I hated my life at the moment.

The only reason I went so far from my class was because Ava called me out here. I should've just told her I didn't want to go.

But I wanted to hangout with her. And even if I didn't want that, she was really forceful. But in a good way.

She's so nice and just wanted me to make many friends, and I needed to put myself out there.

Unfortunately, I didn't know this was where Julian's class was. I had no intention of ever seeing him. I was still shocked that I slapped him and I bet he's angry, but since he didn't try to set up a witch hunt for me, I assumed I would be fine.

Seeing his displeased expression when I bumped into him hit me hard, but him introducing himself with a small smile on his face and a pleasant voice hit me harder.

He offered me his hand and I took it, lost in the depths of his eyes. "I- I'm Emily," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

He nodded. "Nice to meet you, Emily. Again."

My cheeks flushed as he held my hand longer than necessary, relieved when he finally met go.

We stared at each other for a moment, only interrupted by a cough from beside him. The guy seemed to be his friend. I remembered him from the other day and... the party!

I remembered him from the party where I slept with Julian. But... that was all I remembered. Fuck.

"No need to curse."

I snapped my head upward as the guy, shocked. He smiled at me. "We won't ask you pay for damages or nothing. Just watch where you're going next time."

I nodded, mute.

I saw Julian look over me one more time, like he was about to say something, but decided against it as he walked away with his friend.

I stood in place, but I was brought back to earth when I heard the murmurs and the stares on me. So I ran away from the spot, unwilling to have my face captured by anyone.

When I got to Ava, she was alone and upset. About what? She wouldn't tell me. But from there, we had to go to our dorm.

I never told her about seeing Julian.

***

Settled in our large room, which was parted by a large curtain, Ava pushed it aside to talk from her bed.

I really just wanted to relax on my bed, but I didn't want to be rude, so I let her speak. I was absentminded until she mentioned him.

"... And Julian! From what I heard, he's dating Nadia Styles," she said, the corner of her lips downturned. "She's really not the best fit for him."

"Nadia?" I asked, curious.

"Gosh,I keep forgetting that you don't know anybody," Ava said impatiently. "Nadia Styles is a model, beautiful and powerful. Everything awesome. But she's a bit of a bitch. It's probably why Julian sleeps around."

I frowned. "That's not an excuse. He has a girlfriend yet he sleeps with other girls?" I mumbled. "What a dick."

Ava let out a sound of surprise. "Don't call him that! Julian is a very good guy, actually. If he's sleeping with other women, it's probably because he and Nadia are going on a rough patch." She shrugged. "She doesn't seem to mind, either."

I opened my mouth to protest, but with how combative Ava seemed at the mention of Julian, it was best to shut up.

My skin crawled and I felt a bit guilty at the thought of being one of the girls Julian cheated on this Nadia girl with. Just when I thought he was a pretty good guy, he ended up being a piece of shit.

Just like all the other rich guys I read about online, he's no different.

"What does she look like?" I asked curiously, glancing at Ava whose attention was on her phone.

At first, she didn't raise her head to look at me, playing with her phone a few more seconds longer. At least, that's what I thought. Until she walked up to me and handed me her phone.

She pointed. "That's her."

I froze when I looked at her face. Her body. She really was beautiful. With dusty blonde hair and bright eyes. Her aura through the phone was intimidating, I wondered how it'd feel meeting with her.

She really did look stuck-up, but I'd feel the same way if I had money like her. Or had her face. "She's gorgeous."

Ava was displeased. "I kinda hate that I don't know much about her to hate on, you know. Even The Whistleblower."

Seeing my expression, she groaned, muttering how it was crazy I came to this school and don't know next-to-nothing about the school itself.

I couldn't even defend myself because she was right. But I left my hometown for a reason. I

didn't care too much about gossip that's not going to benefit me. I just wanted a good education and money.

"The Whistleblower is a blog that was created about three or so years ago. I don't remember the date. But the main point is that it's a gossip page and seems to have information that no one does."

"Who owns it?"

