Chapter 1 At the company dinner, our newly appointed CEO stepped in and took a drink meant for me. My coworkers were stunned. “You know Mr. Vance?” “Back in high school, Mr. Vance was my roommate’s boyfriend.” Sitting at the head of the table, Julian Vance silently cast a glance my way. Halfway through the night, I drew a “Truth” card in our drinking game. “Question: Do you remember the very first thing your crush ever said to you?” “If you don’t answer, you have to drink this entire row of shots.” In my peripheral vision, I could feel Julian watching me. I couldn’t help but think back to my senior year of high school. In my third year of secretly being in love with him, he finally spoke to me for the very first time. “Hello. Regarding your plagiarism of my girlfriend’s work to win that award—I expect you to voluntarily forfeit your placement and issue a public apology to her.” Thinking of this, I looked at the table and asked: “So, I just need to down all ten of these?” 01 My coworker’s eyes went wide. “No way, Chloe.” “Are you still not over that guy? You’d rather down a whole row of shots than even mention him?” Hearing this, Julian lifted his gaze toward us. I gave a small, embarrassed smile. “It’s not that I’m not over him.” “It’s just that I forgot.” The female coworker sitting next to me let out a sound of disbelief. “How could you forget so quickly?” “At Caleb’s birthday party a while back, you got drunk and talked all about it.” “You said your life was a tragedy. You had a crush on him for three years in high school, but the very first time he spoke to you, it was to stand up for his girlfriend against you.” The hand Julian was using to swirl his glass suddenly stopped. Everyone at the table turned to look at me, their faces a mix of shock and gossip. Compared to high school, my pride was no longer so fragile that I needed to save face at all costs. I picked up the second shot glass, keeping my tone light: “Yeah, well, what he said wasn’t very nice. It would be a bit awkward to repeat it now, so it’s better to just skip it.” My coworker realized her mistake and quietly muttered an apology. The others stopped pressing the issue, laughing it off and changing the subject. Since it was just a game to liven up the mood, they let me off the hook after three shots. Even so, when the dinner ended, my head was spinning. The alcohol hit me as I was leaving the private room, and I stumbled slightly. A hand caught my arm from behind. It was Caleb, a guy from my department. “Are you okay?” I shook my head. “I’m fine, thanks.” “Can you make it home alone? Why don’t I give you a ride?” Before I could answer. “Hey, why are you two blocking the door?” someone called out. “Mr. Vance can’t get out.” I took a few steps forward, clearing the doorway. Julian turned sideways and walked past me. “Thank you.” His faint breath brushed the top of my head. I tilted my head slightly. “Don’t mention it, Mr. Vance.” 02 A few of the guys in our department were completely passed out. Caleb looked at me apologetically. “Hayes just shoved three drunk guys into my car. It’s totally packed.” “I don’t think I can take you home anymore…” I smiled. “It’s fine. I can just grab an Uber.” “You go take care of them. See you tomorrow.” Two other female coworkers were waiting by the entrance with me, trying to hail a ride. One of them looked at her phone and gasped in pleasant surprise: “Hayes just texted the group! He said Mr. Vance can give us a ride!” “He’s pulling out of the parking garage now. We can cancel our Ubers.” “Who knew the cold, unapproachable handsome boss was actually such a gentleman?” I hesitated. “I think I’ll still just get my own ride.” “Oh, come on, Chloe! Don’t be stupid—it’s a luxury car!” “Besides, you and Mr. Vance went to high school together. Don’t be such a stranger.” I said softly, “We weren’t exactly close back then, either.” “Get in.” Julian’s voice came from behind me. His tone was completely flat. I was practically half-dragged into the backseat by the girls. Julian dropped me off last. When we arrived at my apartment complex, the tension in my shoulders finally relaxed. “Thank you, Mr. Vance. Have a good night.” Click. The car doors locked. I looked up. In the rearview mirror, my eyes met his. They were as dark and deep as a bottomless pool. “Chloe Bennett. It’s been so long.” “Do you really have nothing to say to me?” I didn’t know what he wanted to hear, so I stayed polite: “It’s been a while, Julian.” “Thank you for covering for me at dinner tonight. You’re very kind to your old classmates.” He gave a faint, almost imperceptible smile. He rolled down his window and pulled out a cigarette. “Do you mind?” I said it was fine. It just reminded me of high school. Julian used to hang around a crowd of rebellious, club-hopping kids who constantly smoked. But he had never touched the stuff himself. Six years later, he carried a trace of coldness and heavy gloom. “Six years ago, why