After getting lunch with Benji, he reluctantly dropped me at my house where I waited for my mum to get back from work. Once she did I caught her up on everything. It involved shedding of tears, plenty of hugs and bucket loads of relief on my part. Who knew sharing things was better than bottling it up?

The next day I woke up a woman on a mission. We'd set an appointment to see the Principal at three and it was currently one. It was impossible for my mum to get off work with such late notice so she agreed to meet us later.

I didn't mind. I had Tobi and a strong sense of determination.

I took my time getting ready, straightening my hair so it fell in glossy locks down my back. I applied minimal make up and picked out a simple outfit of blue jeans, a plain shirt and my black leather jacket.

It was half past two when I'd finished getting ready so I left my house, texting Tobi that I was on my way. She was still in class but would meet me at the Principal's office immediately after.

Thankfully the school was practically empty when I reached it. Everyone was almost done with their exams so were permitted to leave early. I headed straight for the office, and checked with his secretary.

"Just take a seat, dear." She told me politely and I complied, sitting on the hard plastic chairs opposite her. I fiddled with my fingers as I waited, staring at the looming brown door that lead to his office.

I sensed movement beside me and turned to my right to catch a glimpse of long black braids. Tobi's smiling face appeared as she took a seat next to me and I tried to mirror her expression. No words were exchanged, none needed to be.

After what felt like forever the secretary answered a call and gestured for us to enter his office. The principal, Mr Harker had always been an intimidating figure. His unusually tall frame, paired with a reserved expression and blue eyes that seemed to penetrate to your soul added to this profile. But now he was looking at me with a mixture of sympathy and nervousness. It helped calm my fears.

"Good afternoon, ladies." He nodded at us. We retuned the greeting, sitting in the chairs opposite him. "You're mother will meet us later, correct?" He asked and I nodded in confirmation.

"Before we start, I just want to you let you know the school is doing everything in our power to found out the culprit of that... post." Mr Harker told me seriously and I offered a small smile.

"That's what we came here for, actually." I started and his eyebrow rose. "Tobi and I went through who could possibly be behind it, and we came up with a name."

"It's just a speculation though." Tobi stressed. "There's no empirical evidence to suggest it's this person, but all the signs point towards her."

Mr Harker nodded as if saying 'go ahead'.

I took a deep breath. "I think it is Taylor Marisetta."

Mr Harker's eyebrows rose again. At the exact same time we heard commotion outside, overlapping voices shouting over each other. I was able to make out one which sounded very familiar.

"My best friend will not be punished for a crime she did not commit."

"Miss Reed!"

There was a soft knock on the door before it was thrown open, colliding with the wall. Alyssa Reed, Taylor's best friend, stood in the doorway with a stormy face and the stance of a warrior.

Mr Harker stood up. "Miss Reed-"

"I am here on behalf of my client, Miss Marisetta." She stated calmly, entering the office as if it belonged to her. Her dark brown ponytail swung as she sauntered over to the seat next to me.

Mr Harker sat back down, looking resigned. "Thank you, Nancy." He said to the shocked secretary standing in the doorway. She nodded and closed the door.

Mr Harker turned to Alyssa who'd crossed her arms defiantly. "Miss Reed, how many times do I need to remind you it's wrong to barge in on my meetings?"

"I only did it twice." Alyssa dismissed.

"This is not one your father's court cases." Mr Harker retorted.

"My dad said the world is a court case. You either choose to be the accused or the accuser. I know which one I choose."

"Miss Reed-"

"With all due respect Sir, you will want me here. We all have the same goal, find out who's behind that Instagram post. If Chloe has no issue with me being helping, then I believe I should be present in this meeting." Alyssa interrupted, her face daring our principal to protest.

"I don't mind her staying here, Sir." I interjected. I was very curious about what she had to say. I glanced at Tobi who looked uncomfortable.

Mr Harker pointed a warning finger at Alyssa. "Don't make this a normal occurrence."

"I wouldn't dream of it Sir." She replied with a titled head and smile. Her expression turned serious as she faced me.

"Why do you think my client is behind the Instagram post?"

I was momentarily caught off guard by her directness so Tobi chipped in. "Taylor has never hidden the fact she doesn't like Chloe."

"So a bit of unfriendliness automatically leads to harassment?" Alyssa asked, narrowing her eyes. Tobi carried on as if she hadn't spoken.

"We both know Taylor thought that Chloe had a thing for Brock. This classed Chloe as competition. So she had a motive to take Chloe out." Tobi explained calmly.

