Grades, Gossip, And Revenge

Synopsis

Senior year, a new transfer student joined our class. Her name was Ivy Mack. She was nothing like the other girls. Ivy smoked, drank, and was totally one of the guys. She was that badass, stand-out cool girl everyone couldn't help but notice. As soon as she showed up, she set her sights on my childhood friend, Ethan Cameron. While messing around with Ethan, she brought me up. "Dude, check out your little childhood friend. The way she walks is kinda off, you know? I bet she's already been around," Ivy said, clicking her tongue. I thought Ethan would stand up for me like he always did. But instead, he just chuckled softly. "Who knows? She's pretty good at pretending." During the most stressful month before the SAT, Ivy stopped him in the hallway again. She said, "Wanna pull an all-nighter at the internet cafe tonight? I mean, your little childhood friend's reputation is already trashed. No matter how wild you get, she'll still cling to you like a dog." I rounded the corner, clutching my test papers, and saw Ethan hesitate for a second before nodding. "Let's go." Later, Ethan bombed the exams. He didn't even make the cut for a bachelor's degree. Meanwhile, I was interviewed as the top scorer in the state, my photo plastered all over the honor roll. He cornered me backstage at the graduation ceremony, his voice full of that patronizing tenderness, like he was doing me a favor. "Liana, why don't we get together? I don't care about all those rumors. Even if what they say about you is true... it doesn't bother me," Ethan said.