The Link To Light, (Published).

part 9

Did you do it? Mandy asked Ryan after telling him the report she got from Ifes.

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.