Chapter 29- Public ution
The hallways are extra crowed. Ricky and Sean came extra early to put up all the posters, now it's causing chaos.
·Birthday Party of The Hottest Guy In AEC. Venue: The Dark Villa. Courtesy Of Ricky. Hosted By Ricky. Be there or regret it. Time: 8pm. TOMORROW
The posters are everywhere with Leonard's photo.
"Listen up!" Ricky stood on top of a chair. Everyone's attention directed to him.
"Surprisingly, no one asked why there wasn't a resumption PARTY this semester.
Anyway, it doesn't matter, this party has both purposes.
The birthday celebration and the first party of the semester.
Y'all better be there. And remember, no low lives from other colleges. " Ricky announced, cheers erupted.
"I have a question!" A student raised his hand.
"Go on." Ricky replied.
"Since when did Leo start having parties in his Villa. I mean he doesn't even host parties..."
"That's why I'm the host, Matthew." Ricky rolled his eyes.
"Are we gonna go inside the Villa? Finally?..."
"Be there tonight and see magic." Ricky grinned. "That's all. See y'all at the party." He got down from the chair.
The students cheered.
"How did Ricky convince Leo to allow him host his birthday at his Villa?" Roseanne raised eyebrows.
"He'd do anything for a party. That's him." Oma rolled her eyes.
Kiara smiled, her eyes fixed on the posters.
"I have to get to class." Ivy started leaving. But at that point, their phones all chimed at once. She paused her steps.
— AEC BLOG~ Aurora begged Leonard for a one night stand in the abandoned lab yesterday. She made out with him and even stalked him to the Cinema. # DesperatePickMe.
"What kind of joke is this? Who posted this?!" Oma snapped.
Every single person in the hallway is staring at their phones.
~ I knew it! I knew she's a pick me.
~ And I was seriously rooting for her.
~ But who posted to this tho? It's anonymous.
"Are y'all deaf?! Who posted this?" Oma yelled.
"Oh come on. Of course you'll support your friend." A guy mocked.
"And how did the person even get this trash?" Rosanne frowned.
"Did it... Really happen though?" Kiara muttered.
"Are you serious? She went to the Cinema alone. If anything, I'm sure Leo followed her there." Oma balled her fist. Kiara's heart sank.
"Well, there are suspects, Nicole, Kimberly..." Ivy paused.
"How's Aurora gonna react to this?" Rosanne asked, that brought a sly smile to Oma's face.
"I've held her back for too long. Maybe it's time for her to finally kill someone." Oma muttered. The girls blinked.
"You wanted to see her anger." Oma looked at Ivy. "You'll see it today."
~ You’re trending, sweetie.
~ Pick me. Pick me.
She ignored them and walked inside.
The hallway was crowded. Phones were out, whispers followed her every move. Leonard’s birthday posters covered the walls, but it wasn’t the posters that caught her attention. It was the silence that dropped when she passed.
Her phone buzzed.
~ Aurora isn't tough. She pretends to be a bad girl for Leo's attention.
Her eyes skimmed the post, then the first one, then the second. Her grip on the phone tightened. Her chest burned, but her face stayed calm.
She didn’t ask questions. She didn’t stop.
She just walked.
Across campus, Asha and Alayah leaned against the railing, phones glowing in their hands.
"Oh my gawd." Alayah laughed under her breath. "We haven’t even done anything yet and someone already posted about her. She must have a lot of enemies."
"She’s a bitch though." Asha smirked. "So I understand."
Alayah tilted her head, scrolling. "I didn’t expect this to happen."
"Whatever." Asha said, fingers flying across her screen. "Let’s post ours now."
Seconds later, a new notification lit up across the campus feed:
The post spread like wildfire. Gasps echoed through the hallway.
"I swear, I saw her do that to Sean’s car!" A girl blurted out. "She literally wrote her number on it. Sean didn’t even want that."
"Yeah, I saw it too." Another voice chimed in. "My God, she really is desperate."
Whispers turned into an ugly buzz.
