During freshman orientation week, a strange upperclassman acting as a squad leader singled out my best friend to fetch water from the equipment shed. As she left, she winked at me. "Wait here. I'll sneak you a cold one." But I waited and waited, and she never came back. When I finally went to check, I saw a crowd gathered outside the shed. My best friend was huddled in a corner, her clothes disheveled, shivering violently. People around were whispering that she was easy, that she tried to seduce the squad leader, that she couldn't even make it a few days into orientation without throwing herself at a guy. Crying, she went to our academic advisor, but the advisor just told her to shut up: "If this blows up, it'll ruin your reputation and make the university look bad." It was only later that I found out the guy wasn't even an official orientation leader. He was the Vice Chancellor's son. He used the "orientation volunteer" program as a cover to sneak in and prey on freshmen girls. He threatened my best friend with non-consensual photos. "If you go to the cops, the entire campus will see these." The rumors broke her. She was forced to drop out. When her parents rushed into town from their farm, their hair turned gray overnight. They ran everywhere with her medical reports and chat logs, begging someone to listen. But three months later, she jumped off the roof of a building. Her mother held her freezing body, crying over and over: "Baby, Mommy's taking you home. You don't have to go to school anymore. Please wake up..." I opened my eyes, and I was back on the first day of orientation. The man in the volunteer polo shirt walked over from a distance. His eyes scanned the crowd before landing directly on my best friend. He smiled and pointed. "You. Step out of formation. Go to the equipment shed and help me carry some water." My best friend paused for a second, then started to step forward. I aggressively grabbed her wrist and yanked her behind me. "No. You're not going." Chloe stumbled, caught off guard by the force of my pull. She looked at me, confused. "Maya, what's wrong?" My fingers were ice-cold, my palms slick with sweat. "You can't go." Chloe froze. She knew me better than anyone. She knew I wasn't the type to start drama for no reason. Jason Thorne's face immediately darkened. He took a step forward, raising his voice. "What are you two doing?" "First day of orientation and you're already disobeying orders?" I stood firmly in front of Chloe. "Why does she have to be the one to get the water?" "There are plenty of guys here. Why not ask them?" Jason narrowed his eyes. He clearly didn't expect a freshman to talk back to him in front of everyone. He let out a cold laugh. "I'm the squad leader. I assign whoever I want." "Who the hell are you to question me?" I looked him dead in the eye. "Which squad are you assigned to?" Jason's expression faltered for a split second, but he quickly snapped back into his authoritative persona. "This is orientation, not a police interrogation." "What's your name?" I stayed silent. His eyes turned cold. "Not gonna talk, huh?" "Disrespecting a leader and disrupting the drill." "Step out. Five laps around the track." Jason then looked at Chloe, his tone turning sinister. "And you." "I told you to get water, and you're dragging your feet." "What, you think you're a princess?" Chloe's face paled. She looked up at Jason. "Sir, I can't go." A flash of pure annoyance crossed Jason's eyes. "Excuse me?" Chloe took a deep breath. "I'm not feeling well. I can't carry heavy things." "If you really need water, you can ask the guys." Jason's face flushed with anger. He forced his voice down, trying to reclaim his dominance. "You two have a lot of nerve." "One talks back, the other refuses a direct order." "If you're pulling this on day one, what are you gonna do next?" He pointed toward the running track. "Maya, right? Five laps. Now." "Chloe. Come with me to the equipment shed." I yanked Chloe behind me again. "She's not going anywhere." Jason stepped into my personal space, the shadow of his baseball cap making his eyes look terrifyingly dark. "What is your problem?" I didn't yell, but I spoke loud enough for the front row to hear clearly. "You are not the leader assigned to our group, and you haven't identified who you actually are." "It's the first day of orientation, and a random guy in a staff shirt wants to take a freshman girl alone to an isolated equipment shed." "Is it really that crazy for me to ask questions?" A loud murmur rippled through the formation. Jason's face turned white, then purple with rage. Just then, hurried footsteps approached from behind us. Our actual assigned group leader, a senior named Chris, jogged over. Right behind him was our academic advisor, Ms. Miller. Ms. Miller was in her early thirties, wearing