Mandy and Ifes became good friends again, and this time around, they did almost everything together. Ryan continued showing his animosity towards Ifes. When she couldn't take more of his hostility towards her, she decided to inform Mandy if she could help ask him what the problem was.
Mandy didn't believe what Ifes told her.
"I know Ryan too well. He wouldn't do such a terrible thing."
"Why don't you ask him yourself if you think I'm lying." That was Ifesinachi's response when she got tired of bantering with Mandy.
Mandy looked at her friend's eyes and felt bad, knowing she had hurt her with her unbelief. But how was it not possible that she should have her own doubts? Ryan had been her friend since forever, but Ifes had been her friend for barely a year now. She couldn't just believe her new friend without giving Ryan the benefit of doubt. Besides, in their squad, everyone knew him as one who had always been against bullying, hostility, animosity or anything like that towards others. Despite how honest she knew Ifes was, she still couldn't bring herself to believe her.
"I'm sorry, Ifes. I will go ask Ryan."
Ifes whirled around without uttering another word.
Mandy went close to Ifes and held her hand from the back. "You're angry, right? But I've said I'm sorry!"
Ifes recognised the tone of voice Mandy was using on her. If there was anything she had learnt about her friend, it was that she was perfect in emotionally getting to people. How many times had Mandy used it on her and got away with it?
"Alright, Mandy. We'll go together tomorrow so you can ask him."
"Yes! I knew you wouldn't be angry at me for long." Mandy pecked Ifes on her cheek and walked off excitedly. She would settle the misconception between her friends without having issues with any of them, and every form of antipathy that was raising its ugly head would be crushed. At the end of everything, it would be a win-win situation. Mandy smiled at her thoughts.
"Did you do it?" Mandy asked Ryan again expecting a no for an answer.
Ifes was going to see how wrong she had been about Ryan, and she would make her apologize to him.
Mandy stared right into Ryan's blue eyes and thought how innocent they looked. How could Ifes misunderstand Ryan? Why could she not see how innocent he was? Ifes was going to feel sorry for having a misconception about Ryan.
Just wait, Ifes, she thought. Just wait till I get my answer from Ryan.
As Mandy was ready to vouch for Ryan, a terrible incident that occurred between herself and Ryan replayed in her memory, and she winced at the memory.
"Did you do it?" she asked for the second time with a shaky voice.
Ryan let out a sardonic laugh. "Yes, I did, and you know why, so just forget her."
"Ryan!" Mandy hollered as Ryan walked out on Ifes and her. She bent her head in shame, unable to look at Ifes.
Ifes had been right all along. How could she? How could she not understand her friend's uncompromising honesty? How many times would she tempt her friend and always expect her to forgive? She was sure of one thing now: she had lost a friend who was like a sister to her.
A part of her wanted to start apologizing so that she won't lose her friendship to Ifes, but another part of her disapproved.
"You know you have lost her, there's no amount of begging that will make her forgive you, so just let her be," voices spoke in Mandy's head.
Ifes stood perplexed after hearing what Ryan said. "What did I do? What did Mandy know?" Confused, mystified, baffled, puzzled were understatements to explain the way she felt at that time. Ifes looked at her friend and noticed her struggling with emotions.
Why is Mandy behaving like this? Ryan said she knows why, so why is she acting like that? Should I ask her now?
"Mandy! Mandy!" Ifes called out.
"Yes, Ifes." Mandy slightly raised her head, not to meet Ifesinachi's gaze.
"What was Ryan talking about? What do you know?"
"Please, can we go back to our dorm room? I'll tell you everything there." Mandy's voice didn't show that of emotional blackmail, but that of an appeal.
"Are you sure?" Ifes asked.
"Yes."
"You promise?"
"Yes, I promise."
Ifes and Mandy went back to their dorm room in total silence, and Mandy told her everything.
"But please, Ifes, don't hate him because of that." Mandy apologised on Ryan's behalf. "He's not a bad person I swear. Trust me when I say it's not intentional, and hopefully one day, he will realise his mistakes. I promise you I will talk to him."
As time passed, Mandy was perplexed to see that Ifes treated her the same way she did before the meeting with Ryan.
After a week, she will stop, Mandy thought in her heart.
A week went by and Ifes didn't change.
After this second week, she will stop.
Ifes didn't change after the second week. Another week passed, and a month, then Mandy felt so guilty that she decided to talk to Ifes about it. They got to talking and Ifes told her that it was a long time ago and she didn't remember it again.