She shrugged, walking back and flopping on the bed, eyes up to the ceiling.

"Nobody knows," she sighed. "Honestly, the mystery is exciting. Like Bridgerton. I don't know if we'll ever find the person, and I don't think we should... Why bother? As long as we're getting all the gossip."

I said nothing, deciding to go through my phone instead of bothering her again. I searched for 'The Whistleblower' and was immediately shown a site.

I glanced at Ava who had her eyes closed, her breathing slower.

I returned my gaze to read the articles, curiosity getting the best of me.

[Jessica Castle and Julian Blackwell were seen leaving the Haus Bar last night. Are they dating or is this a new fling?]

I felt a pang of jealousy in my chest when I saw it. This was the same night I left. So he went right to sleep with some willing girl...

I let out a breath, wondering why I was even bothered. We weren't close. We weren't in a damn relationship. Why should I feel some type of way? It seemed he would follow any willing girl to bed and it made me feel uncomfortable.

A bit disgusted with myself. And him.

"Ava?" I called.

"What?" she asked, her eyes remaining unopened.

I bit my lip, contemplating. "What kind of girls does Julian Blackwell like?"

"I don't know. Nobody can really figure the guy out," she said. "But at least we know he likes girls. Well, rich and hot ones."

"Oh." I searched Jessica Castle's name and sighed.

Yeah, she was right. Nadia Styles, Jessica Castle... where did I fit into all of this? And why the hell was I thinking about this so damn much?

I groaned internally and quietly walked out of the room to the kitchen for some water. While there, I looked through my message app, but what I saw made me freeze.

[Why aren't you picking up my calls?] [Did you block me?]

[You're such a fucking bitch you know!] [I'll kill you!]

[Emily I'm so sorry. Yu know how much I love you. I just felt so sad since we're not doing too well at home.]

My hands started sweating, my grip on my glass of water.

My hands shook when I received a call. An unknown number.

It buzzed for a few times before I finally got the courage to answer. "I'll answer it and tell him off!" I whispered to myself.

When I picked the call, there was nothing but silence at the other end of the phone. "H- hello. Who is this?" I started.

There was a dark chuckle at the other end. A familiar one.

"Emily, it's me," he said, his voice hoarse yet hyper. "I'm so happy you picked up!"

My grip on the phone tightened. "What do you want Ronald? I told you and Mom to leave me alone! I said not to reach out!"

I ran away for a fucking reason. And it's not like they cared when I left.

Ronald wasn't deterred. "You sound so angry. There's really no need to be, you know. We're all family. I just... I just wanted to..."

"Ask for money," I interrupted, forcing my voice not to shake. "I don't have it." " But you've always had money," he pleaded, his sweet tone sickening me.

" I. Don't. Have. It."

"Oh, stop lying you bitch!" he suddenly raged. "I heard you're in school now! A fancy one. You can get something from one of those rich kids!" His voice heightened. "Why do you keep lying? You don't want to help your family! You hate your mother and your brother! You-"

I hung up and blocked the phone number for the umpteenth time since I became independent. I knew this wasn't the end. He'd find a way to reach out. To harass me again.

I breathed heavily, trying to calm my nerves. I leaned against the kitchen counter, closing my eyes.

I couldn't file a police report because the last time I tried, nothing was done. Coming to Vincent Collins University was the only way for me to stay away from that toxic environment.

Will I ever truly escape it?

Tears trailed down my face and I cried in silence.

***

The next day, I walked to the school's library. It was large and even appeared to be ancient. With the most magnificent structure I'd ever seen.

Ava wasn't interested in hanging out with me, so I had the freewill to explore the school. All alone. Too shy to ask people for help, I used the school's map.

I was going to live a totally boring but fun life today, and I was excited thinking about it.

I almost hopped on my feet when I was let in, searching the large shelves for fiction mostly. Some books were larger than I'd ever seen and my heart fluttered with excitement thinking about how many I'd be able to read.

