Chapter 3

The next day was the school anniversary celebration.

The moment I stepped onto campus grounds early in the morning, I felt all eyes on me.

Some of them were filled with pity, and some of them were filled with disdain.

Some guys even pulled the girls next to them behind them.

It was as though I hadn't just stolen the school belle's clothes, but that I was also a hooligan who would go around stealing other people's girlfriends.

Very soon, I found out the reason for their behavior.

Connor had posted a photo of a tank top on the school's social media page.

There were also photos of me leaving the Stewarts' home early in the morning, getting into a car with Wanda's jacket draped over my arm, and entering her bedroom in the middle of the night.

He had thoughtfully arranged them all into a collage, which came accompanied by a caption that read: [From feeding her breakfast to barging into her bedroom in the middle of the night, how far can this crazy suitor go?]

There were plenty of geniuses in the comments.

Someone suggested that Wanda check for hidden cameras in her bedroom.

Someone suspected that I had been secretly collecting strands of her hair.

Someone even said that I might be crafting a life-sized figure.

I was in awe of their imagination.

Yet, why didn't their average score in the essay match up to their wonderfully rich imagination?

The photos were all real.

However, the first photo was of me leaving my own house.

In the second photo, Wanda had complained that she was feeling warm before taking her jacket off and throwing it to me.

In the third photo, my mom had asked me to go to Wanda's room to wake her.

Wanda had 17 alarms set that day.

None of them woke her up.

As for that tank top, the photo had been taken while I was bringing in the laundry on the balcony.

Wanda had thrown her white tank top and red socks into the washing machine, and her tank top had turned as pink as Barbie's clothes.

I had posted the photo with a caption that read: [Ms. Stewart cannot take care of herself. I suggest a factory reset.]

Connor had cut off the words and all the other clothes on the balcony, leaving just me and the tank top in his cropped photo.

It would be a great loss for the media industry if he didn't end up being a content creator.

I went looking for Amy in the staffroom to try to ask for the post to be deleted.

She was busy sorting out the program for today's event.

She spoke without even looking up, "I'll deal with it after the school anniversary celebration."

"The post has spread across the entire campus."

"Connor is hosting the event tonight and is also attending the award ceremony for outstanding students. Questioning him about such things will only affect his mental state."

I read the insults posted on the school's social media account.

His mental state was important while my reputation was gossip fodder.

I reached out and attempted to grab my confiscated phone, but Amy slammed the drawer shut.

"It's not time for you to get it back yet. Gerald, others wouldn't misunderstand the situation if you keep your distance from your female classmates."

I was stunned by her statement.

It appeared that my greatest mistake was not keeping a safe distance of two meters from my biological sister when we were both born.

When I left the staff room, Connor was waiting for me at the door.

He had a bunch of flyers in hand with my photo on them.

It was accompanied by a caption in an alarming red font.

[Stop campus stalking. Please stop stalking and harassing female students.]

"Many parents will be attending today's school anniversary celebration."

He stuffed the flyers in my arms and announced, "Give these out yourself. Take it as an apology to Wanda."

I threw the flyers back at him.

"No way."

Connor didn't get mad.

Instead, he said, "Then don't attend the anniversary celebration."

He shot Horace a look.

They then grabbed me by the arms and dragged me backstage.

Connor opened the door to a room filled with old stage curtains and props.

"Stay here until the event ends. I don't want you going onstage and making a fool of yourself."

They pushed me into the room and slammed the door shut, and I heard the sound of a lock being turned.

I pounced at the door and banged it hard.

"Connor Graham! You're restricting my personal freedom!"

Horace sneered.

"Quit trying to scare us with big words. We'll release you once the event is over."

I wanted to continue yelling, but my nose started to itch.

A thick layer of dust covered everything in the room.

I had been allergic to dust since I was young.

My eyes started reddening within ten minutes in the room, and I started to feel short of breath.

I banged the door hard with my fists.

"Open up! My allergies are acting up!"

There were two seconds of silence before Connor drawled lazily, "Quit acting. Wanda isn't back yet. There isn't anyone around to watch the show you're putting on."

Their footsteps faded into the distance.

Music started to play in the hall.

The host announced excitedly that the school team was done with the match and was on their way back to school.

I leaned against the door and slid down to the ground.

Fine.

If they continued to keep me locked in here, the first thing Wanda would have to do upon returning to school wouldn't be to attend the celebration.

She would have to go to the hospital for her one and only biological brother.