile that led up the roofs, making it easier for pets to get on to where the heat was rising, which was on the roof made of straws. The straw kept them warm. But when it rained, the straw became slippery, causing the pets to fall off the roof."

"So when the pets fell off the roof, it felt like it was raining cats and dogs?" 

"Exactly!" Kim snapped her finger, grinning from ear to ear. The door opened, and I was expecting to see the Elites, but I was disappointed to see it was Romeo. 

His original plan was obviously to go to his seat at the back, but ever since he walked through the door, his gaze was on a smiling Kim, who was oblivious to his presence. 

"What's up with her?" Romeo made his way to my desk and sat on it while nudging his head towards Kim. 

"She's trying to have a second option." Romeo threw me a confused glance. "If the Debate club doesn't do well by the end of next week, the school will have to dissolve it. Kim's working on Trivia Facts because she feels the school will open a Trivia Club next."

"All thanks to him," Kim glared at Romeo. 

Romeo lifted a brow, trying to control a smile. "What did I do?" 

"Don't play smart," Kim spat angrily. "You planted the idea in my head. You said the group might open a Trivia club next because it's beneficial."

"Oh . . ." Romeo nodded slowly as if recalling. "I can see that happening. It's not boring like the debate club."

"The debate club is not boring!" Romeo wasn't hiding his smile this time. "You just haven't seen the beauty of it!"

I placed a hand on Kim's shoulder, trying to calm her down. She lowered her gaze to the floor and sighed. "I can't believe I'm pulling out the flyers on the notice board on my birthday."

I looked at Romeo, then back at Kim. "Next week's Friday is your birthday?" 

Kim closed her eyes and nodded. I pressed my lips together and looked at Romeo for help, but he wasn't looking my way. 

"Happy birthday in advance, Juliet." Romeo shrugged and climbed down from my desk before moving to the back of the class. His wishes took Kim by surprise, but I guessed the thought of the school dissolving the debate club was greater than Romeo's wishes. 

The entrance to the classroom opened, and the Elites walked in, laughing. Well, everyone except Krystian. What got his pants all twisted up? I turned to a depressed Kim, debating whether to leave her in her current state of mind. I believed she would survive. It was only a debate club. A solution could likely pop up before the end of next week.

I reached for my backpack in my locker and hung it on both shoulders, then turned to Kim. "I'll be back, Kim."

"Where are you going?" 

I pressed my lips, thinking of an excuse. "I need to give Krystian something."

"Krystian? . . ."

But I quickly got up before she could ask any further questions. With my hands tightly holding the straps of my backpack, I made my way to Krystian's desk. 

"Hey Delphine," Toyosi said with a friendly smile. I smiled back, but not from the heart. I avoided looking at Ore because I knew nothing good would come from her. My gaze was fixed on Krystian, despite his refusal to look at me.

"I need to talk to you, Krystian." The class was slowly filling up. And as people walked in, their curious gazes travelled to me and the Elites. "In person. . . . Please."

Krystian let out an audible sigh. He pushed his backpack into his locker and stood up, towering over me with his height. "Lead the way, new girl."

I turned and went towards the classroom door, knowing Krystian was following me. I did not stop even when I was outside of class. I kept strolling till we came to a vacant corner that led to the Ss2 hallway.

"You needed to talk to me?" Krystian found himself leaning against the wall, his eyes studying my movement. "To tell me I'm right?" 

"How well do you trust your friends?" I asked immediately. Krystian creased his brows at my question.

"You are asking how much I trust my friends?" Krystian asked slowly, and I nodded. "Enough to know it was stupid of me to follow you out of class."

"But here you are, with me."

Krystian smirked at that and slightly kicked the air. "Right. What do you want, new girl?" 

I didn't know what was wrong with him. He was more friendly at his place. Instead of asking irrelevant questions, I reached for my phone in my skirt pocket and opened the photos app before showing him the screenshot I had captured after installing the school app last night, to show Krystian as evidence.