did you transfer schools without any warning?” “I called you countless times. You never answered a single one.” I was a bit surprised. I didn’t know he had tried to contact me for so long. I thought about it, then told the truth in a half-joking tone: “I was afraid you were looking for me to demand that I apologize to Natalie, forfeit my scholarship, and give the award to her.” “Honestly, looking back, apologizing wouldn’t have been a big deal. I really didn’t need to fight you guys so hard on it.” “But I couldn’t return the prize money anyway… because I had already spent it.” By the end of my sentence, I felt a little embarrassed. The man in the driver’s seat remained silent. After a long while, just as I was getting increasingly uncomfortable, he finally spoke: “Natalie and I broke up before graduation.” “And I wasn’t looking for you to demand an apology.” His cigarette was burning down to the filter. He stubbed it out in the car’s ashtray. “Chloe, the truth about the plagiarism incident came out.” “The day after you transferred, Natalie admitted that she was the one who copied you.” Hearing that my name was cleared of an old injustice… I didn’t really feel much. The emotional ripple was maybe slightly bigger than finding out my favorite bagel shop had relocated. I gave a slow nod. “That’s good, then.” Other than that, there was really nothing left to say. 03 I stepped out of Julian’s car. I stopped by the grocery store to pick up some ingredients, planning to make myself some hangover soup when I got home. But the moment I walked through my front door… It felt as if a soaking wet, heavy blanket had been thrown over my shoulders. It dragged me down, draining every ounce of energy from my body. The suffocating grievances I had buried six years ago suddenly surged up, hitting me on a brutal delay. I curled up on the sofa, wrapping a blanket tightly around my head and body. I closed my eyes and told myself: You should be happy, Chloe. 04 I can’t clearly remember when it all started. I only remember the most humiliating day of my life. Natalie cornered me again, trying to force me to admit that I had plagiarized her work to win the creative writing scholarship. It was noon, right after the bell rang. I didn’t want to deal with her, so I tried to walk around her. Right outside our classroom was the staircase. Natalie chased after me, grabbing my arm and arguing. I tried to shake her off. In the scuffle, we both tumbled down the stairs. It wasn’t a steep flight, but it hurt enough that I couldn’t get up for a long time. Someone ran to the AP Physics class and got Julian. He glanced at me, then walked straight past me and knelt beside Natalie. “Are you okay?” “Did you hit your head?” Liam, our Student Council President, heard the commotion and ran out. “What are you guys doing?” “Did it really have to go this far?” Natalie glared at me. “If Chloe hadn’t stolen my work, I wouldn’t have made a scene.” Liam frowned. “Honestly, I don’t believe she’s the type to plagiarize.” “There has to be a misunderstanding here.” “I suggest you two sit down and actually talk.” “There’s no misunderstanding!” A suddenly shrill voice rang out from the crowd. It was Natalie’s best friend, Maya. The three of us shared a dorm room at our boarding school. She had always hated me, so it was no surprise she was taking Natalie’s side. But I didn’t know if it was just my imagination… Maya looked panicked, her eyes darting everywhere. “Chloe definitely copied Natalie.” “Because… because she’s always been in love with Natalie’s boyfriend, Julian!” “She wrote it in her diary! She’s had a crush on him for three years.” “She copied Natalie because she was jealous and wanted to ruin things for her.” She emphasized: “There is absolutely, positively no misunderstanding!” It was passing period, so a huge crowd of students had gathered on the stairs to watch. Hearing Maya’s words, a wave of whispers and gasps erupted from the crowd. The stares fixed on me felt like needles piercing my skin. I clenched my fists, terrified to look up at Julian, who was mere feet away. A look of sheer disgust washed over Natalie’s face. “So you were scheming after my boyfriend this whole time.” “What else do you have to say for yourself now?” I pushed against the floor and slowly stood up, my uniform covered in dust. “I told you, I didn’t copy you.” “If you have an issue, take it up with the scholarship committee.” Julian had paused briefly when Maya shouted out my secret. Aside from that, he had no reaction. He looked down at Natalie and asked quietly, “Can you stand?” Natalie pouted, her eyes tearing up. “No, I think I sprained my ankle…” He didn’t say another word. He just picked her up in his arms and carried her toward the nurse’s office. Someone in the crowd jeered. “Hey, Julian! A girl likes you and you’re not even gonna say anything?” Julian walked past me without even a sideways glance, his voice icy flat. “What is there to