Confession Wall

A pair of lace panties, sealed inside an envelope, was pinned to the university's anonymous confession page.

The poster was the star varsity basketball player, the undisputed campus heartthrob.

The caption read:

No, thanks. Not interested.

The comment section exploded in seconds.

Which desperate slut thought sending panties was a good way to hook up? I can smell the desperation from here.

She thought she could slide into the ice king's DMs and got absolutely wrecked.

I was scrolling through the drama, thoroughly entertained, until one comment made my heart stop.

Faye Mercer from the sophomore Environmental Science department, are you really this pathetic? Do you have to throw yourself at literally every guy on campus?

Before I could even process it, the replies began piling up.

No way, I got a pair too. Haha.

Standard procedure. That girl is basically the campus bicycle. A hookup for a pair of panties.

Bold move going after the varsity captain though. Too bad shes so dirty he wouldn't even look at her.

Within thirty seconds, the comment section was overflowing with filth.

I zoomed in on the picture.

The lace panties looked identical to the pair I had lost a few days ago.

I scrolled through the thread with a tight frown, my stomach turning.

Quickly, I took screenshots of every single photo and comment.

The sheer, toxic misogyny in the comments made me want to throw up.

Just then, the dorm door swung open, and my two roommates walked in.

Rebecca, whose bunk was next to mine, rushed over. "Faye, did you see the confession page? You..."

She looked at me with deep suspicion. "It isn't really you, is it?"

Paige glanced at me, then pulled Rebecca away with a soft cough. "Rebecca, go wash your hands and change first. You don't know what kind of nasty germs you get from hanging around loose girls."

Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

She pinched her nose and took a step back.

Rebecca's face turned pale.

They both looked at me as if I were carrying some flesh-eating virus.

"Say that again," I said, slamming my hand onto the desk as I stood up. "Who the hell are you calling loose?!"

Paige pushed her glasses up her nose, her expression twisting into a sneer. "Who else? You're the only Faye Mercer in the sophomore Environmental Science department. Sleeping around this much makes you a whore, doesn't it?"

Smack.

I slapped her glasses right off her face.

Before Paige could even register the shock, I used my height advantage to grab her by her ponytail.

I dragged her toward the bathroom.

Lock the door. Turn on the faucet.

"Glug... you... let go...!"

I slammed her face-first into the sink. The basin was filled with dirty, soapy water from this morning that hadn't been drained yet.

Paige thrashed wildly, her limbs flailing like a stranded octopus.

Only when she was on the verge of suffocating did I finally let go.

She collapsed onto the wet tile floor, completely drenched, shivering with rage and terror. "You psycho! I'm going to the department head! I'm telling the dean!"

I let out a cold chuckle.

I leaned down, whispering right in her ear, "Don't you know the law protects the mentally unstable? Even if I killed you, I wouldn't go to prison. The school would probably just try to keep me quiet."

Paige's pupils shrunk to tiny pinpricks.

With a terrified shriek, she shoved me away, scrambled to her feet, and bolted out the door.

Rebecca, having witnessed the whole thing, looked just as pale as Paige.

She stood frozen, her face shifting between green and white.

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the dorm.

Then, the door clicked open again, and Sienna walked in.

She set her bag down and immediately handed me a warm cup of milk tea.

"Drink up. It'll help with the cramps."

The anger boiling inside me instantly softened.

Sienna actually remembered my period.

She gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "I saw the confession page. Don't let it get to you. Has the advisor called you in yet?"

I shook my head. "No. But I'm going to the police."

Her posture stiffened for a fraction of a second. "The police? Isn't that a bit too extreme?"

I frowned, finding her reaction odd. "Using the law to protect myself is basic common sense, isn't it?"

Sienna tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and forced a smile. "Faye, you don't get it. In cases like this, the girl always ends up losing. The bigger the scene you make, the worse your reputation gets."

She paused. "Besides, aren't you trying to get into the direct-admit grad program?"

Sienna's words echoed in my mind all night, keeping me tossing and turning.

As I lay awake, a faint rustling sound crept up from the desk beneath my bunk.

Our dorm was structured with loft beds above and personal desks and closets below.

A sliver of light from the hallway crept through the gap under the door, casting a dim glow directly on Sienna's face.

I held my breath.

After what felt like an eternity, the rustling stopped.

Aside from the soft grinding of teeth from my other two roommates, the room returned to absolute silence.

I never locked my closet door.

The next morning, nothing valuable was missing, but another pair of my lace underwear was gone.

