"She fought loudest for friends."
Silver returned to her dorm room that evening to find it transformed into a war room.
Americus had pushed both beds against the walls, creating space in the center where she'd set up her laptop, two tablets, and what looked like a whiteboard she'd stolen from somewhere. Post-it notes covered every surface. Color-coded. Organized.
"What is all this?" Silver asked, dropping her bag by the door.
"Strategic counter-offensive." Americus didn't look up from her laptop. "You've been playing defense all day. Time to go on the attack."
"Americus—"
"Sit. We're fixing this." She gestured to Silver's desk chair. "I've spent the last four hours researching. I've got dirt on that sports blog. I've got connections to actual journalists who can debunk the story. And I've got a plan."
Silver sat, too exhausted to argue. "What kind of plan?"