an expensive sun hat, her face already twisted in annoyance. As soon as she walked up, she looked at Jason first, then glared at Chloe and me. Her brow furrowed deeply. "What is going on here?" Jason immediately shifted his tone. "Ms. Miller, your freshmen have a serious attitude problem." "I asked them to help move some water from the shed. Not only did they refuse, but they publicly accused me of being some kind of creep." Ms. Miller's expression instantly changed. But she wasn't worried about us. She was worried that Jason was unhappy. In my last life, I only found out later—Jason wasn't a standard student volunteer. He was the Vice Chancellor's son. That was why, when Chloe was assaulted, Ms. Miller's first reaction wasn't to call campus security to protect her student. It was to force Chloe to stay quiet. She looked at us, her tone sharp and condescending. "What is wrong with you two? Trying to be special on the first day?" Chloe whispered: "Ms. Miller, he isn't our assigned leader. I didn't want to go to the shed alone with him." Ms. Miller scoffed like she had just heard a hilarious joke. "Is the equipment shed going to eat you?" "It's just carrying a few bottles of water. You girls are so dramatic." "You complain it's too hot, you complain you're tired, and the second someone asks you to do some lifting, you act like everyone is out to get you." "What, is every man you see a predator?" Anger boiled in my chest. "Ms. Miller, we simply requested not to go to an isolated location alone with an unidentified male." Ms. Miller's face darkened. "Are you talking back to me?" She turned to Chris. "Chris, is this how you run your drills?" Chris frowned slightly. "Ms. Miller, they're just students. It's understandable if they feel uncomfortable." Ms. Miller immediately cut him off. "Uncomfortable about what?" "Jason might not be an official group leader, but he was specifically brought in by the university to assist with orientation." "What possible reason is there to doubt someone approved by the school?" I looked directly at her. "If he's not a leader, why is he wearing the staff uniform?" Ms. Miller's face stiffened for a second before twisting into defensive rage. "Maya, is that how you speak to a staff member?" "College isn't a place for you to throw tantrums. Didn't your parents teach you any respect?" Ms. Miller let out a cold laugh. "You girls just love forming these toxic little cliques." "Blowing a tiny favor entirely out of proportion." Jason stood off to the side, a smug look in his eyes. He knew Ms. Miller would protect him. It was exactly like my last life. From the equipment shed to the advisor's office, everyone pressured Chloe to shut her mouth. I clenched my jaw. "I am asking him to show his university ID." "You don't have the right to ask for anything," Ms. Miller snapped. She pointed a rigid finger at Chloe and me. "Let me make this perfectly clear. Chloe is going to get that water." "If she refuses, both of you will stand in the dead center of the field under the sun." Chloe's face drained of color. Ms. Miller glanced at the rest of the group and suddenly changed her mind. "Since you two care so much about solidarity, the whole group can stand with you." She turned to address all the freshmen. "Because Maya and Chloe refuse to follow instructions, the entire group will stand at attention for one hour." A wave of groans and complaints immediately erupted from the formation. Ms. Miller looked at me, completely satisfied. "You wanted to be the hero, right?" "I'm giving you two choices." "Either Chloe goes to the shed, or your entire group suffers because of you." She punctuated every word. "Your choice." The moment she finished, the formation exploded. "Are you kidding me? Why do we have to suffer?!" "Just go get the water! What's the big deal?!" "They're being so dramatic for nothing." "Isn't orientation about following orders? Do they not get that?" "So annoying. Causing drama on day one." Every word felt like a needle. Chloe grew paler by the second. Since we were kids, her biggest fear was being a burden to others. In my last life, she was the victim, but she was bullied into submission by the glares of her classmates, shamed into apologizing by the rumors, and silenced by the faculty. Ms. Miller crossed her arms, urging coldly, "Make your choice. Everyone is waiting." Jason stood beside her, the corner of his mouth curving upward. He was waiting for Chloe to cave. I took a step forward. "I choose the punishment." A chorus of angry groans rose behind me. "Is she insane?" "We have to bake in the sun for an hour because of them?!" "It's not like he asked her to do anything crazy! Just carry water!" "Girls are so much drama." I clenched my fists. But before I could speak, Chloe suddenly grabbed my arm. She looked up at