"My sister maintained her top two on every grade aside from Government on her student record. It didn't tally with the teacher's record; she maintained her top two positions on every subject." Krystian's fingers traced mine as he took my phone from my hand to access the image more clearly. "How did Toyosi surpass my sister in Government and Romeo in all subjects when the teacher's record stated otherwise? It only meant one thing; it was fabricated."

"You found her password." Krystian sounded impressed. It felt like everything I'd said meant nothing to him. Had he concluded that it was fabricated?

"I found a clue." 

"A clue?" I nodded. He handed my phone over to me. "Let's assume that Toyosi doesn't have the power to change her grades and those of two others. How are you going to explain this?" 

I came prepared. Of course, he was going to sway his way through with questions. I knew this was going to happen since I knew he trusted or wanted to trust his friends. I held my backpack to my chest and opened the main compartment to reveal the brown envelope I'd seen in Danielle's box.

"What's this?" He questioned as I handed him the envelope. I watched him pull out the five photographs inside, causing the main envelope to fall to the floor out of shock. "Delphine!"

I wasn't going to suffer alone. 

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

How do I remove this from my vision? That was my main question as I stared at the image in my hand. It wasn't a photo to be proud of, and since it was of someone supposed to be sophisticated, it was much more startling. Knowing what the picture was about improved its apparent quality. My gaze was drawn to the bare body reclining against a poll, carefree, and I felt ashamed for her.

But why? Why would someone in her class be observed doing such a thing? Was she a poll-dancer? Was her body on display or something? 

Toyosi. 

I could tell she wasn't sorry because of the careless smile she was wearing. Or was she forcing it? I was completely confused.

I took out the next photo and brought it closer to my face. All had the same effect as the others, possibly worse. There was one where she exhibited her naked backside that made me want to bleach my eyes. The longer I stared at these photographs, the less sense it made. It made no sense to have someone like Toyosi in this location. Even Ore, as much as I despised her, made no sense to be seen in this environment, let alone Toyosi. The elites were wealthy, which was perhaps why I found this difficult to believe.

Or was this some type of hobby for her? I put the photographs back on the bed. Did the others know about it? Was Krystian aware?

One of the pictures caught my attention—the last picture I'd refused to look at because I didn't want to torture myself more than necessary. This was a bit clearer than the other four, and I didn't have to push it closer to my face to have a look. 

It was the image of Toyosi dressed in a black jacket with a man's hand around her shoulder. He was a little shorter than her, so it was a funny sight. The man had his head slightly to the side, allowing me to see his side profile well. Plus, those large pimples gave it all away.

Mr. Obi.

I covered my lips, taken aback by this. What was going on here? How was I meant to interpret this scene? A name was written on the neon light in the photograph. Most likely, it was the location's name.

PUZZ N' BOOTZ. 

Something struck me. I wasn't sure what it was, but I found myself drawn towards Danielle's laptop. I entered the name from the last photo as her password on the school login before pressing enter. I expected another incorrect icon but my face lit up when I saw the school portal's home page.

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"Why would you show me—" Krystian refused to finish his sentence. 

"I thought guys loved this sort of thing," he glared at me. "Okay, I'm sorry, but I wasn't going to suffer alone."

"Is this real?" He asked in disbelief.

"Is the sky blue?" 

"Depends." I scrunched my nose at his witty response. "Is that—?" 

"Mr. Obi?" I knew what he was referring to without looking at the picture he was currently inspecting. "Yes."

"This doesn't make sense. Why would he be—?" but the alarm used that moment to make itself known. Krystian bent to pick up the fallen envelope and placed the pictures in it. "We need to go for assembly."

"What about—" 

"Later, new girl." He handed me the envelope and walked down the hall. I kept tapping my foot on the ground, reluctant to move. Krystian could be quite annoying when he wanted to be. Why had I shown him the pictures in the first place? It was out of courtesy. Yes, it was likely why I had to trust a suspected murderer. Because he had previously helped out.

