My Call (A Journey) – Chapter 5 || The Betrayal

Read the previous chapter (4) Here

I couldn’t say how I walked out of the hotel or how I got back on the motorcycle that took me home. I couldn’t remember giving the bike man my address until he took me to my hostel.

I had left my phone at home before leaving because it was dead and asked Rebecca to help me charge it if the electricity was restored while I was out.

I walked with brisk stride into the hostel to get money from Rebecca to pay the man, when I had paid my fare, I walked back into the hostel, took my clothes off, showered with the water I had left in a bucket before I went out.

I was still wrapped in my towel when I sat on the bed, the other girls had slept and only Rebecca was awake reading a novel with a lamp. I sat with my head bent, and my hands on my head sighing deeply and trying to find a comfortable position to sit in without disturbing the sleepers.

Rebecca had asked how the party went but I had ignored the question noticed my forlorn expression and asked me what was wrong

“Mary, Are you okay? Was the party not delightful?” She asked curiously

I ignored her question again, sighing and popping the pillow into a comfortable size to sleep on. When Rebecca realized I was ignoring her, her curiosity intensified and she scrambled to my side.

“Hey girlfriend, what’s the matter,” she asked again, a whiff of concern in her voice.

I turned to look at her and the worry in her eyes was the undoing, tears rolled out of my eyes even though it was ridiculous for me to cry.

Rebecca’s motherly instinct intensified, and she held me wrapping me in her arms and inquired about what had happened that had me crying.

“Rebecca, I muttered in an incoherent voice “Rebecca, you wouldn’t believe what I saw” “What is that?” She inquired
I looked around and decided to ask her about Lara
“Where is Lara? I made to look around the room as though searching for her

“She said she was going out to her friend’s and she won’t be back tonight”

“Oh?” I said wry smile

“Let’s forget that, you know how Lara is, she doesn’t tell us anything except what she feels like telling”

“Tell me what happened,” she said

I began telling her about what had happened at the party, the shoe incident and how nobody except a girl had tried to help me, I told her how I forgot my purse and had gone to get it and hesitated for a while before telling her what I saw Lara and Richard doing at the hotel.

“Are you serious? She asked and stood agape

” I swear to you that I am” I replied with more intensity than usual

“That bitch!” Rebecca said infuriated by the betrayal

“I knew something was up when I had been seeing them together around school” she muttered irritated

“You see them together in school?” I asked surprised

“Yes I do, you know you do not move around much but I do, I see them together and had asked her what was going on between them but she had said they were just friends and she had gone to speak with him about some courses she had problems with since we are all course mates, I had no objections with it” she explained then placed a hand on my shoulder

“I should have told you about it, Mary, but I had no reason to doubt her, she is our friend,” she said

Then seething with anger “That bitch will have me to deal with when she gets back and Lord knows I might be killing someone here”

Her anger had intensified mine, I was drained to my bone and felt betrayed.

Rebecca urged me to go to sleep after pacifying me and we waited for Lara’s return the following day.

The next day Lara returned from where she had gone with a bag of goodies and a smile for everyone. She was exceptionally jovial with me and had asked me how the party went the previous day.

Rebecca had looked at her fuming with anger and disgusted giving her a side eye. If looks could kill I’m certain hers would have killed Lara.

She stood up suddenly and asked Lara where she was coming from and when she had lied. She became more furious and gave her a resounding slap. The slap was so heavy that Lara and everyone else stood agape. They had never seen Becky that angry.

Rebecca told me to tell you what I had seen and I had gone on to narrate what I had seen the previous day.

We have been expecting her to be remorseful or better yet lie about it but what we had gotten was nothing like it.

Lara was unapologetic

“And so what?” She had shouted

“What if I did it?” She said again

We all stared at her in shock disbelieving at what she had said

“The fact remains that he chose me, I am not a shameful idiot who wants to ask a man out like her” Lara said nodding her head in my direction.

” Richard likes me and he asked me out, so what is the problem?” She asked with a proud and mocking voice

We all gasped at her words

“You guys do not need to trouble yourself about staying in the same room with me after this, I was going to tell you guys I was moving to my friend’s place but since you all have found out, so I’m going to Richard’s place”

“Now if you will excuse me, I have clothes to pack,” she said with finality and went ahead to pack her stuff while we stood gaping at her in awe.

That was how we fell apart with Lara and we never spoke a word with her till we graduated from school and went to service. Read the next chapter (6) Here!