I was the target of a vicious rumor started by a male classmate. He claimed he’d seen me, disheveled, emerging from Professor Thorne’s dorm. I asked Professor Thorne to help clear my name, but he just shrugged it off. “People will talk, Hazel. Let them say what they want.” “If you make such a big deal out of it, they’ll really think there’s something going on.” The next time the guy spread rumors, I didn’t deny it. I just owned it. “Yeah, you’re damn right! He totally slept with me!” “Hello, police? I’ve been drugged and assaulted by my professor, and I have witnesses right here!” Professor Alistair Thorne had only just finished his Master’s, barely a few years older than us. He was approachable, always down to hang out with students. Everyone called him Alistair, or just “Professor Alistair” casually. When I walked into the classroom, Derek Stone was holding forth, gesticulating wildly, spinning tales about me and Professor Alistair. “Seriously, Professor Alistair is a legend!” “Hazel usually plays the innocent act, but turns out she’s totally wild behind closed doors, into all sorts of kinky stuff!” The class erupted in whispers. “No way, really? Hazel seems so shy and introverted. She doesn’t look like that kind of person.” “Derek, where did you hear that? You shouldn’t just spread rumors!” Derek stood up, waving his arms, spitting as he spoke. “I saw it with my own two eyes, damn it!” “A few days ago, they were totally getting it on in the media lab, almost got caught. I was the one who distracted the security guard!” “And last night, Ryan and I went to the faculty dorms to find Alistair for something, and I saw Hazel coming out of Alistair’s room, blushing like crazy.” “Her shirt buttons were undone, her cheeks were flushed—” “Ryan, back me up here! I didn’t make up a single word!” Ryan Hayes was Derek’s roommate and our class president. He was a genuinely good guy, often getting breakfast for everyone in their dorm. If anyone in class needed help, he’d be the first to offer. His word usually carried a lot of weight. Hearing Derek, Ryan pushed up his glasses and shook his head. “I didn’t notice anything about her shirt buttons.” “But yes, we did see Hazel coming out of Alistair’s room last night, and her face was pretty red.” “Still, that doesn’t mean anything, Derek. You really shouldn’t spread rumors.” Ryan tried weakly to defend me, his voice quickly drowned out by the rising tide of gossip. “Holy crap, it’s actually true? I can’t believe it. Hazel, of all people!” “You’re blind then. I knew it all along. Her figure? How else do you think she got it? It’s from being all over men. And you guys actually bought into her innocent girl act!” A few guys loudly discussed it, pressing Derek for more details. Derek looked incredibly smug. “This isn’t free info, you know.” “Come on, let’s grab dinner at the street food place. Who’s paying?” They turned around, only to see my face, ashen with fury, standing at the classroom door. Everyone froze as if a remote control had hit the pause button, the chatter dying instantly.
All eyes were on me, like spotlights. I was trembling with rage, my chest burning like fire. Derek looked embarrassed, scratching his head and hooking an arm around a guy next to him. “Alright, let’s go eat!” “Hold it right there!” I stretched out my arm, blocking Derek. “What the hell were you just saying? Say it again, if you dare!” Derek jutted out his chin. “What’s your problem? You can do it, but others can’t talk about it?” “Do what? What did I do? Which eye of yours saw it? Professor Thorne and I clearly have nothing going on, so why are you spreading such disgusting lies?” I was so furious I could barely string a sentence together, demanding Derek show me proof. Derek shoved Ryan forward. “The witness is right here! What more proof do you need?” Ryan frantically waved his hands. “No, I’m not! I only saw Hazel come out. What they did inside the room, I have no idea.” Derek scoffed. “You saw how red her face was, though, didn’t you?” “And her neckline was so low—” He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sliding down from my face to my chest. He held up two fingers, bent at the knuckles, pointing to his own eyes. “My eyes are a ruler, I don’t make mistakes.” The guys burst into lewd laughter. Around me, there were leering, malicious stares and sickening whispers. It felt like hundreds of nails were piercing me. I was so angry I started to cry. “You’re making things up! Come on, you’re coming with me to see Professor Thorne right now!” I reached out to grab Derek’s arm. Derek deliberately pulled back, squirming. “Whoa, hey, don’t touch me like that.” “Alistair will get mad, and I’ll be in trouble.” The laughter grew louder. I wanted to pounce on him and beat him senseless. “You’re full of crap!” “There are school rules against professors and students being in a relationship! Spreading these rumors doesn’t just hurt me, it’ll drag Professor Alistair down too! If he gets fired, it’ll all be your fault!”