While picking out the fifth book, I stumbled a bit because of the added weight. But before anything could happen, a warm hand settled on my waist steadying me.

"Thank you ..."

I stumbled again when I saw who it was.

"What are you doing in the library?" I blurted.

Julian looked amused. "To find some books ... just like you."

"Oh, yeah," I replied in realization. "Good for you." Then I added. "Thanks for helping me."

He leaned against the shelves and didn't respond. His gaze was hot on me and I was torn between just leaving his presence or staying to see what he'd say. If he wanted to say something.

" I'm sorry."

I looked at him.

He had a wry smile on. "I'm sorry for kissing you without your consent last time."

My cheeks flushed. This was the last thing I expected him to say. "I'm sorry too," I whispered. He seemed surprised. "For what?"

"Slapping you."

Then he gave me a charming smile. The barely visible dimple on his cheek added to the charm, like a beautiful stab to my heart.

He shrugged. " I deserved it."

The air around us became tense with him doing nothing but looking right at me. But it was all suddenly interrupted by the click of heels. A sweet scent wafted around. And stopped right by Julian's side, a slender and feminine hand on his shoulder.

The person's attention turned to me, intimidating and curious.

I paused when I saw her face.

" I've never seen your face before," she said. " I'm Nadia Styles."

She tilted her head to look at me, a menacing look in her eyes as she analyzed my face. "And who might you be?"

"Her name is Emily," I said, sighing and taking a step away from the shelves. "Stop being so intimidating, Nadia."

I wondered what Nadia was doing here. She never called for about a week, and was here all of a sudden. She seemed to be glowing, smelling wonderful, too.

I turned my attention from her.

Emily looked so uncomfortable, eyes everywhere but locking on anyone's.

Nadia hummed, ignoring me. "What's your major?" " English," Emily softly said.

She was so dainty which wasn't my usual type. But her presence was interesting. The way she carried herself ... it all made me want to know more. It was such a shame I couldn't remember that night, but I comforted myself with the thought that at the very least, it was good.

And something told me that being around her would be a much better experience. But I couldn't do anything when Nadia with all her trouble was here.

She was really frightening Emily with her glare and while I appreciated it whenever she did it to other girls, I didn't this time. It kinda pissed me off.

" New student, right?" Nadia continued. " I've seen you around Ava Morales and she's pretty new, too."

Emily nodded, her hands red from gripping her books.

I reached out to help, but Nadia stopped me with a hand. I frowned. "What?"

"We have to leave," she spoke, not looking at me. "Your father called me." I let out an exhausted breath. "About what?"

She glanced at me over her shoulder. "Do you want me to say it in front of her?"

I looked back at the confused Emily and offered her an apologetic smile, for what? I didn't exactly know.

I grabbed Nadia loosely and dragged her outside before she could bother her further.

I could hear the click of a camera as we walked out of the library and ignored it. Even in the library, I'd never be safe from attention.

Outside, under some nearby trees, I let go of her, looking down at the blonde woman, questions in my head as she remained silent.

"Are you going to speak or just keep pissing me off?" I finally asked.

She smiled, her arms folded across her chest. "Just wanted to make sure you could still talk. He said he was having a dinner party with the VC of the university, and a few other important guys, so he wants you to come."

I knew what this was. Not a request. There was no way for me to refuse. " He could've just called me."

Nadia laughed. "Your phone is switched off." She smiled mischievously. " I bet that's intentional."

I sighed. "Just wanted sometime alone without him bothering me. Guess that'll never be possible."

"You didn't seem alone, with that ... new girl. She's cute," she said, sitting on the bench. "Where did you meet?"

I sat beside her, hands in my pocket as I tried to remember a few details other than the party. " Ethan's party. I think we slept together," I said, ruffling my hair as she gaped.

"You slept with her?" she questioned loudly. "Are you sure? Ethan told me you were drunk that night," she added, whispering.

"I was. But I woke up naked in bed with her," I mumbled.

I turned to see Nadia quiet, her expression unreadable. "What?" " Nothing," she said. " It's just interesting. So ... you like her?"

