Rafa's POV:
I knew something was wrong the moment I stepped into ISA.
It wasn't the usual attention.
Not the whispers filled with excitement.Not the curious stares or the quiet "that's her" I had gotten used to.
No.
This felt… different.
Sharper.
Colder.
I tightened my grip on my bag, forcing myself to keep walking like nothing was off. Like I didn't feel eyes following me—not with admiration, but with something else.
Judgment.
"What…?" I muttered under my breath.
A group of girls by the lockers stopped talking the second I walked past. One of them looked at me, then leaned in and whispered something to the others.
They all glanced at me again.
And laughed.
My stomach dropped.
"RAFA!"
I turned just in time to see Angela rushing toward me, her phone clutched tightly in her hand. CJ was right behind her, looking unusually serious.
That alone was enough to make my chest tighten.
"What happened?" I asked, already dreading the answer.
Angela didn't say anything at first. She just shoved her phone into my hands.
"Just… watch it."
My fingers felt weirdly numb as I pressed play.
At first, I didn't understand what I was looking at.
It was me.
Same outfit. Same hair. Same background from one of my older videos.
But the audio—
"They're so easy to fool. Honestly, I didn't expect it to blow up like this."
My breath caught.
That… wasn't right.
"My friends? Please. They're just there. It's all content anyway."
"No," I whispered.
The video kept going.
"And Felix? Don't even get me started—"
I stopped it.
My hands were shaking.
"I never said that."
My voice came out quieter than I expected.
Angela immediately nodded. "I know you didn't."
CJ clenched his jaw. "It's edited. Has to be."
But the problem wasn't what we knew.
It was what everyone else believed.
I slowly looked up.
More people were staring now.
Not whispering.
Just watching.
One guy walked past me, muttering loud enough for me to hear—
"Fake."
Something twisted painfully in my chest.
"Check the comments," Angela said softly.
I didn't want to.
But I did anyway.
Big mistake.
"I knew she was too perfect."
"She used everyone for fame."
"Justice for Felix omg??"
"Drop her. She's fake."
Each comment felt like a punch.
My follower count at the top of the screen flickered.
5.0M
4.9M
4.8M
I quickly locked the phone, my chest tightening.
"This isn't real," I said, more to myself than anyone else. "It's fake. It's obviously fake."
"Yeah," CJ said, but there was something tense in his voice. "We just need to prove it."
"Prove it how?" I snapped, panic slipping through.
The silence that followed made everything worse.
"Rafa."
I froze.
I knew that voice.
Felix.
I turned slowly.
He was standing a few steps away, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable.
For a second, everything else faded out.
The whispers. The stares. The noise.
It was just him.
He walked closer, stopping right in front of me.
"Can we talk?"
We ended up in the empty hallway near the back staircase.
My heart wouldn't stop racing.
Felix leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching me carefully.
Neither of us spoke for a few seconds.
Then—
"Tell me it's fake."
The words hit harder than anything else that day.
I stared at him.
"You think I'd say something like that?"
"I didn't say that," he replied, his voice calm—but serious. "I'm asking you."
I let out a shaky breath, frustration and hurt bubbling up at the same time.
"It's edited, Felix. Obviously edited. I would never—" My voice cracked slightly. "I would never talk about you like that. Or any of you."
He didn't respond immediately.
And that pause?
It hurt.
More than I expected.
"You hesitated," I said quietly.
His brows furrowed. "I didn't—"
"You did."
Silence.
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then he sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"…I just needed to hear you say it."
I swallowed, my chest feeling tight.
"Well, now you have."
Our eyes met.
And for a second—just a second—it felt like everything was going to be okay.
But then the noise from the hallway outside crept back in.
Reality.
When we walked back, it was worse.
Way worse.
People weren't even trying to hide it anymore.
Phones out.
Recording.
Whispering.
Laughing.
"Wow," Sam muttered under his breath when we rejoined the group. "This spread fast."
Too fast.
Like someone wanted it to.
Across the hallway, standing near the lockers like she owned the place, was Freya.
Of course.
She wasn't doing anything obvious.
Just leaning casually, talking to her friends.
But her eyes?
Locked on me.
And then—
She smiled.
Slow.
Satisfied.
My stomach dropped.
I looked back at my phone.
4.6M.
Dropping.
Fast.
This wasn't just some rumor.
This was a takedown.
And whoever did this…
Knew exactly what they were doing.
That night, I stared at my screen for what felt like hours.
Comments still flooding in.
Notifications nonstop.
Everything slipping out of control.
I hovered over the "post" button, my fingers trembling.
Do I say something?
Do I stay quiet?
Do I fight back?
My reflection stared back at me from the black edges of the screen.
