THE RUMOR

ELENA

My phone would not stop vibrating.

At first, I ignored it.

Half asleep, I buried my face deeper into my pillow and pulled the blanket over my head, hoping whoever was blowing up my phone would eventually give up, but they didn’t.

Buzz.

Buzz.

Buzz.

I groaned and reached for it blindly from my bedside table.

Seven missed calls.

Twelve messages.

Three notifications from the student forum.

My stomach tightened instantly. Something was definitely wrong.

I pushed myself upright quickly and opened the first message from Elizabeth.

LIZZY: WAKE UP RIGHT NOW.

LIZZY: Please tell me you’re alive.

LIZZY: Actually forget that. CHECK THE SCHOOL FORUM.

Cold uneasiness crawled into my chest.

I clicked the notification and froze.

A photo filled my screen.

Me and Adrian.

My breath caught painfully. The picture had been taken at the worst possible moment.

I was on top of him on the floor, one of his hands around my waist while my hair fell around both of us. The angle made us look far more intimate than we actually were.

Another picture followed, then another.

Different angles, different moments. Every single one looked terrible. My heartbeat turned uneven as I scrolled down.

BLACKTHORN CONFESSIONS: Guess the scholarship students have creative ways of surviving.

CAMPUS TEA: Knew she was suspicious.

ANONYMOUS USER: So this is how she got Professor Vale’s attention?

ANOTHER USER: Adrian Laurent finally dating someone? Didn’t expect it to be her.

I stopped reading immediately.

My hands were shaking.

“No,” I whispered.

This couldn’t be happening. What made everything worse?

Adrian Laurent hadn't said a single word.

My chest tightened so badly it hurt because this... this was exactly what my aunt always accused me of.

Girls like me don’t get opportunities, honestly.

Girls like me must have done something dirty to deserve them.

For years, I fought to prove people wrong. And somehow, with a few photos and a rumour, Blackthorn had turned me into exactly what they already believed I was.

A loud knock suddenly hit my bedroom door.

“You better not be skipping class again,” my aunt shouted from outside. “You already act useless enough.”

I quickly locked my phone and swallowed hard.

“Coming.”

My voice sounded weak even to me. I barely managed to get ready properly. The entire bus ride to campus felt unbearable. Every notification made my stomach twist harder.

By the time I reached Blackthorn, I already knew people were staring before I even stepped through the gates.

Whispers followed almost immediately.

“That’s her.”

“Oh my God, it’s actually true.”

“She really got with Adrian Laurent?”

I lowered my head and kept walking faster. Humiliation burned through me painfully.

I hated this, all of it.

The moment I entered the main building, my phone rang again.

Elizabeth.

I answered immediately.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“Near the east hallway.”

“Stay there.”

The call ended before I could answer.

A few seconds later, Elizabeth appeared around the corner looking genuinely furious.

“I’m going to kill someone,” she announced.

Despite everything, I almost laughed weakly.

“Good morning to you too.”

“This is not funny, Elena.”

“I know.”

Elizabeth grabbed my arm and pulled me toward a quieter hallway before lowering her voice.

“Okay. First of all, Chloe absolutely did.”

I leaned against the wall tiredly.

“I don’t even understand how this happened.”

Elizabeth stared at me.

“Seriously?”

“I mean—I know she set me up but…” I rubbed my forehead slowly. “Why would she go this far?”

Elizabeth looked at me like the answer was obvious.

“Because you threaten her.”

I frowned.

“She’s Chloe Whitmore. I’m literally nobody.”

“Elena,” Elizabeth said carefully, “you keep acting like people here only care about money.”

“They do.”

“They also care about attention. Rankings. Reputation. Status.” She crossed her arms. “And lately? You’ve been taking things that used to belong to Chloe. I just didn't expect her to get herself this dirty.”

That made uncomfortable sense.

I looked down at my phone again.

Then another notification appeared.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Your type always ruin schools like this

My stomach dropped as another message followed almost instantly.

Scholarship girls should remember their place.

More notifications.

More comments.

More humiliation.

Then my chest tightened suddenly.

“Wait.”

Elizabeth frowned. “What?”

“What if the university sees this?”

Her expression changed immediately. Neither of us spoke for a second because we both knew what that meant.

Scholarship students were held to impossible standards at Blackthorn.

One scandal could destroy everything.

As if the universe wanted to make things worse, a familiar voice suddenly cut through the hallway behind us.

“Well,” Chloe said softly, “this certainly escalated quickly.”

I turned sharply.

She stood there with two friends beside her, looking perfectly composed in a pale cream coat.

Like she hadn’t ruined my entire life overnight.

Elizabeth immediately stepped forward.

“You are genuinely insane.”

Chloe blinked innocently.

“I’m not the one rolling around with Adrian Laurent in abandoned buildings.”

My face burned instantly.

“It wasn’t like that,” I snapped.

“Mm.” Chloe tilted her head slightly. “The photos seem pretty convincing.”

I clenched my fists. She was actually enjoying this. Elizabeth looked seconds away from attacking her physically.

“You set her up.”

“That’s a serious accusation,” Chloe replied smoothly.

“You literally told her to go there.”

Chloe smiled faintly.

“I do hope you were at least careful,” she said. “ Blackthorn hates messy scandals.”

Before Elizabeth could respond, another voice interrupted.

“Miss Carter?”

We all turned.

One of the university administrative staff stood at the end of the hallway holding a folder. The moment I saw the expression on his face, my stomach dropped.

“There’s a disciplinary hearing scheduled for you this afternoon,” he said professionally. “Attendance is mandatory.”

Everything inside me went cold.

“What?”

“The board would like to discuss concerns regarding student conduct and scholarship eligibility.”

Scholarship eligibility.

The words hit like a slap. Elizabeth immediately spoke up.

“This is ridiculous.”

“I’m only delivering the message,” the man replied calmly.

Then he handed me the document.

My fingers felt numb as I took it.

12 PM. Administrative Boardroom.

Mandatory attendance.

Failure to comply may result in suspension.

My vision blurred slightly.

One night.

That was all it took, and now everything I fought for was slipping away.