School Just Started; My Bestie's Punk-Crush Rumor, I Admitted It

At the freshman welcome dinner, my best friend, Imogen, suddenly looked at me and sighed.

Sonia's a bit boy-crazy. She used to chase after that dyed-blond guy like a groupie, and her private life was a total messa regular at the OB-GYN.

For the next four years, the whole school froze me out.

My classmates shut me out, and neither the student council nor any of the clubs would take me.

I barely made it to graduation, and then a job background check dug up the dirt and knocked me out of the running.

I developed a severe mental disorder, and my hair went white in my early twenties.

Imogen, meanwhile, married Anthonythe upperclassman who'd once had feelings for meand became a rich man's wife.

We ran into each other at the hospital, and she said, so airily,

"Sonia, I was only joking back then, and I even apologized. Why are you so fragile?"

Back on that day again, Imogen was spreading rumors in front of everyone once more.

I smiled and hooked my arm through hers.

"Didn't you like that blond guy too? You even begged me to let you have himdon't you remember?"

...

The room went silent in an instant.

Everyone turned to stare at Imogen, their shock laced with something subtle.

Imogen's face stiffened, but she forced a smile.

"You've got it wrong. You're the one who liked blondie, not me."

"See? See?"

I shook my head, faking disappointment.

"You really have forgotten everything."

"Back then you took a part-time hostess gig at a bar to buy that blond guy a birthday present, and you nearly got hauled in by the patrol."

"And you were scared your mom and dad would yell at you, so you didn't go home that nightyou went and stayed at his rented place with him..."

"Sonia."

Imogen shook my arm, her voice dropped so low only the two of us could hear.

"I was just joking a second ago. Why are you taking it so seriously?"

"I apologize. Can we just drop it, please?"

Joking?

I sneered on the inside.

The speaker may mean nothing by it, but the listener takes it to heart!

And besides, she'd said it on purpose.

In my past life she said she was joking, so I really did let it go.

And the result was that the rumor that I was a bar hostess spread across the whole campus network that very night.

I became the pariah everyone at school looked down on.

We'd been deskmates for three years in high school, and bunkmates in the dorm.

I'd always thought of her as my best friend.

But in my past life, one rumor from her ruined my whole life.

Why should I stop just because she now tosses out a breezy little apology?

I curled up the corners of my mouth, casual.

"Oh well, these things can't stay hidden forever anyway, so we might as well just say them out loud."

Imogen froze, and her eyes reddened in an instant.

"Sonia, I'm really getting angry now."

She had fair skin and looked all quiet and gentle.

Warning me so pitifully like that made me look like the aggressive one.

A few of the guys couldn't take it anymore.

"Sonia Fox, you've gone too far. Can't you see Imogen's about to cry?"

"Yeah, there's a limit to how far you take a joke."

"Huh?"

I looked at Imogen, taken aback.

"You're going to cry? Fine, then I won't say any more."

Imogen visibly relaxed, and she picked up the bottle to fill my glass.

"I said things I shouldn't have just now. Let this drink be my apology."

Things she shouldn't have said?

So it really did happenit just shouldn't be said out loud?

She was still hoping to make it look worse and dig a pit for me?

I lifted the glass and downed it in one gulp.

"It's fine. We were all young back then, we didn't know any better."

"We're all classmates. Even if people find out, they won't look down on us."

She nodded eagerly, a flash of smug satisfaction in her eyes.

"Right, you were just young back then. Bound to make a few mistakes."

"Mm-hm."

I turned to the crowd with a bright smile.

"So guess how things ended up between Imogen and that blond guy?"

Before they could respond, I just kept going.

"So then Imogen said her stomach was bothering her, that she kept wanting to throw up, and she asked me to go with her to the OB-GYN."

"Later the rumors going around got more and more ridiculous, saying the one who went in for the checkup was me."

I glanced at Imogen, whose face was getting uglier by the second, and let out a deep sigh, my tone helpless.

"Ugh, and I never denied it, either."

"Whatever. At school people already called the two of us the 'Trashy Girls' duo. Our reputations were shot a long time ago, so who cares."

The words had barely left my mouth when a classmate cut in.

"So that person was actually Imogen?"

I quickly shook my head and looked at him gravely.

"I did not say that!"

He let out a knowing "ohh," then glanced at Imogen, like he'd already figured the whole thing out.

That one look was what finally made Imogen unable to stay in her seat.