"He'd better come up with a plan before I confront Toyosi," I spat in a low voice before storming off to class so I could drop my backpack and then head over to the assembly. 

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

Even when Kim returned from the teacher's office for the first period, the classroom was packed with noisy chatter. I couldn't stop thinking about those photos, and my mind couldn't stop bringing back events that could link Toyosi to Danielle's death. I turned my gaze to the elites and watched as they casually held a conversation. Ore wasn't with them, so the sight was bearable.

"Do you like him?" My brows creased at Kim's sudden words.

"Like who?" I turned to Kim. She only had a wide grin and a weird look that somehow read, 'I can see right through you'. 

"Hymn, of course. You've been looking at him all morning." My mouth slightly opened. I was short on words. Hymn? Me? What was she on about?

"I wasn't looking at Hymn," I quickly said, wanting so hard to clear whatever idea she had in her head. "I was never looking at him."

That only made Kim smile wider. "You don't fool me; I was looking at you. You were so focused on him. Don't worry," she nudged me and winked. "You are not the only girl who has fallen for his charm."

"I wasn't looking at him!" The class didn't have the time to react to my outburst as the door to the classroom opened and Mr. Obi walked in with Ore beside him. 

"All stand, greet!" Kim quickly instructed. 

We all stood up to the class rep's command, "Good morning, Mr. Obi."

"I wish I could say the same. Sit." I sat back in my seat, my eyes on the class teacher. We weren't having him, but Mrs. Nelson, so I wondered what he was doing here with Ore. 

"A report has reached my table this morning that there is a missing item in this class." murmur slowly rose amongst my classmates, as expected. 

"Item?" Kim looked at me. "Missing in this class!" 

"Silence!" Mr. Obi thundered, making half of us flinch out of shock. "Now, listen. Ore came to my office this morning, complaining of a missing purse. I'm not going to call anyone a thief, since this is the first time something like this is happening in this class. If you know you saw the purse on the floor and decided to hold it for the real owner, bring it out now."

Everyone kept whispering amongst themselves while looking around to see who'd come out with Ore's purse. 

"Decorum!" Another set of flinch. Mr. Obi did have a strict voice when he wasn't in the mood. "If I decide to check and I see it in your school bag, then you're automatically a thief."

"Sir check!" Femi chirped in, showing off his full support. 

"Will you keep quiet?" Mr. Obi gestured for Femi to have his seat. "Stubborn boy."

"Maybe it's Romeo," Kim whispered. "He's the only scholarship student in this class, and we all know how the poor react to shiny things."

"Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you'll have to say shit about him." I glared at her, then moved my attention to Mr. Obi. I didn't want to get mad at her again. 

"Sorry," she whispered, but I ignored her. 

"No one wants to come out, abi?" 

"Sir, it's not abi, but 'right'." The class snickered at Daniela's comment, which heightened Mr. Obi's temper. 

"What am I to do with this class?" I could feel his sincerity, something I was blocking my mind from feeling. Was this why Krystian wasn't thrilled to start suspecting him? Because he'd always been a reliable teacher? "Everyone! Your school bag on your desk, now!" 

We quickly did as instructed, before the wrath of Mr. Obi doubled. 

"Sir," everyone turned to the back to see it was Femi again. "Should I help you to search?" 

"Did I send you message?" Mr. Obi turned to him. "Your school bags on your desk, and you, remain in your seats. Anyone standing up to say they want to release themselves is a thief. Anyone getting up to say they want to help me," his gaze landed on Femi, "is a thief. Anyone fidgeting is a thief." 

"Aha, Mr. Obi—" 

"And anyone! . . . " He shut everyone up. "Sweating is a thief. I don't see why you should be nervous when you're innocent."

"He's got a point," Kim said, drumming her fingers on her desk. Mr. Obi began searching every student's backpack, beginning with the front row. It wasn't long before he came to Kim and my desk. He snatched Kim's bag and began searching it closely. And when he couldn't find anything, he went to mine.

