Sunday morning.
The sun barely rose, but Ella's phone wouldn't stop buzzing.
Over fifty messages.
She sat up in bed, heart racing.
Opened her group chat first.
Naomi:
"Girl... what is going on? You and Ryan???"
Lexi:
"The internet is exploding. That picture is EVERYWHERE."
Ella's throat tightened.
She opened Instagram.
There it was.
Her and Ryan. Kissing. In his car.
Captioned with:
"The academy's charity case giving it up for the rich boy. #EliteTrash #EasyElla"
Thousands of likes.
Hundreds of comments.
Cruel.
Petty.
Poisoned.
Ella threw her phone across the bed, her hands shaking.
She couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Her heart screamed why now?
Then came the knock.
She already knew who it was.
Ryan stood in the doorway to the girls' dorm hallway, ignoring every rule in the book.
His eyes were furious.
"Let me in," he said through clenched teeth.
Naomi, standing guard, folded her arms. "You better not be here to make it worse."
"I'm here to fix it."
****
Minutes later, Ella let him in.
His jaw clenched. "I should've expected this. Diego must've followed us."
She blinked back tears. "Why would he do this? To humiliate me?"
Ryan nodded slowly. "No. To hurt me. Because he knows… I care about you."
Her breath caught.
Silence fell.
Heavy and raw.
Then Ryan took a shaky breath.
"I don't care what anyone says. I'm not walking away this time."
"You should," she said, voice breaking. "I'm a mess, Ryan."
"So am I," he whispered.
And then:
"But I don't want anyone else's mess. Just yours."
*****
That afternoon, the headmistress called Ella in.
Formal dress code. Serious tone.
Principal Aragon didn't look pleased.
"Ella, the board is concerned about your image—your relationship choices are causing… noise."
Ella swallowed hard. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"You kissed a boy on school grounds. A student from a family with power. The video is affecting our sponsorship."
Ella blinked. "Wait—video?"
Aragon looked up. "Yes. The clip. The photo was just the start."
****
By the time Ella got back to her dorm, there were more messages waiting.
More people sharing the kiss clip.
Someone had zoomed in on her dress slipping slightly.
Slut-shaming captions.
Mocked in group chats.
Her inbox full of insults.
She curled into a ball, trying not to break.
But when she checked her door later that night, there was a note taped to it:
You were never one of us. Go back to the gutter you came from.
Signed: The Elite Circle
*****
That night, Ryan sneaked in again.
He sat on the edge of her bed, looking at her like she was made of glass and ashes.
"You okay?"
"No."
"Want me to fight everyone?"
A small laugh escaped her.
He gently pushed her hair back. "We're going to take this down. All of it. You're not alone, Ella."
Then he added something she didn't expect:
"My dad's lawyer can trace who posted the clip. We'll sue if we have to."
She blinked. "You'd do that… for me?"
He leaned in, voice low:
"I'd burn the school down for you."
She believed him.
That night, she let him hold her until her tears ran out.
But even with him beside her, she couldn't sleep.
Because outside her window…
Someone had written in red spray paint:
"SLUT."
And whoever it was—wasn't done.