Ms. Miller. "Ms. Miller, I'm not going to the shed." Chloe took a deep breath. "If you need water, you can ask the guys, or you can send a group of us." "Why does it have to be one girl alone with him?" She pointed directly at Jason. "He's not our leader. He's not official staff." "I refuse to leave the group alone with him." Jason looked furious. "You two really think you're the main characters, don't you?" Ms. Miller was about to explode when Chris suddenly stepped in. "Ms. Miller, making the entire group stand at attention for an hour is excessive." Chris glanced at us. "If water really needs to be moved, I'll send a few guys over." "As for their insubordination, one lap around the track each as a penalty." Ms. Miller was clearly unhappy. But Chris was officially assigned by the university's orientation committee; she couldn't completely overrule him in public without making a scene. She said coldly, "Fine. One lap each." She glared at Chloe and me. "If I catch you trying to act special again, you'll be formally written up." Jason didn't say another word. He just stared at us, his eyes as cold and venomous as a snake's. I knew he wasn't going to let this go. The track was scorching under the sun. Chloe and I jogged side-by-side. Halfway through the lap, she panted and asked, "Maya, what is going on with you?" My throat felt tight. "Chloe, Jason is a creep." "No matter what he says, no matter who tells you to go, never go anywhere alone with him." Chloe was quiet for a few seconds. "Do you know something I don't?" My eyes welled up with tears. I know. I know how desperate and hopeless you were in my last life. I know you cried to the advisor, only to be threatened into silence. I know your parents ran around with your medical reports and chat logs, only to have doors slammed in their faces. I know how freezing the wind was when you jumped off that roof. But I couldn't say any of that. I just said, "I can't explain it, but if you go with him, something terrible will happen." Chloe looked at me and nodded seriously. "Okay. I trust you." During the afternoon drills, Jason showed up again. He claimed he was "inspecting orientation discipline," but his eyes constantly lingered on the girls. I kept my eyes glued to him, and Chloe was visibly tense. Chris was at the front of the formation, correcting the guys' posture. Jason circled around to the back of our row. The next second, Chloe let out a sharp shriek and violently dodged forward. Chris turned around immediately. "What happened?" Chloe's face was chalk-white. She covered her backside, her voice shaking. "He touched my butt!" The blood rushed straight to my head. Jason immediately frowned, playing the victim. "I was just walking behind you and accidentally brushed against you." Chloe's eyes were red with fury. "You did it on purpose!" Jason scoffed. "Where's your proof?" "There are fifty people standing here. I'm inspecting the line. It's totally normal if my arm brushed against you." He turned to Chris. "Chris, your group has zero discipline." "Screaming and causing a scene during drills? Students like this need to be penalized." I couldn't hold it back. "You deliberately grabbed her! I saw it!" Jason's face darkened. "You saw it?" I gritted my teeth. I had only turned my head in time to see Chloe dodging in terror. I hadn't actually seen his hand. Jason seized on that immediately. "If you didn't see it, keep your mouth shut. You're slandering me." "Do girls just assume that if they cry and scream, everyone is required to believe them?" Ms. Miller materialized out of nowhere again. She looked at Chloe with pure disgust. "Chloe, can you stop being so overly sensitive?" "The formation is packed. So what if someone bumps into you?" "Screaming like that in front of everyone—how is he supposed to defend his reputation?" A tear rolled down Chloe's cheek. "Ms. Miller, he really—" "Enough." Ms. Miller cut her off instantly. "Young women need to learn how to conduct themselves respectfully. Stop interpreting every little thing as an assault." "If rumors start spreading, do you really think that's good for your own reputation?" I was shaking with rage. "She is the one being harassed! Why are you blaming her?!" Ms. Miller glared at me. "Maya, haven't you caused enough trouble for one day?" Jason chimed in, his tone slow and deliberate: "Ms. Miller, I highly suggest penalizing them with extra attention drills. They really need to learn some discipline." Chris frowned deeply. "It's over ninety degrees. They might not be able to handle it physically." Ms. Miller snapped: "Everyone else can handle it. Why can't they?" "Chloe disrupted the drill, and Maya disrespected faculty." "The rest of the group gets a water break. You two will stand at attention for thirty minutes." Eventually, the entire class was marched to the shade