Everyone suddenly realized. “Oh, yeah, there’s a rule like that.” “Right, Professor Alistair wouldn’t do something like that, would he?” “Derek, seriously, stop talking nonsense. What if someone from another class hears and reports Professor Alistair?” Derek snorted, trying to justify himself. “I never said you guys were in a relationship! Just a bit of fun, that doesn’t violate school rules, does it?” “Fun my ass!” I couldn’t hold back my anger anymore. I looked around, grabbed a water bottle from a desk, and threw it hard at Derek. Derek yelped in pain, falling off the desk he’d been leaning against. He furiously pushed me back. “Are you insane?!” “I don’t have a ‘no hitting girls’ rule!” He clenched his fist, ready to hit me, but other guys quickly pulled him back. Seeing things escalate, people rushed off to get Professor Alistair. On the way, Professor Alistair had already heard the whole story from Ryan. He was also furious. “What’s all this nonsense?!” “Hazel came to see me yesterday about her scholarship, not your ridiculous fabrications!” Derek was scolded into submission, hanging his head. Professor Alistair told everyone to stop spreading rumors, warning that it would reflect poorly on the university. “I have a girlfriend, you’re all just kids. Don’t believe every whisper you hear and get me fired.” Professor Alistair brought Derek and me to his office. But as soon as the door closed, he frowned and glared at me. “What’s your beef with Derek?” “I know him. He wouldn’t do something like this without a reason.” I stared at him, stunned. “What do you mean, ‘without a reason’? He’s spreading lies about me! Is that my fault?” Professor Alistair crossed his arms, his expression stern. “Why would he single you out and not someone else?” “Sometimes, you need to reflect on your own actions.”
I knew Professor Alistair had always gotten along well with Derek and his friends. But I never expected him to be so unfair. Now, with just the three of us in the office, and no other students around, he was openly siding with Derek. Why was Derek spreading rumors about me? He’d pursued me before, and I’d rejected him. He’d bought me coffee a few times, but I never drank it. I explicitly texted him to stop. “I’m not interested in you at all.” He’d pretended to be magnanimous at the time. “It’s fine, if we can’t be a couple, we can still be friends, right? Just buying a classmate a coffee, no need to be so particular.” I hated to waste the coffees, so my roommates drank them. Later, seeing my firm attitude and realizing he couldn’t get anything from me, Derek completely lost it. First, he demanded I pay him back for the coffees. “Just because you say you didn’t drink them, means you didn’t? Do you have proof?” I couldn’t be bothered arguing, so I PayPal’d him twenty dollars. “Just leave me alone.” He accepted it instantly, then sent back a barrage of insults. “Who are you trying to impress? Like anyone’s desperate for you!” “With those big boobs, I bet you’ve been with countless men.” He spewed endless vile language. I blocked him and never spoke to him again. When we ran into each other in class, I just pretended not to know him. I never thought he’d start spreading such hateful rumors about me. Afraid I’d spill the truth, Derek had also slandered me to Professor Alistair, claiming I’d led him on, played him, wouldn’t be his girlfriend, but still spent his money. He was truly pissed off, he told Professor Alistair. “Professor, I know I was wrong. I just wanted to teach her a lesson, and I ended up dragging you into it.” “I’m sorry.” Professor Alistair patted his shoulder reassuringly. “It’s alright. Young people get heated sometimes, it’s normal.” “But you, Hazel!” Professor Alistair turned and glared at me. “A guy’s feelings are precious. If someone likes you, you should reject them gracefully even if you don’t accept them. Now look at the mess you’ve made. Are you happy?” “You have your own family, why do you need to spend other people’s money? Taking advantage of others like this is a character flaw. As for your scholarship—” “I didn’t!” I loudly protested, explaining there was no financial entanglement between Derek and me; he’d just bought me a few coffees. Before I could finish, Professor Alistair cut me off, his voice sharp and impatient. “Just a few coffees?” “You say that so casually. How much is your monthly allowance, then?” “Coffees nowadays are like five to ten bucks each. Do you think that’s a small amount?” Professor Alistair reprimanded me harshly. Finally, he waved his hand. “Alright, you both share the blame for this. Apologize to each other. You’re classmates, there’s no need to make it so awkward.”
