"She knew all the backstories."
Silver barely slept that night, her mind replaying the image of Eli walking away with blood on his hands.
By morning, Campus Confessions had exploded with theories, and her phone was full of texts from people she barely knew asking if the rumors were true.
The campus was already humming when Silver walked into Commons dining hall. Every table carried some version of the story. Different names, twisted motives, exaggerations that would've been impressive if they weren't about someone she actually knew.
"Did you hear?"
"Apparently he broke the guy's nose."
"No, he was defending some freshman."
"Yeah, right. He's got anger issues. My roommate says he went after Dylan unprovoked."
