Chapter 2

"So you're saying it's true?" My voice rang out, sharp and loud. "I was assaulted, and I don't even remember it? That means I was drugged. If you saw it happen, then you're coming with me to the police station to report it. I'm filing charges."

My words drew a crowd almost instantly. People stopped in their tracks, and phones appeared in hand as they began messaging others. Within two minutes, we were surrounded, packed tightly by a wall of curious faces.

Harvey looked panicked, his confidence evaporating under the pressure. "Yvette, I misspoke, okay? None of it's true! You didn't sleep with every guy on campus—I was just being an idiot."

He fumbled for his phone and hurriedly deleted the comments in front of me.

"See? They're gone. You're better than this—just let it go, okay?"

Rose chimed in, trying to smooth things over. "Yeah, Yvette, Harvey didn't mean any harm. He probably confused your picture with someone else's. Just let it go—it's not a big deal."

Confused my picture with someone else's?

A photo, sure, maybe. But my name?

My name was in the comments, repeated over and over. He couldn't have mixed it up. The two of them were clearly working together, trying to brush this under the rug like it was nothing.

I narrowed my eyes and held up my phone, scrolling to another comment. "Fine, so you're saying the part about me sleeping with every guy on campus isn't true. But what about this? You said you saw me hooking up in broad daylight. Where was that, exactly? On campus grounds?"

Harvey's face turned red again, his smile tight and nervous. "C'mon, just… pretend I didn't say that either, okay? I was out of line. I shouldn't have said anything like that. You're smart, Yvette, a top student—don't waste your time dealing with someone like me."

Rose nodded quickly, flashing a placating smile. "He's right, Yvette. This was all Harvey's fault, and he's apologized. How about we let it go? He can even treat you to a nice meal later to make up for it. What do you think?"

I looked at the two of them—Harvey with his smug smirk, Rose trying to act sweet and reasonable—and kept my expression dead serious.

"Just a meal?" I asked flatly.

Harvey froze, caught off guard. "Then what do you want?"

"Well, if what you said isn't true, you've spread false rumors about me. On a public platform, no less. It has already damaged my reputation."

I crossed my arms and met his eyes. "I want a public apology. You'll post a statement admitting you lied on all your social media accounts. You'll also print and post it around campus. And I expect compensation for the emotional distress you've caused me."

Harvey's face darkened immediately. "Yvette, do you really have to go that far? I already said I misspoke. I'm only even apologizing because you're my girlfriend's roommate. Don't think for a second I don't know all your dirty little secrets."

Rose's tone shifted too, her forced smile slipping. "Yvette, your demands are way over the top. He deleted the comments. Isn't that enough? Keep pushing, and it's you who'll end up embarrassed if this blows up."

The two of them suddenly had the audacity to act like they held something over me.

I grabbed Harvey by the front of his shirt, forcing him to look at me. "So you're saying you've actually seen me 'messing around' with someone. Who, exactly? Where? When? You're going to give me real answers, or I'll take this to court for defamation!"

My boldness clearly hit a nerve. Harvey's face twisted with anger, and he finally snapped.

"You want the truth? Fine! A month ago, you and your faculty advisor were in the grove behind campus at noon. You thought no one would see because of the holiday, but guess what? Someone recorded a video.

"Don't pretend no one knows where your outstanding student title and scholarship really came from. You think this is fair to everyone else who actually earned it?"

He finished with an air of righteousness, glaring at me like I was the one in the wrong. When I didn't respond right away, his confidence swelled.

"See? I gave you a chance, but you just had to keep pushing."

But Harvey didn't notice the way Rose's expression shifted the moment he rattled off the exact time and place.