say?” “If you think being liked by someone like her is a good thing, then I hope your next girlfriend is exactly like her.” 05 My knees were badly scraped up. Liam helped me to an urgent care clinic off-campus to get bandaged up. “I believe you didn’t plagiarize.” “But Natalie didn’t look like she was lying either.” “There’s got to be a mix-up. I’ll help you look into it.” I froze for a couple of seconds. “Thank you…” More than uncovering the truth, I just wanted this whole nightmare to end so I could get my life back. But Natalie was far more extreme than I thought. On Saturday, I was working my shift at an off-campus diner. She brought a whole group of people to harass me. In their booth, Julian sat right next to her. He didn’t look like he knew what she was planning beforehand. He turned his head, giving Natalie a silent, questioning look. Natalie looped her arm through his. “Just watch the show.” Nate, Natalie’s cousin. He was the most notorious delinquent at our school. He pointed at a plate of food, smiling maliciously. “Excuse me, waitress, this dish looks pretty unhygienic.” As he spoke, another guy stood up and blocked the booth’s exit. I looked carefully at the plate Nate was pointing at. “It looks fine to me.” Nate reached out, plucked a strand of hair from my shoulder, and dropped it right into the food in front of everyone. “Well, there’s a problem now, isn’t there?” I scanned the room, suppressing my rising panic. “What do you want?” “I want you to give me a kiss.” He tapped his lips. Julian’s gaze flicked over to me, unreadable. They had numbers on their side. If I fought back, it would end worse for me than I could imagine. I forced myself to sound compliant. “I can have the kitchen remake this for you.” Nate smirked. “I’m full now.” “If you don’t agree, I’ll just come to this diner every single weekend to see you.” The air went dead silent. Nate waited patiently for my choice. Like he was absolutely certain I would cave. After a long time, I walked over to the guy blocking the door and said: “Move.” Nate called out from behind me, “If you walk out that door, I’m telling your manager you dropped your hair in my food.” “Maybe he forgives you once or twice, but what if I keep coming back?” I turned to look at him. “I’m going to tell my manager I quit.” My eyes shifted to Natalie, sitting right behind him. “Are you satisfied now?” 06 I quit my diner job. I didn’t want to go back to the dorm early and see Natalie and Maya. I wandered around town for hours, only returning to school after dark. Right outside my dorm building, I ran into Julian. He had probably just walked Natalie back. I lowered my eyes and tried to walk past him. “Chloe.” He called out, stopping me. “So, even after what happened today, you still refuse to admit it?” I stared hard at him. “I didn’t plagiarize.” “And I certainly didn’t copy Natalie just to get your attention, like Maya claimed.” Julian looked away. “I never said you did.” I brushed past him. Julian’s voice carried over again. “Nate’s crew has their eyes on you now.” “They’re not people you want to mess with.” “If you’re going to stay stubborn about this, I suggest you prepare yourself for what they’re going to do.” 07 Just as Julian warned, Nate began targeting me. They would stomp in puddles as my bus drove by, splashing me with dirty water. They threw basketballs directly at my ankles in the gym. Things like this became a daily occurrence. But they were incredibly calculated. They kept the harassment just below the threshold of something I could report. If I went to a teacher, I’d just look dramatic. During lunch break, I hid near the campus lake to call my grandma. The second I heard her voice, I started crying. “Nana, can I come home this weekend?” “I miss you. I’m really unhappy here.” My grandmother stayed silent for a moment. “The bus ticket costs sixty dollars, Chloe. You should save that money for food.” “It’s normal to have disagreements with classmates. You need to learn how to handle it yourself.” “Besides, I’m going to your Aunt Sarah’s house on Saturday…” I instantly stopped talking. The lump in my throat hardened. I couldn’t cry anymore. Nana was going to Aunt Sarah’s to see my male cousin. I knew she favored boys. It was the reason my other aunt ran away from home and cut contact for twenty years. But after my dad died and my mom abandoned me when I was three, Nana was the only one who didn’t throw me away. No matter how broke we were, she fought to keep me in school. I could never, ever be angry at her. I hung up the phone, wiped my tears, and heard a rustling sound from the benches nearby. I walked over to check, but no one was there. A few minutes later, two guys walked by, scanning the area. “Where’s Julian?” “Didn’t he say he was waiting for us here?” “Let’s check the courtyard.” I didn’t think much of it. Once I calmed down, I went back to class. 