"And I overheard you two speaking in the girls toilet that time." I added. Alyssa didn't look surprised. "You were- or at least Taylor was – literally scheming about how to deal with me or whatever."

Alyssa nodded, rolling her glossy lips into her mouth. "Then riddle me this. Why would Taylor go through all the trouble of getting that information about you, asking for a truce, creating a fake account and typing up that post when she and Brock have been happily dating for a number of weeks?"

I was stumped. I hadn't taken that into consideration. Taylor was with Brock now, why would she want to get at me?

Alyssa turned to Mr Harker who was silently listening to us. "Denzel-"

"Mr Harker." He interrupted, irritation lacing his tone.

"Mr Harker." Alyssa corrected. "I believe the person behind this Instagram post wants to frame my client. While she has exhibited hostility towards Miss Woods in the past, after asking for a truce and making things official with Brock, she hasn't given her a second glance. Correct?" Alyssa turned to me and I nodded, frowning.

"And isn't it ironic that when Taylor is away on a volleyball tournament that's when the post is uploaded. The offender wanted to make sure Taylor wasn't there to defend herself, and she would come back facing possible expulsion."

Alyssa clasped her hands, a satisfied expression on her face. "And last of all, the cherry on top. My client would never do something that would jeopardise her relationship with Brock. She's aware of how close him and Miss Woods are, so what would she gain from that post? Logically, the offender being Miss Marisetta makes no sense. Even a blind man can see she's innocent concerning this matter. I will not let her name be dragged in the dirt." Alyssa finished firmly and turned to me.

"Nor will I let whoever framed her get away with it. My dad may be a lawyer for criminals so yes my moral compass may be slightly skewed, but I know injustice when I see it. And trust me; I will not let it prevail."

I almost felt like clapping for her. What a noble speech. I glanced at Tobi who looked very impressed then at Mr Harker who showed the same expression. He quickly schooled it into one of sternness.

"Thank you, Miss Reed. If there isn't anything else, I would like to speak to Miss Woods alone-"

"Yes, Denzel, there is actually." Alyssa offered a brilliant smile at his deadpan look. "There's a very simple way to find out who's behind the Instagram account. Hack it."

"Excuse me?"

"The post has been removed and the account suspended, so before it's deleted we can hack it. The email used to set it up may give us who we're looking for."

"What if a fake email was used?" Tobi asked curiously. Alyssa waved her hand.

"An easy hurdle to jump. I know a guy who can deal with it." She turned to Mr Harker. "Tell your technicians to let me deal with it. In under a week I'll have the culprit."

Mr Harker crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "Am I right in assuming your 'guy' will find this information in a legal way?"

There was a pause.

"No comment." Alyssa replied and Mr Harker's lips twitched. He nodded at the door. "I will take everything you have proposed into consideration, Miss Reed. Have a nice evening."

"I will take that promise with utmost seriousness, Denzel." Alyssa said as she walked towards the door. "If I hear my client being accused again I will be in touch with professionals."

"Goodbye, Miss Reed." Mr Harker sighed and she left. He turned to Tobi who got the silent message and collected her things, leaving with a small smile in my direction.

Now alone, the intensity of his gaze had increased by a hundred. I looked around for a distraction, focusing on the bookshelf in the corner. I squinted to see if I could recognise any books.

"Miss Woods." He said, commanding my attention. His gaze was open and concerned. "I am responsible for all the students in this school. I try to make myself involved in event the smallest issues. I know how it feels to be voiceless and alone. Which is why I'm taking this very seriously. Miss Reed has offered suggestions which proved extremely helpful, but I do not condone the manner in which she did." He had to make that clear. I stifled a laugh.

"Nonetheless, I want to know how you are."

I took a deep breath, daring to meet his eyes. "Taking every day at a time, I suppose. Some days I wake up and I already feel overwhelmed, but I have great support around me. It's funny, I left Australia to escape Dave yet he seemed to follow me here." I chuckled and Mr Harker frowned.

"Dave?"

"My mum's ex-boyfriend." I informed him. "It's hard when you trust people, and they betray you." I hadn't noticed tears were rolling down my cheeks. "I trusted him wholeheartedly, and he hurt me. And not only me, my mum. It makes you wonder, what's the point of trusting? When everyone will lie anyhow."

"Because it's better than living in a constant state of doubt." Mr Harker told me softly, offering tissues which I accepted. "Being trustful is a reflection of you, not them. It means you see something in a person that makes you want to rely on them. And not many people have that ability."

I thought about his words, and realised he was right. In an attempt to lighten the atmosphere, I said: "You're pretty good at this consoling stuff."

