Chapter 11 – Smoke and Fire
Tiffany Lang had never considered herself a team player—not unless it served her interests. But when her quiet manipulations failed to take down Reclaim Digital, she knew she needed stronger ammunition. And there was one person who hated Ryan Keller as much as she did.
Jordan Vance.
They met that Friday after school at a smoothie bar off-campus. Tiffany arrived first, perfectly made up, phone already open to a list of her recent posts and the feedback she'd gathered.
Jordan walked in five minutes later, casual as ever in a designer hoodie and sunglasses, like he owned the street.
"So," Tiffany said without preamble, "Ryan Keller has gone from a dork with zero presence to a school-wide mini-celebrity. And I think we both agree that needs to change."
Jordan smirked. "You want to team up? Thought you didn't share the stage."
"I'm not sharing. I'm orchestrating. You can be the firepower."
He sat down and took a sip of her drink without asking. "I'm listening."
Tiffany pulled out her notes. "We plant seed content. Forum posts. Fake negative reviews. Call in some favors with bloggers. Leak a fake buyer story—say he sold a bootleg console to a freshman."
Jordan laughed. "That's nasty. I like it."
"And you," she said, her eyes gleaming, "can be the face of the push. Start with the gaming communities. Say you were a customer. Tell them you got scammed."
"What's in it for me?"
"Reputation," she said. "The kind that kills someone else's."
They clinked plastic cups.
"To truth," Jordan said.
"To perception," Tiffany corrected.
---
By Monday morning, subtle changes began appearing online.
A string of anonymous reviews questioning Reclaim Digital's pricing.
Forum threads began to pop up suggesting their return policies were a sham.
One comment claimed Dylan had a reputation for tampering with school electronics.
Ryan caught wind of it by second period. By third, he had screenshots.
And by lunch, he knew exactly where it all came from.
---
Back at home that night, Ryan opened the folder he had labeled "Failsafes."
Inside were:
Screenshots of Tiffany's plagiarized college essay and the original post on a writing blog
Archived chat logs from last year, where Jordan bragged about buying a term paper off a college freshman
Screenshots of both of them mocking students from anonymous accounts
He built a blog post.
Title: The Cost of a Lie: The Danger of Smear Tactics in Digital Communities
He laid out the facts. No names.
But anyone paying attention could follow the trail.
He attached:
A comparison graphic of the plagiarized essays
Blurred chat logs with timelines
A personal statement:
> "We built Reclaim Digital to be a space for truth, transparency, and trust. And it's disappointing to see how quickly others try to tear that down with whispers instead of facts. Here's what we won't do: lie, cheat, or exploit. Here's what we will do: shine light on darkness."
The post went live at 8:27 p.m.
By 9:15, it had 4,000 views.
By 10:30, the school forums exploded.
"Is this about Tiffany?"
"Wait, is Jordan the one who paid for that physics paper?"
"Can someone verify that essay link? Because that's messed up."
---
Tuesday morning, Jordan stormed into school late, his face pale.
His phone buzzed nonstop. His name had been whispered in three classes before lunch.
By fourth period, he was pulled from class.
His parents had seen the post.
His father was furious. Not because of the post.
Because it might affect his college applications.
He was grounded indefinitely.
After school, Ryan caught a glimpse of Jordan by the bike racks. His swagger was gone. He walked with his head down, hoodie up, earbuds in.
He was laying low.
And Ryan knew he'd stay that way—at least for a while. The Vance reputation didn't survive scandal. Jordan would keep his distance. Let the dust settle.
---
Tiffany, meanwhile, was anything but quiet.
She stood outside the school blog office, red-faced and trembling.
"Kaylee! We need to write a response piece! This is slander!"
Kaylee didn't even look up. "We're not touching it. You poked a hornet's nest."
Tiffany marched down the hallway, muttering under her breath.
She felt rage boiling beneath her skin, but underneath that was something new. Something cold. Something she didn't want to name.
Fear.
Because she knew the version of Ryan Keller she used to manipulate.
But this Ryan? The one who had calmly taken her best shot and used it to launch himself higher? The one who had receipts? Contingencies? Strategy?
That Ryan scared her.
But she wasn't done.
No. If he wanted a confrontation, she'd give him one.
---
That night, she stood in front of her mirror, rehearsing.
"You think you're better than everyone?"
No. Too obvious.
"You made me look like a fool, but you're not as clean as you pretend."
Better. Sharper.
She stared into her own eyes, trying to ignore the knot forming in her chest.
He won't break me, she thought. I'll break him first.
Her hand trembled slightly as she picked up her phone and typed a note:
> Confront Ryan. Don't back down.
But even as she wrote it, her stomach turned.
Because for the first time in years, Tiffany Lang wasn't sure if she was still in control.
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