08 Natalie said the mere sight of me made her sick. So she moved out of the dorm and rented an apartment off-campus. After she left, Maya came to apologize to me. “Reading your diary and exposing your crush on Julian was wrong.” “But what I’m about to say is for your own good.” “Just take the fall for the plagiarism.” I finally looked up at her. She had heavy dark circles under her eyes. It looked like she hadn’t slept in days. “Natalie is extreme.” “Since she’s decided you copied her, she will torture you until you admit it.” “She might even blow this up to the school board. You won’t be able to handle the consequences.” Maya was acting incredibly weird. Normally, given how much she hated me, she’d be adding fuel to the fire, egging Natalie on to do worse things to me. She would never be this kind. “I didn’t do it. Why should I confess to it?” Maya looked frantic. She opened her mouth to say something, but the dorm door swung open. It was Natalie. “What are you two talking about?” “Come on, Maya. I’m taking you to lunch.” Maya swallowed whatever she was about to say and hurried out after her. 09 It was my turn to clean the classroom on Wednesday. I left the academic building later than everyone else. As I walked out, I bumped into Julian, Natalie, and one of Julian’s friends. They were walking ahead of me and didn’t notice me. Natalie shook Julian’s arm. “You don’t understand, Julian. Now, whenever Chloe even reads a book in front of me, it feels like a provocation.” Julian’s friend shot her a deeply complicated look. “Don’t you think you’re being a little… much?” Natalie ignored him, a sudden idea lighting up her face. “Julian! I heard your family’s corporate lawyer is amazing.” “Can you have him draft a cease-and-desist letter for me? I want to sue Chloe for plagiarism.” “I mean… I won’t actually sue her. I just want to scare her.” “Better yet, let’s mail a copy to her grandmother! That should force her to admit it.” My breath hitched. I almost sprinted forward to scream at her. Julian looked down, his expression unreadable. After a moment, he said quietly, “Mr. Hayes is out of town on a business trip.” “And don’t go finding a lawyer on your own. Without concrete proof, no lawyer will take the case.” Julian reassuringly squeezed Natalie’s fingers. “I’ll talk to Chloe again.” Natalie sounded a bit disappointed. “Okay, I’ll listen to you…” After she walked away, Julian’s friend finally spoke: “Didn’t I just see Mr. Hayes at your house yesterday dropping off documents for your dad?” “When did he leave town? Today?” After a long pause, Julian gave a noncommittal, “Yeah.” 10 I remembered Julian saying he was going to talk to me. So every time I saw him at school, my nerves completely locked up. But he just looked away like I was a stranger. He showed absolutely no intention of speaking to me. I breathed a sigh of relief. After school, Nate came to our classroom to wait for Natalie. He reached out and deliberately shoved every single book off my desk. Then, just like always, he grinned and offered a fake apology. “Oops. My bad. Slipped.” Julian had also come to pick up Natalie. He saw the whole thing. I squatted down to pick up my books, used to it by now. But Liam couldn’t stand it. “You knocked someone’s books over and you can’t even help pick them up?” Nate stepped up to him, getting in his face. “Say that again. I dare you.” Julian stood leaning lazily against the doorframe, his arms crossed. He spoke in a cold, flat tone. “Nate.” “You really want to start a fight in someone else’s classroom?” Kids from wealthy, powerful families always carried more weight at school. As arrogant as Nate was, he still had to give Julian face. He smirked, taking a few steps back. Natalie chimed in, “Let it go. He’s the class president, anyway.” After they left, Liam helped me pack up my bag. “From now on, whenever you have cleaning duty, I’ll wait for you and walk you back to your dorm.” “If they actually lay a hand on you, come tell me. We’ll go to the police and blow this wide open. I refuse to believe there’s no way to stop them.” I looked at him and thanked him sincerely. He was the only person who, from the very beginning, firmly believed I hadn’t plagiarized. During a time when I had grown so numb I couldn’t even feel sad anymore, Liam was like a breath of fresh air, brushing the heavy ash off my shoulders. He gave me a tiny sliver of space to breathe. 