For the first time since everything started…
I didn't recognize the girl looking back.
Somewhere, someone was watching this all unfold.
And enjoying it.
I didn't sleep.
Not even a little.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the comments. Heard the whispers. Felt that moment again—
"Tell me it's fake."
I sat on my bed, my phone still in my hand, the screen lighting up my room in the dark.
4.5M.
Another drop.
I exhaled slowly, staring at it.
"This is so stupid," I muttered.
I knew the truth.
My friends—at least most of them—knew the truth.
So why was I sitting here… letting someone else control my story?
I opened TikTok again.
The fake video was still everywhere.
Reposted. Edited. Zoomed in. Slowed down.
Twisted.
My jaw tightened.
"Okay," I whispered. "You want a show?"
My finger hovered over the record button.
For a second, doubt crept in.
What if this makes it worse?
What if no one believes me?
What if—
I stopped.
No.
I wasn't going to stay quiet.
Not this time.
I hit record.
For a moment, I just looked at the camera.
No music.No filters.No perfect angle.
Just me.
"Hi."
My voice was steady… surprisingly.
"I think we all saw that video."
A small pause.
"It's fake."
I held up my phone, scrolling slightly.
"The audio's edited. The cuts are messy if you actually look. And I've never—never—said anything like that about my friends."
My grip tightened slightly.
"CJ, Angela, Sam, Keagan… and Felix—"I swallowed. "They're not 'content.' They're my people."
I took a breath.
"I didn't say those things. And honestly? It's scary how easy it was for people to believe it."
The words came out softer now.
"But I get it. The internet moves fast. People jump to conclusions."
I looked straight into the camera.
"So here's the truth. No edits. No cuts."
A small, determined smile.
"I'm still me."
I ended the recording before I could overthink it.
Post.
For a second, nothing happened.
Then—
Notifications exploded.
Faster than before.
Likes. Comments. Shares.
My phone practically vibrated in my hands.
"Okay—okay—" I whispered, sitting up straighter.
I refreshed.
And froze.
"Wait… she's right. The audio IS weird."
"I slowed it down—there are cuts."
"Whoever made that tried way too hard 💀"
"We owe her an apology."
My heart pounded.
Angela called me immediately.
"RAFA?? DID YOU SEE THIS??"
"I'm looking right now—what is happening??"
"It's blowing up again—but like, in a GOOD way!"
I refreshed again.
4.7M.
4.9M.
5.2M.
My eyes widened.
"No way…"
Another notification popped up.
A video.
Someone had already broken down the fake clip—pointing out every edit, every glitch, every inconsistency.
And people were mad.
But not at me.
"Who did this to her??"
"This is actually messed up."
"She didn't deserve that."
"Protect Rafa at all costs."
I covered my mouth, my chest tightening—but this time, not from panic.
From relief.
My follower count kept climbing.
Faster.
Higher.
6M.
7.3M.
8.6M.
"This is insane," I whispered.
At school the next morning, everything had changed again.
But this time—
The energy felt different.
People smiled when I walked in.
Some even looked… guilty.
"I'm sorry," a girl said quietly as I passed her.
"I shouldn't have believed it."
Another nodded. "Yeah… same. That was messed up."
I didn't know what to say.
So I just gave a small nod and kept walking.
"MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY," CJ announced the second he saw me.
Angela practically tackled me in a hug. "YOU'RE BACK."
"I didn't go anywhere," I laughed softly.
"Yeah, but like—stronger," she said.
Sam grinned. "That video? Ate."
Keagan just nodded, a small smile on his face. "Knew you'd handle it."
And Felix?
He was watching me again.
That same quiet look.
But this time… there was no doubt in it.
I walked over.
"So," I said lightly, crossing my arms. "Told you it was fake."
A small smirk tugged at his lips.
"Yeah," he said. "You did."
A pause.
Then, softer—
"…I never really thought it was real."
I raised an eyebrow. "You hesitated."
He huffed a quiet laugh. "Okay, yeah. For like two seconds."
"Wow. Fake friend."
"Relax," he said, stepping a little closer. "You survived. Barely."
I rolled my eyes—but I was smiling.
Across the hallway—
Freya stood frozen.
Her phone in her hand.
Her expression?
Not calm.
Not confident.
For the first time—
Cracked.
She looked up at me.
And I met her gaze.
No fear this time.
No uncertainty.
Just—
Confidence.
My phone buzzed again.
I glanced down.
And my breath caught.
10.0M.
Exactly.
I stared at it for a second, my heart racing all over again.
But this time—
It felt different.
Stronger.
Like I had actually earned it.
I looked back up.
At my friends.
At the school.
At everything that tried to tear me down—
And failed.
Freya wanted to break me.
Instead?
She made me unstoppable.