The door to Mr. Harper’s office stood slightly ajar.

I was about to knock when I heard Hayden’s earnest and respectful voice coming from inside.

“Mr. Harper, over the past four years, I organized more than twenty class activities and even received the Most Outstanding Class Monitor award…”

I pushed the door open and saw Hayden sitting across from Mr. Harper, a stack of documents spread across the desk.

They both looked up at the same time, and Hayden’s expression froze instantly.

“Everett?” Mr. Harper said with some surprise.

“What’s the matter?”

I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my palms.

“I want to report that Hayden has been maliciously excluding classmates.”

I tried to remain calm.

“He collected the graduation photo fee but deliberately failed to inform me of the shooting time, which resulted in the entire class photo being taken without me.”

Hayden immediately jumped to his feet.

“What nonsense are you talking about! You’re the one who didn’t check the group messages!”

“Which group?” I said as I stared at him.

“Do you mean that small group chat you created without me?”

Hayden’s expression shifted slightly, and he turned to Mr. Harper.

“Mr. Harper, our class has three group chats. Everett left it himself—”

“I didn’t leave any group,” I cut him off.

“You kicked me out. During that class dinner in our sophomore year, you asked everyone to pay fifty dollars, and after I objected, you removed me.”

Hayden let out a cold laugh, but when he turned to Mr. Harper, he replaced it with a wounded expression.

“You see, Mr. Harper? Everett is always like this, constantly nitpicking our class affairs.

“That dinner was at an upscale restaurant. Fifty dollars wasn’t even enough, and I had to cover the extra cost with class funds…”

“That’s a lie!”

My voice trembled with anger.

“The actual cost was less than thirty dollars per person, and you never released the account records afterward!”

Mr. Harper frowned.

“All right, all right. Graduation is approaching, so don’t argue over such trivial matters.

“The two of you are both at fault. Hayden, you really should have informed every classmate about the graduation photo…”

“But I did notify everyone!” Hayden protested as he took out his phone.

“Look, I posted the announcement in the main year group chat and even tagged everyone. If he muted the group messages, how is that my fault?”

I leaned over to check and saw that he had indeed posted a brief notice in the year group chat.

But that chat had long been flooded with advertisements, and I had muted it a long time ago.

“And besides,” Hayden added smugly, “before the photos yesterday, I even asked someone to go to his dorm to look for him, but he wasn’t there.”

I turned to him sharply.

“Who came looking for me? I was in my dorm the entire day yesterday, preparing materials for my thesis defense!”

“Corin said he knocked for a long time, but no one answered,” Hayden shrugged.

“Maybe you were wearing headphones and didn’t hear him.”

My whole body trembled with anger.

Corin had never come to look for me.

Seizing the moment, Hayden added, “You know how it is, Mr. Harper. Everett never participates in class activities and always needs to be invited again and again.

“This time it was the same with the graduation photo. He was the only one in the entire class who wanted to change the time…”

“That was because I had my thesis defense!”

My voice shook with anger.

“And didn’t I cooperate and adjust my schedule in the end?”

“All right, all right.”

Mr. Harper interrupted us with a frown.

“The graduation photo has already been taken, so there’s no point discussing it now.

“Everett, you should learn to fit in with the group. After four years of school, not even having a graduation photo would be such a pity.”

I stared at Mr. Harper in disbelief. “This isn’t my fault…”

“Hayden has been very responsible as class monitor,” Mr. Harper said quietly as he patted Hayden on the shoulder.

“How about this? I’ll ask the photographer to edit you into the photo separately, and the cost will come from the class funds.”

“Then what about the fees I paid?” I asked.

Hayden immediately replied, “It’s already been paid to the photographer. There’s no way it can be refunded.”

Mr. Harper nodded. “Yes, the photographer worked very hard as well.”

I stood there, feeling a chill spread through my body.

This was the school where I had spent four years, and these were the teachers and classmates I had known.

“There’s no need to edit the photo,” I said.

“I won’t pay for a fake group picture.”

As I turned to leave, I heard Hayden say behind me, “You see, Mr. Harper? That’s exactly the kind of antisocial attitude…”

When I returned to my dorm, Corin was sitting on the edge of my bed, holding a box with flashy packaging.

“Everett…”

He stood up awkwardly.

“I’m sorry. I really wanted to come find you, but something came up at the last minute…”

I walked past him in silence and began packing the items on my desk.

“This is a gift for you.”

He pushed the box toward me.

“All four of us in the dorm contributed…”

I paused and stared at the box.

“Did you really come looking for me yesterday?” I asked softly.

Corin twisted his fingers together.

“I… I did go, but you weren’t there…”

“I was in the dorm all day yesterday.”

I looked straight into his eyes.

“From eight in the morning until ten at night. I even ordered lunch delivery.”

His face flushed red.

“Maybe… maybe I got the time wrong…”

“Corin,” I interrupted him, “over four years of school, how many times did I save you a seat in the library? How many times did I cover for you?”

His head sank lower and lower.

“Last semester, when you twisted your ankle playing basketball, who carried you to the hospital in the middle of the night?”

My voice began to tremble.

“Who stayed with you in the ER until dawn?”

He kept his head low, fists clenched tightly.

“I’m sorry…” he said sadly.

“*Hayden said… said there was no need to notify you… he said you never fit in anyway…”

I took a deep breath and pushed the box back to him.

“No, thanks.”

I was about to ask Corin to leave the dorm when my phone vibrated.

A new message appeared in the class group chat.

Hayden had posted a notice:

[Students who have paid can take individual and group photos this afternoon.]