11 I found a new part-time job at a bakery a bit further from campus. I knew Liam liked cookies. Sunday night, after I made a batch, I specifically asked my manager to bake them for me on Monday. During Monday lunch break, I went to the bakery to pick up the tin of cookies. On my way back, cutting across the athletic field, I saw Nate and two of his friends messing around, throwing water balloons at each other. The thin plastic would burst on impact, soaking whoever it hit. Nate saw me. Before I could dodge, he threw a water balloon right at my arm. It was summer, and the school uniform blouses were thin. Once wet, the fabric clung to my skin, turning completely transparent over my arm. Nate sighed in exaggerated disappointment. “Missed. If I aimed a little higher, we could’ve seen what color bra you’re wearing today.” The guy next to him laughed. “No worries, let me try!” Another water balloon slammed into me. “Damn! Still missed.” I couldn’t take it anymore. I set the cookie tin down on the grass. I ran to the landscaping hose nearby, turned the spigot on full blast, and sprayed them directly in their faces. “You like playing with water?” “Let me help you.” “Holy shit! Are you psychotic?” “Stop spraying! I can’t fucking see!” Seeing them look like drowned rats, I dropped the hose, grabbed the cookie tin, and ran for my life. Nate and his friends chased after me. “You dead bitch! You better run faster!” “If I catch you, I’m going to kill you.” The academic building was still far away. I knew I couldn’t outrun them before they caught me. I sprinted as fast as I could. Just as I rounded a corner, a hand reached out, grabbed me, and yanked me into a dark room. It was Julian. Out of reflex, I took a defensive step back. He let out a short scoff, seeing right through me. “Did you think I was with them?” Outside, Nate’s voice echoed in the hallway. “Where did she go?” “She can’t run that fast. Keep looking.” I exhaled sharply. “Thank you.” Julian did a quick sweep of my drenched clothes. “Wait here for a bit.” “If you don’t go out, they won’t find you.” This was the school’s security/AV room. You couldn’t get in without a key. Nate would never suspect I was hiding in here. A minute later, Julian came back and tossed a jacket into my arms. “I borrowed it from a girl in my class.” “Remember to return it tomorrow.” With that, he pulled out a chair in front of the monitor screens and sat down. When I was hosing down Nate and his friends, I had gotten completely soaked myself. I didn’t reject the jacket. Just as I was about to thank him again… My stomach growled violently. I hadn’t had time to eat lunch because I went to get the cookies. Julian turned his head, glancing at the cookie tin. “If you’re hungry, why aren’t you eating those?” “These are for Liam.” He unscrewed a bottle of water and took a sip. “You guys are pretty close.” I lowered my eyes. “He’s the one person who believes I didn’t cheat.” Julian silently curled his lip in a smirk. He left the room again. When he returned, he placed a sandwich and a carton of milk on the desk next to me. I refused. “It’s fine. I was just about to leave.” “Suit yourself.” Julian casually warned, “I just checked the hall. They’re still hanging around outside.” Lunch break wasn’t over for another thirty minutes. They would probably leave soon. I still didn’t touch the sandwich or the milk. A while later, my stomach growled again. I pressed a hand against my aching stomach. Julian didn’t turn around, but he laughed. “Ungrateful.” When the warning bell for the first afternoon class rang, I thanked Julian and left. He didn’t respond. 12 On Saturday, I asked my bakery manager for the weekend off so I could go home. Nana had been admitted to the hospital. The doctor said she had a malignant tumor in her head. It needed to be surgically removed. The surgery would cost around $20,000. My Uncle Mark had the money, but he refused to pay. “Chloe, your grandma is in her seventies…” “To put it bluntly, she doesn’t have many years left anyway.” “Twenty grand! That’s your cousin’s college fund.” I stared at him, my face completely blank. He looked down, avoiding my gaze, but held his ground. Compared to this, Natalie’s bullying felt completely insignificant. On Monday afternoon, during the last period before the bell, our AP Literature teacher used my scholarship-winning essay as an example on the projector. Natalie loudly interrupted her. “If you insist on using a plagiarized essay as an example for this class, then I’m sorry, Mrs. Davis, but I can’t sit here and listen.” The teacher remained completely calm. “Then you are welcome to leave.” “I have read both essays. The outlines and core themes are about 60% identical.” “But I questioned Chloe. She could explain her entire thought process, the inspiration, and the structural choices flawlessly. You, on the other hand, couldn’t even articulate the basic thematic foundation of the piece.” “I have no idea how you can sit there and confidently claim she copied you.” For a split second, Natalie actually looked panicked. She turned to look at Maya. But Maya just kept her head buried in her desk, her body completely rigid, terrified to make eye contact. Humiliated in front of the entire class, Natalie stormed out of the room. After school, as I walked out of the building. Not too far away, Natalie was leaning against Julian’s chest, crying. “She is so disgusting! It was clearly my essay, and the teacher still took her side!” “I can’t take this anymore!” “She’s driving me insane. I have to make her pay!” Julian