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She pursed her lips and started typing something on her keyboard. Then she swung her computer monitor around to face me. “It’s obviously been deleted from the blog now, but here it is,” she said, pointing to the top post on the archives.
She clicked onto it before I could catch the whole title—something about sex—and raised her brows, giving me a chance to peer at the article. It was all about sex positivity and why everyone on campus should be open to any kind of exploration. Above it was an embedded video with a thumbnail that looked terrifyingly like… me.
“Should I press play?” Karyn asked, arching a brow.
I gulped. This was like watching a trainwreck. “Yes.”
She pressed play and kept staring at me as I watched the video. It was a brief, grainy clip shot at night outside a popular bar near Worthington, and it featured a girl in a short gray dress getting fucked from behind against one of the exterior walls. Whoever was filming it didn’t seem to have been noticed by the girl or her partner—a guy I recognized as Keegan Reddick from his distinctive haircut—and they kept moving closer and closer, zooming in on the couple.
It wasn’t me standing there with my legs apart and my hands splayed on the brick wall, but it sure as hell looked like me. The girl and I shared the exact same figure, and her haircut and color were also identical to my own. In fact, for one crushing moment, I was worried that it was me, and that I must’ve done this without remembering. I knew it wasn’t me, though, because the girl turned her head slightly over her shoulder for a split-second, and I clocked the differently-shaped nose and pointier chin.
“That’s not me,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know how this happened. Someone must be messing with me. But that’s not me.”
Karyn gave me a disapproving look. “Sienna, come on. The article was posted from your account under your name, and that’s clearly you in the video. I really don’t know what’s going on with you or why you’d do such a thing, but suffice it to say, we can’t have you working at the Observer any longer. Over a thousand people saw that post before we caught wind of it and deleted it.”
“But… wait. Just go back to that part where she turns her head. You can see it’s not me!”
“I’m sorry things turned out like this, Sienna,” she replied in a frosty tone. “You really are quite a talented writer. It’s a real shame.”
“Karyn, please. Just look again. It’s not me. Someone is messing with me!”
Karyn ignored my plea. “You should know that the college administration is aware of this incident,” she said. “It’s a serious offense that reflects very poorly on Worthington, so you should expect to hear from the dean soon.”
“Oh my god. No. No.” I fervently shook my head, tears welling in my eyes. “This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening!”
Karyn rose to her feet. “I’d suggest you take some time to seriously think about your future, Sienna. This incident may have really put a dampener on it,” she said. “I meant what I said about your writing talents, though. You’re good. I genuinely wish you the best.”
With that, I was dismissed. I left the Observer office in a numb haze, unable to believe what had just happened.
When I was halfway back to the residence hall, my phone vibrated in my purse. I pulled it out and swallowed hard as I saw my father’s name flashing on the screen.
Shit.
I took a deep breath and pressed the green answer button. “Hi,” I said in a tentative tone.
“Hi? That’s all you have to say to me right now?” Dad shouted down the phone.
I cringed. “I’m guessing you saw it.”
“The whole fucking city has seen what you did!” he shot back. “Jesus fucking Christ, Sienna. I thought the other night’s screaming breakdown was bad enough, but this?”
“It wasn’t me, Dad. Someone is trying to ruin my—”
“Shut up. Just shut up,” he snapped. “I’m done with the excuses. Done with the drama. I told you yesterday morning, you need to stop with these insane antics. But what did you do instead? You went ahead and posted a goddamned sex tape! Online for the whole world to see. You stupid, stupid girl!”
“Dad, please just—”
He cut me off again. “This could ruin me. Seriously, Sienna. My whole reputation and career could be gone because of you!”
“I’m sorry,” I said meekly. My whole body felt as if it were deflating. “I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen. Someone is trying to wreck my life, and… well, I guess they’re succeeding.”
“I knew you’d say that,” Dad replied. “You just can’t take any accountability, can you? But you’re going to now.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m done, Sienna. I’m cutting you off. No more paying for college. No more dorm fees. Nothing. You’re on your own. Your cards are already frozen.”
My chest tightened with panic. “Wait. Please. You can’t do that. I don’t have anything.”
