I slammed the classroom door open—every head snapped in my direction.
All those eyes on me… it made my stomach twist.
I scanned the room until I spotted Mia. There she was, sitting near the window—but something was different. Her platinum blonde hair was shorter now, grazing her shoulders. Of course, she looked stunning. She always did. It was like she walked around with a halo, untouched and untouchable.
No matter how hard I tried, I could never quite become her.
She had everything—brains, beauty, and the kind of effortless charm people clung to. The kind you wanted to keep all to yourself.
And next to her, naturally, sat Ivan. Her boyfriend of four months.
The textbook manipulative playboy. Cocky, smug, and empty behind the eyes. Why Mia fell for a guy like him, I'd never understand.
Then again… who was I to judge? I was no different.
"Hey, Looney Tunes! This true?" he asked, flashing me that infuriating smirk as he held out his phone.
On the screen was a post from our school's anonymous gossip page—the infamous Stillwater Scoop.
The title read: "The Truth About Model Student A"
No name, but I didn't need one. The description was too specific.
It accused Student A of buying exam answers from teachers and hinted at evidence—"a photo we're choosing not to share... yet."
The comment section was chaos.
"Obviously fake. Why's everyone believing this garbage?"
"Rich kids always getting away with everything."
"Luna's finally exposed, lol."
So this was what the whispers were about.
I tilted my head, studying the post calmly. Interesting. Whoever wrote this had guts—but clearly no brains. They didn't realize they'd just walked into their own trap.
I covered my face briefly, pretending to be overwhelmed. The corner of my lips twitched. Not from panic—from amusement.
But I wiped it away, replacing it with a perfectly rehearsed expression of shock.
Just as I opened my mouth to respond to Ivan, Mia jumped in.
"Ivan, don't you know this is obviously fake?" she said loudly, her voice cutting through the classroom. "It's clearly just someone jealous, trying to stir up drama."
Like magic, the tide turned.
One by one, the same people who'd been whispering started crowding around me with concerned looks and soft voices.
"Are you okay, Luna?"
"Don't listen to them, it's all lies."
"You'd never do something like that…"
Ah, Mia. Always the hero. Always saying exactly what I knew you would.
Predictable. Sweet. Naïve.
She looked at me with wide, worried eyes. "Luna, are you alright?"
I nodded, then leaned in to hug her, pretending to tremble, my voice low and cracking just enough.
"I'm just… a little shocked. Who would do something like this?"
I buried my face in her shoulder, hiding the grin tugging at my lips.
Someone should really give me an Oscar.
As the crowd slowly began to disperse, satisfied with Mia's defense and my performance, I stole a quick glance across the room.
Ivan was still watching me.
His smirk was gone.
His eyes didn't hold amusement anymore—just a quiet, unsettling awareness.
Like he saw straight through me.
But it didn't matter.
Let him suspect. Let him stare.
The one who would always stand beside Mia…
would be me.
Forever.