Chapter 2
Alex was still live streaming, and everyone heard what I said.
Sunny let out a scornful laugh, acting like she was sitting on a moral high horse.
"Is your future really more important than someone's life?" Sunny snapped.
"Ethan, you're just too selfish. You only care about your own future and don't care if anyone else lives or dies," Sunny said.
"Alex has a medical condition. No one's future is more important than a life," Sunny added.
I let out a laugh. "Even your own?"
She paused, then said firmly, "Even mine. If I could trade my future for Alex's health, I'd do it without a second thought."
"Besides, it's just a one-year delay. Are you really making such a big deal out of it?" Sunny added.
Alex looked at Sunny, clearly moved by her words.
The group chat was flooded with praise, everyone saying, "Now that's what being a strong woman is all about."
Strong woman, huh? Let's see if she can actually walk the talk.
The next morning, I was woken up by a call from the school's inspection office.
Someone had filed a real-name report against me, saying I'd faked my academic history, had gaps in my record, and even paid someone to ghostwrite my thesis—then deleted it and tried to frame someone else for it.
In the inspection office, my advisor pushed up his glasses, looking all serious.
"Ethan, you always seemed so quiet and honest. Never thought you'd have the guts to pull something like this," he said.
The inspection director stayed calm. "So, you're Ethan, right? Someone reported you for faking your academic background and paying someone to write your thesis. What's your side of the story?"
I glanced at Sunny, who met my gaze calmly, and Alex, who was pale as a ghost.
"There's no gap in my academic record, and the ghostwriting accusation is just ridiculous," I said.
My advisor slid a file across the table—my middle school graduation info was flagged as missing.
I didn't even glance at it. I just handed the inspection director a phone number. "Call this number—they'll have all my records on file."
"So what about the accusations of ghostwriting, maliciously deleting the thesis, and blaming someone else?" the director asked.
Just then, Alex's choked-up voice cut in.
Sunny shot me a long, pointed look before stepping forward.
"Ethan, you were the one who deleted your own thesis and then tried to frame Alex for it. Do you have any idea he almost had a heart attack last night because of all this?" Sunny said, her voice sharp.
"Professors, Ethan actually finished his thesis back in sophomore year. I've read it myself—it's way above what anyone else our age could do, maybe even good enough for a journal. But during that whole time, he was always with me. I never once saw him working on any thesis," Sunny insisted.
The homeroom teacher jumped in to back her up.
"Sunny's our class president—she's always steady and reliable. We trust her," he said.
"Yeah, Ethan's always trying to outdo everyone. He managed to take the class president's scholarship a few times, and nobody knows how he did it. This really needs to be looked into," another person chimed in.
Looking at the three of them, I couldn't help but think how ridiculous this whole thing was.
I let out a cold laugh and said to the inspection director, "Yeah, Sunny and I used to date, but that doesn't mean we were glued together all day."
Sunny froze, then tugged at my arm. "Used to date? What do you mean?"
I ignored her and kept talking.
"The class president can't even handle basic group assignments, but because she's the advisor's precious niece, she gets a free pass to all the scholarships? Seriously?" I said.
I looked straight at Alex. "Go on, swear on your own health that you weren't the one who deleted my thesis. Can you do that?"
Bang!
The counselor slammed his cup down on the table, water splashing everywhere.
"You're threatening someone right in front of us? Who do you think you are, acting so cocky?" he snapped.
"We're not letting this slide. Students like you are a stain on our school's reputation," he added.
Sunny shot me a cold look, a hint of smugness in her voice.
"How can you be so heartless? Just to protect your own future, you want a sick guy to swear on his health? Isn't that just too much?" Sunny scoffed.
"Ethan, if you just apologize to Alex, I'll let it go about you accusing him," Sunny added.
"Relax, even if you have to put off graduating for a year, I won't think less of you," Sunny said.
Alex stood behind her, putting on a pitiful face, but there was a faint, smug smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
I pulled out my phone and said to the director, "Since they're so dead set on their story, how about we bring in someone neutral to sort this out?"
"Let's call the cops," I added.
The office went dead silent, and Sunny's face turned ashen.
Alex looked even paler, his fingers gripping Sunny's sleeve tightly.
Sunny patted his hand gently. "Call the cops? Are you seriously trying to make everyone think our school has some total fraud who faked their academic record and trashed their reputation?"
"Professors, our school takes academic honesty seriously. We can't just rush to call the cops," Sunny added.
The inspection director looked us over. "Alright, you can all go now. We'll look into this, and Ethan, we'll deal with you once we have the results."
"Let's go," he said.
I was the first to walk out. As soon as I stepped out of the building, Sunny came after me.
She grabbed my arm, looking really annoyed.
"Ethan, what did you mean by 'used to date'?" Sunny demanded.