Chapter 1: Trending for All the Wrong Reasons

Every time I open the campus forum, my name is trending for all the wrong reasons.

Title: [Did Caleb Brooks and Aubrey Shea break up today]

The thread is packed with candid photos of me, each one sparking a fresh round of attacks.

Suck-up. Try-hard. She must be desperate. I scrolled, each new insult landing like a slap.

Caleb never cared. He always told me to tune it out, to let people say what they wanted.

Still, the words stung. My hands shook so badly I nearly dropped my phone. I wanted to disappear into my hoodie, just another nobody in the crowd.

But later, when the rumor mill turned on his first love and called her a homewrecker, he hacked the entire site in retaliation.

That was the day the campus post got updated. For the first time, I answered myself.

[Did Caleb Brooks and Aubrey Shea break up today]

[Yeah, we broke up.]