"How are you, Delphine?" 

"Fine, sir," I stated, clearing my voice. I watched him unzip the larger compartment of my backpack and begin taking out my notes and textbooks. A sky-blue Prada purse slipped out of my bag as he was pulling out my last textbook.

"Hey!" The class yelled. "Thief!" 

"Will you all shut up?!" Mr. Obi scolded immediately. I was silent the whole time, my eyes not leaving the purse that was now in Mr. Obi's possession. He turned to Ore with the purse in his hand. "Is this yours?" 

Ore moved over to inspect the purse in his hands. I could see right through her that this was all her doings. "Yes, sir, it's mine."

"Sir, I didn't take her purse." I wasn't going to let anyone accuse me wrongly. "I don't know how it got into my backpack."

"Liar!" Ore eyed me in distaste. "You are a thief. You stole my purse and hid it in your bag!" 

"Sir, I'm not a thief." I focused on Mr. Obi instead. "She planted that purse in my backpack; it's so obvious."

"And why would I do something like that?" 

"Because you don't like me!" I flared up. "You've hated me the moment I stepped into this school!" 

"Enough, both of you!" Mr. Obi quickly ended what was starting to become a fight. "I'm not training Mayweather in this class."

"Sir, it can't be Delphine." 

"Keep quiet, Femi," Mr. Obi ordered sternly, before turning to Ore and me. "Both of you, let's continue this in the vice principal's office."

He turned, expecting Ore and I to follow him. "Thief," Ore quickly commented, before trailing after Mr. Obi. 

"Good luck," I heard Kim whisper before I angrily grabbed my backpack and headed out of the classroom. 

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The enormous office was rather quiet. The middle-aged man with kind eyes behind big-rimmed glasses sat behind his spacious office desk, both hands fixed in front of him. His scrutinising glance shifted from me to Ore, then to Mr. Obi. None of us had said anything after being ushered into the office. 

"Good morning, V.P." Mr. Obi finally broke the silence. 

"Good morning, sir," I mumbled under my breath. 

"Good morning, vice principal," Ore greeted cheerfully. 

"And to what do I owe this visit this morning, when you both should be in class?" The vice principal questioned me and Ore curiously. 

"A report came to my office about a student's missing purse," Mr. Obi pointed at Ore. "When searching my class, I found it in hers." He pointed at me. 

"What's your name?" The vice principal directed his question to me. 

"Delphine, sir, Delphine Peter."

"And did you steal her purse?" 

"I did no such thing," I answered immediately. "She's lying against me."

"I am not!" Ore snapped. "It was found in your backpack; stop pretending!" 

"Silence!" Ore and I flinched as we turned to the vice principal. "Don't you have respect for me, or do you want me to send you both out?!" 

"Sorry, sir," the both of us apologised in a small voice. The vice principal looked at Mr. Obi for a proper explanation. 

"After I found it in her school bag," Mr. Obi pointed at me. "She kept denying it, so I had to bring both of them to you, sir."

The vice principal sighed, leaning against his soft office chair and rotating it left and right. "I'll need you both to bring your guardians to school tomorrow."

G-guardians?

"Procedures need to be made." I gulped as the vice principal continued. 

Procedures? 

"Yes, sir," Ore agreed without missing a beat. 

"Miss Peter?" The vice principal called me. 

I gulped and pressed my lips in great thoughts. I couldn't bring Debby to school; it would ruin everything. 

"My sister is very busy, sir." I tried manoeuvring the situation. "Can't I stand in for myself?" 

"No, you can't." A knock came on the door, and we all turned to see the principal making her way into the office. "There must be someone else who can stand by as your guardian, right?" 

"What's going on?" the principal asked, making her way to one of the office chairs opposite the vice principal. In her hands were files. It was likely some document she wanted her vice to work on. "Mr. Robert?" 