under the trees. Chloe and I were left standing under the blazing sun. Chloe's lips lost all their color. Ten minutes later, her body swayed. I quickly reached out to catch her. "Chloe!" Her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed. I dropped to the ground, holding her up. "Chris! She fainted!" Chris sprinted over immediately. "Get her to the infirmary!" Two other girls rushed over to help carry Chloe. I was about to follow them when Ms. Miller blocked my path. "Where do you think you're going? Your penalty isn't over. You have ten minutes left." I stared at her in absolute disbelief. "She fainted!" "The school nurse is at the infirmary." Ms. Miller checked her watch. "Maya, you will finish your penalty time." Jason was standing nearby, raising an eyebrow at me with a smug smirk. I bit down on my lip so hard I tasted blood. Ten minutes. I had never felt ten minutes last so agonizingly long. The second the time was up, I sprinted off the field. The infirmary was on the first floor of a small building behind the track. As I ran toward the entrance, a terrified, cracking scream echoed from inside. "Help!" My brain exploded. I lunged for the door, but a hand shot out from behind me, clamping brutally over my mouth. I fought wildly. The person holding me was a guy. He was wearing a student council vest and was massive. Two other guys blocked the door to the infirmary. One of them hissed a warning at me: "Shut up." "Jason is taking care of business. Keep your nose out of it." Jason. This wasn't a crime of opportunity. I stomped my heel backward as hard as I could into the guy's foot. He grunted in pain and his grip loosened for a split second. I broke free and screamed at the top of my lungs, "Help! Someone's being attacked in the infirmary!" I yanked my phone out of my pocket to dial 911. But the moment the screen lit up, someone snatched it from my hand. The next second. SMASH! My phone was violently hurled onto the concrete floor. I spun around and screamed down the corridor: "Help!" "Call the police!" "Jason Thorne is assaulting Chloe inside!" A few classmates who had followed me from the field were standing further down the hall. They had just come to see what the commotion was. Hearing my screams, they finally realized something was horribly wrong. The shouting in the hallway grew louder. Taking advantage of the distraction, I threw my entire body weight through the gap between the guys and slammed the infirmary door open. The sight inside made my blood run cold. Chloe was pinned against the edge of the examination bed, her uniform torn open, her face drenched in tears. Jason had one hand pinning her shoulder down while his other hand tore at her collar. Chloe was fighting with everything she had, her voice raw and hoarse. "Get off me!" "Help!" The last thread of my sanity snapped. There was a heavy stainless steel medical tray on the table next to me. I grabbed it, charged forward, and swung it with every ounce of strength I possessed directly into Jason's back. CRACK! Jason groaned in pain and whipped around. I grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol and threw it at him. "Let her go!" Chloe seized the opportunity to scramble backward into the corner of the bed. Jason raised his arm to block the bottle, but it clipped his temple. Blood immediately started dripping down his eyebrow. He stared at me, his eyes burning with a murderous, animalistic rage. "You again." "Maya, do you have a fucking death wish?" The guys from the hallway burst into the room. They blocked the door, looking panicked. "Jason, people are coming." But Jason was completely unhinged. He knocked the tray out of my hand and grabbed me violently by the shoulders. "You've been ruining my plans since this morning. You think you're better than her?" I kicked and thrashed. He slapped me hard across the face. My ears rang. I crashed onto the floor. Jason crouched down, grabbing me by the collar, spewing vile, venomous insults. "You love playing the hero, right?" "You love screaming?" "Then I guess you can take her place." Fear clawed its way up from my stomach. But my rage was stronger. I grabbed his wrist with both hands, my nails digging in. "Jason." "You're going to prison." His face twisted into a sick grin. "Only if someone actually believes you." He reached out and grabbed the collar of my uniform. I fought back frantically, but his weight was crushing the breath out of me. The guys by the door started panicking. "Jason, let's go." "There's a crowd gathering outside." Jason roared: "Shut up!" Right at that moment, Chloe, who was still huddled on the bed, suddenly stood up. Her face was ghostly pale, but her eyes were terrifyingly fierce. She grabbed the heavy metal IV pole next to the bed and swung it down on the back of Jason's head with everything she