On the day we reported for the new semester, my girlfriend had just been admitted to one of the country's top universities. That morning, she suddenly told me she had chosen the wrong major and wanted to take a year off to retake the entrance exam.

I knew exactly why.

It was for her childhood friend, the one who had not made it.

Her parents begged me to talk her out of it.

After a night of painful deliberation, she appeared downstairs at my dorm and said,

"I've made up my mind. I won't retake the exam. Let's stay together and make this work."

However, during the freshman welcome event, just as her name was being called, her phone lit up.

A message from him.

[My prep class started today. My deskmate isn't you anymore. It feels so strange.]

She went completely still.

I tightened my grip on her hand and warned her quietly, "If you leave now, we're finished. Forever."

She whispered an apology, dragged her suitcase behind her, and walked out of the campus.

"Mr. and Mrs. Spencer, you've heard it as well.

"Juliet's made her choice, and I respect that. I hope you can respect my feelings, too.

"I've got to straighten up the dorm, so I won't walk you out."

I turned my back, fixing up my bed, not giving the Spencers another glance.

They shuffled out, looking a mess.

Dad was fuming, his chest rising and falling as he clapped me on the shoulder, eyes brimming with concern.

"Samuel, don't sweat it. She's not worth your trouble. You've got your own future to think about!"

I cracked a smile, reassuring him, "I'm good, Dad. Really.

"I saw it coming, honestly, but who knew she'd be silly enough to ditch Jameston University to repeat a year just to stick with Brian?"

Max, my buddy since forever, was on the phone, letting loose a torrent of insults.

"Can you believe Juliet? Going back a grade for Brian of all people! You holding up okay, Samuel?"

I took a breath. "I'm alright."

"I always knew Brian was bad news. All that sweet talk about Juliet is enough to make anyone sick. And she's just eating it up!" Max's rant washed over me, but inside, I was at peace.

I used to think Juliet and I were unbreakable. Even though I sensed something brewing with Brian, I was too wrapped up in my studies to give it much thought.

After all, she once said, "I can't stand people who flaunt their cash like it's nothing," I turned down the 15000 dollars my mom tried to give me every month.

We would hit the cafeteria together daily, and on days when we were too rushed to sit down for a meal, she would snack on a piece of bread while I munched on some crackers.

I could have just waited to cash in on my family's billion-dollar empire after graduation, but nope, I had to stick with her and hit the books like our lives depended on it.

I busted my tail to get into Jameston University fair and square, all to show her I was not just another rich kid riding on his parents' coattails.

What she never knew was how many times I had secretly gotten my parents to bail out her family's struggling factory. I could not stand the thought of her worrying about it and messing up her studies.

I figured once we both got into Jameston and left Brian Smith in the dust, Juliet would finally get serious and give us a real shot.

It turned out I gave her too much credit and did not give Brian's tearful act enough.

Our story of being the power couple who aced their way into Jameston had already buzzed through town once.

However, with that whole mess playing out, a fresh buzzword shot up the charts.

[Jameston University brainiacs standing up for a childhood friend who bombed the entrance exam.]

I clicked in, and the comments were blowing up.

[Have they lost their minds? It's Jameston University! They're really walking away over a failed entrance exam?]

[Did this girl get her brains scrambled? What love is worth more than your future?]

[And I'm dying to know who this childhood friend is. What kind of magic do they have?]

It did not take long before Brian's mug and all his info were splashed all over the internet by some super-sleuths.

Public opinion shifted overnight, becoming eerily unanimous.

[Really? She's not even more attractive than his ex. Is she blind?]

[He knows the guy is taken, but still flirts like crazy. What a player, a homewrecker!]

My phone buzzed nonstop with texts from family and friends trying to comfort me.

I did not respond to any of them, just soaked in the irony.

The next day, when I thought the drama would start to die down, Juliet's call blared through again.

She was livid, as if I had wronged her whole family. "Samuel, are you behind this mess trending online?"

Juliet's wild accusation actually made me laugh.

"Juliet, did repeating the year mess with your head? Why would I waste time stirring up your mess?"

She was momentarily speechless, then came back at me, all high and mighty, "Then post a statement, clear things up online! Say we broke up amicably a while ago.

"I chose to repeat the year, and it's got nothing to do with Brian! He's been dragged through the mud by everyone online, and he's been crying all day!"

Hearing her go all soft about Brian, my smile turned ice-cold.

"Why should I clear anything up? We were done because you cheated with another guy, and you're repeating the year for him, too.

"Juliet, I'm not obligated to clean up your mess or deal with the fallout from you and your childhood crush.

"As far as I'm concerned, we were over the second we split. I don't owe you anything."

"You–"

I did not let her finish. I hung up and blocked her number, no looking back.

A few days later, a post on Jameston University's campus forum shot to the top of the trending list.

[Exposing New Kid Samuel: The So-Called Golden Boy, Just a Spoiled Brat with Power!]

The post painted a picture of me as a rich kid with a serious control issue and a mind full of schemes.

It claimed I had been crushing on Juliet, the girl with brains and heart, since we were kids, and I used my family's clout to make her date me.

However, it was she and her childhood friend Brian who were the real deal, totally smitten with each other, until I came along and split them up like some heartless villain.

The post went on to say that after Juliet got into Jameston University, she tried to dump me and go back to Brian.