"Mr. Obi had a situation and brought it to my desk. Miss. Ade's purse was missing and was found in Miss. Peter's possession. Procedures are meant to be placed regarding a solid denial, and I'm informing them on what to do, ma." The vice principal summarised smoothly. 

"I didn't steal her purse, ma; I didn't!" I turned to the principal, hoping she'd see right through me and help divert the situation to something less complicated. "I can't bring my sister in; she's busy."

The principal looked at me, and I prayed she'd remembered the excuse I'd given her regarding changing my surname. 

"Mr. Obi," she called, "Ore, you both can leave."

Ore looked at me in distaste before leaving the office with Mr. Obi. Once they were gone, the principal turned to her vice. "Mr. Robert, I think we can settle things lightly."

"And other students would use this as an opportunity to go against the school because they feel they can settle things lightly." I let out a hot breath. Did he have to be so strict? 

"Mr. Robert, there's a reason why I'm asking you this," she went on. "All Delphine wants is to continue her school life without pity from fellow students. If you decide she bring her sister, then that will change everything. You don't know this, but she's Delphine Udeme, Danielle's sister. Remember the great tragedy that happened not too long ago at this school?"

I didn't know she'd reveal my identity in such a manner. But it was to help me, so I wasn't upset. Ore and Mr. Obi weren't here to listen in. 

"I'm sorry for your loss," the vice principal said softly this time. "But procedures need to be made. You know that well, principal. I've given her an option; she could bring a different guardian than her sister. Miss Ade is already bringing one; it would be unfair if Delphine stood in for herself."

I lowered my head, knowing there was no other way out of this. Ore won this round. 

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

I got down from the keke with a sigh and paid the driver his money. The rest of the school hours were like hell to me. The news of me being a thief had spread like wildfire around the school. Many wouldn't stop giving me looks—classes, lobbies, hallways, and, of course, the cafeteria. It was like drama wasn't far from me, forcing me to be the centre of attention in everyone's eyes. 

What was I to do? Trust? 

"No." I shook my head as I headed through the gate and towards the front door. Anyone but that annoying fake human my sister labelled as her boyfriend? Anyone but him. But what choice did I have? 

I tried the handle before getting my keys. I was relieved my sister and her boyfriend were not home. I needed some time alone. I needed to clear my mind and think things through. I went up to my room to take a lengthy, cold shower. My shower comprised primarily of me analysing my pros and cons. Debby or Trust.

I disliked the idea of Trust representing me. I did not like anything about him. But I could not send Debby to school. Both teachers and students would recognise that I was linked to Danielle after just one look at Debby. It would destroy everything.

After my long shower, I went into my bedroom and to my closet to get a washed blue bumshort and a white tank top. Once I was dressed, I left my room and went downstairs to make noodles. I couldn't think with an empty stomach. I had lost some weight ever since I'd refused to eat anything my sister had made.

After several hours, I was locked up in my room. A knock came across my room, while I was still wide awake and deep in thought. I examined the door sceptically before pushing myself out of bed to see who was behind it.

"Hey," Debby said in a small voice, her phone in hand. It was past six; I knew she was probably back from work. "It's Seidi."

"Seidi?!" I was shocked beyond words and quickly grabbed Debby's phone. 

"I'll be back for it." I nodded and watched my sister's retrieving figure before closing the door. 

"Seidi?" 

"Delphine!" It was actually her. Relief poured over me as if most of my responsibilities had been removed from my shoulders. I knew Seidi would be helpful and provide advice. Plus, I had missed her.

"You did not try o," I moved to my reading table and sat down. "You just left me alone to get drowned in drama at my new school. I needed you."

"I'm sorry. I saw your email today and saw that I'd wasted time replying to you. I feel bad, especially after reading about how Ore slapped you. Glad you slapped her back."

A smile formed on my lips. Talking to my best friend made me relax. "Is Mrs. Emma there with you?" She was blabbing everything, so Mrs. Emma being there was unlikely, but I wanted to be sure. 

