But who cared if I lost followers? And not just because I hit the fifteen thousand new ones I’d been so desperate for. Yes, technically I’d won the challenge—but I wasn’t going to post my winner’s post till I was ready.

I needed to word it just right.

And I knew just what to say after Dove had finally replied to my question, just before I’d hit fifteen thousand.

Sorry babes? No idea? You just keep doing you boo. I’m sure they’ll quit—unless you’re telling me you want to drop out? (there’s no shame in second place) xoxo

That’s when I’d realized exactly what was going on. Clara’s message had made me put it all together. Reminding me what happened with my old account.

Everything made so much sense.

The last-minute invite from Dove to the competition. But how every day since I’d said yes, she’d only seemed to make things harder. What I’d seen in London. That both her and @thingsthepeakgirlsdo followed an account I recognized. More than one.

That’s what Clara had made me think about—how I’d beaten @SpillMoreTea. Or as I knew it now—one of Dove’s old accounts. Dove Moore. It was actually @SpillMooreTea. The same account she mentioned in her house—the one about British stuff she loved. How had I not realized sooner?! And that day on her stairs, when I’d told her @NoWayNoelle was me, she must have decided it was payback time. Just what she’d been saying on the phone when Holly overheard her. Dove must have only asked me to compete so she could see me lose and shut my account. But when I’d done better than she thought, that’s when she’d stepped things up on her other account: @tooblessed2bstressedxx. The xoxo on her message had been the final piece of the puzzle.

I didn’t know what I was. Flattered she’d go to all that effort? Pissed I’d gone so far along with it without realizing? I couldn’t figure it out. But what I did know was that I wasn’t scared—this time my account wasn’t going anywhere. I had things to say, and someone like Dove wasn’t going to stop me. I’d messaged her to ask to meet when I was back.

And in the meantime, my winner’s post was going to say thanks to all my followers for the support—but no thanks to joining @thingsthepeakgirlsdo. Instead, I was going to use it to tell my followers that if they weren’t here to help support each other rather than tear each other down, then they could click unfollow. And that from now on, my account was getting a whole lot more real. Who cared if I was left with three people? They’d be three pretty damn good people.