Revenge of the False Scarlet Letter

When I went to school the next day, everyone gave me strange stares as expected. I could hear their mean whispers everywhere I went.

“Did you hear? Cheryl Summers was the girl in the scandal!”

“Seriously? Damn, she looks like such a nice girl too. To think she’s so shameless in private.”

“The girl in the photo is so curvy. Phew, Cheryl hid it well.”

Some boys stared openly at my body as they walked past, sniggering in a way that made me want to puke. I gripped my water bottle tightly and weaved through the crowd.

As I was filling my bottle, someone suddenly splashed water on me. I could not dodge in time, so I was drenched.

The water soaked through the clothes in front of my body, rendering my underwear visible for all to see.

I looked at the culprit. It was Chavonne Smith, Mrs. Smith’s daughter. She had hated me since she lost a model student award to me last year, and now she could finally get back at me.

Chavonne blinked innocently, but there was no hiding her smirk. “Sorry, Cheryl. My hand slipped.

“But I have to say… You really have a good figure.”

She glanced at me pointedly. The students who had gathered around to watch immediately sniggered.

“Aren’t you always acting prim and proper? Why are you so… Mrgh!”

Her words were drowned out, her eyes wide with terror as she struggled fiercely. While she was spouting her nonsense, I had pressed her face into the water fountain.

I then turned on the hot water tap, pouring the boiling water onto her head. She sobbed and shrieked like a pig at slaughter.

“What did you eat this morning? Why are you smelling? Here, I’ll wash your mouth out with soap,” I said with a smile.

The students in the crowd were stunned. After all, I used to be the very definition of a “good girl” at school. Now, though, I was swearing like a sailor.

After teaching Chavonne a well-deserved lesson, I headed back to my classroom. Just then, a cold voice stopped me.

It was Jason Golde, the most popular boy in school for his excellent academics and cool appearance. He was also my biggest rival for the scholarship.

He put his clean coat over my shoulders. I could smell the cool scent of pine wafting from it.

“You should wear this for now. You don’t have to return it.”

I watched him leave, feeling surprised and rather touched. At times like these when I was ostracized and alone, any tiny bit of warmth felt rare and precious to me.

The school bell rang. I returned to the class, followed by Chavonne. She looked like she had been dragged through the mud.

Mrs. Smith asked crossly, “What happened?”

Chavonne pouted and was about to complain when I interrupted first, lowering my lashes pitifully.

“Mrs. Smith, it seems everyone has misunderstood the contents of our conversation yesterday. I still don’t know why you suddenly singled me out, but like you said, the girl in the photo has a mole on her neck, and I don’t.

“You’ll bear witness for me, won’t you? Surely you won’t side with Chavonne just because she’s your daughter.”

I was holding her feet to the fire. Since she was the one who started the rumors, I was going to make her disprove them.

Faced with the entire class’ intent gazes, she had no choice but to clear my name.

“The girl in the picture isn’t Cheryl. Alright, I don’t want to hear anyone discussing this matter anymore!”

I persisted. “If that’s the case, there shouldn’t be any problem with the scholarship allocation, right?”

Mrs. Smith’s expression twisted for a second. “The school makes the final decision regarding the scholarship. But if you’re confident in yourself… you can keep contesting for it.”

Only then did I return to my seat.

A famous lawyer once said that when it came to blackmail with private photos, there were only two results. If you could not prove it was me, you were guilty of libel. If you could prove it was me, you were guilty of spreading illicit photos.

In my previous life, the constant malice and humiliation destabilized my psyche. Accusations like that were fatal to almost any woman.

However, I never did any of those things, so why should I have to bear the brunt?

In this life, I decisively used the law to defend myself. I went to the police station and made a report.