She shot to her feet, her voice shaking badly.

"Sonia Fox, are you never going to quit?"

"When did I ever go for blond guys? Bar hostess, OB-GYN, Trashy Girlswhich of those has anything to do with me?"

"I ranked top three in my grade all three years of high school, and I was even a student officer. What gives you the right to spread rumors like this about me?"

When she finished yelling, she buried her face on the table and sobbed her heart out, her shoulders heaving.

Even a few of the girls at the next table couldn't stand it and came over to comfort her.

The boys who'd spoken up for her earlier felt sorry for her all over again and glared at me, annoyed.

"Sonia, your story's way too far-fetched!"

"Like we don't know how strict high school is? No way a school would put up with two Trashy Girls like you two."

"And running around with some blond guyyou'd have been expelled ages ago!"

"I'm not buying it anyway. Someone like that could never get into college."

The girls all nodded along.

"Sonia, you two are high school classmates and good friends. Spreading rumors like this isn't right, is it?"

"Right, spreading rumors can get you in legal trouble."

"Better to just clear things up. It's better for both of you."

Imogen's crying cut off all at once. She lifted her tear-filled eyes, brimming with kindness.

"Sonia, as long as you tell the truth and say sorry to me, we can still be good friends."

For a second I blanked out.

In my past life, after the rumors spread, I went and begged her to help me clear things up too.

What did she say?

"I already said I was drunk and misspoke. What more can I do to clear it up? Do you want me to kill myself to prove my innocence?"

Then she suddenly dropped to her knees in front of me, grabbed my hand, and started slapping her own face over and over.

"It's all my fault, Sonia. Go ahead and beat me to death!"

"Beat me to death and you'll feel better, and I won't have to feel guilty anymore."

That only made the rumor that I used to be a Trashy Girl look even more true.

The school made me write a written apology and promise in front of the whole student body that I would never bully Imogen again.

I got through to graduation on psychiatric medication.

I told myself that once I left school, left that suffocating place, once I started working, I'd be fine.

I got an offer from a state-owned enterprise, but during the background check, someone leaked this whole thing anonymously.

My offer was voided on the spot.

And the person who took my place at that company was Imogen.

Who was the one who leaked it on me?

I glanced at Imogen, then lowered my head, all meek and simple.

"I'm sorry, Imogen."

"I've had too much to drink. Just treat everything I said as nonsense."

Imogen froze for a moment, then her eyes suddenly turned sharp.

"Sonia Fox, you did that on purpose! What do you mean, treat it as nonsense?"

I put on a face full of innocence and pointed at the wine glass.

"You're the one who poured me this glass. I've never drunk beforeI had no idea my tolerance was this bad."

"And you were the one who said first that I liked blond guys. I just followed your lead. If we're talking rumors, you're the one who spread rumors about me first."

I pursed my lips.

"And I didn't even make an issue of it... Imogen, aren't you being a little too petty?"

She gritted her teeth.

"I didn't spread rumors about you. I was just joking, keeping the mood lively!"

I let out an "oh."

"Then just take mine as a joke too. Can't you take one?"

Imogen was stumped, but she still wanted to keep arguing with me.

The others laughed stiffly and tried to smooth it over.

"It's fine, it was just a joke, none of us took it seriously."

"Weren't we just talking about who to pick as class president? Let's keep going, keep going."

But no one said anything more.

Everyone kept their heads down and ate, though their eyes kept flicking over to Imogen.

Imogen looked at me, then at everyone else.

She knew they had all actually taken what I said seriously.

She finally couldn't hold it together and ran crying out of the private room.

I sighed and stood up.

"I'll go talk to her."

"I really did say too much today. Please don't take any of it seriously."

Everyone nodded with awkward smiles.

I'd just pulled the door open when Anthony came walking straight toward me.

He wore a tracksuit, his clean, fair face carrying a sharp, clean-cut coldness.

When he saw me, the corner of his mouth curved up slightly.

"Sonia Fox? How come you never replied to the message I sent you?"

Anthony is two years ahead of us and runs the student council.

When Imogen and I got to campus that morning, he walked us through enrollment and even helped carry our luggage up to the dorm.

After he left, some of the upperclassmen gossiped with us.

Anthony's family owns a publicly listed company, so he's a genuine rich kid.

Imogen's eyes lit up.

"Does Anthony have a girlfriend?"