I tapped my chin. "Something like that. I do want to get to know her a little better. Maybe be friends."

She let out a laugh of disbelief. "You've never actively tried to be anyone's friend. I'm pretty surprised."

"Well, people change."

I got up, gesturing for her to get up.

" How did you know I was at the library?" I asked, walking side-by-side. " Ethan told me."

"Of course he did," I sighed.

We left for Ethan's place, stayed there for lunch, simply enjoying each other's company. Nadia eventually left for the guest room to sleep, tired from her various sessions and travels.

I sat alone in the living room, calmly staring off into space, thoughts swirling.

I was thinking about that party. I really didn't want to go. Sometimes I wished I wasn't the only son. I wished I had another family. So much pressure, so much expectations.

So much words of warning ...

'Do you want to embarrass this family? '

'You 're my son, do as I say. If you do, your future will be bright. ' 'What would people say? '

'If you follow the rules, your life will be great. '

'No. We don't report to the authorities in this house. ' 'Nothing is illegal if the people in charge support it. '

'Money. All that matters is money. Get money, more money, and more money. '

'Even if you report to the police, do you honestly think they'll do anything? I have money. We have money. So many connections, influence. '

'If you 're angry, suck it up. You know you have no choice. You never have. '

My mind couldn't forget those words ingrained into my mind. My bones. My soul.

I grabbed the half empty glass of whiskey on the stool before me and drained the glass.

I heard a door open and moments later, Ethan plopped beside me. "You know, you've turned moodier than ever," he began. "It's like you're a different person. I worry sometimes."

I could hear the concern in his voice, but no matter how close we were, I couldn't just say what's on my mind. It's deeper than that. Dark.

" Is it family stuff?" he asked, concerned. "You wouldn't understand," I simply said.

"Okay." Ethan gave up. "But just know, if you need anything, you can always reach out. I'm your friend. I'm here to support you."

He raised his fist for a fist bump, and I reciprocated the gesture. "Thanks," I said.

He poured himself a drink. " It's cool. You've never been the open type, and I won't give you to be. Unless it's something serious."

It was noon and I left for my place to decide on an outfit for the dinner party. I drove in silence.

"Incoming call," was said aloud, and I answered it.

"Did Nadia give you my message?" my father asked in his usual gruffy voice. "Yes, sir."

"Good. I sent you the address and time. I expect you to be at your best behavior. There's someone I'd like you to meet."

My jaw tensed. "Okay." The call ended.

I returned back to silence.

" He's definitely going to matchmake me," I said to myself.

"Incoming call. "

I sighed and picked it.

"Julian," a female voice spoke.

I paused breathing for a moment. " Hello, Mom." "M- my baby," she whispered.

I closed my eyes for a second, letting out air from my mouth. "What do you want?" I asked rudely.

" I- I just ... I just wanted to talk to you," she said pitifully. "To hear your voice."

" I already said I'd come visit next week, you'll be able to see me then, what else do you want?" I told her, fighting the urge to hangup.

" I know," she breathed. " But can you blame a mother for trying to reach out to her child?" She sighed sadly. "You never call or text anymore. It's happened since highschool, but I assumed it was just you being stubborn ... wanting to be independent. We really used to be so close. I love you so much, Julian. Why don't you want me to-"

"You know why," I interrupted harshly. "You know why; I've told you why. I don't know why you want to keep having this conversation when you don't really care about what I think."

I heard her sniffle. " But you know this is hard for me. I'm doing this all for you. All of this is for-"

"Save it," I said, trying to control the anger in my voice. " I'll see you next week. But we're not going to talk about this again. You've already made your point."

There was silence at the other end of the line. Silence, but I could also hear heavy breathing and sniffling.

"Goodbye, Mom," I said, right before hanging up and driving into my house.

***

The party was just like I expected. Boring and fancy.

As usual, I turned myself into the perfect extrovert and charmed my way into everyone's heart. It was difficult forcing a smile when I just didn't care. When I didn't want to be here.

