The safety of being invisible Part 3(The set up)

Adaugo, the open-hearted young girl who already found solace in Amanda, became best friends with her within a short time. Adaugo told her about her inability to speak up in large crowd or rooms filled with people, the gaze, the stillness, all made her mind go blank. "Most lawyers do not have so much confidence but they still get their job done. It's a step by step approach and before you know it, you become better, Ada." Amanda would always say. They studied together and went outings together. They became very close but what Adaugo didn’t see was the envy that lived quietly beneath Amanda’s calmness. Amanda hated to see Adaugo recognized and praised over her performance in most tests but she would never show it.Amanda became the devil's advocate but played an angel in the presence of Adaugo who trusted her to the core.An opportunity came for Amanda to unleash her potentials of wickedness during a compulsory law presentation—individual arguments on a constitutional issue everyone had been taught.Amanda volunteered to help Adaugo prepare.They revised together late one evening. Amanda warned Adaugo not to rehearse too much. "You will sound mechanical. she said gently." She advised her to conserve her voice. "Tomorrow matters more." Adaugo couldn't agree more. Sometimes over preparation spoils the show.Before they parted that night, Amanda pressed a small bottle into Adaugo’s hand.“Herbal drops,” she said. "My aunt advises me to use them whenever I have a presentation like this. They help with stage fright. Just a few drops before bed would do." Meanwhile, these drop was meant to dry out Adaugo's throat and cause unsettling stomach issues and nausea. She put her hand into her bag and brought out another one."This is for me. You can take it in the morning but it's better to take it this night to make it more effective I mean before tomorrow."They hugged and Amanda held Adaugo's hands. Assuring her it would turn out well that she's rooting for her."You've got this" Amanda said.Back in her hostel, the bottle sat on Adaugo's desk while she changed and reviewed her notes one last time. When she picked it up again, something about it unsettled her. The smell was quite sharp beneath the herbs. She hesitated. She decided to take it later in the morning. Later never came.By morning, the bottle was still untouched, sitting and admiring the beautiful room while Adaugo rushed out of nervousness to rehearse and prepare for her presentation.The lecture hall felt unforgiving. Open. Bright. Amanda sat near the front, calm as ever. Watching with a mischievous smile on her face.When Adaugo’s name was called, her heart surged. She began shakily. There were side talks and murmuring from students. Adaugo stared from eyes to eyes maybe searching for validation and acceptance but nobody was ready for that as they all stared back in anticipation.Amanda leaned forward slightly.Adaugo looked towards Amanda's direction and Amanda made the impression of: "what are you looking at, focus, nothing to see here."Her heart sank. She breathed in and out and tried all the tricks chat gpt has told her would help with anxiety but it seemed her brain couldn't process all these and make her body stop overreacting.Anyways...Adaugo started. She approached the issue carefully, grounded her argument in precedent, and answered questions with deliberate pauses that felt thoughtful rather than weak. Her voice steadied—not because the fear left, but because knowledge held her upright.The room changed.Amanda watched from the back, at first relaxed, almost amused. But somewhere between Adaugo’s second point and her citation of case law, that ease cracked. Her brows drew together. Her smile froze, then fell away entirely. She leaned forward slightly, as if the room had shifted and she needed to steady herself.This was not the faltering girl she had prepared for. This was not the voice she expected to hear.Adaugo’s words came out measured, confident, almost effortless. She moved through her arguments with clarity, anticipating counterpoints, grounding her claims in firmness Amanda’s face turned red, she was enraged. She stood up from her seat wearing a fake smile as she went outside the room. "Could it be she didn't take the herbal drop? But she trusts me so much or did she find out my motive?" Amanda thought aloud as her heart pounded. She paced around in anger wondering what could have gone wrong.By the time Adaugo concluded, applause followed. Even students that awaited her downfall initially were all cheering. The lecturers shook hands with Adaugo for such a wonderful presentation.Adaugo sat down stunned, her hands trembling—not from failure, but from survival. She looked towards Amanda's direction, Amanda wasn't there. What could have gone wrong?

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