Sienna and I were both from Upstate New York, sharing similar habits.

Because of that, she was the closest friend I had in this dorm.

I checked the campus confession page again and noticed the post had been taken down.

As I stared at my phone in a daze, it suddenly vibrated.

"Faye Mercer. Get to my office immediately."

The academic advisor's harsh voice barked through the speaker.

My heart sank.

I walked toward the administration building.

At the end of the long hallway, I saw Sienna leaning close to a tall, lean guy, whispering to him.

"I'm really sorry, Bob," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, her face a mask of sweet apology. "Faye is my roommate, but I honestly had no idea she was capable of doing something so disgusting."

The guy was wearing a varsity basketball jersey and a headband. His handsome face was like a block of ice.

It was Bob Shaw, the star athlete from the sports department.

"I'd stay away from her if I were you," Bob replied coldly. "You don't want people dragging your name into the mud with hers."

"And what exactly am I supposed to have done?"

My sudden voice made Sienna gasp. Her face froze. "Faye. You're here."

Bob stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a scoff. "So you're the famous campus bicycle," he said, stepping closer to inspect me with blatant disgust. "You're not even that hot. Did you think because our campus is so big, your clients wouldn't talk to each other?"

"First, I don't know who the hell you're talking about. Second, don't try to pin your garbage rumors on me. And third, your breath stinks."

Before he could reply, I brought my heel down hard onto his foot.

His face twisted in agony.

I walked right past him, stopping directly in front of Sienna.

Smack.

I slapped her across the face.

Sienna clutched her cheek, tears welling up instantly. "Faye, just because you got caught doesn't mean you get to take your anger out on me!"

Hearing the commotion, our advisor, Mr. Gable, slammed his office door open and marched out.

His face was dark with fury, spit flying as he shouted, "Faye Mercer! You've brought enough shame to this department, and now you're assaulting your classmates?!"

Sienna shrunk behind Mr. Gable, whimpering, "Mr. Gable..."

Tears streamed down her face in perfect, pathetic drops.

But I caught the fleeting gleam of triumph in her eyes. I took a deep breath. "Mr. Gable, what shameful thing have I done? If you are referring to the confession page, let's put aside whether that post is even about me. Spreading my name and violating my privacy is a crime. It is sexual harassment and defamation. If I call the police, who do you think is going to be more embarrassed?"

"Cut the act," Bob sneered, pulling up a photo on his phone and shoving it in my face. "Are you going to tell me this isn't you?"

My chest tightened.

It was an intimate, bedroom photo.

The girl in the photo had her eyes closed, the lower half of her face obscured by a thick blanket.

But the visible parts, her delicate eyes and eyebrows, looked almost identical to mine.

Bob sneered, "This is just one of the many photos of you floating around. Are you still going to deny it?"

Mr. Gable's eyes flashed with a smug satisfaction. "Faye, your direct-admit grad recommendation is revoked. You will also write a twenty-thousand-word apology letter to the department and publicly apologize to Sienna at the next assembly."

"Where is the proof?" I demanded, fighting to keep my voice steady despite the anger vibrating through my veins. "With AI deepfakes and Photoshop, anyone can make a fake image. Besides, there aren't any other photos, are there?"

A flicker of surprise crossed Bob's eyes.

I pressed on, "The photo only shows half a face, and the girl is wearing heavy makeup. How can you be one hundred percent sure it's me?"

"Stubborn girl!"

Mr. Gable raised his voice, booming down the hall. "If it's not you, who else could it be?!"

Doors began to pop open along the corridor. Staff members and students who had come to turn in paperwork poked their heads out to watch the drama unfold.

I narrowed my eyes.

They were trying to systematically destroy my reputation.

Sienna offered a look of soft pity. "Faye, if you just admit it, the school won't expel you. Don't make things harder on yourself by arguing with Mr. Gable."

"Isn't the girl in the photo actually you?" I retorted, my voice cutting through her sweet act. "What exactly do you want me to admit?"

"What?!"

Every eye in the hallway instantly whipped toward Sienna.

"Nonsense!" Mr. Gable sputtered, his face turning red. "Faye, you mess up and your first instinct is to drag an innocent classmate down with you?!"

I ignored him, keeping my eyes locked on Sienna. "If it isn't you, then why did you sneak into my closet in the middle of the night to steal my underwear?"

A collective gasp echoed through the corridor.

Sienna's expression faltered. "Don't lie! Why would I ever steal your underwear?"

When people lie, their eyes tend to dart around rapidly.

Sienna had another tell.

