The world outside my dorm room was blurry. I didn't know where I was running, only that I had to get away from the accusing stares, the digital headlines, the shattering reality. I could feel people's stares and I could see them point in my direction and I could most surely hear them laugh and snicker.My legs burned, my lungs ached, but the physical pain was a dull throb compared to the agonizing ache in my chest. Nico's face, pale and betrayed, was seared into my mind. Rita's furious scream, "Everyone knows!" I couldn't get those words out of my head.I was scared and lost. More than anything I was sure about the only place that there was for me to go, one person who might understand, who had to help me make sense of this catastrophe. Tristan. I needed Tristan.I stumbled to the nearest street corner, my phone still clutched in my sweaty hand. My fingers, still trembling, somehow managed to open a ride-sharing app. I typed in Tristan's address, the familiar numbers appearing alm
I stood in the middle of Nico's room. It was silent; so much so that I wished for a second that he would scream at me. Anything was better than this. He sat on the edge of his bed, facing away from me, his shoulders rigid. His earlier outburst, the raw pain in his eyes when he’d seen... that, had subsided but now it left behind a cold, impenetrable wall. My stomach was a tight knot of dread and guilt. I understood that he had every right to be mad at me but I was not used to this Nico. He was cold and distant and I feared, unforgiving."Nico, please," I started, my voice hoarse, desperate. I reached out, my hand hovering, but I didn't dare touch him. "Just... let me explain. It's not what it looks like. Not entirely."He finally turned, his eyes flat, devoid of the warmth I cherished. "Not what it looks like?" His voice was low, dangerously calm. "Alex, I saw you. I saw both of you in his office. Your professor? Our professor? Did you think of what would have happened if that shi
The fluorescent lights of the university library cast a sterile glow over our study group. Equations for advanced calculus sprawled across whiteboards, and the low murmur of whispered explanations filled the air. My current focus was on a particularly stubborn differential equation, my pen scratching furiously against the page. Around me, Sarah, Mark, and Ben, my colleagues were all similarly engrossed, a quiet symphony of frustrated sighs and occasional breakthroughs.Then, a ripple.Sarah’s phone, propped against a stack of textbooks, buzzed. Her eyes, previously glued to a textbook, flicked down. A moment later, they shot up, wide and disbelieving, straight to me. I caught the glance but didn't think too much of it. For all I knew, she was looking at me for help that I couldn't offer. I kept my eyes glued to my textbook.Mark’s phone chimed next, and he too looked down, then up, a slow frown spreading across his face as his gaze landed on my bewildered expression. ''Yo, what th
I hummed a lovely tune as I pulled up to Keke Jones's apartment building. Unlike the majority of us, Keke had chosen to stay off campus for reasons best known to her.Keke's apartment was one of those aggressively modern, glass-fronted structures that screamed "new money," just like Keke herself.But I was not here because I wanted to admire her living quarters. I was here for something that would benefit us both. Her blog, "Heldon Hearsay," was the campus equivalent of a tabloid, famous for its lightning-fast gossip and utter lack of discretion. Perfect for what I needed it for.I was practically buzzing with a mix of anticipation and malicious glee. This was it. The moment I got to press the big, red button. After Caleb's call, I'd spent the afternoon savoring the photos, imagining Tristan’s smug face crumbling, Alex’s arrogant smirk vanishing. Now, it was time to make it a reality.I wondered what Julius was going to think of his oh-so-perfect Alex now. Bet he would regret leaving
"Lou, darling, be a gem and fetch me another mimosa, would you?" I waved a dismissive hand in the general direction of the patio doors, not bothering to look up from my phone. Lou, bless his simple heart, mumbled an "of course, babe. I got you''And dutifully shuffled off. He was good for that, always agreeable, always at my beck and call. Frankly, that's all I really needed him for. He wasn't exactly intellectually stimulating and he was no Julius but on the bright side, at least he was handsome and utterly devoted to me.As he should be of course and for now that was enough.I was lounging by the pool at my family's summer house. One of them at least. After I had that argument with my sister I needed to cool off.I lay down in a five thousand dollar blue bikini, soaking up the sun, my latest designer sunglasses perched on my nose. My phone, however, was demanding more attention than the rays. I was idly scrolling through some fashion blogs, mentally cataloging new pieces to acqui
The drive home from Heldon was a blur of smug satisfaction. Sophia Burgundy. What a delightful little viper. She was exactly the kind of entitled, self-serving rich kid I needed: easily manipulated, driven by petty grievances, and with enough social clout on campus to make some real noise. The more she spoke the more I wanted to kiss her from pure joy. Here I thought getting to Tristan and Alex would be a lot harder. Sophia, God bless her heart pratically handed me her animosity toward Tristan and Alex on a silver platter. All I had to do was nudge her in the right direction and she gladly followed with no questions asked.Back in the quiet solitude of my apartment, I poured myself a generous measure of expensive whiskey. The amber liquid swirled in the glass, while I smiled at the utter chaos that I was about to unleash. This was it. The moment I’d been meticulously planning, obsessing over, for months. The first domino was about to fall.I almost felt bad for Tristan. He was