Chapter 5

I barely made it through the remaining exams. My mind was a fog of pain and disbelief. Yet, when the results were posted, my name was at the top. First place. The coveted Stanford early admission scholarship was mine, pending a final review period. One more hurdle, and my future, a future without Damian, could begin.

The review period was nearly over when the anonymous report landed. "Bullying." "Poor sportsmanship." "Unfit for a prestigious institution." The Stanford admissions team arrived at our school, launching an investigation. They interviewed students, teachers, administrators. I noticed, with a flicker of relief, that Gigi Wall and her immediate circle weren't on the interview list. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as I thought.

Later that afternoon, after the final bell, my homeroom teacher called me into her office. I walked in, a nervous flutter in my stomach, expecting to discuss the final steps of my admission.

"Elena," Ms. Evans began, her voice soft, her eyes filled with a pity I couldn't quite decipher. "I'm so sorry, dear. Your early admission to Stanford... it's been revoked."

My mind went blank. The world tilted. My blood ran cold, then roared in my ears. "Revoked?" I whispered, my voice a barely audible croak. "There must be a mistake."

I replayed the past weeks in my mind. Had I offended someone else? Had there been another incident I wasn't aware of? A terrifying thought clawed its way to the surface. No. It couldn't be him. He wouldn't.

Ms. Evans' next words were like shards of ice. "The admissions committee found the accusations credible. And... well, Damian Cameron spoke with them. He corroborated some of the claims. He said... he said he was trying to protect you, but that your behavior had become a 'concern.'"

My world crumbled. It was him. The one person I had refused to believe would ever truly betray me. The coldness that had settled in my heart solidified into a block of ice. I numbly walked out of the office, the school hallways now feeling like a tomb. I couldn't even cry. There were no tears left.

He was waiting for me outside the school, leaning against the brick wall, a look of faux concern on his face. He pushed off the wall as I approached, his gaze unwavering.

"Was it you?" I asked, my voice flat, devoid of any emotion. "Did you tell them I was a bully? Did you ruin my scholarship?"

He flinched, his jaw tightening. "Elena, it's not like that. Gigi... she really needed this. Her family is going through a tough time, and this scholarship was her only way out. You're smart. You'll get into another great school. I can even help you apply to a different one." He took a step closer, his voice laced with a desperate urgency. "I promise I'll make it up to you, Elena. Anything you want."

I let out a bitter, humorless laugh. "Anything I want?" My voice echoed hollowly in the empty courtyard.

The irony was almost unbearable. Gigi, despite all his efforts, didn't get the scholarship either. The admissions committee, sensing something was off, had suspended the early admission program for our school that year. His grand plan had failed, spectacularly, in every way.

Later that week, Damian burst into my house, his face contorted with rage. "What did you do, Elena?" he demanded, his voice thick with accusation. "Gigi is devastated! She says you've been spreading rumors about her, trying to ruin her reputation!"

My parents, alarmed by his outburst, hovered in the background.

"She says you told everyone she cheated on the exam!" he continued, ignoring my stunned silence. "That's libel, Elena! You could be in serious trouble!"

"I told the truth," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

"The truth?" he scoffed, his eyes blazing. "You're just jealous, aren't you? You always were. You can't stand to see anyone else get ahead. You're so twisted, so manipulative. You're disgusting, Elena! A fat, ugly, conniving bitch!"

His words, spat with such venom, felt like physical blows. He wasn't just angry; he was trying to destroy me.

"Either you apologize to Gigi right now," he snarled, stepping closer, his face inches from mine, "or we're done. For good. You choose."

I looked at him, truly looked at him, and for the first time, I saw nothing left to salvage. I stayed silent.

The next morning, dozens of handwritten letters, my most intimate thoughts and desperate declarations of love for Damian, were plastered all over the school bulletin board. Each one was a piece of my soul, torn out and exposed for public ridicule. My fervent hopes, my secret crushes, all laid bare for everyone to mock. My heart, which I thought had nothing left to give, bled anew. I became the school's ultimate joke.