"Hey, Chloe, do you think my video's gonna blow up?" Lauren grinned, holding up her phone as she finished uploading the clip to TikTok.
"I don't know if it'll go viral," Chloe laughed, "but that guy was insane! A dude from the English Department out-running the entire track team? He's like… possessed by Usain Bolt!"
"Haha, right? I just wanted to record the meet for fun - then a literal superhero showed up out of nowhere!"
The two girls kept chatting and giggling, not taking it seriously. They didn't expect millions of views, just a funny moment to share.
After hitting Post, they tossed their phones aside and went back to their iced coffees, blissfully unaware that what they'd just uploaded would ignite the entire campus within hours.
Meanwhile, Aiden James had just left the college stadium when his phone buzzed.
It was Jason, his dorm leader.
"Yo, Aiden! Where'd you disappear to, man? You bailed on us!"
"Just needed some air," Aiden replied, leaning against a lamppost. "You saw what happened earlier, right? I think Ryan's got a problem with me. Can you tell him I'm not into that chick?"
Jason snorted. "Everyone can tell you're not into her. But she's definitely into you. Kinda weird, right? Didn't she used to act like you didn't exist?"
"Maybe…" Aiden smirked. "I finally hit my handsome phase."
"Ha! You wish." Jason's tone shifted suddenly. "Anyway, dude, I gotta warn you. You're trending on the school forum but not in a good way."
"What do you mean?" Aiden frowned.
"You've been canceled, bro! Some guy with the username KeyWarrior97 is trash-talking you all over the campus board. Says you're some player who manipulates girls. It's blowing up fast - you better check it before it gets worse."
"What?" Aiden's jaw tightened. "I didn't even do anything."
He opened his laptop the moment he got back to his dorm. Within seconds, he found the pinned post. It already had thousands of comments and shares.
The title read:
> "THE TRUTH ABOUT AIDEN JAMES – THE FAKE NICE GUY OF RIVER STATE UNIVERSITY"
Aiden clicked it open.
The post began with a wall of ridiculous, over-dramatic text:
> "In real life, I am quiet. Online, I am justice incarnate!
If the heavens had not created me - the Keyboard Warrior - the Internet would drown in darkness!
My fingers are my swords; my words, divine retribution!
Today, I rise again - not for fame, not for glory but to expose a wolf in sheep's clothing…
His name: Aiden James."
Aiden stared, half-amused, half-in disbelief.
The next lines turned vicious:
> "He's a third-year student in the English Department. He acts polite and harmless, but behind the scenes he's a manipulative liar who juggles girls for attention. Attached are screenshots as proof."
Then came a carousel of photos - three different girls, all smiling, each one holding coffee or breakfast outside the dorms.
The caption underneath:
> "Coincidence? I think not. How many hearts has he played for his morning meal?"
Aiden's heart sank. The photos were all real but completely taken out of context.
He hadn't done anything wrong. But online, truth didn't matter. The drama did.