An apology was never an option.
The moment I recorded that video, I would be branded a poisoner for life. My record would carry a stain I could never erase. Even if I ended up delivering food for a living someday, platforms would worry that I might tamper with the meals.
That left only one path: fight it to the end.
The Griffith family moved faster than I expected. They no longer bothered with courtesy.
The next morning, I woke up as a nationally reviled figure. The instant I unlocked my phone, headlines flooded the screen.
[Male College Student Poisons Roommate out of Jealousy.]
[Top Law Student Breaks the Law, Methods Cruel and Calculated.]
Someone even dug up the fact that I once failed to turn in a homework assignment in high school and paraded it as "proof of moral corruption."
Paid commenters swarmed every platform and forced the narrative in one direction.
They claimed Luther had only grabbed the wrong delivery by accident. They painted me as vicious by nature, the sort of person who would not even spare stray cats or dogs.
A soft knock came from my dorm door.
Jackson stood outside. His eyes were swollen and red, like walnuts. He held out a limited-edition mechanical keyboard I had wanted for years, worth several hundred.
He apologized with visible sincerity. "My parents have worked for the Griffith family for ten years. Luther threatened them. If I didn't help him, my parents would lose their jobs."
In the adult world, everyone had something they could not afford to lose. I thought about our three years as best friends. I chose to believe him once and give him a single chance.
I turned back, opened my drawer, and took out a USB drive. "What's on this, needs to be posted on the campus forum and Instagram when the trial starts in three days. It's anonymous. As long as it's legal, your parents will never know it was you."
Jackson's eyes lit up. He nodded hard.
"Oh, one more thing." He lowered his voice, and his expression shifted. "I was in the hallway the day Luther took the delivery. He said, 'A poor bastard ordering takeout. How embarrassing. Can't he just eat in the cafeteria? Showing off right in front of me.'"
I froze. That was it?
Jackson continued quietly, "He also said, 'Why do poor students get so much aid? I pay so much tuition and still have to watch them eat good food in front of me.'"
His voice faded before he finished, but I understood the rest.
I had assumed Luther targeted me because my grades were better. In truth, he could not stand seeing me live with any comfort at all. Even a 4-dollar meal was too much.
…
Three days passed in a blink. Luther sued me.
On the day of the hearing, reporters packed the courthouse entrance. The case had turned explosive. The chancellor and the mayor both appeared, and several major media outlets livestreamed the trial nationwide.
Everyone wanted to see how this "Poison Man" would be punished.
The hearing began. The opposing lawyer spoke with practiced ease and came fully prepared. He submitted a thick stack of test reports and a surveillance video.
In the footage, a stray dog took a sip from the bowl of soup. Less than ten minutes later, it began to foam at the mouth, convulsed, and collapsed.
The courtroom erupted, and the livestream chat exploded.
[That's insane! Imagine if a person ate it.]
[Someone like this deserves the death penalty!]
[Good thing that Griffith kid survived, or he would've been killed!]
The judge struck his gavel to restore order.
"Defendant, do you have any response to the plaintiff's accusations and evidence?" he asked.
Ivy wore the cold smile of someone already certain of victory.
"Your Honor," I said, calm and steady, as I rose to my feet. "I have a question."
I spoke without haste and let my gaze sweep the room.
"The opposing counsel keeps emphasizing that I poisoned a food delivery." I paused. "But that day, I did not order takeout at all."