gently stroked the back of her head. “Don’t cry. I’ll figure something out.” As he spoke, he looked up, and his eyes locked onto mine. I turned and walked toward the dorms. Just as I was about to reach the building, Julian caught up to me. “We need to talk.” “There is nothing to talk about. I’ve said it a million times. I didn’t cheat, and I won’t confess to something I didn’t do.” He grabbed my wrist. “Why don’t you just name your price?” I stared at him in disbelief and tried to shove his hand away. “Stop assuming everyone is as obsessed with money as you are.” “Let me go.” Julian tightened his grip, his lips pressed in a thin line, and pulled me closer. “If you were actually that morally superior, you wouldn’t have plagiarized in the first place, would you?” “Why is it impossible that Natalie copied me? What gives you the right to be so sure?” “Throwing the blame back is pathetic.” Julian said, “I know her. If she had actually stolen your work, she wouldn’t be this genuinely upset.” I finally broke down and cried, screaming at him: “But I didn’t do it either!” Julian’s grip on my wrist loosened slightly. The boy pressed his lips together, his voice dropping low. “Arguing about this is pointless.” “Let’s talk about something practical.” “How much more money do you need for your grandmother’s surgery?” My crying abruptly stopped. I looked up. Julian was standing against the sunlight, the backlight blurring his silhouette into something entirely surreal. For a second, I felt like this entire world was an illusion. But the reality was, I had been framed. And my tragedy was real. 13 It was long past dismissal time. The school courtyard was completely empty except for the two of us. Julian said he could cover my grandmother’s surgery costs. I sat across from him, nodding in dull comprehension. “Consider it a loan.” “Besides confessing to the plagiarism, is there anything else I need to do?” Twenty thousand dollars wasn’t a small amount. In the face of saving my grandmother’s life, my pride and dignity were completely worthless. “You don’t need to pay it back.” Julian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. After a long pause, he said quietly: “Given Natalie’s personality, she’ll probably make you apologize in front of the whole school.” My expression didn’t change. I nodded to show I understood. It didn’t matter. Even if I had to get on my knees in front of everyone, I would do it. Not long ago, I was just fighting back against Julian for trying to buy me off. Half an hour later, I was easily accepting his money. I simply hadn’t realized how large the sum would be. Julian said: “I’ll also warn Nate. I’ll make sure he stops bothering you.” “No need.” “Liam already went to the dean. They got suspended.” Julian scoffed, a trace of mockery bleeding into his tone. “You really trust him, don’t you?” “People might start thinking he’s the one you have a crush on.” “Do you really think a suspension is going to keep guys like that in line for more than a few days?” He dropped a cold, clinical evaluation: “You’re being naive.” I had zero energy for small talk. “Tomorrow, I’ll publicly confess to plagiarism and apologize to Natalie. After that, we’re done, right?” He kept his eyes downcast and let out a soft “Yeah.” His voice sounded incredibly hoarse. “Okay. I’m going now.” 14 I suppose it was the single stroke of luck in my otherwise miserable life. In the end, I never confessed to the plagiarism. Early the next morning, right before homeroom, I got a call from the hospital. They said someone was transferring my grandmother to another facility. When I rushed over, I saw a sharp-looking woman in a tailored blazer. She was filling out the transfer paperwork. When I saw the name she signed on the forms, my suspicions were confirmed. She was Nana’s youngest daughter—the one who hadn’t come home in twenty years. I walked up and looked up at her. “Aunt Sarah.” She paused, looking down at me. “Are you willing to transfer schools and move to Seattle with me?” “She’ll need someone to look after her post-surgery, and I’m too busy. I might not always be around.” In my pocket, my phone buzzed rapidly with several text notifications. I opened it. The class group chat was exploding. [Holy shit, what are all those reporters doing at the front gate?] [Natalie brought them. She posted online last night saying Chloe plagiarized her to win the scholarship and implied the committee was covering for Chloe. She tagged the local news and the school board… the post went viral. The reporters are here to interview Natalie.] [Oh shit, why did I send this in the class chat?] The message was quickly deleted. I also received a text from an unknown number. “Where are you?” It was almost certainly Julian. I blocked his number, left all my group chats, and deleted my social media accounts. I looked up at my aunt and smiled. “I’m willing to transfer.”
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