Sierra didn't sleep.
The storm outside had quieted hours ago, but the storm inside her refused to die down. Her phone lay on the desk, screen black, yet every time she blinked, her mind replayed Jenna's trembling voice from earlier:
"The posts are spreading again… and this time, it looks coordinated."
Coordinated. Organized. Intentional.
Someone wanted her broken.
And Sierra had a very good idea who.
The morning light filtered weakly through her curtains as she walked toward school. Her steps were steady, but her pulse wasn't. The air felt too still—like something was waiting to happen.
When she reached the school gate, she immediately knew she was right.
Groups of students stood clustered like spectators before a crash site. Their whispers filled the air—soft, sharp, poisonous.
She kept walking.
Her fingers tightened around her backpack strap.
Then she saw it.
A printed poster taped to the announcement board, surrounded by a crowd:
"Proof of Sierra Song's Manipulation — Leaked Messages Inside."
Her heart plummeted.
The messages weren't real. They were fake screenshots—fabricated, edited, crafted to look damning. In them, "she" sounded bitter, jealous, vindictive. The perfect villainess people wanted her to be.
Jenna pushed through the crowd and grabbed her arm."Sierra, don't look. It's obviously fake. Someone's trying to—"
"I need to see." Her voice was steady, even if her insides weren't.
A familiar voice cut through the murmurs.
"Who put this up?" Leon's tone was low, dangerous.
Students stepped away as he tore the poster off the board. His jaw was clenched so tightly the muscles trembled.
But another voice rose—a voice Sierra had been expecting, no matter how much she dreaded it.
Vivian.
"You really think tearing it down will change anything?" Vivian crossed her arms, her expression innocent but her smile razor-sharp. "People deserve to know what kind of person Sierra truly is."
Leon snapped, "Vivian, that's enough."
"Is it? Or are you just blinded?" Vivian's eyes glimmered with something unreadable—hurt? Anger? Something darker.
Then Vivian turned to Sierra.
"You said you changed, didn't you?" she whispered. "But people like you… never change."
For the first time, Sierra didn't look away.
"I'm not the person you think I am, Vivian. And I will prove it."
Vivian stiffened—just barely—but it was enough.A crack in her armor.
Before either could say more, a new figure approached.
Jenna's breath caught."Oh no…"
It was Mrs. Hsu, the discipline director—stern, precise, and never one to overlook trouble.
"Miss Song," she said, eyes emotionless but sharp. "My office. Now."
A hush rolled across the courtyard like a ripple of cold water.
Sierra felt Leon tense beside her."I'm going with you," he said.
Mrs. Hsu's gaze flicked to him."No, Mr. Lin. Only Miss Song."
Vivian's lips curled, satisfied.
Sierra inhaled slowly.She had walked into worse storms than this.
She lifted her chin.
"Alright. Let's go."
As she followed Mrs. Hsu across the courtyard—students parting around her like she carried contamination—she knew one thing with painful clarity:
This wasn't just another rumor.
This was war.
And whoever was orchestrating it was getting bolder.
For the first time, Sierra felt something cold settle deep in her bones—not fear, not despair.
Resolve.
If they wanted a villainess?
She would show them what a real one looked like.