365 Days To Save The Campus Bad Boy

Aurora: May 25, 2027. This was the day my life ended. "Jace, my dude! You actually hit this? Who knew she was so hot under those baggy clothes?" "I always knew Aurora Kennedy was a slut! Thanks for giving us proof." "After chasing Jace for a year, he finally did her a favor and slept with her. Jace, thanks for sharing screenshots!" “Those pink t**s are calling me. I might just f**k her next.” The faint glow of my phone screen illuminated my face in the darkness as my trembling fingers scrolled through the comments. The night air seeped through my flimsy top, biting at my skin, but that was the least of my worries. Another sob escaped my lips as I desperately refreshed the campus gossip page. The cruel comments kept coming, and I kept getting tagged in every single one. Each notification felt like another knife sinking deeper into my chest. Beneath them was the picture that had ruined my life. A naked girl lay sprawled across a bed in a seductive pose. Her face was identical to mine. But it wasn’t me. I knew it wasn’t. That wasn’t my body. The image had been photoshopped. But I had no proof, and no one believed me. When I first saw the picture that morning, I’d run straight to the boy’s dormitory to find Jace, my secret boyfriend of one year. I needed to explain that I had been framed before he misunderstood. Instead, I’d found him kissing Quinn, my best friend. The memory made my stomach twist, adding to the crushing heartbreak that was already weighing me down. They hadn’t even tried to hide it. They laughed in my face and mocked me. Apparently, the relationship I had treasured for an entire year had been nothing more than a stupid bet. Jace would win if he managed to sleep with me. But since I had refused him for the past year, he retaliated by spreading deepfakes of me around campus. I didn’t know what hurt most. The fact that my reputation was ruined or that the two people I trusted most had betrayed me. Nobody wanted to hear my side of the story. Backed by Jace and Quinn, everyone thought I had been f****d and dumped. My relationship with Jace had also been in secrecy, and I had no proof. Earlier today, Westbridge University’s disciplinary committee had sent me a summons notice for allegedly distributing inappropriate photos and videos of myself around campus. They were threatening to revoke my scholarship and charge me with harassment. My scholarship. The one thing keeping me here. My life was falling apart because I’d fallen for the wrong person. I sniffed, wiping the snort on my nose as I thought back to all the time I wasted chasing Jace around campus under Quinn’s encouragement. Back then, Quinn had painted him as the perfect man and urged me to make a move on him. Now I know that was only so he could win the bet and be with her. My carelessness had caught up with me. I was on the verge of expulsion, and my reputation was already in ruins. If I could go back in time, I’d do everything differently. I wiped my eyes and glanced around, my gaze still blurry from all the tears. I was sitting in one of the most secluded corners of campus, a construction site at the back of campus that students rarely visited. I didn’t want anyone seeing me like this. Shivering, I wrapped my hands around myself and glanced at the dark sky. If not for my parents and everything they’d sacrificed for me, I might have considered ending it all right there. But the thought frightened me enough to force it away. After a few minutes, my breathing finally steadied. I pushed myself to my feet, brushing the dust from my trousers. I just wanted to catch the last bus home. I wanted nothing more to do with this school anymore. I was going to get expelled anyway. Taking a step, I flinched and halted as a heavy thud echoed behind me. The impact was so sudden and violent I nearly jumped out of my skin. Even the dust on the ground was disturbed. My first thought was that I had accidentally triggered something and destroyed school property, but the sickening crack that followed the crash left a horrible feeling in my stomach. Slowly, I turned my head. My eyes widened, and my hands flew to my mouth to muffle the scream that tore through my lips. I stumbled backward and hit the ground hard, shock locking my limbs in place. A boy lay sprawled a few feet away, a suspicious red liquid already pooling beneath his head. “F-f**k!” I swore, scrambling back. My gaze snapped upward toward the rooftop, and for a split second, I caught a glimpse of a figure vanishing into the darkness. My blood ran cold. Did he fall, or had I just witnessed a murder? My hands shook as I forced myself up and rushed to the body. Despite every instinct in my body telling me to run, I could never leave a person to die. He was a student, judging by the ID around his neck. “Oh, God.” I fumbled for my phone and dialed emergency services, but the screen went black before I could make the call. After staring at the device blankly for a second, I realized it had died. Of course it had. I had spent the entire day arguing online, trying to defend myself, and had never even charged it. Just great! “Shit.” My voice trembled as I crouched beside him. “Hey. Can you… Can you hear me? Hold on, I'm going to get help, okay?” I was about to stand when I noticed movement. His eyes slowly opened, and a pair of beautiful hazel eyes met mine weakly. His lips parted. “R-run.” Relief flooded through me. He was alive. “You’re alive,” I said quickly. “I’m going to get help. I’ll be back.” His voice was barely audible. “L-leave… me. Run.” Without waiting for another response, I turned and sprinted toward the road, hoping to find a passing car or another student. But the place was nearly deserted. Most students had already returned to their dorms, and this area was rarely visited. I’d deliberately spent time earlier looking for this spot to cry in peace. No one else in their right mind came this far. I was starting to lose hope when headlights appeared in the distance. A car was approaching. My heart leapt with joy, and I waved my arms frantically. “Help! Please! I need help!” The black car continued speeding toward me. I smiled in relief. But soon, my smile slowly faded as I noticed the car did not seem to have any plans to stop. If anything, it was accelerating on the narrow road. I lowered my arms. The headlights stayed locked on me like a predator finding its prey. Suddenly, I remembered the silhouette on the rooftop. There had been a third person. The murderer. A wave of terror crashed through me. I turned and ran as the sound of the engine surged behind me. Tears streamed down my face as my shoes slammed against the rough pavement. “No. I can’t die like this!” I spat at no one in particular. Today had been terrible, and even though it felt like my life had been over, I didn’t think I would literally stop breathing. Dead on the side of an abandoned road? No, my parents couldn’t lose their only child. I could already imagine my mom’s grief-stricken face. I didn’t even get the chance to clear my name yet. What would they think? Pain exploded through my body as the car slammed into me with terrifying force. For a moment, I was airborne. Then I hit the ground with a crunch. Time seemed to slow down. My ears rang, and my chest ached as I tried to fill my lungs with air. My body jerked with every breath. I lay there in a growing pool of blood, staring helplessly as the car rolled to a stop several meters away. ‘Please,’ I silently begged. ‘Please, stop.’ But my prayers fell on deaf ears. The brake lights glowed in the darkness, blinding me. Then the car began reversing, coming back toward me. My heart shattered. The driver had no intention of stopping. They wanted to finish the job. The last thing I heard before darkness swallowed me was the sound of my own bones breaking. The pain was the greatest I had ever felt.