Masuk
It was the first time I'd met Natalie's parents.They didn't look disheveled. They were dressed neatly, but their faces were lined with exhaustion."The defendant, Natalie Brooks, may now give her statement."Natalie stood up in a daze. She'd been in custody for a week by then."I did nothing wrong! She's the one who's wrong!"I stared at Natalie, speechless as she continued to blame me. I couldn't believe she was still so confident.The lawyer her parents had hired had backed down. The evidence against her was overwhelming, and all he could do was try to get her a lighter sentence.But Natalie refused to show any remorse. Even now, she insisted that the victim was at fault, which was damning in the judge's eyes."Natalie Brooks, this court sentences you to three years in prison."As the prison guards led Natalie away, she kept shouting insults at me, though her words were barely understandable.With every insult, her parents' backs bent a little lower."We're... truly sorry."Natalie'
By the next day, news of the disciplinary decisions was all over campus.Natalie was expelled. Crystal was placed on disciplinary probation.The forum switched overnight to requiring verified university logins. Every user who had piled on was identified and given a one-on-one warning by a department advisor. Those who had posted the worst comments received the same punishment as Crystal.The defamatory post was deleted, and the administration pinned a clarification post to the top of the forum. It was the first thing anyone saw when they logged on.I'd uploaded every piece of evidence and left it at that. Not a single word of explanation was needed.I thought Natalie would disappear from my life after the expulsion. Then I stumbled across her TikTok account.Natalie sat in front of the camera, eyes red, voice cracking."I was bullied by a rich kid with connections. Her family has money, and she can't handle anyone questioning her. The school took her side, and I got expelled, just like
"I..."Michael had been watching from the side. He cut her off. "Enough! With this much evidence staring you in the face, you're still going to deny it?"I will contact your advisor and the department head now to discuss your expulsion!"Natalie had spent all this time scheming to get me expelled, and now karma had caught up with her.Cornered, Natalie's face twisted with rage."Why should I be expelled? This isn't my fault!"Michael flushed, his voice rising."You started a slander campaign. Whose fault is it if not yours?"Natalie glared at me, the resentment she'd been hiding finally out in the open."If she didn't need a part-time job, why did she act like she wanted one too? Why does she get to lie around the dorm while the rest of us work?"I laughed coldly."Natalie, I went along with you because we were dorm mates. I have every right to lie in my own bed. How is that any of your business? You need to learn to mind your own business."Did your family send you to college to keep
"First, let's address the claim that I bullied Natalie and drove her out of our dorm."I projected the original complaint letter onto the screen."This is the letter that was submitted to the academic advisor's office. I'd already explained everything to Mr. Davis at the time, and by comparing the handwriting on the scholarship applications, I found this."I placed Natalie's scholarship application next to the complaint letter. The identical handwriting was unmistakable."Clearly, Natalie wrote this complaint letter herself."Natalie opened her mouth to explain, but I didn't give her the chance. I typed a few words and the social media post Natalie had made was displayed on the projector."Natalie, this is obviously your personal account. You were already spreading lies about me back then."Another image appeared on screen: screenshots of messages Natalie had sent to my dorm mates after moving out.[Natalie789: Aren't you going to move out too?][Natalie789: What if she catches somethi
Crystal's face had turned ashen.She was a work-study student too. Her mother was her only family, and paying her tuition was already a huge burden. That was why Crystal worked part-time while taking classes, which was how she met Natalie.If she got expelled over this, her mother would be devastated.The realization hit Crystal all at once, and she screamed, "No! It wasn't me!"Natalie grabbed Crystal's hand, but Crystal was too panicked to care. She tore free of Natalie's grip."I didn't post it! I didn't make up any of that!""You just admitted it yourself. What proof do you have?"Crystal scratched nervously at her left hand, her voice shaking."Y-you need a computer to post on the forum! I don't have a computer!"Natalie stepped forward and grabbed Crystal's arm tightly."Didn't you use my computer to post it?"Crystal shoved Natalie off hard, her face flushed with agitation."Stop pinning this on me! You posted it yourself!"Natalie's eyes darted around the room in fear. She blin
Natalie stood there, unable to form a single word. If she admitted it was her, then she'd been lying to everyone's faces this entire time, and nothing she'd said before would hold any weight.Her eyes darted to Crystal. Only the two of them shared that dorm room. If she wanted to distance herself, her only option was to pin it on Crystal."Crystal, I know you were just standing up for me. Thank you for posting that for me."I narrowed my eyes and watched Natalie shift the blame onto Crystal.Crystal blinked, then puffed up her chest and stepped forward."That's right, it was me! I was protecting Natalie!"I scoffed and pulled up photos from my phone onto the projector screen.They were copies of my birth certificate and my parents' driver's licenses, with all sensitive information redacted. I kept them on my phone for situations exactly like this.I enlarged the license photo of my father, Richard Harper, and placed it beside the picture of me getting out of the luxury car."Can you te







