Chapter 4

I could hear the murmurs of the students around us. Cecily's hand holding the mug was veined and tense, but she didn't manage to get a single word out.

Finally, she shot me one last glare and bolted for the door. As she passed Sonia, her steps faltered for a moment, and then she practically ran in a panic.

I watched her retreating figure. The burn on my arm was still sharp, but my eyes were cold. If Cecily kept trying to ruin my chances, she wouldn't get away with it.

…

At lunch, while getting food in the cafeteria, I felt like someone was staring at me from behind. People were holding up their phones and filming me, their shaky lenses making me nervous.

Then, my phone buzzed with a trending Reddit post. The title was scalding to look at.

"Exposing the True Face of the Gold-Digging Poor Student at an Elite College"

The post claimed that I, a scholarship holder, was using the latest smartphone model, ignoring my studies, and only trying to curry favor with the rich kids in my class.

It even suggested that when I applied to this college, I hadn't consulted my parents at all and was likely scheming to change my life by relying on wealthy classmates.

I stared at the screen, my fingers trembling from the chill creeping through me. The line about my parents not knowing touched a sore spot.

Since running away from home, I hadn't dared make a single call. The post was clearly designed to pin the label of a disrespectful, selfish child onto me.

The comments below were even worse.

"Using financial aid to suck up to rich kids is new. What a shame for other low-income students! Isn't studying supposed to be their main task?"

"People like her should lose their special admission privileges. Her intentions aren't even in the right place. She's probably trying to get into some rich kid's bed and try her luck."

"She's even hiding it from her parents. What else could this be but some dirty business? The faculty should investigate this thoroughly."

"Say, do you think she would spend the night with me if I paid her two thousand bucks?"

"That's a little too much. A thousand dollars will do."

…

A shrill voice suddenly cut through the cafeteria. I looked up to see Cecily standing in front of me, arms crossed, her face full of unmasked glee. "Well, well, isn't this our Reddit-famous student?"

She deliberately held her phone up in front of my face, and the screen displayed that viral post. By then, the comment count had topped ten thousand.

"See this? Now the whole campus and even the people outside know exactly what kind of person you are."

She scraped her fingernail across the hateful comments, her tone painfully annoying. "Now, you've become the kind of person everyone hates. Don't you agree?"

I tightened my grip on my cutlery and stayed silent.

Seeing this, Cecily leaned closer and whispered sarcastically, "If I were you, I'd pack up and leave right now. Give it another couple of days—when this post reaches the faculty, you'll not only get expelled but might even lose your scholarship status.

"And when your parents find out what you've been up to here, I bet they wouldn't even let you through the front door."

Her words stabbed straight into my sorest spot. I looked up at her. The triumph in her eyes was overflowing, as if she could already see me expelled and spat on by everyone.

Cecily turned away arrogantly, knocking over my tray as she did. The hot beverage splashed onto my pants, spreading into a dark stain.

She didn't even look back. All she left me was a confident, victorious silhouette, as if the ending of this farce had long been determined in her hand.

I glanced at my soaked pants. My fingers slowly curled, yet a cold smile crept onto my lips.

This would be the last day she smiled. By tomorrow, she would understand just how terrifying public opinion could be when it pushed one to the edge.

The web she so carefully wove would only trap herself in the end.