She always touched her earlobe when she was lying.

"My phone was recording. Do you want me to play the video?"

Mr. Gable's expression darkened. He shot Sienna a quick, warning look before barking, "Get inside my office right now! Discussing such vulgar things in the hallway is disgraceful!"

Watching the silent exchange between Mr. Gable and Sienna, the pieces of the puzzle clicked together.

Bob stood in silence, watching us.

I shook my head. "We discuss it right here. Explain to everyone why you stole my underwear, pretended to be the campus hookup, and then threw all the dirt onto me!"

Mr. Gable was practically shaking with rage. "Sienna is an honor student! She has published multiple papers, won academic scholarships every year, and represented our department in dance and piano competitions! How dare you slander her!"

"Academic success doesn't make someone a saint, Mr. Gable," I said, emphasizing every syllable. "A degree doesn't define a person's character."

"You!"

Mr. Gable began to cough violently from sheer anger.

Bob's gaze shifted to me, his cold eyes now filled with curiosity.

By now, the crowd in the hallway had grown even larger.

"Wait, what's going on? I thought Faye was the campus bicycle."

"Faye is saying Sienna stole her underwear to frame her."

"Honestly, that makes sense. They're both competing for the direct-admit spot."

"So Faye was framed?"

As the whispers grew, the crowd parted, and a guy with a buzz cut pushed his way through.

"Mr. Gable, I can prove Faye Mercer is the girl in the photo!"

A wave of murmurs rippled through the crowd as the stranger pointed a finger directly at me.

"My name is Barrett. Faye and I hooked up, and she scammed me out of hundreds of dollars. She's nothing but a gold-digging fraud!"

I pulled out my phone, which was already recording, and stared him down. "I'm recording this. Are you willing to take legal responsibility for the lies you just told?"

Barrett choked on his words, his confident posture instantly evaporating.

Before he could slip away, another guy stepped out of the crowd.

"Wait, isn't that Brody?" someone whispered.

Brody glared at me with pure venom. "Don't even try to deny it, Faye. It was you."

He yanked down his collar, revealing a neck and chest covered in angry red rashes. "Look at this! Faye gave me this disease. She ruined my life!"

The students and staff surrounding me took a massive step back.

Disgust, horror, and judgment washed over me from every direction.

"That is so disgusting. She looks so innocent, but she's actually carrying stuff like that."

"What kind of disease is that? Is it HIV?"

"Oh god, I sat next to her in the library last week. Can you catch it from a chair?"

Listening to the vile whispers, I took a deep breath.

I couldn't let anger cloud my judgment now.

"You don't care about the truth, and you're happy to throw whatever mud you can find. Fine. I'm calling the police."

The moment I dialed the emergency number, Mr. Gable snatched the phone from my hand.

"Call the police? After all of this, you still refuse to admit your mistakes? Do you want to drag this entire department's reputation through the mud?!"

"Give me back my phone!"

I stepped forward, but Sienna blocked me.

She looked at me with a sickening display of pity. "Faye, I feel partly responsible for this. If only I had noticed sooner that you suffer from skin hunger."

The hallway erupted.

"What? Faye has skin hunger?!"

"No wonder she's so desperate for guys. That's just a fancy word for being an addict."

Laughter broke out.

"Faye Mercer, get in here right now! You've humiliated this department enough!" Mr. Gable roared, holding his office door open.

I saw the smug satisfaction in Sienna's eyes and the utter disgust on the faces of the crowd.

The whispered insults crashed over me like a tidal wave, trying to drown me.

"Wait," I said, my voice cutting through the noise. "I have a few questions."

I walked up to Barrett. "You claim you hooked up with me. Tell everyone, how many moles do I have on my chest?"

He blinked, caught off guard. "Uh... one."

I turned to Brody. "What about you?"

"I..." Brody's face flushed red. "I didn't look closely."

He glared at me. "So what if I didn't see? That doesn't change the fact that we slept together! Besides, the motel room was dark. How was I supposed to count your moles?!"

I let out a cold laugh. "Then you must remember what clothes I was wearing, what bag I had, and the exact date and location."

The two guys began to stammer, glancing at each other in panic.

"How are we supposed to remember details from so long ago?!"

"Yeah! Stop trying to dodge the blame! You need to pay for my medical bills!"

"Is that so?"

I sneered, pulling a few photos from my bag and tossing them right at Brody's face.

The photo fell face-up on the floor. In it, a shirtless Brody was pinned beneath another guy, their lips locked in a passionate kiss.