Every seat in the auditorium was taken.
The moment people saw the paint on my face, hands flew to mouths, gasps rippling through the rows.
“Isn't that Joy Simmons? The one ranked first in the whole school? What happened to her?”
“You didn't hear? She spread rumors about a classmate hooking up with some guy at a hotel. Got what she deserved.”
“God, the honor student's that trashy? No wonder she's an orphan. Her own parents took one look and threw her away!”
Andrew frowned at the words, which was rare for him.
“Vivienne, you……”
But one tear slipped down Vivienne's cheek, and he swallowed the rest.
Vivienne picked up the microphone.
“Yesterday, our top-ranked student Joy Simmons spread lies about me. Today, I'm going to show everyone who she really is.”
“Everyone says Joy works part-time jobs to pay her way through school. So what kind of job pays that well?”
The second she finished, the confetti cannons mounted along the auditorium walls fired, spraying colored cards through the air.
Each one bore my photo, my address, my phone number, and……a price.
The auditorium erupted.
“Damn, the innocent little princess is that cheap? One night and she'd be worn out.”
“That's the point, man. Volume discount. Heh.”
“That's disgusting. No wonder she has no parents. Spreading rumors about other people when she's the dirty one!”
I had no strength left to fight. I went numb and collapsed to the floor,
staring blankly at Andrew.
He leaned in and whispered to me.
“Once Vivienne calms down, I'll clear your name.”
Clear my name? So Vivienne could get angry again and destroy me a second time?
I staggered to my feet, shoved him aside, and tried to push my way out of the auditorium.
Bodies pressed in from every direction. Someone grabbed the red cord around my neck and yanked it free.
The jade pendant hit the floor and shattered into pieces.
I bent down to pick them up and got trampled, feet stamping over my hands, my back. Something warm and metallic rose in my throat, and blood spilled past my lips.
Andrew was calling my name.
“Joy! Joy Simmons!”
Vivienne hooked her arm through his and pressed a kiss to his cheek.
“You have to spend the next few days with me. You owe me that much for the emotional damage!”
All Andrew could do was text me. One message after another.
“I'm taking her to get food first.”
“What she did today was wrong, but you had those flyers made too, so you're even.”
I didn't reply.
“Your acceptance letter should be coming in a few days. Riverside State is just as nice as the Ivy League campus, honestly. Want me to go check it out with you?”
“Or I could retake the SATs with you. We'd go to an Ivy together next year.”
I pulled the SIM card from my phone and dropped it into a storm drain.
Then I put in a new one.
The frenzy Vivienne had set off in that auditorium raged online for three full days before it finally died down.
Andrew kept replaying the image of my face streaked with paint.
He ordered bottles of medicated cleanser shipped to Graceheart Orphanage. No one signed for the delivery.
So he drove there himself.
In the yard, a small child recognized him.
“Mister, are you here for Joy? She went to England to buy us cookies!”
Andrew's step faltered.
“What?”
Another child shook their head.
“Nuh-uh, Joy went to England to go to school. She's never coming back!”