The chat exploded with cheers and thank-you emojis.

Corin quickly grabbed my hand.

“I’ll come with you this afternoon…”

I coldly moved his hand aside.

“I’ll go by myself.”

After all, I had already paid.

At three in the afternoon, I arrived alone at the school’s photography studio.

From a distance, I saw classmates gathering in small groups, holding the graduation albums they had just received, laughing constantly.

But when I pushed the door open, the normally noisy room fell silent for a second.

More than twenty pairs of eyes all turned toward me, then moved away as if by unspoken agreement, while a few suppressed giggles floated in the air.

I wondered what was happening.

I walked straight toward Soren Vance, a class committee member distributing the albums.

He was Hayden’s close friend and often cooperated with him to target me.

Today, Soren wore a graduation gown and was surrounded by a few buddies, joking and laughing.

Seeing me approach, panic flickered across his face, but he quickly replaced it with his usual condescending expression.

“Well, finally decided to show up?” Soren asked, his voice raised.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t coming?”

I calmly reached out my hand.

“My graduation album, please.”

He exaggeratedly sighed, picked up an album from the table, and handed it to me.

“Here, I saved it just for you.”

I opened the album, and the first page was the full class photo.

My picture had been Photoshopped into the far corner of the last row—a clear ID photo cut from my student card.

It had been enlarged to the point of distortion; my face was pale and lifeless, a stark contrast to everyone else’s natural expressions.

Worse, a ridiculous pair of bunny ears had been added to the top of my head.

A few suppressed snickers rang out around me.

I raised my head and saw several classmates covering their mouths to laugh, and some lifted their phones to take pictures of me.

“How do you like it?” Soren raised an eyebrow smugly.

“I personally instructed the photographer to make it special.”

My fingers clenched the edges of the album, knuckles white.

“This is what I get?” I heard my own voice, unnervingly calm.

Soren shrugged.

“Photoshopping isn’t free. Do you know how hard the photographer worked overtime?”

“Refund my money.” I slammed the album on the table.

“Or I’ll report you and Hayden to the Academic Affairs Office for misusing class funds.”

Soren’s face changed.

“What nonsense are you talking about! Every expenditure from the class funds is recorded!”

I didn’t want to argue with him any longer and went straight to Hayden.

He was deep in conversation with the photographer.

Seeing me approach, he immediately became alert and stepped forward to block me.

He raised his chin.

“This area is for individual photos. No unauthorized persons allowed.”

“I paid too.” I looked Hayden in the eyes.

“Just like the other students.”

Hayden snorted and crossed his arms.

“Everett, let me make this clear. The fee only covers the group photo. Individual portraits cost extra. Got it?”

He deliberately raised his voice, drawing the attention of nearby classmates.

“We went out of our way to Photoshop you in. What more do you want?”

I clenched my fists.

“Then why do the other students all have individual portraits?”

“Because they paid extra,” Hayden rolled his eyes.

“If you’re broke, don’t embarrass yourself. Now get lost.”

A few suppressed laughs rippled through the room.

I felt my blood rush to my head.

Hayden continued in a mocking tone, speaking so only the two of us could hear, “Some people just don’t fit in. Four years of school and not a single decent group photo. Pathetic!”

“Give me back my money!”

I forced down my anger, but my voice still trembled.

“Since you already took the group photo and made me look so ugly in it, refund my money!”

Hayden widened his eyes dramatically.

“How shameless are you, Everett? Isn’t your face in the graduation photo? Photoshop isn’t free. Do you think the photographer works overtime for nothing?”

“That’s my student ID photo! And you deliberately mocked me!”

I pointed at the ridiculous bunny ears on my head in the album.

“What is this supposed to be?”

“Just a joke. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

Hayden sneered.

“You’re the only one in the class who doesn’t fit in. Can’t even take a joke.”

The surrounding snickers grew louder. I felt like a circus animal on display.

“Refund my money!” I raised my voice. “Or I’ll report you for misusing class funds!”

“Go ahead and report me!” Hayden countered.

He acted as if he had heard the world’s funniest joke.

“I want to see who would even listen to you!”

Our argument grew louder and finally caught the attention of Mr. Dean Whitlock, a teacher in our grade, and the principal, Mr. Jorn Thorne.

Mr. Whitlock frowned as he approached.

“What’s going on? I could hear you shouting from a mile away.”

Hayden’s face immediately changed.

His eyes reddened, and his voice cracked with a whine.

“Everett insists we refund the graduation photo… but the photos are already taken, and the money has been handed to the photographer…”

He hiccupped as he added, “We went out of our way to Photoshop him in, and he’s still ungrateful…”

Mr. Whitlock turned to me.

“Everett, this is your fault. Graduation photos are a group activity. How can you request a refund for personal reasons?”

I took a deep breath.

“Mr. Whitlock, they collected the money but didn’t notify me of the photo time. The group photo used my ID photo, deliberately making me look ugly.

“Besides, I know the class monitor and the committee member misappropriated class funds!”

Malicious Photoshopping was a small matter, but misusing class funds, however, was serious.

The entire room fell silent as all eyes focused on me.

Hayden’s face went pale, then flushed bright red.

“Everett! You’re slandering me! Every expenditure from the class funds is recorded!”

Mr. Whitlock looked at me sternly.

“This accusation is very serious. Do you have evidence?

“Slandering classmates carries punishment. You could fail to graduate over this!”

My palms were damp with cold sweat, but the situation had come this far. I had no choice.

“I am willing to take responsibility for everything I say!”