Then someone sneered, loud enough for everyone to hear: "Oh, here comes the queen of pick me. She's heading this way."
Laughter broke out, followed by mocking chants of "Pick me! Pick me!"
Aurora walked straight through the chaos, her steps unhurried, her lips curved into a calm, chilling smile that made a few people swallow their words.
She reached Oma and the girls, stopping right in front of them.
"Do what you have to do." Oma said softly, her voice laced with pride.
Kiara, Ivy, and Roseanne exchanged bewildered looks, holding their breath.
None of them had ever seen Aurora look this terrifyingly calm.
Charlotte turned sharply, giving her twin a look of disbelief. "Are you serious right now? Does she even look like she’s into girls? And you saw the blog. She literally followed Leo to the cinema. That’s how desperate she was. Everyone knows it."
"I don’t think that’s true." Colette said quietly, her expression turning soft.
"And I don’t believe her icy attitude is fake. She isn't pretending to be cold, she really is. Maybe someone’s just angry with her, and that’s why they’re doing this to her."
Charlotte exhaled, unimpressed, but Colette's mind was already made up. Her sister's disapproval didn’t matter. For the first time, the chaos felt like an opening.
"Come on." Charlotte finally said, standing and tucking her phone away.
"The drama’s not happening here. It’s there. Let’s go."
It buzzed with whispers and cruel laughter. Phones lit up with Aurora’s name.
She walked through the noise, her calm expression unshaken. The chants of pick me filled the air.
At the back, Kimberly leaned on the wall. She didn't need to say a word.
Her smug smile said everything. Pride shone in her eyes as she watched the scene she had been waiting for.
The crowd grew louder, mocking, daring Aurora to break.
Aurora's gaze swept over the crowd, her smile sharp enough to cut.
"If you had a problem with me, you could’ve come to me directly. Instead, you’re hiding behind a screen, making up rumors. That's not bold. That's pathetic."
The hall buzzed, some gasping, others laughing nervously.
Then a voice rang out from behind the crowd.
"Who the hell said Aurora was desperate for me?!" Sean pushed forward, his jaw tight. "Who posted that?"
"Oh, come on." Someone scoffed. "She already bewitched you, and now you’re defending her."
Sean's eyes snapped. "Shut your mouth. You don’t know anything."
And just as the tension spiked, screams tore through the hallway.
"Guys, I just heard Leo just arrived!"
Gasps erupted, phones went up, waiting for Leonard to show up in the hallway, but he didn't show up.
Leonard used another entrance and went to the ANNOUNCEMENTS ROOM.
The guards there weren't surprised as of it wasn't his first time there for something.
The monitors blinked with live feeds from the corridors, library, main hallway and many other areas of the college.
He brought his phone up and started typing away.
Nicole pushed through the crowd as if she owned the air. She spotted Aurora and clapped slow, loud, three times.
"Well, well, well." She said, voice laced with mockery.
"Aurora Raven, finally exposed. You people have no idea what you’ve seen so far. The posts? That's just the tip of the iceberg."
She stepped forward, facing Aurora directly who was currently throwing that dangerous smile of hers.
"During our project she made sure it would be just her and Leonard in the group.
Who does that unless they're cheap? She even went as far as following him to his Villa in the name of 'project work.’ Y'all saw the video right, of Leo carrying her to his car.
She was acting pissed to mask her victory inside.
Tell me, does that sound innocent to you?
This girl even danced with him. She's just a whore! Whore!" Nicole spat.
The crowd got louder.
Someone hissed. "No way. She went to his villa?"
"Pathetic!" Another voice.
Oma's face tightened but she said nothing.
Kiara's hand went cold against her chest.
Ivy and Roseanne exchanged looks, eyes wide. The hall filled with the kind of whispers that sink into your bones.
Kimberly smiled victoriously. At that very moment, her eyes locked with Aurora's.
Cold, furious, dangerous, mysterious.
So many things, but yet, unreadable.
But one thing's sure, she knows, and she's plotting.
Right then...
