Cracks in the clique

"Honey, you're home late," her mom said, her voice laced with jealousy as her eyes remained glued to the TV screen, flickering with colorful images that couldn't distract from her unspoken worries.

"Um, I had to stay back for extra study," Kamsi replied, carefully omitting the earlier encounter with the bullies. She didn't want to burden her mom with the details; the woman had enough on her plate already.

"Oooh, okay then. Go freshen up; dinner's ready. You can call Zendaya to join you, or you could pack hers to her—whichever," her mom said, her gaze returning to the screen as if the characters there held all the answers.

"Okay, Mom," Kamsi said, forcing a smile as she turned to head to her room.

Once inside, she clicked the door shut, locking it behind her. She slid down against the cold wood, her back pressing against it. Tears streamed down her face, hot and bitter, a release for the turmoil swirling inside her. After crying to her heart's content, she made a promise to herself, her voice thick with vengeance. "Whoever did this, I'm coming for you." With newfound determination, she wiped her tears away and headed to the bathroom, splashing cold water on her face. She wouldn't let anyone step on her.

After freshening up, Kamsi called Zendaya over, her heart pounding with anticipation. The familiar warmth of her friend's presence was just what she needed.

Later That Evening, Kamsi's Room...

As Kamsi and Zendaya settled onto the floor, the comfort of their shared space enveloped them.

"O my fucking god!" Zendaya exclaimed, her eyes wide as Kamsi recounted the harrowing events of the day. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm certain Patricia's got a hand in it," Kamsi said, clenching her fists until her knuckles turned white.

"Me too," Zendaya agreed, her tone brimming with fervor. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Kamsi took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "I've seen lots of girls like Patricia in movies and real life; heck, we have a lot of them in Nigeria. But what she doesn't know is never to mess with a Warri girl." Her expression hardened, resolve igniting her spirit. "I go show her pepper," she added in pidgin English, her voice low and fierce.

"That's the spirit! Enough with being meek and forgiving. It's time to fight back!" Zendaya's voice was filled with excitement, each word a spark. "So tell me, what's the plan?"

Kamsi leaned in closer, a smirk curling her lips. "First off, we give her a dose of her own medicine and make sure she gets caught up in her own web."

Damon's Lounge, Evening...

The scene shifted to Damon's lounge, where the mood was different yet equally charged. Damon settled into his couch, flanked by Xavier and Gilbert, the air thick with anticipation.

"So, bro, what's up?" Damon asked, leaning back comfortably.

Gilbert leaned forward, his expression shifting to serious. "Earlier today, someone tried hacking into my dad's company system."

Damon's eyes widened in disbelief. "What the fuck!"

Xavier's brows furrowed, concern etched on his face. The weight of the situation settled heavily in the room.

Gilbert waved them off. "Good thing I was there to save the day. But I might have an idea of who it could be. The hacker made a wrong move, and I discovered something in the code."

He dropped five files onto the table, each labeled with the name of a compromised company. "These five companies have had their systems hacked in the last three months."

Damon and Xavier exchanged curious glances, the gravity of the revelation sinking in.

"Take a look at this," Gilbert said, spreading out the files to reveal images of the hacked systems. "All five displayed this logo after being breached…"

His voice trailed off as Xavier's eyes locked onto the image, recognition dawning on him.

"Purple Lotus," Xavier muttered, his voice tense.

Gilbert nodded, his expression serious. "Yeah. And check out the hacker's code." He pulled out his phone and showed them an image of the jumbled characters:

`GUR PENML XRL VF ZL FR`

Damon's eyes narrowed, piecing the puzzle together. "So, you're saying the same person tried to hack my company?"

Gilbert nodded. "But why?" Damon asked, his tone laced with concern.

Gilbert shrugged, frustration creasing his brow. "That's what we need to find out. First, we need to figure out what or who Purple Lotus is, then we can understand the motive behind the attacks."

