For a moment, everything around me seemed to go still. “Nail them… You mean this was a setup within a setup?”

One officer nodded. “This afternoon, Caleb gave a statement and turned in voice recordings and screenshots as evidence of a planned harassment scheme targeting you, Miss.”

“So, you’re not here to arrest Caleb?” I asked.

“That’s right, Miss. We’re here for the young ladies who planned this scheme.”

Something hot and old cracked open inside my chest. It was not shame this time. It was something else.

I slowly turned, searching the crowd.

She was standing near the punch table, frozen in place, a red plastic cup halfway to her mouth. Brittany. The girl who had whispered about me for four years. Her mascara was already starting to smear.

The officer followed my eyes.

“That’s her.” I pointed. “The blonde girl in the red dress standing by the punch table. Those five girls standing near her are her friends.”