"Kimberly. Don't be scared, come forward. Come on." Aurora stretched her hand forward as if she was talking to a stray cat.
Oma smirked.
Kimberly boldly stepped away from her spot, she went straight to Aurora, standing beside Nicole. Now the both of them were facing her like death and death.
That sly smile came to Aurora's lips again. "I've been waiting for you. Were you shy or are you just a slutty coward?" Her voice cut ice.
The crowd got fuller, phones everywhere.
Kimberly scoffed. "What exactly are you trying to do? Divert the attention? No girl, your truth is out, and ... Oops" she laughed out, it echoed in the hall. "Where is Leo now? Where is he to save you? The guy you're so desperate for, where is he?"
Asha and Alayah smiled cornily from the crowd.
Nicole scoffed. "Just admit it. You're just a cheap..."
"I dare you to finish that statement. Or even repeat it." Aurora's voice sliced through the air.
Nicole balled her fists. "You really think you can still threaten your way out of this?! No you can't!! You can't!!"
"Then go ahead and call names one more time and I swear I'll end your life with that necklace on your neck." Aurora replied coldly.
~ Now you're a murderer too??!!!
~ Say it Nicole, don't be scared of her. Didn't she throw you on the floor last time? This is your chance!
~ Kim, she slapped you right? Slap her back. Give times two of the ones she gave you.
The crowd turned rowdy with hate comments to Aurora.
Nicole stayed still, Aurora wasn't bluffing, hee eyes look blood shot.
Kimberly raised eyebrows, should she really slap Aurora now? People are on her side, so if Aurora tries the fight back they'll just beat her up together.
Oma exhaled, enjoying the show, she actually wants Kimberly and Nicole to try their lucks. Aurora's dad is powerful enough to bail her out of jail.
Ivy gave Oma surprised looks. "Oma are you serious? This is unlike you. You should've said one or two things to these sluts by now." She muttered.
Aurora chuckled. Not just a normal one. It screamed words. "You could've just used your name Kimberly, why did you use an anonymous source to post that?"
Kimberly scoffed. "Now you're accusing me? So what if I did post it anonymously, where's your proof?"
"It means you're a coward, pathetic, shameless, jobless, and dumb." Aurora said without holding back.
"How dare you..."
"I slapped you, I knew you wouldn't just do nothing about it. If anything, I've been waiting for your comeback. I knew it would be something pathetic, not just this much. You're a coward."
"Aurora!!!!" Kimberly's hand went up to slap Aurora but her hand was caught by Aurora.
"If there's something I'll never let you do, it's allow your filthy hands touch me." She increased her grip, her manicured nails digging into Kimberly's skin.
Nicole intended to do something but, at that exact second, four phones lit beeped at once.
Asha, Alayah, Kimberly and Nicole.
Aurora threw Kimberly's hand down forcefully. Her hand in so much pain.
Her phone beeped countless times, as if warning her to get it.
Thinking it might be her brother again she checked it angrily but at that instant her face fell.
Their faces all fell as they read.
Kimberly's fingers trembled. Asha's lips went pale. Alayah's jaw dropped, Nicole face lost it's colour.
For Kimberly, it was her nudes she once sent to Leo, and also her s€x video with Perry. Mute video.
For Nicole, it was her former self, how she looked before undergoing plastic surgery.
For Alayah, it was her in a strip club, riding an old man on a chair, she's bald there. Mute Video.
And for Asha, it's her with two girls doing a threesome at a pool party. Mute video.
As if programmed, they all hid their phones quickly hoping no one saw them.
Aurora watched the two pests in front of her with raised eyebrows. Clearly satisfied with whatever is going on. She doesn't care.
Oma and the girls all exchanged looks. "I feel like this is the perfect time to start recording. Something's about to happen, I feel it." Ivy whispered.
Rosanne didn't hesitate before bringing out her phone, the rest followed, including Kiara.
"What happened now? Cat got your tongues? Speak up, bitches!!!" Rosanne taunted.
The four girls stayed quiet, shocked, confused, scared.