"Are you crushing on him already?"

I'd barely finished teasing her.

Then Anthony sent me a friend request.

"Sonia, do you have time tomorrow? I can show you around campus."

Imogen glanced at it, and the corners of her mouth fell.

"Why didn't he add me? He's not interested in you, is he?"

I didn't think much of it back then, so I just replied offhand.

"No way."

In my past life I could never figure it out.

Why Imogen suddenly started spreading rumors about me.

It wasn't until later, when I ran into her at the hospital, that I saw her walk in on Anthony's arm for a prenatal checkup.

Anthony stared for a long moment when he saw my head of white hair.

"Sonia? How could you..."

Before he could finish, Imogen cut in lightly.

"Sonia, I was only joking back then, and I apologized too. Why are you so fragile?"

At that time I was so ill I'd been living in the psychiatric ward for long-term treatment.

That sentence became the last straw that crushed me.

That night, I stepped up onto the rooftop.

The memory came rushing back, and the pain all through my body made me flinch.

I looked at the man in front of me.

Just because of a little interest from him, Imogen was going to ruin me.

I pulled myself out of the thought and forced a smile at him.

"Anthony, I'm going to go find Imogen first."

I stepped past him before he could respond and walked off.

Behind me, Anthony frowned after me and pushed open the door into the private room.

Right away, a jumble of voices spilled out.

"Anthony, did you know? Imogen is really over the top."

"She looks so quiet and shy, who'd have guessed she used to be a total delinquent."

Anthony asked, puzzled.

"Who's Imogen?"

"That fair, skinny girl who was with Sonia."

"You should stay away from her from now on. She's too scary."

I curled my lips.

Imogen, this is only the beginning.

Everything I suffered, I'll pay back to you one piece at a time.

Just as I reached the restaurant entrance, Imogen came storming over, her hand already swinging up to slap me.

"Sonia, you did this on purpose! You want to ruin me!"

I could have dodged.

But out of the corner of my eye I caught Anthony walking over, and without hesitation I dropped to my knees.

"Imogen, I really was wrong. I shouldn't have gotten drunk and talked nonsense."

"You can hit me, you can yell at me, I won't fight backas long as it makes you feel better."

Imogen's slap swung through empty air, and she pitched forward onto the ground.

Her face was pure disbelief, and she scrambled up in a fury to grab at my hair.

"You bitch! You bitch!"

Before her hand could touch me, Anthony shoved her away.

"Imogen, what's gotten into you? This is a school, not those seedy places you used to hang around!"

Imogen froze where she stood, her lips trembling with hurt.

"Anthony, I'm really not a delinquent..."

Anthony didn't look at her again. He turned and helped me up, looking like he wished I'd do better for myself.

"Sonia, when someone bullies you, can't you fight back?"

"Groveling and begging like this only makes the bad ones worse!"

I pushed him away, my face blank.

"Anthony, Imogen and I are friends, and she's not a bad person."

"Whatever's between her and me, we'll settle privately. Please don't meddle, okay?"

Anthony frowned.

"Meddling?"

He had never been turned down by a girl like this before, and for a moment he didn't know how to react.

I ignored him and walked up to Imogen, who was glaring at me. I grabbed her hand and used it to slap my own face.

The slap landed, and my tears fell too.

I choked out:

"I'm sorry, Imogen. Hit me. And after you're done, we can still be best friends, okay?"

Imogen's pupils shrank, and she hurriedly yanked her hand back.

"Sonia Fox, I won't fall for your trick! You're doing this on purpose to hurt me, to make Anthony hate me."

The next second, my wrist was seized.

By the time I registered it, Anthony had already pulled me behind him.

"I hate you, and that has nothing to do with Sonia Fox."

The moment he said it, Imogen looked ready to cry again.

"Anthony, how can you hate me? You even helped me carry my luggage this morning, and I really look up to you, I like you."

Anthony looked at her coldly.

"I was raised strictly, and everyone in my circle is an outstanding person. If I'd known what kind of person you are, I never would have helped you."

"What kind? What kind of person do you think I am, Anthony!"

Imogen shrieked hysterically.

"I already said I'm not a trashy girl! I don't like guys with bleached hair!"

"It has nothing to do with me."

Anthony turned away indifferently and pulled me along.

Imogen dropped to the ground and burst into loud sobs.

Anthony didn't spare her a single glance back.

