By Friday, the rumours had changed.
The first story had not been enough.
Now people were saying Tiana had only started dating Dare because she liked attention. That she enjoyed having people fight over her. That she thought being with Dare made her better than everyone else.
Tiana heard it everywhere.
In the girls' bathroom.
Outside class.
Behind her in the cafeteria line.
"She really thinks she has won."
"I give them two weeks."
"Dare will leave her too.
"She acts so innocent. It is annoying."
At first, Tiana tried to ignore it.
She kept her head down. Stayed close to Dare. Pretended none of it hurt.
But pretending was getting harder.
That afternoon, she stood outside the lecture hall waiting for Dare. He had gone back inside to collect the notebook he forgot.
Tiana was alone when she heard them again.
Three girls from her department.
The same ones who always looked at her with that strange mixture of jealousy and satisfaction.
"You know what annoys me the most?" one of them said loudly. "The way she walks around like she is so special now."
Anothe laughed. "As if Dare could not have chosen someone prettier."
"I heard she is the reason Joshua has been acting like that," the third girl added. "Imagine making somebody miserable and then acting like the victim."
Tiana looked away.
She was tired.
Too tired to defend herself.
Too tired to keep pretending those words did not follow her home at night.
Then, suddenly—
"You people talk about her every day. Is your own life that boring?"
The girls turned immediately.
Nadia.
She was standing a few steps away, her arms folded, her face unreadable.
One of the girls rolled her eyes. "Why do you care?"
"Because you are all acting like children," Nadia replied
"We are only saying what everybody else is thinking."
"No," Nadia said sharply. "You are saying what Joshua wants you to think."
The corridor went quiet.
"You do not know anything about Tiana," Nadia continued. "You only know rumours. And the funny thing is, none of you have ever asked what really happened."
"And you know?" one girl snapped.
Nadia hesitated.
Her chest tightened.
She knew more than she wanted to.
More than she had ever said.
But this was not the time.
"What I know," she said slowly, "is that Tiana does not deserve the way you are treating her."
The girls exchanged glances.
"Why are you defending her so much?" one of them asked suspiciously.
Nadia looked past them.
At Tiana.
Tiana, who looked surprised.
Tiana, who looked hurt.
Tiana, who had every reason not to trust her.
"Because sometimes," Nadia said quietly, "people believe the wrong person."
Nobody said anything after that.
The girls muttered under their breath and walked away.
For a moment, only silence remained.
Tiana looked at Nadia, confused.
"You did not have to do that," she said softly.
"I know," Nadia replied.
"Then why did you?"
Nadia looked down.
Because I know what Joshua is capable of.
Because I know what it feels like when people only hear his side.
Because maybe, in some strange way, I owe you.
But she could not say any of that yet.
So instead she gave Tiana a small smile.
"Because I do not think you are who they say you are."
Tiana stared at her.
And for the first time, something in her expression softened.
Before either of them could say anything else, Dare returned.
He looked between them, confused.
"What happened?"
"Nothing," Nadia said quickly.
Then she turned and walked away.
But halfway down the corridor, she stopped.
Because Stephen was standing there.
He had heard enough.
Not everything.
But enough.
He looked at her for a long second before walking over.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
Nadia nodded.
"You did not have to do that either," he said.
She looked away. "I know."
"Then why did you?"
Nadia let out a small breath.
Because she was tired.
Because Joshua kept hurting people and acting innocent.
Because she was tired of watching Stephen look at her like he wanted to understand her, while she kept pretending there was nothing to explain.
She met his eyes for only a second.
"Because people keep blaming the wrong person," she said softly.
Stephen looked at her, really looked at her.
And suddenly, more than ever before—
he wanted to know the rest of the story.