By the next day after Steve's post, the campus was buzzing.
Some girls acted like they didn't care. Others whispered in corners, eyeing Michelle from head to toe as if trying to figure out what made Steve choose her. And then there were the worst of them — the ones who couldn't handle losing in silence.
Emily. Vanessa. Clara.
"Poor Michelle," Emily said loudly while waiting in line for coffee. "Has to keep him through Instagram. That's… desperate."
Michelle heard it. She knew it was on purpose. But she didn't react.
But words weren't the end of it.
The Plan
That day, something changed.
Emily and her clique moved to a new tactic — destroy Michelle from the inside. They started sending anonymous messages to school group chats, filled with made-up "truths" about Michelle — claiming she manipulated Steve, that she lied, that she was sleeping with professors for grades.
One moment, Michelle felt strong.
The next, like everything was falling apart.
"Why… why are they doing this?" she whispered to Lila after reading another cruel anonymous comment under her photo:
"Funny how fake girls rise fast. But they always fall harder."
Lila was furious. "Because you won. Because you scare them."
Breaking Point
Michelle tried to ignore the attacks. But when she walked into the library and saw a flyer on a table — her face printed above the words "FAKE. EASY. UNDESERVING.", she ran.
Outside. Somewhere away. Tears stung her eyes. Her chest was tight.
That's where Steve found her — on the bench behind the art building. Alone. Silent. Small.
He sat beside her gently and just held her. Tightly. Wordlessly.
"I can't do this, Steve," she whispered. "They're going to break me."
"They won't," he said. "Because this… none of this is your fault. But it would be my fault if I let you carry it alone."
Michelle rested her head on his chest. "I know I'm not as strong as people think."
Steve looked down at her. "But you are. Because even scared, you're still standing."
Turning the Page
That evening, Michelle, Steve, Lila, and Jordan sat in her room.
"So, what do we do?" Lila asked. "Wait it out? Or fight back?"
Michelle exhaled. "Not with revenge. But with truth."
Together, they drafted an open letter — not from her name, but from her heart.
I never thought that falling in love would come with this much hate. But I'm not writing this to make anyone feel sorry for me. I'm writing it because I know I'm not the only girl who's been made to feel small because of someone else's insecurity. To the ones who whisper: I hear you. To the ones who watch: I see you. And to the ones who stand with me: Thank you. I won't let your silence be louder than my truth."
The reaction was immediate.
Students commented. Shared. Reposted. Girls Michelle had never met DM'd her with their own stories.
"Thank you for saying it.""You're not alone.""You gave me strength."
And the next day, as Michelle walked through campus, the looks weren't hateful anymore. People smiled. Some nodded. A few even hugged her.
Emily and her clique? Quiet. Not gone — but their power had crumbled.
In the Quiet After the Storm
That evening, Michelle and Steve walked through the campus, hand in hand.
"You were incredible today," he whispered.
"I was terrified," she admitted.
"That's okay. Even heroes get scared. You still showed up."
He stopped, pulled her gently into his arms, and kissed her — soft but full of depth, the kind of kiss that promised, I'm here. I see you. I'm not going anywhere.
"I'll always stand beside you," he said.
Michelle smiled. "And I'll stand beside you."