I held a glass of wine in my hand, thoughts elsewhere.

I needed something warm and just ... sweet. Something totally new.

My mind went to Emily. I silently cursed myself for not asking for her phone number back at the library. That has been part of my intention until Nadia came.

I didn't understand why I was so interested in her and wanted to know her better. I could be with anyone.

Whenever I looked into her eyes, it gave me nothing but comfort.

A large man who looked like he'd burst out of his suit came up to me, a wide smile on his face. "Julian, my boy," he said enthusiastically. "You shouldn't be standing all alone. There's so many beautiful young ladies here. I've heard of your reputation for women." He leaned closer,

whispering, "We're both alike in that area, and I might even go home with one today."

I faked a smile, my skin crawling because of his words. I was nowhere like him, I internally denied.

" It depends on how I'm feeling tonight," I said, which he readily accepted, laughing loudly like I said the funniest thing ever.

" I like you. Ah, you're so funny, just like your father." He patted me on the shoulder before letting me be.

But my little peace was disrupted by my father, of whom I hadn't seen since stepping into the building.

He looked the same as always, his expression hard and eyes always showing disapproval. "Julian," he said. "Glad you could make it."

Not like I had a choice.

I nodded, offering him a small smile as he placed a hand on my shoulder, acutely aware that someone's always watching. Looking for something to post online. My father hated bad press, and me being shown to be a displeased son wasn't good press. Even if I hated him, the press didn't have to know.

"What do you think about the girls here?" he asked, locking eyes with me. " I don't know," I replied honestly.

I hadn't met all of them. They were okay. Some were a bit overwhelming, but I wasn't unused to it. I knew some of their names and their popularity though.

He shook his head. "That won't do," he said, his voice lowered and even. " I called you here because I want you to find your future wife." He continued, his grip on my shoulder starting to hurt. "I have a few girls for you to meet. Well, just one in particular. She's perfect."

My tongue felt so heavy that I couldn't muster the courage to tell him off. To refuse him.

But his eyes which never showed emotions, that felt like a black hole, sucking you in, leaving you paralyzed with fear wouldn't let me.

He called over a woman walking past us. "Angelina! Just the girl I wanted to find."

He waved over a gorgeous red head dressed in black. She fluttered her eyelashes when she got closer.

"Son, this is Angelina Ross. She's the daughter of Adam Ross, the owner of AM Technologies."

I could tell from his eyes what he was trying to communicate to me ' Don't fuck this up' and I sighed internally.

Turning to Angelina, I introduced myself. I didn't have to say much for her to swoon, which thankfully, made my father pleased.

" I'll leave you to alone then."

With that, he walked away. But my eyes followed him as he walked away, grazed the hands of a woman, and held her hand, kissing her before walking up the stairs acting lovey-dovey.

That woman wasn't Mom.

The days were going by so fast, it made me worry a bit.

I didn't want to blink one day and be done with everything. I wanted to go ... explore the city. And that's what I told Ava, but she told me she was unavailable for it.

It was ironic how she'd always force me to go out and I'd begrudgingly go, but the moment I wanted to do something, she's busy.

I made no complaints, happy that it was a Saturday. I hated going out in the public because of how the human population made me feel overwhelmed. But before coming here, I'd promised myself that I'd explore and try new things.

And I was going to do that with or without Ava.

So I walked out of my dorm, dressed in a simple sunny dress, a cute necklace, and sandals.

I took in deep breaths with each step I took away from the building, reassuring myself of my decision. To me, it felt like everyone was looking at me-judging me. I knew they weren't and probably didn't give a fuck about me, but that's what you start to think in every situation when you had a terrible childhood.

Because of how large the school was, I had to take the bus to leave the environment- it was odd doing this all alone. Then I walked a bit, looking at the map on my phone, occasionally glancing up.

Nobody seemed to care what I was doing, and that's just how I liked it.

Then I almost jumped out of my skin in fear when a sleek black car pulled up beside me. I walked a few steps forward, and it kept following me.