We were silent the whole way.

Only once we reached the base of the dorm building did Anthony speak, quietly.

"Sonia, let me be clear firstI'm not meddling."

He hesitated, then said,

"From now on, keep your distance from Imogen, whether or not those things from her past are true."

"With how relentless she is, she'll hurt you sooner or later, you understand?"

I lowered my head and pretended to be upset, pinching at my fingers.

"Anthony, please don't talk about my friend that way."

"She's just a little impulsive. How could she hurt me?"

A sigh came from above me.

Anthony ruffled the top of my hair, his tone resigned.

"Never mind. I'll just keep a closer eye on you from now on."

Back in the dorm, my roommates all came to me for details about Imogen.

That was when I learned the rumors had already blown up on the campus network.

I opened my phone and saw the post about Imogen.

The title was: Stay away from trashy girlsgood for your health and peace of mind.

Whoever posted it had also uploaded a high-resolution close-up headshot of Imogen.

The view count was skyrocketing, the replies kept piling up, all of them vividly detailed.

I posted a few comments defending her, only to draw a wave of attacks.

They said my values were messed up.

I put my phone down, satisfied.

From here I didn't have to do a thingthese rumors were enough to ruin Imogen.

The next day, Anthony showed me around campus.

Just as we reached the library, Imogen came up holding her phone in the air.

"Everyone, lookthis is that trashy girl Sonia Fox I told you about."

"She used to like a guy with bleached hair and was always going to the OB-GYN. Her private life is a total mess."

Then she swung the camera back toward Anthony.

"And now Sonia's set her sights on our student council president, playing the innocent to seduce him."

I'd had a bad feeling a moment ago.

Now I was sureshe was going live online, spreading rumors about me to the whole internet.

Ruining me once apparently wasn't enough. Given it all over again, she'd only grown more unhinged.

My temper flared, and I lunged forward to grab her phone.

"Imogen, have you lost your mind?"

She darted a few steps away and turned the camera back on me, covering her mouth with a soft laugh.

"I called itshe's a trashy girl, and now she's humiliated and furious. So funny, hahaha."

Anthony immediately stepped in front of me, frowning at Imogen.

"Imogen, this is a crime. Do you even get that?"

The commotion quickly drew a crowd of onlookers.

Imogen only got more worked up.

That was exactly what she wantedan eye for an eye, to make me become just like her.

"Everything I said is true, and I have proof, unlike Sonia Fox, who just makes things up."

As she spoke, she pulled some documents out of her bag and threw them at Anthony.

"Anthony, see for yourself."

Anthony glanced at me, then picked up the documents, half in doubt.

The first was full of intimate photos of me and a guy with bleached hair.

In a shabby rented room, I was nestled in his arms in my pajamas.

There was one of me with a hand on my belly, the guy pulling me toward a hospital.

The second document was a gynecology exam report.

The patient's name was mine.

I pressed my lips together, unable to speak for a moment.

A few people nearby craned their necks to see and clapped their hands over their mouths in shock.

Imogen came over and pointed the camera at the documents.

"Everyone, look. It's clearly her dating that bleached-hair guy. To chase Anthony, she pinned all this filth on meI'm the one being slandered, made the scapegoat."

She looked at Anthony, her face full of sincerity.

"Anthony, yesterday she heard your family is rich, and she told me she was definitely going to lock you down."

Anthony stiffly turned his head and asked me too.

"Is all of this true?"

The people around me pulled out their phones to film me, and the scene descended into chaos.

Imogen ended the live stream, arched a triumphant eyebrow at me, and lowered her voice.

"You wanted to ruin me with rumors? Well, I can ruin you with rumors too! If we're going down, we're going down together!"

I clenched my fists.

So no matter what, she was determined to ruin me?

The students around us were fired up too, taking Imogen's side.

"Apologize to Imogen! Apologize to Imogen!"

Anthony pressed me, his voice cold.

"Sonia, I'm asking youis it true?"

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and nodded.

"It's true."

Anthony lowered his head, crestfallen.

Imogen looked startled at first, then broke into a relieved smile.

Too bad she was celebrating far too soon.

I snatched the documents out of Anthony's hand and glanced over them againin the bottom right corner of each were the faint words "AI-generated."

I took a deep breath and raised my voice.

"What I mean isit's true that you committed a crime."

"Imogen, are you going to call the police and turn yourself in, or should I do it for you?"