This story happened in real life, but for the protection of my peers and myself, I will be changing the names of those involved. My purpose in sharing this is to find a sense of closure and, hopefully, to help other students who may be going through something similar.
Part 3: The Storm Was Coming
After piecing it all together, things started to shift. Do you ever get a feeling that something’s off, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? That’s where I was. Strawberry and Rosita were still playing their parts, smiling in public—but beneath the surface, I could feel the tension building. Bia’s warning echoed in my head like a broken record.
One night at a house party, I spotted them—Strawberry and Rosita—whispering in a corner, their eyes darting toward me. The air around them felt too quiet, too calculated. Something was about to blow up; I could feel it. I even caught Guy watching me from across the room, and my gut twisted.
By the time I left the party, I knew something was wrong. My phone buzzed—“Group Chat: Girl Talk.” I opened the chat, and my stomach dropped. There it was: a screenshot. A picture of me and Guy laughing together at a tailgate, but twisted into something it wasn’t.
Then came the message:
“Y’all, she’s been lying. Her man in Miami doesn’t know half of it.”
The air around me felt thick, suffocating. Strawberry had officially lit the match, and Rosita was fanning the flames. They were ready to burn everything down, and the worst part? They were coming for my reputation.