However, I played the drama card, threatening to end it all, and even said I would get the Lawson family to take down the Spencers if she left me, so she had no choice but to stick it out.

The kicker? The post said Juliet was not repeating her school year for love; she was 'trying to break free' from my evil grip, making a bold stand.

Then there were the photos, all doctored up.

One showed me giving Brian the evil eye, which everyone read as pure jealousy.

Another had Juliet looking all frustrated while talking to me, which everyone took as her just putting up with me.

Then there was the one with Brian looking all sad, with Juliet comforting him, hailed as the ultimate lovebirds.

Just like that, public opinion did a total 180.

People who had felt sorry for me and had been trashing Juliet and Brian just days before suddenly had a change of heart, turning their attacks on me.

[Whoa, so that's the real story! No wonder the genius girl seemed off; she was being pushed around!]

[Samuel is just gross! Do you think being rich makes you cool? Ever heard that forcing things won't make them good?]

[My heart went out to Brian and Juliet. It was like watching a modern-day tyrant picking on the little guy.]

[Samuel, get out of Jameston University! We don't need someone as toxic as you at our school!]

The messages were a stream of filth and insults that no one should ever have to read.

Before I knew it, my personal details, including my phone and dorm room number, were all over the Internet.

My phone was blowing up with hateful texts from strangers and persistent prank calls.

Some guy even showed up outside my dorm, yelling up at my window, "Samuel! You lowlife! Come out and face us!"

"Big shot bully! You've got no shame!"

My roommate was so mad he was about to storm down there and give them a piece of his mind, but I held him back.

"Don't bother; they're too worked up. You won't get through to them."

He was pacing around, desperate, "Samuel, what are we gonna do? How can they just throw insults at you without knowing the whole story?"

I watched the angry mob from my window, strangely calm, almost amused.

That had Brian's fingerprints all over it.

Juliet must have twisted our story into something ugly to give him ammo against me.

They thought they could smear my name with their dirty tricks and come out looking like angels.

They could not be more wrong.

The next day, I skipped school and headed straight for Summit High School, where Juliet and Brian were repeating their senior year.

I pulled up in a flashy sports car, and the moment word got out at Summit High, I was swarmed by a sea of curious students.

"Wow, check out that car–it's gotta be worth a fortune. I wonder which rich kid is showing up on that ride?"

"Rumor has it that it's a senior who graduated last year. Word on the street is he even got into Jameston University!"

"That's gotta be Samuel, right? He was all over the local news."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Haven't you heard? Juliet, who got accepted to Jameston with him, is redoing her senior year at Summit High. I heard she's sticking around for her childhood crush."

"Seriously? She's passing up Jameston University to redo a year for a guy? That's just nuts!"

Juliet and Brian, catching wind of the gossip, hurried over.

"So, what, you're here to bug me about going back to Jameston again? Give it a rest, will you? We're done, and now I'm here to support Brian through his repeat year. Can't you just let us study in peace?"

Juliet's eyes were filled with disdain and impatience when she saw me, as if our time together had been nothing but a charade.

I cleared my throat. "I'm not here to talk you into anything. I'm here for one reason only.

"And that's to get an apology out of you!"

"An apology?" Juliet was visibly surprised.

My eyes shifted to Brian at her side. "You're the one behind those Jameston University posts, aren't you? They've caused me a lot of trouble, and I want you to take them down and apologize to me publicly!"

Truth be told, I could have easily asked my dad to handle that. With just a little nudge from him, all those negative posts about me would vanish without a trace.

Maybe there was a part of me that still hoped Juliet would come around. If she and Brian just said they were sorry, I would let the whole thing slide.

However, Juliet acted like I had told the world's funniest joke, her eyes rolling with extra layers of scorn.

"Brian's posts were spot on, weren't they?" she fired back. "And let's not forget, you started it with Brian. If it weren't for those nasty comments online hurting him, he wouldn't have hit back.

"Brian's a sweetheart. Unlike you, always throwing your weight around!"

With that, she yanked Brian closer, and they cozied up to each other like two peas in a pod.

Brian, seizing the moment, slung his arm around Juliet's waist, smirking like he had won the lottery.

That was when it hit me. I had been way too naive, or maybe I was just finally seeing Juliet for the total piece of work she really was.

"You know dating's a no-go at school, right?" I blurted, not bothering to sugarcoat it.

Juliet just snickered.

"The head honcho hasn't piped up, so what's it to you?" she shot back.

"Plus, this year, Brian and I are gonna be the power couple of brainiacs, sailing straight into Jameston University. Just watch."

I could not help but snort to myself. "Him, get into Jameston University? As if!"

That got under Brian's skin, and he started griping to Juliet right there and then.

"Juliet, isn't he just the worst? Since when is wanting to succeed a crime?

"He's just looking down on me because he's got his fancy family and their deep pockets, huh?"

"Brian's got a point," said Juliet with a smirk, playfully flicking her finger against his nose. She turned to me, her eyes filled with disdain. "Samuel, you've really crossed the line. You owe Brian an apology, or those posts stay up."

I was seething. They were totally out of line!

"Apologize? Can he even take it?

"You're not just confused. You're a complete mess, through and through."

"You–"

I ignored them both and gestured to someone in the car.

In a flash, a man in a sharp suit and black-framed glasses stepped out and approached us.