Then it horned at me.

Looking around, and back, I was a bit scared. But I reassured myself nothing would happen to me in the daylight if I just looked at who it was.

So I leaned closer.

The windows revealed Julian's face. " Hi," he said charmingly.

I let out a sigh of relief. " Hi. I thought you were some sort of kidnapper."

"Sorry about that. I saw you walking, but I didn't know how else to reach out." A hint of a smile played on his lips as he pushed the door open for me. "Get in. The hot sun isn't good for you."

The sun-kissed streets seemed to come alive as his smile widened.

He 's so hot.

I knew my eyes probably sparkled as I slid into the passenger seat. It was so comfortable, clean and so obviously expensive.

"So where are you going?" he asked. "You got family outside school? Or just want to do some shopping?"

I squeezed my hands on my dress, trying to avoid looking into his eyes.

" I just ... I'm new around here, not just the school. I've never been to such a place before, my home isn't that great, and I wanted to explore," I admitted.

Julian's smile grew wider. "Well, let me show you the real city, then."

I was surprised. I never expected him to be so willing.

"Y- you don't have anything else to do?" I asked curiously.

He shrugged. "Not really. I drove out of my place because I was bored and like you ... I want to explore."

I wasn't sure if I believed him, but he was offering me a free ride. While I didn't like accepting freebies, something told me to.

"Okay," I accepted.

So he started the engine and took me around.

I looked out the window, trying my best not to look at him. My body was tense, and my hands clammy. I didn't expect to feel so uncomfortable with him, but it was already too late to regret it.

"So where are you from?" he asked.

I glanced at him. "You don't want to know," I spoke.

He sounded surprised. "What? Why would you say that?"

"It's just because... it's small. No one really knows the place, to be honest. And it's very far away," I explained.

"That doesn't matter. I love learning about new things. And places."

I didn't know why he was so interested. I'd researched him online to understand just how

different we were. How we're not even supposed to be in the same space, and how any of my experiences are insignificant to him.

But I still told him what he wanted to know.

"The name is Glowsmore," I said. " It's a very tiny town." He hummed in interest. "Why's it called that?"

I shrugged. " I don't know. I don't really think I care either. My main aim from the beginning was to leave the place. And I did."

He let out a soft laugh.

I glanced at him again. He's not so bad. He seemed relaxed unlike how I saw him in his pictures or around people. Was that just some sort of shield or did he not think I was that important to

guard himself around?

"That night," he said, stopping by the driveway of a quaint cafe. "You don't remember it, do you?"

I shook my head, locking eyes with him. The air in the car suddenly didn't feel like it was enough. I was torn between liking or hating the way he was staring at me.

" No," I said, my voice low.

"Okay, that's fine. I had a feeling," he accepted. "I don't either. I do have some flashes, but it seemed we were really out of it."

I nodded. "Yeah."

This was so awkward.

" Do you want to be friends?" he blurted. I blinked, shocked.

He continued. " Do you want to be friendly, at least?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but my throat felt dry. I was too shocked by his question to speak. He smiled. " Maybe we'll talk about this later then, alright?" he asked, to which I agreed.

I needed to arrange my thoughts before giving him a response.

We got into the café where we sipped coffee and devoured pastries. It was all still weird, but I could handle it a bit, trying to ignore the double takes all the women and girls did whenever they saw Julian. It was kind of annoying. But to his credit, Julian didn't seem to care, which was quite surprising yet pleasing.

Next, we strolled through to an art gallery. I was an English major, but one of my best subjects ever was the creative arts. It was a shame I didn't know how to draw for shit.

As the afternoon wore on, Julian declared it was time for shopping. I protested, not expecting the change, but he was insistent. "Consider it a welcome to the city gift. And a gift for being a freshman," he said, his eyes twinkling.

I sighed, agreeing after a few pleas. I knew he would pay, because he'd already done that the first few times. But I couldn't help but feel like I was some sort of sugar baby.

