𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐄 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐒𝐂𝐇𝐎𝐎𝐋 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐒: 𝐌𝐈𝐗 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐌𝐀𝐗 ✅

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I wasn't sure what I should ponder most. But as I rushed up the stairs to the classroom with the strap of my backpack kept slipping off of my shoulders, I knew Stella was important at the moment.

Who must have taken that video? Why did they take the video? I'd been trying Stella's number ever since that article got published, but she hadn't been picking up. I also called Chuks' line last night, and he was equally worried because Stella wasn't picking up. Had she seen the article? Was she very upset?

I pushed the door open, and my eyes darted to Stella's new seat for the mock exam. It was surrounded by Damian, Thompson, Muller, and, of course, Chuks, who was sitting beside Stella with his hands patting her back soothingly. Stella, on the other hand, had her head on her desk, and her shoulders were shaking furiously like she was crying hard. I looked around to see many whispers directed at her, which made me angry.

"What?!" I snapped, surprising myself and everyone in class. I just didn't like the way they were looking at her. The way they were judging her "What do you have to say to her? Are you all trying to paint Queen as a victim now? Queen? The Internet might judge Stella, but not you all!"

"Hey," I didn't know when Damian moved over. He had his arms around me and pulled me over to Stella's seat. His actions calmed me down, and I could focus on just Stella. Her eyes were red, and her face was poofy.

"Stella," I said, and Chuks gave way for me. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay to you?" She cried, pushing her phone towards me. "My Facebook, Instagram, and even Twitter are the worst. They won't leave me alone. Did I offend anyone?"

I shook my head, hating to see her this way. This was the first time I saw Stella in this manner. Thompson moved and held her shoulder calmly. "It will calm down."

"It won't calm down!" Stella wasn't taking his words. "I'm an influencer; I know how things on the Internet work. In the future, they'll surely bring this out when something related to me happens."

"You did nothing wrong," Thompson said to her. "No one should judge you."

"And do the people on the Internet know that?" Stella's face was turning red with veins popping on her neck with how much she was yelling. "I'm the newest gist. No one wants to know the truth; all they want is to have something to talk about, and now I'm the scapegoat."

"Stella," I sniffed and pulled her into a hug. She held me tightly, making me remember yesterday with my mother.

"Queen has a hand in this," Chuks snarled.

"Not now, Chuks," Muller said, placing his hands on his temple.

"No, he's probably right," Damian said. Everyone looked at him. "This happened because she showed up."

"It could've also been a coincidence," Muller continued. "She didn't notice us until Stella spoke out. It's Stella's fault for not shutting up."

"Are you blaming my friend right now?" Chuks pushed Damian out of the way so he could stand close to Muller. "She's a victim."

"I'm not blaming anyone," Muller responded in a surprised, calm voice, then turned to Damian. "If you are right that Queen did this, then Stella was stupid enough to have fallen for the bait."

"Stop calling her names," Thompson breezed in, forcing Muller to lift both hands while stepping back.

"The only advice I can give is for you to go MIA on social media for now," Damian said to her. "Until things minimize."

"I can't go, MIA," Stella pulled away from my hold to focus on Damian. "The movie premiere is this Friday, and I am meant to keep my fans posted."

"Right now, I don't think you have any supporters." I wasn't sure who was colder, Damian or Muller. "I'm advising you for your own good and your own sanity. Go MIA for now. The other actors in that movie can talk to their fans to keep it engaging. Besides, speaking to your fans and not speaking to your fans doesn't make any difference. You're still a rookie, so don't have much impact."