Derek was the one spreading dirty rumors, yet I was the one who had to apologize? I couldn’t accept it, my emotions boiling over. I demanded fairness, threatening to go to the Dean’s office if Professor Alistair was so biased. Professor Alistair’s face darkened. “I guess you don’t want that scholarship anymore, do you?” “I’ve already submitted the list of candidates. Do you think blowing this up will do you any good? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, Hazel. The school isn’t just going to ignore your reputation and character when reviewing applicants.” “Go ahead and report it, go make a scene. Let’s see if the school leadership will believe your side of the story!” Professor Alistair’s threats immediately made me hesitate. He was a professor, well-liked by students, and everyone was willing to support him. With him siding with Derek, I was on my own. Even if I blew it up, the most I could get was an apology from Derek. But if I alienated Professor Alistair, I could forget about scholarships or any other opportunities in the future. Seeing my hesitant expression, Professor Alistair softened his tone, offering a few more conciliatory words. “Even if you don’t pursue this, I’ll still make Derek write a formal statement to prove my innocence!” “Once that’s submitted, the students will naturally know those were just rumors, and you’ll have achieved your goal. What’s left to complain about?” He winked at Derek. Derek shrugged, reluctantly mumbling an apology to me. “Alright, for Professor Thorne’s sake, I won’t make you apologize to me either. Is that satisfactory?” My heart still felt twisted, but I knew this was the best outcome I could hope for at the moment. Professor Alistair opened his laptop and drafted a written report. It stated that Derek and I had a minor personal disagreement, leading Derek to spread rumors about me, and that Professor Alistair and I had no inappropriate physical relationship whatsoever. The report was printed, and both Derek and I signed it. Professor Alistair nodded, satisfied. “With this, no one will talk about you anymore!” I also thought the matter was over. But I never imagined that this report would become Derek’s accomplice. He was spreading rumors behind my back, even more vigorously than before!
In Derek’s words, he’d already apologized, paid the price, and admitted his mistake to the school. So, what, was he supposed to write another report? He’d just sign it again; it didn’t matter to him. His words grew even more disgusting, spreading everywhere. This time, not just our class, but the entire university was buzzing with gossip. They said Professor Alistair and I had left “battle scars” all over the media lab, in the little grove on campus, by the lake pavilion. So many people were saying it that even my usually supportive roommates started to believe them. One day, my roommate, Chloe, looked troubled, saying she wasn’t sure if her name was on the scholarship list for this semester. Maya, another roommate, glanced at me and chuckled. “What’s the big deal? Just ask Professor Alistair, Hazel.” I was lying on my bed reading, and casually replied, “Why me? Chloe, go ask him yourself.” Maya retorted, “She’s not you, not that close to Professor Alistair. She definitely won’t get anything out of him.” “We’re good roommates, Hazel, just help her out, will you?” Her tone was full of sarcasm. I closed my phone, sat up straight, and stared at Maya’s face. “What do you mean by that?” Maya shrugged. “Whatever you think it means, that’s what it means.” “Just say what you mean!” Seeing my serious expression, Maya’s face hardened. She snorted. “Why are you yelling at me?” “You dare to do it but don’t dare to admit it? It’s not like you can be a slut and still expect a good reputation!” I hadn’t expected Maya to say something so vile. We weren’t incredibly close in the dorm, but we’d never fought before. We’d always been friendly, bringing each other breakfast or drinks. When Derek first started spreading rumors, everyone in the dorm had sided with me. Maya had even put her arm around my shoulder and called him a jerk, telling me to ignore him. It had only been a few days, and she was completely different. My eyes welled up with tears of anger. “You believe Derek’s lies too?” “We both signed Professor Thorne’s report, and Derek admitted he was—” “Oh, please!” Maya interrupted me dismissively. “Who knows if that report even exists? We’ve never seen it!” Chloe chimed in, “Yeah, if Derek really admitted his mistake, why is he still spreading rumors out there?” Seeing me glare at her with red eyes, Chloe flinched, hastily waving her hands. “Of course, Hazel, I’m not saying I don’t believe you.” “It’s just that Derek’s stories are getting more and more outrageous. All the students are saying—it’s what they’re saying, not my opinion—that since Derek made such a fuss and Professor Thorne didn’t deny it, you two are probably really involved.” It was then that I truly understood. This wasn’t over at all. Derek had been busy spreading so many new lies behind my back.
