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Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me
Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me
Author: Warble Pop

Chapter 1

Author: Warble Pop
I was taking an afternoon break when I received a text from Rachel Klein.

[Emily, doesn't your family own a cherry orchard? We're having a reunion for our university classmates tomorrow, and I'd like to bring the whole group to your farm for a cherry buffet. We're all old friends, so we'll pay you $5 per person. It doesn't matter to us if we've overpaid you.]

$5.

I stared at the price for several seconds to make sure she was not joking.

It was peak season for fruit orchards. Cherries were selling for at least $4 per pound, and that had been last week's price. This year had brought less rain, and the cherries were much sweeter. That meant prices would only continue to rise.

Yet Rachel was trying to talk her way into an all-you-can-eat visit to the orchard for just $5 per person.

My fingers hovered over the screen. I typed a few words, then deleted them. In the end, I replied, [I won't be able to host the group. The orchard's management has been outsourced this year.]

I was not lying. I had outsourced the orchard's management that year.

Rachel stayed silent for several minutes, and I thought the matter had ended there. The next second, however, the university classmates' group chat exploded with messages.

[@everyone! We're going to Emily Scott's orchard to eat cherries for $5 per person! Anyone who wants to join can reply below!]

Rachel's message was like a stick of dynamite dropped into a lake. The group chat had been quiet for three years. Occasionally, someone would share photos of their children or post a motivational quote.

The moment Rachel mentioned the cherries, everyone came out of the woodwork.

[Is this true? All-you-can-eat cherries for only $5?]

[How did you manage to get that price, Rachel? You're amazing!]

[I'm signing up with my wife and kids!]

[Me too!]

[Count me in!]

My grip on my phone tightened as I read the messages. Rachel had not discussed this with me before using my name to invite everyone to the orchard.

My phone buzzed again. This time, it was a private message from Rachel.

[Everyone's excited about the invitation, Emily. We're all old friends, so you shouldn't disappoint everyone.]

I took a deep breath and replied in the group chat.

[I never agreed to this.]

After I sent the message, the chat fell silent for about 10 seconds.

Then the replies started again.

[I'm in.]

[So am I. I'm bringing my mom. She hasn't had good cherries before.]

[Don't be so petty, Emily. We're all old friends.]

[That's right. $5 is a lot for one person to eat cherries. Just look at the markets. Some places are selling cherries for only $3 per pound.]

I stared at the message and let out an angry laugh. The only cherries selling for $3 per pound were mostly rotten and intended for livestock feed.

Rachel appeared in the group chat again and played the sympathy card.

[Emily, we're all old classmates getting together for a reunion. If you think $5 is too low, how about $10? We can't pay more than that because some people in this group aren't doing well, and you should be more understanding of their situation.]

She made it sound as if I only cared about money, and her message immediately changed the mood of the chat.

[Sigh. I guess some people are too materialistic to think about old friends.]

[Don't you remember how calculating Emily was with money back in university?]

[Forget it. If she isn't willing to welcome us, we'll go ourselves. We can pool some money and rent a bus.]

Rachel quickly replied, [Don't say that. Emily might have her reasons for turning us down. Let's just visit the orchard ourselves. Let me get the address first, and we can head over tomorrow. How about sharing the address with us, Emily?]

They worked together seamlessly.

First, they tried to pressure me into agreeing through guilt and moral obligation. When that failed, they took a step back and asked for the orchard's address instead.

Once they had the address, they could show up at the front gate the next day. If I refused to open it, I would be labeled disrespectful toward my old classmates. If I opened it, I would be accepting the $5 fee.

Fine.

If they wanted the orchard's address, I would give it to them.

I wanted to see how they planned to get inside.

