The Graduation Photo Betrayal

I deliberately changed into the new shirt I had bought and carefully styled my hair before heading to school.But when I arrived at the track field under the blazing sun, I discovered that there wasn’t a single person there.I took out my phone and checked the notification again.[The day after tomorrow at 10 a.m., gather on the track field for the graduation photo.]I scrolled down.There was no notice about any change in time.Everything seemed correct, yet the field stood completely empty.I refused to believe it and thought they might have hidden somewhere else to escape the heat.Worried about wasting time, I hurried over to the gym.But inside, only a few younger students were playing basketball.The scorching sun burned against my skin, and sweat slid down my back, soaking the white shirt I had specially prepared for the graduation photo.The hairstyle I had so carefully arranged had collapsed, and a few strands of hair clung awkwardly to my forehead.Unable to endur

When I returned to my dorm, Corin was sitting on the edge of my bed, holding a box with flashy packaging.“Everett…”He stood up awkwardly. “I’m sorry. I really wanted to come find you, but something came up at the last minute…”I walked past him in silence and began packing the items on my desk.“This is a gift for you.” He pushed the box toward me. “All four of us in the dorm contributed…”I paused and stared at the box.“Did you really come looking for me yesterday?” I asked softly.Corin twisted his fingers together. “I… I did go, but you weren’t there…”“I was in the dorm all day yesterday.”I looked straight into his eyes. “From eight in the morning until ten at night. I even ordered lunch delivery.”His face flushed red. “Maybe… maybe I got the time wrong…”“Corin,” I interrupted him, “over four years of school, how many times did I save you a seat in the library? How many times did I cover for you?”His head sank lower and lower.“Last semester, when yo

I took a deep breath and pulled my phone from my bag.“During that sophomore year class dinner, Hayden collected fifty dollars per person, but the actual cost was less than thirty.”I brought up the photo of the restaurant bill I had saved. “I secretly took this when we paid.”Hayden’s face instantly went pale. “Th-That’s because…”“And last semester’s spring outing.”I continued. “He charged twenty dollars per person, but the student ticket for the park was only four.”I flipped through a few more photos. “Here’s the price list at the park entrance, and here’s the chat record showing the fees he collected.”The atmosphere in the studio tensed immediately. Whispered comments rose and fell like waves.“I remember that dinner!”A boy suddenly spoke. “*Hayden said the money wasn’t enough, so we had to pay an extra ten.”“And the spring outing, too.”Another girl added quietly, “He said it was for renting vehicles and buying insurance…”Hayden’s face shifted from red to w

The room fell silent, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.Soren’s lips trembled, but no words came out.I took a deep breath and pulled up a series of screenshots from my phone album.“This is from the sophomore welcome party—Hayden privately messaged me, saying the spots were full.“This is from the junior autumn outing—Soren notified me of the gathering time two hours later than the actual start.“This is from last year’s New Year’s dinner—they tagged everyone in the class group, except me…”With each screenshot I displayed, the surrounding murmurs grew louder.“This is too much, isn’t it?” a girl whispered.“No wonder Everett never joins activities…” another classmate said, finally understanding.I continued scrolling. “But before every activity, they always privately messaged me to pay.”Finally, I froze on a single screenshot of a transfer record—a twenty-dollar prepayment for a class activity, dated December of last year.“Over four years, I paid a total of 186

Hayden collapsed onto the ground, his brand-new shirt smeared with dust.When he scrambled up in a panic, he was pinned by Soren. “So you even tried to pocket the photographer’s money!” Soren’s sudden laugh was manic, his face twisted with triumph. “Everyone, look at our model class president!”The students around them stirred. A few of the boys surged forward, blocking Hayden as he tried to flee.“Listen to me! This money isn’t—”At that moment, Corin pushed through the crowd, holding a thick envelope high above his head.“Mr. Thorne!” His voice trembled with excitement. “Hayden asked me to keep the class funds—here’s all the cash, two thousand six hundred in total!”The room erupted again.Mr. Thorne took the envelope. Its weight made his frown deepen. “Hayden,” he began, his voice cold as ice, “explain why the class funds were stored in cash and in a student’s possession.”Hayden's pale lips quivered, but no words came out.Soren lunged at Corin. “You traitor! W