The next morning, the second I opened my eyes I caught my roommates whispering.
“So disgusting. Acts all high and mighty in front of everyone, then turns out she's this wild behind our backs.”
“I heard she even handed over photos. Now the people she owes are posting them all over the forum.”
“Better check none of our stuff is missing. Don't want her stealing it to sell.”
I frowned and opened the school's anonymous forum.
The pinned post glowing red at the top of the page had a headline that stung the eyes:
【Shocking! A female student surnamed Gilbert from a certain college took out loans to buy luxury goods, and now her scandalous photos have leaked!】
The post had a few photos buried under thick blurring.
The face wasn't clear, but the girl in them was wearing that white hoodie I wore all the time,
and there was a red mole at her collarbone, exactly like mine.
Below the photos were a few screenshots of chat logs.
All of them me, groveling, begging for a few more days.
“No wonder she wouldn't give the money back to Rachel. Turns out she was pouring it into this bottomless pit!”
“How does someone like this deserve to stay at our school? She's a disgrace!”
“Expel her right now. Don't let her pollute the air we breathe!”
The comment section was nothing but vile abuse and curses.
I took a deep breath and saved every photo and screenshot.
After I washed up, I headed for the dining hall.
The whole way there, everyone who saw me was whispering.
Someone even walked right up to me on purpose and spat at my feet.
“Shameless slut.”
I ignored it and went straight up to buy breakfast.
I'd barely sat down when Jasper Nolan and Rachel Gilbert came over.
“Lillian Gilbert, first you force your parents to sell a kidney, and now you're taking out loans too?”
“People are asking me how I ended up with such a loose girlfriend!”
I sipped my soy milk, taking my time.
“I already told you yesterday. We're broken up.”
Jasper ground his teeth.
“Lillian Gilbert, I've completely given up on you.”
“I was actually going to give you one more chance to turn yourself around, but you're beyond saving!”
Rachel stood off to the side, wiping at tears.
“Lillian, how could you do something like this?”
“No matter how broke you were, you can't borrow from people like that. The collectors called Mom and Dad!”
“They got so upset they had heart attacks. They're still in the hospital right now!”
All around us, students set down their chopsticks and started cursing me.
“God, she drove her own parents into the hospital and she can still eat?”
“Something lower than an animal like her deserves to get struck by lightning.”
I put down my chopsticks and lifted my eyes to Rachel.
“Your parents had heart attacks? Which hospital? I'll go see them right now.”
Something flickered in Rachel's eyes.
“You'd only set them off worse. They don't want to see you at all right now!”
“They don't want to see me, or there's no hospital at all?”
I stood up and took a step closer.
“Rachel, this red mole. Didn't you photoshop it a little too far to the left?”
I raised my phone and zoomed in on the blurred photo.
“And this hoodie. It looks like mine, but the pattern on the cuff is completely different.”
Jasper yanked Rachel behind him and glared at me.
“Lillian Gilbert, stop trying to weasel your way out!”
“Rachel came over to help you out of the goodness of her heart, and you turn around and accuse her of doctoring photos?”
“You're the most vicious woman I've ever met!”
He announced it loudly, in front of everyone.
“From today on, Lillian Gilbert and I are done for good!”
“A shameless woman like her doesn't deserve anyone's sympathy!”
