Chapter 33

"Daisy really puts on a show-she acts all sweet, but there's something cold about her underneath."

"Honestly, even if Elissa did copy someone's work, I still think she's a good person at heart."

"Can't the school just expel Daisy already? It's exhausting sharing a classroom with her."

All around Elissa, classmates clustered close,offering reassurance and encouragement.

"Elissa, you should bring your case to the Dance Association. They'll get justice for you."

A steady resolve shone in Elissa's eyes as she nodded. "I will. Thank you all so much. Without your support, I'm not sure I would have made it this far."

"You have to stick it out, Elissa. We're behind

you all the way."

With a grateful smile, Elissa responded,"Thanks, everyone. You're amazing. Lunch is on me at the cafeteria-let's go."

Cheers erupted. "You're the greatest, Elissa! We love you!"

"I can't wait to tell my friends how lucky I am to have a classmate like you," another classmate exclaimed.

Excitement buzzed through the group.

As Joyce prepared to spit out her gum,Elissa offered her a tissue. "Joyce, use this-don't litter."

"Okay." Complying, Joyce spat the gum onto the tissue, which Elissa promptly took from her.Together, the whole group exited the classroom,laughter echoing behind them.

On their way past Arabella's desk, a commotion broke out-Elissa appeared to stumble, and

suddenly the gum slipped from her hand,landing right in Arabella's hair.

Feigning regret, Elissa fumbled for a tissue."Oops, sorry about that."

Every attempt to help only tangled more hair in the sticky mess, her touch anything but gentle,leaving Arabella's scalp smarting.

Sitting up straight, Arabella fixed Elissa with a steady look.

In a sweet voice, Elissa added, "Daisy, I'm really sorry. I swear it wasn't intentional."

A faint, satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

She did that on purpose. If Arabella wanted retribution,she ought to understand what Daisy had endured first.

A sharp scream tore through the classroom,drawing every eye.

Instead of shrinking away, Arabella yanked the

gum free from her own hair and smashed it into Elissa's, ripping away a handful of strands with a swift motion. Tears sprang to Elissa's eyes as she cried out, "Stop! That hurts!"

Panic swept the room; students hurried over,trying to pull the two apart.

Cries of protest filled the air. "Daisy, let go of her!"

Accusations flew as someone scolded, "How could you be so cruel? You're in her family's debt. The least you could do is treat her with respect!"

A sharp tug freed the gum from Elissa's hair, but Arabella's forceful pull brought a clump of hair with it. Elissa's shriek echoed through the room as she dropped to her knees, clutching her head. Her fingers came away stained with blood, and dizziness swept over her.

Turning next to the classmate who had spoken out, Arabella pressed the sticky wad hard onto

his scalp.

"Ouch! It hurts!" the boy shouted in pain, tears springing to his eyes. Rage surged, and he lunged at Arabella-only to receive a stinging slap that split his lip.

Leveling a cold gaze at the room, Arabella spoke up. "You call yourselves defenders of justice? Siding with the bullies just makes you the same as them."

With that, she strode away, leaving chaos in her wake.

Shocked silence filled the room for several heartbeats before anyone rushed to help Elissa and the boy.

Elissa, voice trembling, said, "This is all because of me. I shouldn't have involved everyone."

Immediate comfort came from the others."Don't blame yourself, Elissa. Daisy was out of line."

Touching the blood on his scalp, the boy trembled with fury. "I'm going straight to the administration. Daisy needs to be expelled for this!"

Grief welled up as Elissa looked at the hair on the floor, but a cold satisfaction replaced it when she imagined Arabella's fate. "Go ahead,Arabella. That little outburst is about to cost you everything," she pondered, lips curving in a wintry smile.

Within two hours, hashtags like #DaisyBulliedElissa,#GriridgeUniversityBullyingCase, and #UngratefulDaisy were dominating the trending lists online.

Prestige and honor surrounded Griridge University, the crown jewel of local education,but now a scandal had shattered its calm-allegations of bullying had everyone talking.In the midst of the uproar, Arabella received a summons to the university president's office.

A gentle tone colored the president's words as he addressed her. "Miss Stanley, can you tell me what took place? Mr. Gordon has already brought your situation to my attention. I'd like you to be honest with me."

A steady confidence marked Arabella's reply."Please don't trouble yourself, sir. I'll have this situation sorted out by next week."

Though she looked barely older than a student,Arabella radiated a calm authority that made the president unconsciously nod in agreement.

With the meeting over, Arabella headed back to the villa.

Saturday arrived, bringing a day free from classes.

Freed from their studies, even more people tuned in, eager to see the latest twist in the controversy.

Daisy's name was now infamous.

Everywhere online, angry voices filled the comment sections.

Meanwhile, Elissa's Twitter exploded-her follower count shot up by five hundred thousand in a single day.

By Sunday morning, Elissa had returned home.

Sitting at the breakfast table, Khloe scrolled through Elissa's profile, unable to hide her envy."You're amazing, Elissa! Your followers just keep coming. You've already passed two million!"