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  • Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me   Chapter 14

    When summer was coming to an end, I returned to my hometown. My mother's grave was on a hill behind the town overlooking the orchard.When she passed away, the orchard had not yet become successful. The trees had only been planted for 2 years. Their branches were thin and would bend whenever the wind blew.Now the orchard was filled with tall trees, their branches heavy with bright red, juicy cherries. She would have been happy to see it.I stood quietly in front of her grave. The wind carried the scent of soil and grass from the orchard below, mixed with the faint smell of burning straw nearby. I placed a basket of cherries in front of her headstone.My mother loved cherries when she was alive, but the orchard had only just begun back then, and we needed every dollar we could earn. The best cherries were always sold. She wanted the family to make more money, so she always picked the smallest ones for herself, even the cherries that birds had pecked at.Now that the orchard was do

  • Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me   Chapter 13

    I called Chase and told him about what happened. He laughed and said, "This is the best publicity. People will remember you because of this incident far better than they would from a company ad."After I hung up, I stood by the window and watched the traffic below. For some reason, I found myself thinking about my mother.The orchard had started doing well during the year she passed away. Her health had already begun to decline, but every time visitors came to the orchard, she would personally greet them with drinks and pick out the best fruit for them to taste.My mother had never liked arguing with people. Being taken advantage of never seemed to bother her because she always believed that other people might be going through difficult times. It was a belief I had always thought was right.That changed the day Rachel convinced everyone to sign up for the trip to the cherry orchard.Only then did I realize that my mother's belief worked only when the people around us were kind.I

  • Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me   Chapter 12

    That night, I received dozens of private messages.Some people accused me of being heartless. Some begged me to help them, while others tried negotiating payment plans for their share of the compensation.The longest message came from Simon.[We're all old classmates, Emily. Can't we settle this privately? Everyone's struggling right now. I'm willing to take responsibility for collecting the money from everyone.]I read his message several times but never replied.It was not because I was cold-hearted.It was because I had finally learned that some boundaries could not be crossed.If I gave in now, I would only be inviting the same disaster back into my life.The compensation payments arrived slowly over time. Some people paid immediately, while others delayed as long as possible.After that, the messages stopped.Nobody contacted me again.Despite the lawsuit, cherry-picking season continued as usual.Sid installed a massive sign at the entrance to Springbrook Cherries. Wr

  • Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me   Chapter 11

    Their argument grew louder and louder until Judge Florence Lance slammed her gavel against the bench."Silence!"The mediation room immediately quieted down.She turned her attention to Rachel."Were you the organiser of this trip?"Rachel bit her lip before nodding."Did you confirm an agreement with the orchard owner before organising it?"Rachel lowered her head."I... I thought Emily would do me the favour.""You thought?" Judge Lance's voice turned stern. "The law does not operate on assumptions."Rachel looked as if she were about to cry.Judge Lance shifted her gaze to the rest of the defendants."When all of you entered the orchard, were the gates open or closed?"No one answered.At that moment, Cecil stood from the public gallery."Your Honour, I locked the gates with a metal lock before they arrived. They smashed it open with a rock."He walked forward and placed the damaged lock on the table.The room fell silent again.The lock was badly deformed, covered

  • Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me   Chapter 10

    The first message came from Simon.[We're all old classmates, Emily. Can't you speak to your orchard contractor and ask him to recalculate the damages? Some of those trees looked like they were dying anyway. You can't really blame all of that on us, can you?]I replied:[You can request a reassessment through the court.]Simon never responded after that.The next message came from the classmate who had brought her mother to the orchard.[I know money isn't an issue for you, Emily. $120,000 might be nothing to you, but it's a huge amount for ordinary families like ours. My mother ended up in the hospital because of this. Can't you help us a little?]I replied:[Your mother's medical bills should be paid by the person who created this situation.]She immediately responded.[What do you mean?]I never answered.Over the next few days, the group chat turned into a battlefield.At first, everyone targeted Rachel.Then the attacks became personal.[You're a disaster, Rachel. I

  • Took Classmates to Court for Fleecing Me   Chapter 9

    "Angry words?" I laughed. "Were those the same angry words you broadcast to hundreds of viewers during your livestream?"Rachel fell silent."Let me remind you of something. When a defamation case gains significant views and shares, those numbers can help establish the extent of financial harm done to a person or business. How many people watched your livestream, Rachel?"Rachel's face turned even paler. Her lips trembled, and all the confidence she had displayed earlier vanished."Emily, please..." she pleaded. "Don't do this. I know I was wrong. I panicked because everything started falling apart. I'm already facing a lawsuit, and I can't afford to pay that kind of money. I just wanted you to put in a good word for me..."I looked at her calmly."This is your idea of asking for a favor? Showing up outside my office building and causing a scene?""I... I didn't know what else to do..."Tears began streaming down her face.This time, she was not pretending.She was genuinely

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