Chapter 7: The truth must come out

Rita sat on her bed, staring at her phone. The message she had sent to Sunshine Pageantry was still marked as "Seen," but no reply had come. Her fingers curled into fists.

"They know I'm onto them."

She took a deep breath and opened her chat with Eunice.

Rita: They haven't replied. I think they're ignoring me.

Eunice: That's how they work. If they think you'll keep paying, they respond fast. If you ask questions, they disappear.

Rita: What should I do?

Eunice: Expose them.

The words sent a chill through Rita's body.

"Expose them?"

She had thought about it. Posting on social media, warning other girls. But once she did, there would be no going back. Sunshine Pageantry could retaliate, delete their accounts, or even try to silence her.

But she had already lost money. She had already lost trust.

She wasn't going to lose her voice.

A Call for Help

The next morning at school, Rita gathered Pamela, Faith, and Deborah under the big mango tree near the courtyard. The sun cast dappled shadows over their faces.

"I need your help," she said firmly.

Her friends leaned in, sensing the seriousness in her tone.

"I'm going to expose Sunshine Pageantry. I want to post about it so no one else falls for it."

Pamela's eyes widened. "Rita, that's risky. What if they come after you?"

Faith nodded. "Or delete their page before anyone sees your post?"

Rita exhaled. "That's why I need you guys. If I post alone, they might ignore it. But if we all share it, more people will see it. Maybe even someone with real influence."

Deborah crossed her arms. "You're sure about this?"

Rita met her gaze, determination burning in her eyes. "Yes."

A beat of silence. Then, Pamela nodded. "Then we're with you."

Faith and Deborah exchanged glances before nodding as well.

"Let's do this."

The Post That Changed Everything

That night, Rita sat at her desk, phone in hand. She had typed and deleted her post at least five times.

Finally, she took a deep breath and wrote:

WARNING: SCAM ALERT 🚨

To all young women out there—please be careful of online pageants like Sunshine Pageantry. I was selected as a contestant and paid a registration fee, but then they kept asking for more money. After talking to a past contestant, I found out that no one ever wins. It's all a lie to steal your money.

If you've had a similar experience, please comment or share this post. Let's stop them before more people get hurt.

Her hands trembled as she hit POST.

Within minutes, comments started pouring in.

@AmaWrites: Omg, I almost applied! Thank you for sharing.

@NanaAkua: My cousin paid and never got anything back!

@JusticeForVictims: We need to report this account ASAP!

Rita's chest tightened. The truth was finally out.

The next morning, Rita's phone buzzed non-stop. Her post had been shared over 200 times overnight. More girls were coming forward with similar stories.

Then an unknown number called her.

She hesitated, then answered.

"Rita Mensah?" a deep male voice asked.

Rita's throat went dry. "Who's this?"

"You need to delete your post. Immediately."

Her heart pounded.