"No. . . . Bad network." I heard the mischievous glint in her tone. "Good thing we're using your sister's card. We can talk as much as we want without thinking of some low airtime warning."

"I really miss you, Seidi, for real," I said sincerely. "I can't wait to tell you everything that has been going on in my life. What was even keeping you from replying to my message?" 

"Something exciting." I could imagine her grinning from ear to ear with how excited she sounded. "Well . . . not at first."

"What do you mean?" I knew I couldn't wait to tell Seidi everything that had gone down around me, but being a good friend meant I should care about everything going down around her as well. 

Seidi did not respond immediately. She let out a sigh, forcing me to crease my brows. Was she okay? "For days, I'd been scolded by coach Israel for not showing improvement on the track field. It's not my fault, though. It's not like I wasn't trying; I was!"

"I believe you." I stood up from my chair and moved to my bed. 

"Then coach Israel assigned Davidson to me. He wanted him to also help improve my running skills after school hours." For some odd reason, I didn't like where this conversation was heading. "We'd been practising hard, so I didn't have the time to go check the computer lab."

"I understand, Seidi." 

"But then something shocking happened, Delphine. Should I use the word weird?" Seidi lowered her voice. "Three days ago, Davidson kissed me on the cheek." 

"H-he what?" I felt my throat ache, as my heart skipped a beat. "Like a brotherly peck, right?" 

Please tell me it was a brotherly peck. 

"I thought so too, not until he'd kissed me for real yesterday evening after practice and also confessed how much he had developed feelings for me." Seidi's voice was rising with excitement, a feeling I couldn't relate to. "How is that possible, Delphine? I'm just an awkward girl who is terrible at track, and Davidson is way above my league. So how did someone like him fall for someone like—?" 

"Um . . . Seidi," I quickly interrupted. I blinked away the tears forming in my eyes as I tried sucking in my breath to keep myself in order. "I just remembered I have some homework to do."

"Assignment? All of a sudden?" She asked, confused. 

"It's due tomorrow," 

"But . . ." She hesitated. "You wanted to tell me about what's been going on around you."

I did. But right now, Seidi was the last person I wanted to talk to. "Are you okay, Delphine?" 

"They just warned my sister of low airtime," I lied. 

"Your sister?" Seidi scoffed, finding it hard to believe. "Of low airtime?" 

"Bye, Seidi." I ended the call and placed the phone on my lap. I couldn't help but picture how much my life had crumbled. My twin was no more; my big sister doesn't listen to or trust me because of her boyfriend; and the guy I had a crush on was in love with my best friend. Why couldn't something go right with me?

I lay on my bed, my eyes fixed on the ceiling. I didn't like the way my heart felt heavy. I didn't like the way my throat ached. I didn't like the way my eyes stung. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply, but that didn't stop the tears from escaping my eyes. 

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I'd spent over twenty minutes thinking about what-if scenarios. What if I hadn't changed schools? Would I've been in Seidi's shoes? Would Davidson have confessed to me instead? Was I being too tough with Seidi? It wasn't like she knew I had a crush on Davidson. But still? She could have rejected his feelings. Did she like him at all? But she was very excited, so that proved everything.

"Argh!" I yelled, pulling my hair out of frustration, before sitting on my bed. I needed a distraction. I noticed Debby's phone still on my lap, so I got up and moved out of my room to give her phone back to her. 

Downstairs, Debby was setting the dining table, and Trust was seated with his laptop in front of him. Debby noticed me and stopped what she was doing. 

"How was your call with Seidi?" She was cautious. 

"The best," I looked down at my feet, trying my best not to react too much. "Here."

Debby took her phone and set it on the dining table. She looked like she wanted to say something to me, but was hesitant.

"Look, Delphine," my sister started, as I was about to take my leave. "I shouldn't have said that. Trust, shouldn't have said what he said either." Her boyfriend silently looked up at me before dropping his attention to his laptop screen. 

