he day after the notice appeared, the campus felt electric with rumors. Students avoided looking directly at Moriah, as though her scholarship disaster was contagious. John kept close to her, but even he felt the weight of being watched.
They met with their friends behind the student center at a picnic table half-hidden by old oak trees.
April was pacing in frantic circles.
Marcus leaned forward, elbows on the table. "We need a plan. What exactly happens at a scholarship review?"
Moriah massaged her temples. "They'll interview me, evaluate my performance records, and question my behavior. And because he's now on the board… he has influence over every answer."
Theo, quiet as always, finally spoke. "Then we need someone who can challenge him."
John raised an eyebrow. "Challenge him how?"
Theo's expression was unreadable. "Not with noise. With evidence."
Everyone stared.
Theo continued, "Moriah said he controls her schedule, places restrictions on her courses, and accesses her private information. If any of that is documented, we can expose misconduct."
Moriah's eyes widened. "But I don't have access to those files. They're all in his system."
Theo nodded slowly. "Mine isn't."
"What does that mean?" John asked.
Theo's lips twitched—not quite a smile. "You all see me as the quiet prelaw kid. But before I came here… let's just say I spent a lot of time figuring out how systems work."
Marcus blinked. "Are you saying you can hack the board's files?"
Theo didn't deny it.
But before anyone could process that revelation, another voice joined the conversation.
A voice none of them expected.
"Well, isn't this interesting?"
They all turned.
Standing near the tree line, arms crossed, was a girl from Moriah's music department.
Savannah Pierce.
Talented.
Popular.
And famously competitive.
Moriah stiffened. "Savannah… what do you want?"
Savannah stepped closer, her gaze sharp. "To warn you."
Everyone froze.
Savannah glanced around before speaking. "Your stepfather came to the music building this morning. He met with the department head behind closed doors for an hour."
Moriah's heart skipped. "Why?"
Savannah hesitated… then sighed. "He's pushing them to remove you from the Fall Showcase. Says your 'emotional instability' is a risk to the department's reputation."
Moriah's breath caught in her throat. "But that showcase determines twenty percent of my scholarship score."
Savannah nodded grimly. "Exactly."
John clenched his fists. "He's dismantling her future piece by piece."
Savannah's eyes softened slightly. "I don't like you, Moriah. But I'm not cruel. And this? This is wrong."
Moriah shook her head. "Savannah… why help me?"
Savannah looked at the ground. "Because I know what it's like to have someone powerful pull your strings."
Silence fell.
John was the first to speak. "Do you know anything else?"
Savannah nodded. "He's not working alone. Someone on campus is feeding him information about you two. Someone close."
The group tensed.
Marcus stood. "Close how?"
Savannah met their eyes one by one before whispering:
"He has a student informant. Someone pretending to be your friend."
Moriah's stomach dropped. "You're saying… someone in our group?"
Savannah shrugged. "I'm saying to someone who spends time with you. Someone he trusts. Someone is giving him daily activity reports."
Theo's jaw tightened.
April's eyes watered.
Marcus cursed under his breath.
John looked around at the faces he knew, thought he knew and felt something cold settle in his chest.
Someone was betraying them.
Someone sitting at this very table.
Savannah stepped back. "Be careful. This campus isn't as safe as you think."
She walked away, leaving her warning hanging heavy in the air.
John looked at the group.
No one spoke.
No one blinked.
Because for the first time… trust wasn't a given.
It was a question.
And one of them already held the answer.