As Saniyah and Candi Rose had just finished school, Eucharia in the meantime was in some serious trouble.

She may have been suspended but that didn't necessarily mean that her parents knew about it. She had been suspended for only a day now, with a letter about this being sent yesterday afternoon.

So that her parents wouldn't have found it, Eucharia hid it somewhere in her room. Her mum Angelica found it when she was doing spring cleaning of her room when Eucharia was sent to do some errands earlier today.

The girl was very messy.

"I can't believe this girl," Angelica complained to her husband, looking at the letter Eucharia had hid from her parents about her being suspended.

She was sitting down on the dining table, looking very distressed about everything.

"First she invited her friends over even though she knows we told her not to do so, then she gets suspended and now she hides it from us? What has gotten into that girl?"

Eucharia's younger brother Cortez spilt everything just a few minutes ago, about Euchy inviting her friends over.

To be fair he had already told his parents he had changed the grades on his report card, which was what Eucharia promised to be quiet about had Cortez not said anything about Euchy inviting Maitreyi and Zafira over the other day.

"What are we going to do with this girl?" Angelica fretted. "She played us well. I would have never thought that she would have been suspended."

As Cortez was doing his homework, Angelica and her husband Rakim had been discussing their daughter for ten minutes, which was the time frame since they found out Eucharia had been suspended.

"Ground her? Confiscate her electronics?"

"We always do that though," she sighed. "We need something more."

"Make her work for everything," Rakim suggested. "That way she'll learn not to take anything for granted. That plus grounding her. I think that's a good idea, don't you think?"

Just as Angelica was about to reply, speak of the devil. Eucharia had come inside from shopping, talking to her cousin Trixie.

Trixie was a couple of months older than her, and the two of them were more of best friends than cousins. They told each other everything.

Right now, Trixie's friend's birthday was coming up and he was turning 18. Since 18 years was officially young adulthood instead of teenager, he wanted to do something special - by having a party.

The dress code was blue, any shade but Trixie was lost on what to wear.

Eucharia was currently giving her advice, saying what Candi Rose would have said in a situation like this. Candi was an expert at fashion and all things related to it.

Sis! Both dresses are absolutely amazing! They seriously bring out your eyes. Trixie had sent Euchy a sample of both dresses through WhatsApp.

The short light blue one was from Shein, an online clothing shop and the second dark blue longer dress was from Pretty Little Thing, another online clothing shop.

The short one had silver diamantés on the sleeve as well as collar. It was puffy but Trixie loved puffy dresses. It was just above the knees, she was going to wear tights, and there was a bow in the middle. It was stunning.

The darker dress was longer and almost reached the floor.

Her friend wanted to have a fancy dress party after all. It was very silky, with the sleeves being long sleeved. It wasn't as puffy but it was very elegant. Trixie also loved laces and flowers, which was what this dress was infested with.

You really think so?

I know so! Eucharia cheered. Whatever you buy, just don't make it seem like you can't afford it! I think you should go for the light blue - short and sweet right?

I think everyone will be wearing a light blue dress though. Maybe I should go with a turquoise one. Plus I forgot to mention it's a masquerade party.

Even better! Eucharia squealed. I know how introverted you can get. Unlike me! Girl, you can look good and nobody can know! People will be asking 'who's that girl'?! Both dresses are wonderful and suit you perfectly. I honestly don't know which one to pick!

Their conversation was cut short when Eucharia was about to go up the stairs. She was so immersed in talking to Trixie that she forgot about her parents - or purposely chose to ignore them.

Angelica muttered ahem under her breath just as Euchy was about to disappear from view. Stopping the conversation, Eucharia looked at them - trying not to roll her eyes.

Patricia, that was her full name. Imma call you back.

"No you won't," Rakim corrected her.

Or not, Eucharia heaved, ending the call, after telling Trixie that she had hoped she had a good time. The party was next week Saturday.

She shot daggers at them for no reason whatsoever.

"What do y'all want?"

"What is the meaning of this?" Angelica demanded, deliberately choosing to ignore Eucharia's rude tone.

She simultaneously held up the suspension letter from her school for seeking dirt on Natalia on Wednesday. Then the dirt on Natalia had been broadcasted the following day.

Eucharia could have been a suspect.

The letter was almost completely rumpled. Euchy's school would have never sent a scruffy letter so inevitably Euchy must have done something to it, and she did. She hid it.

"You got suspended?" Rakim added, disdainfully. "Not just that, Cortez tells me that you invited your friends over when we specifically told you not to!"

When Eucharia heard that, she whispered to herself that her brother was a little snitch and the next time she was going to see him, she would have hurt him for sure.

Which may or may not have been a joke.

Angelica and Rakim were sceptical of people coming over that weren't friends and family because they were going through a divorce.

