TRENTS POVI took a deep breath as I stepped out of Mr. Matthews' car, my heart pounding like a drum in my chest. The moment my feet hit the pavement, it was like someone had flipped a switch.Suddenly, I was surrounded by a sea of reporters, their cameras flashing so brightly I could barely see straight. It felt like being caught in the middle of a lightning storm."Trent! Over here!" "Can you comment on the video?" "What's your relationship with your father now?"Their voices all blended together into a deafening roar. I tried to push through, keeping my head down and my mouth shut. No way was I giving them anything to twist into tomorrow's headlines.Just when I thought things couldn't get any more intense, I heard the unmistakable sound of tires screeching to a halt. My stomach dropped as I recognized my father's black car pulling up. I hadn't been home since that video hit the internet. The thought of facing my dad after everything that had come out... it made me want to turn
TRENT'S POV "Thank you all for coming," I began, speaking slowly and clearly into the microphone. My voice echoed through the room, sounding far more confident than I felt. Go me! "I know there have been a lot of rumors flying around recently about me and my family. Well, today I'm here to set the record straight."I paused briefly, steeling myself for what came next. Come on, Trent. You can do this."It's true," I continued, the words feeling heavy on my tongue. "I was the one who leaked the medical records of my former teammate and friend, Jacksonville, a few months ago."The room erupted into chaos. Cameras flashed rapidly that made my head spin. Reporters began shouting questions over each other with their voices blending."I know that this was a breach of Jackson's privacy," I pressed on, raising my voice to be heard over the commotion. "And I'm deeply remorseful for my actions. However, I had my reasons, which I feel I must explain."The voices gradually died down,I could feel
As Ella walked down the hallway, the now-familiar weight of dozens of stares pressed upon her. She kept her eyes focused straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the whispers and pointed fingers that followed in her wake. Suddenly, a crumpled ball of paper sailed through the air, bouncing off her shoulder before clattering to the floor.Ella's fingers twitched at her sides, a fleeting urge to retaliate flashing through her mind. But she quashed it quickly, knowing that any reaction would only fuel the fire of gossip surrounding her. Instead, she continued walking as she formed an indifferent face.Out of nowhere, Amelia and Susan materialized at her side like guardian angels. Amelia's eyes flashed with anger as she scooped up the discarded paper. Without hesitation, she marched up to the culprit, a lanky girl with a shock of red hair."Hey, genius," Amelia growled. "If you're going to write nasty things, at least learn to spell 'heartbreaker' correctly. It's not 'hart braker,' you mo
Susan and Amelia entered the cafeteria, trays laden with food. Their eyes immediately landed on Ella, sitting alone at their usual table. For a moment, they hesitated, a flicker of guilt passing over their faces. But they steeled themselves and looked away, heading towards Lucinda's table instead.Ella watched in disbelief as her friends passed by their table. Her fork clattered against her plate as she dropped it, mouth agape. What had she done to upset them this time? She wracked her brain, trying to recall any recent missteps.To Ella's surprise, Susan and Amelia made their way to the popular girls' table. Lucinda sat surrounded by her usual posse, including Valerie and Brittany. As Susan and Amelia approached, Lucinda's eyebrows shot up in surprise."Well, well, well," Lucinda drawled, twirling a strand of hair around her finger. "What do we have here? Did you two get lost on your way to Loser Town?"The other girls at the table erupted into laughter. Valerie nearly choked on he
Amelia and Susan huddled together in Amelia's bedroom, their eyes glued to the phone screen as they watched their plan unfold. Lucinda had taken the bait very easily."Look at her go," Susan whispered, her eyes wide with disbelief. "She's like a tornado tearing through our fake account."Amelia nodded, a mischievous glint in her eye. "I can't believe how well this is working."Lucinda's activity on the fake BTS fan account was nothing short of frenzied. She liked every single post with lightning speed, her comments appearing seconds after each new photo or video was uploaded. Her messages flooded the inbox, each one more desperate than the last, all proclaiming her undying devotion to the K-pop group.They had asked her once to post pictures of her room to prove her dedication. Within minutes, Lucinda had responded with a flurry of photos. Her room was a shrine to BTS, every inch covered in posters, albums, and merchandise. She had even rearranged her furniture to spell out "BTS" w
ELLA'S POV I watched in shocked silence as the video played on the screen. My jaw dropped, mirroring the stunned expressions of the other students around me. Their eyes darted between the Lucinda on the screen and the real one sitting just a few tables away. So this explains everything - why Lucinda had Trent wrapped around her finger, and even Damien's involvement. It all made sense now, like puzzle pieces finally clicking into place.As the video ended, a hush fell over the cafeteria. You could've heard a pin drop in those few seconds of stunned silence. Then, like a dam breaking, voices erupted all around me."Oh my god, did you hear that?" a girl with bright blue hair gasped, nearly knocking over her lunch tray as she turned to her friend."I can't believe Lucinda would do something like that," another boy whispered, his eyes wide as saucers."So she's been the real bitch all along," someone else chimed in, their voice dripping with disgust.My heart squeezed as I heard a quiet
TRENT'S POVI lingered outside the car, my hand resting on the cool metal of the door handle. The familiar sight of our homd loomed before me, a place I hadn't set foot in since... well, since everything went to hell. My heart thrummed in my chest as I took a deep breath, steeling myself for what was to come.This wasn't a homecoming; it was just another step in our plan to bring Dad down.With trembling fingers, I fished my phone out of my pocket and dialed Mr. Matthews' number. The line crackled to life after two rings."Is it time to call?" I glanced at my watch, noting the time. "No, not yet. In the next ten minutes, you can call.""Alright," he paused, and I could almost see him furrowing his brow. "Be careful, Trent."I ended the call and squared my shoulders, taking those first tentative steps towards the front door. Each footfall felt heavier than the last, like I was wading through quicksand. Before I could even reach for the doorknob, it swung open.Olivia stood there, he
TRENTS POVI tiptoed to the window, peeking out from behind the curtain.There's no sign of my dad's car or his security men's cars, but I could have sworn I saw them following me. Where could they have gone?I let the curtain fall back into place and spun around, my eyes landing on Nurse Veronica. She was fiddling with Tom's IV, her brow furrowed in concentration."We need to start the livestream now," I said, trying to keep the urgency out of my voice. She nodded, as she bustled about, checking Tom's vitals one last time.Earlier that day, Mr. Matthews and I had carefully installed cameras throughout the room. We'd tested and re-tested the connection, making sure everything was perfect for this moment. Mr. Matthew had gone to the police station to fetch police officers, in case things went awry, leaving us to face this alone. I swallowed hard, pushing down the nervousness bubbling up inside me.I approached Tom's bed, my hand gently squeezing his shoulder. "We need to start now, ok