The next morning at Ridgewood International felt different. Not quieter. Not calmer. But sharp, like the air was holding its breath. Maya woke with the strange sensation that something had shifted overnight. The rooftop victory had strengthened her, but she knew Vanessa too well. A failed plan only meant one thing.
A bigger one was forming.
When Maya stepped through the school entrance, she felt it instantly. Students were not just whispering today. They were waiting. Every glance was quick, nervous, or too curious. A line of unease traveled down her spine.
She kept her head high and walked with steady steps. She refused to shrink after the strength she had shown yesterday.
As she rounded the corner toward her locker, Liam appeared as if he had been expecting her. His presence grounded her the moment she saw him.
"You feel it too," Maya said quietly.
"I do." His eyes swept over the hallway. Sharp. Focused. "Something is circulating. I am not sure what it is yet."
Maya swallowed. "Do you think she will try again today?"
Liam nodded once. "Vanessa does not like losing. She gets unpredictable after a failure. But remember what I told you yesterday."
"You will have my back," Maya whispered.
"Always."
Before Maya could say more, a sudden hush spread through the hall. Students turned toward something behind them. Maya sensed the shift even before she heard the voice.
"Look at that. She finally showed up."
Vanessa.
She walked down the hallway with two girls beside her. All three moved with the confidence of people who believed they had already won. Vanessa approached slowly, a smile on her face that did not reach her eyes.
"Maya," Vanessa said in a sweet but sharp voice. "You have been very hard to find this morning."
Maya kept her tone steady. "Maybe you were not looking in the right place."
Gasps rose from the crowd. Maya did not let them shake her. Liam moved closer, silent but firm.
Vanessa tilted her head. "You were impressive yesterday. Calm. Collected. Almost unbothered." Her tone lowered. "But do not get too comfortable. What I have planned today will be harder for you to smile through."
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Maya asked.
"No. It is supposed to prepare you."
Vanessa stepped aside. Behind her stood a younger student holding up a phone. The girl looked both shocked and scared, as if she had seen something she was not supposed to see.
A video.
Maya felt her heartbeat thud painfully.
Liam spoke first. "Vanessa. Whatever you are trying to spread, you are wasting your time."
"No need to get defensive, Kingston," Vanessa replied. "This concerns you too."
Maya's pulse skipped. "What do you mean?"
Vanessa smiled with slow satisfaction. "You will find out."
She walked away, her heels clicking sharply as the hallway divided to let her pass. A heavy silence settled behind her. Maya felt her breath tighten.
Liam turned to her. "Hey. Look at me."
She lifted her eyes.
"We will figure out what she is spreading," he said with steady calm. "And we will stop it before it gets any bigger."
Maya nodded even though her pulse trembled. "I am not afraid of her. Not anymore."
"I know."
They moved through the hall together, heading toward the student lounge. Liam took out his phone the moment they sat. His eyes narrowed as messages poured into a group chat. Screenshots. Short clips. Rumors spreading like wildfire.
Then he found it.
A video.
He tapped it. The screen lit up.
Maya leaned in. Her breath froze.
It was her.
On the rooftop from three days earlier. Her head was down and her shoulders looked small, as if she were crying. But the audio was wrong. Completely wrong. Someone had added a whispering voice, shaky and broken, making it sound like she was confessing something private and embarrassing.
Liam paused the video with sudden anger in his eyes. "She faked it. She added a whole new audio track."
Maya felt cold. "I did not even talk that day. I was silent."
"She filmed you from afar," Liam muttered. "Then she twisted it. This is calculated. She wants people to think you are weak. She wants to humiliate you."
A strong wave of anger rose inside Maya. It felt different from fear. Stronger.
"This is not who I am," she said.
"I know." Liam set his phone down. "And we are going to make sure everyone else knows."
Maya looked at the frozen frame on the screen. Her own face. Her own body. But the emotions were stolen and twisted.
For the first time, she did not feel cornered.
She felt ready.
"We are not hiding anymore," she whispered.
Liam nodded. "Good. Because Vanessa has no idea what she just started."
Maya stood. Her hands were no longer shaking. The fear she used to carry around Ridgewood International had changed into something sharper and clearer.
"I am ready to face her," she said.
Liam stepped beside her. "Then let's end this. Together."
They walked out of the student lounge side by side, heading straight into the chaos Vanessa had created.
The game had changed.
And this time Maya was playing to win.