Another message slid into every one of their screens at the same time. The words were the same on each phone.
~ Kneel before Aurora now and confess what you did. Or those files go public. Not just the blog but every social media sites existing. I'll make them cross the borders of America if I have to. Go on your fucking knees. Now.
Kimberly and Nicole didn't need to read twice, they knew who sent it and what he's capable of.
"Hey what the fuck am I seeing on the blog?!" Ricky showed up.
The crowd started whispering, clearing wanting to know what the hell was going on.
~ Hey, what happened?
~ Why do you look scared? Tell us!
~ Even these two look like they lost a million dollars.
Someone pointed at Asha and Alayah. The crowd parted for them, now the four girls could see each other directly.
Aurora didn’t move. She only watched them, expression unreadable.
Leonard lounged in the chair, legs thrown over the table, watching the hallway through the monitor. His phone glowed in his hand as he typed.
Kimberly’s phone buzzed. Her hands shook. One glance, her whole body froze. She dropped to her knees, shame eating her alive.
Aurora tilted her head, amused.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Nicole’s phone chimed next. Her face drained white. She followed Kimberly down, hitting the floor with a thud.
Asha and Alayah’s phones beeped too. The color drained from their faces. With shaky steps, they joined, falling on their knees before Aurora.
Silence crushed the hallway. Four girls, kneeling.
Oma and Ivy’s mouths fell open. Rosanne fanned herself dramatically.
"What the actual hell?" Someone whispered.
Another text flashed across their screens, identical on each:
~ Kneel before Aurora. Confess. Or the world gets everything.
Kimberly broke first. Voice trembling.
"I… I posted the stories. They were lies. All of them. I just wanted revenge."
Nicole’s voice followed, weak and rushed.
"I spread false rumors about you. I’m sorry, Aurora."
The crowd erupted with confusion.
~ Wait, what??
~ No way this is happening live.
~ Who's pulling the strings?
Asha and Alayah stuttered their apologies next, heads bowed in shame.
Alayah started. "Sorry Aurora, we-"
"What do you mean 'we?' You're the one that planned this. Why drag me into this?!" Asha cut her off.
"You're the one that told me to type that. Didn't you?!" Alayah shot back.
"You are such a bloody liar!" Asha yelled.
Oma’s eyes widened. "Oh my god. Leo. It’s him. He’s behind this."
Ivy and Rosanne squealed, phones recording every second.
But Kiara froze. Her heart hammered so hard she thought it might crack her ribs. The phone shook in her hand.
"No…" she whispered under her breath. "It can’t be him…"
Yet deep down, she knew. And it cut sharper than anything Nicole or Kimberly had said all day.
Aurora stayed still, her gaze cutting sharper than knives.
"I didn’t even know you two were part of it." She said coldly to Asha and Alayah. "Pathetic."
She took her index finger to Kimberly's chin and lifted it.
"Be glad this happened. Cuz I wanted to something far worse than this to you." She let go of her chin. Kimberly stayed silent. Tears falling slowly.
Aurora faced Nicole. "The same goes for you. After Kimberly, you were my next suspect... And victim. So thank who ever did this. HE saved you."
"And you..." Her eyes rolled to Asha and Alayah. "You've made a big mistake by adding your names to the lists of people I wanna teach a lesson."
She stepped forward, pushed past them without hesitation. They toppled to the floor like discarded trash.
The crowd roared.
~ QUEEN!!
~ Aurora just walks through chaos like nothing!!
~ Leo really did all this for her?
Behind her, the girls remained kneeling, shame burning their skin. Kimberly broke into tears.
In the announcement room, Leo smirked at the screen, dark eyes glinting. His fingers tapped one last message:
~ Stay on your knees till she’s gone.
Aurora never looked back.
The hallway dissolved into chaos. Asha slapped Alayah. Alayah pulled her hair. Nicole stumbled away. Kimberly collapsed in tears.
Oma made sure her camera caught it all.
The hallway roared behind Aurora as she walked out like the f?ckin' queen that she was.
TBC...