Xavier's gaze remained fixed on the code, his mind racing with possibilities. "Guys," he said, determination coloring his voice, "I think I can crack this code. And when I do, we'll uncover the truth behind Purple Lotus."

Damon and Gilbert exchanged resolute glances, the thrill of the chase igniting a fire in their spirits.

"Let's do this," Damon said, his voice steady.

Gilbert nodded in agreement. "Time to expose Purple Lotus."

The next day at school...

"I asked you to do one thing. Just one thing, and you dummies couldn't even get that right!" Patricia's voice sliced through the air, her eyes blazing with fury as she glared at Camella and Tylee. Her hands were clenched at her sides, nails digging into her palms as she struggled to contain the rage that burned behind her eyes.

Tylee, flinching slightly, raised her hands defensively. "We almost had her, but then Xavier showed up," she muttered, her voice barely above a whisper, trying to deflect the blame.

Patricia's nostrils flared, her face twisted in anger. "And whose fault is that? If you two had made sure no one else was around, Xavier wouldn't have been a problem, would he?" Her voice dripped with venom, each word sharper than the last.

Camella, usually quiet, couldn't hold back. She muttered under her breath, "This is getting pathetic."

Patricia's head snapped in her direction, eyes narrowing dangerously. "What did you just say?" Her tone was low, threatening, and it sent a chill through the air.

Camella, standing her ground, crossed her arms and shot back, "Quit with this chase, girl. Clearly, he doesn't want—"

SLAP!

The sound of the slap echoed in the hallway. Camella's face jerked to the side, her hand flying to her cheek in shock. Tylee stood frozen, eyes wide, unable to believe what had just happened.

"What the hell, Trish?" Camella hissed, anger flashing in her eyes. Without thinking, she slapped Patricia back.

Patricia staggered, more out of surprise than the force of the hit. Her hand hovered over her cheek, disbelief washing over her features. No one ever dared to touch her like that. The silence around them thickened, students gathering around, cameras already recording the showdown.

"You slapped me?!" Patricia's voice was a deadly whisper before she lunged at Camella, fists grabbing onto her hair.

"I hate you!" Camella screamed, her own hands clawing at Patricia's curls, their bodies crashing together in a frenzy of pulling hair and flying nails.

"You're nothing without me!" Patricia snarled, trying to shove Camella to the ground, her face twisted with fury.

"Says the lonely little girl!" Camella spat back, her words like gasoline on Patricia's already blazing rage.

Tylee, panicking, tried to separate them, her hands shaking as she tugged at Patricia's arm. "Stop! Both of you!"

But Patricia was too far gone, shoving Tylee aside aggressively as she lunged for Camella again. The crowd around them grew, phones in hand, recording every second.

Kamsi, walking by with Zendaya, noticed the growing circle of students and the familiar blonde head in the middle. She blinked in disbelief. "Is that… Patricia?" she asked, her brows furrowing in confusion.

Zendaya's eyes lit up with excitement, pulling out her phone. "Oh, this is priceless. Patricia Newman and her minion going at it? Best thing I've seen all day." She smirked, already recording the chaos.

Kamsi rolled her eyes, but her curiosity got the best of her. What could have driven them to this? Patricia was always with her little clique—loyal, yes, but more like puppets on strings than friends. Now they were tearing each other apart.

Before the fight could escalate further, a sharp voice cut through the chaos.

"The two of you, stop this instant!" Miss Caramel stormed into the scene, her face red with fury.

Patricia and Camella froze, hair still clutched in their fists, breathing hard as they glared at each other.

"Follow me, now," Miss Caramel demanded, eyes locked on the girls. "We're going straight to the principal's office."

"But—" Patricia opened her mouth to protest, but the icy glare from Miss Caramel silenced her.

"Right now!" she barked, her voice like a whip, sending the girls stumbling after her, still shooting daggers at one another.

As the crowd began to disperse, Tylee stood back, her lips curling into a small, satisfied smirk. No one had noticed the look on her face. She had other plans.