I was so angry I barely slept that night, only drifting off as dawn broke. Naturally, I was late for the first half of my morning lecture. I arrived at the classroom just as class broke for a short recess. Before I even stepped inside, I heard Derek’s sarcastic voice again. “Hazel’s not here? Why, that’s obvious! Too tired from last night’s ‘battle’, right?” “Haven’t you guys noticed Professor Alistair has lost weight recently? She’s clearly too much for him!” The guys roared with laughter. A few asked him what Professor Alistair said when he took me and Derek to his office. *Didn’t Hazel say you guys even wrote a report proving nothing happened between her and Alistair?* Derek just scoffed. “Professor Alistair is so good to us. We can’t let him lose his job, can we?” “What really happened? If you know, you know!” The chatter grew even more offensive. I stood outside the door, alternately cold and hot, my heart frozen, but blood rushing to my head. I stormed into the classroom, directly swung my arm, and slapped Derek hard across the face. Derek, whose butt was resting on a desk, was sent sprawling to the floor by the force of my slap. I shrieked, my voice hoarse. “You’re full of crap! You’re lying!” I was crying uncontrollably. The lecturer, who had just returned from the restroom, was startled to see such a commotion. He immediately stopped class and escorted me and Derek to Professor Alistair’s office. Crying, I accused Derek of not backing down, but instead continuing to spread rumors. The gossip was even more outrageous than before, so much so that even my roommates were now mocking me. Professor Alistair, however, seemed unconcerned. “People will talk, Hazel. How can you control what others say?” “We both know the truth in our hearts. That’s all that matters.” I froze, looking up in disbelief. “How can I not care? I’m a girl, and they’re saying—” “An innocent person doesn’t need to explain themselves!” Professor Alistair’s face showed his impatience. “Your roommates live with you. They should know your daily routine, whether you go out, whether you do anything wrong. If even they don’t believe you, it means you’re not doing enough to maintain your reputation, doesn’t it? What’s the big deal if people say a few things?” “Alright, we already dealt with this. Don’t bother me with these insignificant matters again!” “If you keep making a fuss, you’ll both get a disciplinary warning!” Derek loudly cried injustice. “Professor, it wasn’t me! She’s the one who’s making a scene!” “You watch your mouth too, Derek. Alright, alright, both of you out!” Professor Alistair even said that with so many rumors, he was a victim too, so why didn’t *he* care? It was just me, too narrow-minded and unable to let go, he suggested I focus more on my studies and less on trivial gossip. How could it be the same? Rumors like this always affect women more severely. Everyone behind my back was calling me a slut and a tramp, but when they talked about Professor Alistair, they praised him, calling him a legend, lucky. With that report, he could account for himself to the school administration, and this whole affair wouldn’t affect his career. Ultimately, I was the only victim. It was at this moment that I fully realized. To stop these rumors, I had to rely on myself.
I prepared a voice recorder. This time, when Derek, with all his embellishments, once again spread a dirty rumor about me. After recording him, I walked directly up to him and grabbed his arm. “You’re right!” “I definitely slept with Professor Alistair last night!” The entire class gasped. Everyone’s eyes widened, mouths agape, looking utterly astonished. “Holy crap, Hazel actually admitted it?” I nodded calmly. “Yes, I don’t think Derek would just say these things for no reason.” “Professor Alistair must have told him everything behind the scenes.” “Last night, I did go to Professor Alistair’s dorm to give him some documents.” “I remember I wasn’t there for long before I left, but Derek said I was there for a full two hours!” “That’s definitely suspicious. I suspect I was drugged and assaulted by Professor Alistair without my knowledge!” No sooner had I spoken than several uniformed police officers walked into the classroom. “Who called the police?” I immediately burst into tears. “Officer, it was me!” I gripped Derek’s arm tightly. “I have a witness! Last night, our professor drugged and assaulted me!” Derek’s eyes almost popped out of his head. “Holy hell, Hazel! What are you calling the cops for? Are you out of your mind?!” This time, before I could speak, one of the tall female officers sternly reprimanded Derek. “Rape is a serious felony offense. What do you mean ‘just a little thing’?” Derek froze, then stammered, “That’s not what I meant.” Crying, I explained what happened last night. I said I went to see the professor, we only exchanged a few words, I handed over one page of documents, and I didn’t even drink a glass of water. At most, it couldn’t have been more than ten minutes. But Derek insisted he saw me lingering in the professor’s room for two hours. When I came out, I was stumbling, my legs wide apart. “I must have been drugged by the professor, and he took advantage of me while I was unconscious! Luckily, Derek saw it! Officer, please help me get justice!” Derek quickly denied it. “I never said that!” I pointed to the other students. “He did! I have a voice recorder, and everyone in the classroom just heard him! All these people here are witnesses!”
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