Joshua didn't waste time.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked Nadia sharply, pulling her aside. "You don't pick my calls. You ignore my texts. Now it's my friend you're running after?"
Nadia laughed—not amused.
"Stephen doesn't even like you," Joshua continued bitterly. "He knows who you are. He's told Tiana. You think she'd ever accept you?"
Nadia's eyes hardened.
"I know Stephen knows me," she said calmly. "And that's exactly why I have the courage now."
Joshua frowned.
"I never liked you," she went on. "It was Stephen. From the beginning."
Joshua froze.
"All those letters I gave you to pass to him," she continued, her voice tight, "you said he didn't care. That he never collected them. Was that a lie?"
Joshua said nothing.
"I only said yes to you," Nadia added, bitterness cracking through her tone, "because I wanted to be close to Stephen. Foolish me. And you—you just wanted to sleep with me. Remember when you tried to force yourself on me?"
Her voice shook—but she didn't stop.
"Stop calling me. Stop texting me. I'm done with you."
She walked away.
Stephen stood near the restroom entrance.
He had heard enough.
Liked me?
Letters?
Joshua forcing himself on her?
What exactly did you do?
Joshua walked straight into him.
"How long have you been standing there?" Joshua asked stiffly.
"Long enough," Stephen replied calmly. "What happened to the letters? And why did you try to force her?"
Joshua scoffed. "So you heard a lot."
He walked away without another word.
Stephen stood still, his chest heavy.
Across the hall, Dare and Tiana stood close together, laughing at something funny that had happened.
No rush.
No tension.
Joshua saw it.
Stephen with Nadia.
Dare with Tiana.
Something finally snapped.
He turned and left the party.
Some exits don't need applause.