had. Jason let out a blood-curdling scream and slumped sideways. I rolled out from under him instantly. Chloe lunged forward, grabbing a fistful of his hair, and dragged him backward. "Don't you ever touch her again!" Her voice was trembling, but her grip didn't loosen for a second. Jason cursed in agony and swung his arm blindly, trying to hit her. I grabbed the metal tray from the floor and smashed it onto his wrist. "Don't touch her!" Seeing Jason taking a beating, the guys at the door rushed in. One grabbed Chloe, one shoved me, and the third tried to pull Jason up. "Stop hitting him!" "Jason, are you okay?" They claimed they were breaking up a fight, but they were only throwing punches at Chloe and me. Chloe stumbled as they shoved her. I threw my arms around her to protect her. "Don't touch her!" The crowd of students outside finally pushed their way to the door. Seeing the absolute carnage inside, the color drained from their faces. "Oh my god..." "What happened here?" "Get a teacher!" The school nurse finally ran over from her office next door. She saw the overturned bed, shattered medical supplies covering the floor, Chloe's torn uniform, the bright red handprint on my face, and Jason bleeding from his forehead. She was completely stunned. "What are you doing?!" A few seconds later, Ms. Miller arrived. The moment she walked in, her eyes locked onto Jason. "Jason! Are you okay?" I let out a bitter, furious laugh. Chloe leaned against me, trembling violently. Jason covered his bleeding forehead and immediately flipped the script, playing the victim. "Ms. Miller, they've completely lost their minds." "I saw Chloe faint, so I was just trying to help her to the infirmary." "Then Maya burst in and started bashing me with metal trays." The guys by the door instantly backed him up. "Yeah! We saw the whole thing!" "Maya attacked him first." "Chloe hit him too." "Jason didn't even do anything!" Chloe looked up at them. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Are you even human?" Ms. Miller's face darkened. "Chloe, watch your tone." I had reached my absolute limit. "Can't you see what he did to her?!" "He almost raped her!" Ms. Miller immediately cut me off with a sharp shout: "Maya!" "Do you have any idea what you're saying?!" "You can't just throw accusations like that around!" "You two attacked university staff and are now making malicious, defamatory claims." "I am reporting this to the Dean immediately." I stared at her. "You're going to discipline us?" Ms. Miller said coldly, "First, you will write a formal confession. Then we will determine the severity of your actions." "If this damages the university's reputation, expulsion isn't off the table." Chloe suddenly let out a laugh. It was a very soft laugh, but it was so cold it sent shivers down my spine. Ms. Miller frowned. "What's so funny?" Chloe looked up. There were still tear tracks on her cheeks, but her voice was steadier than it had ever been. "Ms. Miller, I called the police." The air in the room instantly froze. Ms. Miller's face finally changed. "What did you just say?" Chloe reached into the inner pocket of her camouflage jacket and pulled out a tiny digital voice recorder. "After Maya stopped me this morning, I knew something was wrong." "I do interviews for the journalism club, so I always keep a recorder in my bag." "Before I was forced to stand in the sun, I turned it on and put it in my pocket." Jason's face completely dropped. Chloe continued: "From the moment he harassed me on the field, to when I fainted." "To exactly what he did to me inside this room." "And everything he just said—how he threatened us, how he insulted Maya." "It's all recorded." Dead silence filled the doorway. Jason shouted, "Give me that!" He lunged for the recorder. Chloe immediately stepped back. I threw myself in front of her. The school nurse finally snapped out of her shock and grabbed Jason. "Don't move!" Jason roared, "Do you have any idea who I am?!" Ms. Miller panicked. "Jason, calm down." Chloe looked directly at her. "Ms. Miller, when I was dragged into this room and realized what was happening, I managed to dial 911 on my phone." "I couldn't speak, but the line was open, and the dispatcher heard everything." "Later, when Maya was screaming for help outside, some of the other students called the cops too." She looked toward the door at a girl who had followed us from the track. The girl looked terrified, but she nodded. The color drained from Ms. Miller's face, inch by inch. In the distance, the wail of police sirens grew louder. Jason finally panicked. He looked at the guys by the door. "What are you standing there for?! Let's go!" But it was too late. Heavy, hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor. "Who called 911?"
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