They didn't want anyone they weren't close to seeing their messy behind the scenes because they didn't need to know. Last time an outsider did that, they broadcasted it to everyone.

So for Eucharia to go against that was very disrespectful and went against everything her parents stood for and wanted.

"Cortez lied about his report card," she tried to fix the blame on her brother. "Also, I was only suspended for a week. Treyi was suspended for a fortnight as seeking revenge was her idea in the first place."

"This isn't about Treyi, this is about you!" Angelica raised at the top of her lungs, with Rakim in the meantime just facepalming himself. "Since when we're you so rebellious? I hope it's not your friends!"

Also they already knew about Cortez - he was grounded too, for two weeks. The number of grades he changed was equivalent to how many weeks of punishment he had.

At least it was only two. Cortez wanted it to seem believable.

Euchy was about to say something, but Rakim didn't want to hear it.

"Until further notice, you're going to work for everything." He ordered. "We're not going to make dinner for you so that you know the true meaning of hard work. You will do everything yourself. You're grounded for a month, and no phone - or any other electronics."

Eucharia may have agreed with the first punishment about working for everything, however for some reason not having her phone seemed a bit too much.

"What?" She grimaced. "No phone either?" She took one step up the stairs, holding on the handrails. "Y'all are no fun. If I die of boredom, please don't come to my funeral."

"Maybe next time you'll think of the consequences to your actions." Angelica responded. "And whether we come to your funeral or not, you wouldn't know because you'll be dead. The dead hears, knows and sees nothing."

Eucharia thought whatever, because if she said that out loud, she was certainly done for storming upstairs. She was about to go to her room, until she remembered to deal with Cortez.

While she had done that, Treyi in the meantime had been studying with Stevonté at her house. Stevonté was the only person outside of family allowed in Treyi's house for the time being.

They had an upcoming chemistry test on chromatography and fractional distillation - two of the hardest topics on the subject.

"Come on Treyi, it's like you're not even trying anymore," Stevonté teased. "The test is the day after you come back from suspension, mind you."

Suspension didn't count weekends, only weekends. That was the school's policy.

Maitreyi had jokingly complained that they had been going through the same thing for about ten minutes now.

Not just that - they had gone for a really long time without a break. Maitreyi was not a machine. She needed a break from time to time herself.

"I mean it has been two and a half hours without one," Stevonté noticed, checking the time on his phone. "So yeah, why not?"

He had finished school at lunchtime, going to Maitreyi's house straight afterwards. Treyi's other friends, if she could have still called them that anymore, had just finished.

For once, the two of them had nothing to talk about - until Maitreyi wanted details on everything.

She even had to use her sister's phone to speak to Stevonté as hers was still confiscated... even if her mother was nicer to her compared to yesterday.

"I mean, nothing really happened," Stevonté half lied to. "Saniyah, Principal Freeman and Candi hosted a really powerful assembly on rumours. Then someone announced that Syeda almost jumped off the balcony."

When Maitreyi heard that, she gasped.

She couldn't believe it.

"Syeda did what?! Is she okay? Is she alive? Why would she do that?"

Stevonté stared at Maitreyi blankly for a while until he remembered that he didn't actually tell her about the rumours about Natalia now being about Syeda.

They were very personal, so Stevonté left them out. Principal Freeman also mentioned that if no one had admitted to starting the rumours by next Friday then there was no Spring Fling anymore.

But yes she was alive.

"Why is everyone getting in trouble for something one person did?"

"So that they can 'work harder' to find who did it," Stevonté informed her, resting one of his arms on the chair. "And I don't even know if it's one person anymore. It might be a group."

A part of Treyi was glad she wasn't at school - at the same time though she really felt abysmal for Syeda and Natalia, most especially Syeda.

For her to almost end her life over rumours that turned out to be true... they must have been seriously dark. She couldn't imagine if anyone found out her darkest secrets.

This was good though, in a way.

Surely people couldn't have thought that Treyi did it? She had been suspended since.

"Unfortunately some people think you 'planned this beforehand' and you're 'sending people' to do this," Stevonté sounded pretty upset. "I guess some people are really set in their ways. No matter what, I'll always believe you over them."

Smiling, Treyi hugged him and vice versa. They were interrupted by her sister who greeted them, before announcing that she wanted to talk to Treyi privately.

Stevonté was okay with that as he needed to go anyway. He almost cursed when he realised he would have been late to dinner. It was at 5, it was half four.

School finished at 4.

Treyi's mother Khadijah offered to drop him off as she had to return a dress at a store that was close to his house.

"Greet your brothers for me, okay?"

"I can't, they're still mad at you," Stevonté confessed. "But when they're not, if they ever will be, I'll let them know you said hello," he added with a wink.

Then he left with Khadijah, leaving Treyi with Avantika.

She wanted to talk to her about Stevonté. That was why she wanted him to leave.