"I trust you, and I also trust that you know what is right." Debby wrapped her hands around herself. "The thing is that I was worried. Can't I be? But then you said you hated me and—" 

"I don't hate you, sis Debby," I quickly said. "You are the only family I have left. It's just that sometimes—" I stopped. I didn't want to say something that would make matters worse. 

"Let's put this behind us," Debby asked, cautious with her words. 

I nodded and quickly moved over to my sister and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug, something I desperately needed. It wasn't that I wasn't hurt by her actions. It was just that I couldn't stay mad at her forever, especially now that my friendship with Seidi was on eggshells. "I love you, big sis."

Debby wrapped her arms around me and said, "I love you too, baby sis."

We stayed that way for some extra seconds before pulling off. "Well . . ." I dragged, "Now that's that out of the way, I need to tell you something, sis Debby."

"What is it?" She asked as she continued to set the table. 

"Maybe we should sit for this," I stated quietly. Debby gave me a puzzled look before pulling out a chair and sitting in it. I did the same, laying my elbow on the table.

"What is it, Delphine?" Debby repeated. I wasn't sure how to say it, but I just had to.

"I got framed today at school." I closed my eyes and spat it all out. Trust closed his laptop and gave me an incredulous look. I looked at Debby instead, ignoring his existence. 

"Framed, by who?" She questioned. 

"A girl in my class doesn't like me for some reason."

"I can tell why," Trust commented. I opened my mouth to say something back at him, but Debby placed a hand on my upper arm to stop me. 

"She planted her purse in my backpack and acted like I stole it."

"Did you?" Debby and I turned to Trust. 

"I just said she planted it in my backpack!" I snapped. I wasn't in a good mood, and he was already making it worse. 

"And I believe you," Debby quickly added, trying to avoid much drama. 

"They are asking me and the girl to bring our guidance to school tomorrow," I completed. 

"No problem," Debby nodded. "I'll be at your school tomorrow."

My biggest fear. I gulped and tried to find my tongue. "I was thinking T—I mean Uncle Trust—should come instead."

My sister was dumbfounded; even Trust, with his sharp mouth, had nothing to say. "Sis Debby?" 

"Trust?" She asked, wanting to be sure, and I nodded. 

"Me?" Trust finally found his tongue. He looked at me, sceptical. "Why?" 

"Cause sis Debby will be busy," 

"I don't mind going, Delphine." My heart sank again. This wasn't going as planned. 

"I know," I admitted. "But I'm having friends without anyone pitying me. If you show up, they'll know I'm related to you and related to Danielle."

Debby sighed, rubbing her temple. "When are you going to tell them?" 

"Soon, sister, soon."

Debby was quiet. She didn't respond immediately. It felt like she was thinking things over. "Trust? Will you?" 

"Did you do it?" What? Was he serious? 

"There's no reason I'd have stolen someone else's purse. I'm not lacking money, and I have her brand in my room." I snapped, but not enough to worry my sister into thinking having Trust as my guardian, was a bad idea. 

"Baby!" I almost gagged. "I believe in my sister; she'd never stolen anything in her life. Can you believe her as well? For me, please." 

I scrunched my nose and looked at the table instead. If he wasn't going to agree, I'd just hire some random person. "Fine, what time tomorrow?" 

"Not sure." I refused to look at him. "Probably noon."

There was a pause, one that suggested he wanted to reconsider his decision. I looked at Trust and saw a mischievous smile on his face. "I will be there."

˗ˏˋ༻ʚ♡︎ɞ༺ˎˊ˗

That's it for this chapter guys.

What do you think about this chapter, and about the picture Delphine found?

Also about the ongoing feud with Ore. Do you think it would stop?

Delphine has finally reconciled with her sister, but she's on thin ice with Seidi. Do you think she's being unreasonable with her best friend?

I was writing chapter 26 today, and I was telling myself to tone it down a bit😂😭. Y'all ain't ready...

Anyways, that's that....

Do not forget to vote and comment with your thoughts, I'm seeing y'all.

Till next time✨