Maybe I'd just protest whenever I was uncomfortable.

I snapped out of it though when we arrived at our destination.

At the upscale boutique, I tried on outfit after outfit, Julian acting like a kid in a candy store. He sat on the couch, watching me with an amused expression, offering critiques and suggestions. It all felt so bizarre, and it also felt like something I should be doing with my friends or boyfriend, of which he was neither.

But like a lot of things, I didn't protest. Julian was nice, the same way Ava was. Being rude would be stupid and disrespectful.

Saying no always got me the short end of the stick, and in a new environment with new people who actually seemed to not detest me, I had to make the most of it all.

When I emerged in a stunning red dress, he stood up, his eyes locking onto mine. "You look beautiful," he said, his voice low.

My cheeks flushed as I quickly changed out of the dress. Looking at the dress one more time, I accepted that he was right. It's so beautiful. But ...

"You can use mine," I said, trying to hand the sales associate my credit card.

Julian simply laughed, snatching the card from her hand. "I think I can handle it," he said with a polite smile, handing the associate his own card.

Despite my protests, he paid for everything, insisting it was his treat. And I gave up, deciding that it's dumb to try to stop a literal billionaire from paying for my stuff. As we left the store with the bags, I felt a mix of gratitude and frustration.

As we drove back to school, the silence between us was comfortable. Which was unexpected. We had exchanged good conversation, and it was all nice.

My phone buzzed, and I took it from my purse, curious. It was a notification of a short post. By The Whistleblower.

I clicked on it, expectant. But I didn't expect what I found.

[Mystery Girl Found With Julian Blackwell?] I froze.

It was a photo of Julian and I leaving the café . " Holy shit," I whispered.

"What?"Julian asked.

I forced a smile at him. " It's nothing. I'm just checking the time." He nodded, easily accepting my excuse. "Alright."

My hands shook, and my heart rate increased the closer we got to my dorm. I looked back down at it to read.

[According to our sources, her name is Emily, a freshman, and she 's from the English department. It's not confirmed yet, but it is interesting.

Despite this, I bet the Julian Blackwell fangirls have probably found her dorm room and full name.

Stay tuned for more gossip from 'The Whistleblower'!]

My hands shook, shocked and suddenly scared.

I didn't know whether to tell Julian. Was there anything he could even do? What do people who get on the news usually do? Ignore it all, right?

Minutes later, still none the wiser, Julian was about pull up to my building, but I directed him to drop me off a block away. He appeared confused, but did as I asked.

"Thanks for today," I said, reaching for the door handle.

"Wait," Julian said, his voice low. "Give me your number at least, until you come up with a decision."

I raised an eyebrow but couldn't deny the spark of excitement I felt as I gave him my number. I watched him drive off, waving goodbye, before I walked to my dorm.

My phone buzzed with a message from Ava, but just as I was about to respond, I saw a group of girls emerge from the shadows of the dorm building. Their eyes locked onto me, and their faces twisted in anger. "You're the one, huh?" one of them sneered.

My eyes widened, scared, as I took a step back, but the girls closed in, their heels clicking on the pavement.

The girls didn't give me any space. They pushed me, their words insulting and threatening. I

raised my hands, trying to defend myself, and took another step back. I felt the edge of the curb behind me, and my foot slipped off the sidewalk.

Then I heard Ava's panicked voice shout from afar, "Emily!"

My eyes darted towards the dorm, and I saw Ava sprinting towards me. But before I could react, I heard the sound of screeching tires, and suddenly I stumbled backward, my arms flailing wildly because I was hit. Hard.

The world went dark, and then my vision snapped back into focus. I laid on the ground, my

head- my body pounding in agony. Blood trickled down my face and Ava's face hovered above mine, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Emily, oh my god, Emily!" Ava sobbed.

The screaming grew louder. My gaze drifted towards a sound, and I saw the car, its front

bumper crumpled, its windshield cracked. The driver's door swung open, and a figure stumbled out, their face contorted in terror.

But my vision began to blur again, and everything went dark.