"Before I was a Principal I was a trained psychologist." He explained. "But I wanted more, to impact more people. So I accepted this job."

"I'm glad you did." I sniffed, seeing him in a different light. I had barely any memories of my dad, but I was certain he would reassure me in the same way.

*****

Soon enough my mum arrived and she and Mr Harker discussed more things before deciding it was best I stayed at home for the rest of the semester. School finished in a couple days for the Christmas holiday so I'd just do my work at home.

Upon reaching home I hightailed to my bedroom. I knew my mum wanted to speak more about the situation but I was in the mindset that if I ignored it enough, it would go away.

An hour or so later my mum came upstairs. I looked up from my laptop curiously.

"Your friend, Brock is outside. Do you want to see him?" She asked, looking worried. I sighed. Brock was stubborn, and I knew I had to speak to him eventually.

"No, it's fine. You can send him up." I replied and she nodded. I had a couple minutes to fix my appearance before he appeared at my door.

"Hey, Chloe." Brock greeted, sounding relived. He entered my room hesitantly and I stood up.

"Hi."

We stared at each other for a moment. With Taylor being a suspect, I was only reminded of her when I looked at him. I didn't know how to feel.

"You can sit." I gestured at a chair near my study desk. He did so awkwardly, looking unsure.

"How have you been?" Brock asked earnestly. I shrugged, biting my lip.

"Not the best." I answered and sat back on my bed, facing him. "Can't really leave my house." I offered a forced laugh to complete the statement. Brock grimaced.

"Everyone is worried about you." He said. "Why haven't you been answering any calls or texts?"

"I haven't touched my phone since that night." I replied. "And I didn't want to speak to anyone."

"But you've spoke to Benjamin." Brock pointed out, looking slightly accusing. I turned my gaze to my ceiling and frowned upon observing it. When did the paint start chipping? And was the white always that faded?

"Chloe." Brock's voice brought me back to the conversation. "If you need space, it's whatever. But I'd like to know if my best friend is alive."

I shot him a levelled look. "Last time I checked, I am. You can relax Brock, I'm fine."

"Okay." He replied but he looked anything but relaxed. His broad shoulders were tense and brows furrowed.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you know who's behind the post?" Brock blurted out rather abruptly. I hesitated for a moment.

"We have an idea on who it could be." I said slowly, emphasising the word idea. His eyes darted down.

"I heard." Brock stated and I gave him a confused look. "In your meeting with Mr Harker. Benjamin mentioned you'd come to school sometime this week so after practice I hang around hoping to catch you." My heart warmed at that and I felt guilty for blocking him out.

"I saw Alyssa storm in and heard her all the way from the hallway, shouting that Taylor... that she's innocent." Brock eyebrows furrowed further. "But why on earth would she be considered guilty?"

I took a deep breath. Then I explained everything. How Taylor had treated me the past couple months and why. The conversation I'd overhead between her and Alyssa in the girl's toilet. And Tobi's theory on it all.

Brock ran his hand over his short curls when I was done, looking extremely stressed. I approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder as a show of comfort.

"Do you think it's her?" Brock asked quietly, looking up at me with puppy-dog eyes.

I sighed. "I don't know, Brock. Who else could it be?"

His face turned serious. "When you were describing her, it was like you were speaking of another Taylor. She's so different with me, Chloe. I wish you saw her the way I did."

I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't think I would ever understand Brock infatuation with Taylor. But there was obviously something in her he saw that no-one else could.

"I'll... I'll talk to her. She'll tell me the truth." Brock said after a moment of silence. I sent him a smile.

"Wanna hang out for a bit?" I offered. "Benji is busy so you're my second choice."

Brock shot me a sarcastic smile and poked my stomach which I immediately recoiled at with a giggle. "Pick out a move I'd like. None of that rom-com bull."

I shoved him lightly. "You know you like it."

Brock ended up staying for dinner, catching me up on how everyone was. Elijah and Maya were in their honeymoon phase, Teresa was still bullying Cory who hadn't let up on his player ways and Melissa was still her pessimistic self.

Brock seemed happy enough so I was surprised to receive an email for him around eleven at night. I'd still refused to use my phone so I said email was the only way to contact me.

Brock: We ended things.

Me: What? Why and when?

Brock: I asked her about the post and she denied it. Then I asked about how she's been treating you because she thought you liked me.

Brock: One thing lead to another. She said we should take a break and I don't do breaks. So I ended it.

My lips turned downwards. I felt so bad for him. Despite how I felt about Taylor, I knew how Brock felt. So I knew he would be heartbroken.

Me: I'm so sorry, Brock.

Brock: So am I.

*****

❤️