The message on Lila's phone wouldn't stop echoing in her mind. "I know who did it. Meet me tomorrow." She read it over and over again that night, trying to guess who could have sent it. The number wasn't saved, and there was no name attached to it. She thought of Jamal, but the typing style didn't match him. She thought of a friend, but she didn't have any close enough to do this for her. She wondered if it was a trick, a trap, or maybe something worse. Still, she couldn't ignore it. Whoever had made that picture had crossed a line. She had to know who it was.
The next morning, she walked to school with a dull ache in her stomach. Her steps were slow, but not weak. They were heavy, like someone walking into battle without armor. People were still talking about the photo. More laughs followed her as she passed the gate. This time, she didn't flinch. She didn't look at anyone. She walked straight to the back of the school building, the place the message had told her to go.
The back area was mostly empty—just a wall stained by rain and a few scattered leaves. She stood there for a minute, watching students rush by, hoping whoever messaged her wasn't playing games. Then she heard footsteps behind her. She turned quickly, heart racing.
A girl she recognized from class stood there. Not a friend. Not an enemy. Just someone who was usually quiet, always sitting alone near the window. Her name was Hana. She looked serious, nervous, as if she was carrying a secret that weighed more than her backpack.
"You sent the message?" Lila asked cautiously.
Hana nodded slowly. "Yes." She glanced around, checking if anyone was watching. "I know who made the picture."
Lila's breath tightened. "Who?"
Hana hesitated. "Before I tell you… are you sure you want to know? It will hurt."
Lila frowned. "More than this already hurts?"
Hana didn't answer with words. She took out her phone and held it up. On her screen was a screenshot—messages from a group chat. Lila couldn't see the names clearly yet, but she saw the picture being sent, laughed at, discussed, planned. Hana scrolled up until one message was highlighted.
The message said:
"Make it funny. Make it go viral. Everyone needs to see it."
And next to the message was a name.
Sara.
Lila stared at the name. Sara wasn't just any student. She was one of the most liked girls in the school—smart, confident, admired. People looked up to her, teachers trusted her. She was the kind of person others thought could do no wrong.
"Why?" Lila whispered. The question barely left her lips.
Hana looked at her carefully. "Jealousy. She doesn't like how Jamal defends you. She doesn't like how people talk about you now. She wants attention. She wants to control how people see you."
Lila tried to process the truth, but it didn't fit neatly in her thoughts. She never spoke to Sara much. They barely interacted. Why would someone so popular want to ruin her? Why would she waste her time on someone who never competed with her?
Hana continued, quieter now. "She spreads rumors a lot. But she usually hides it. This time she didn't, because she thought you wouldn't find out. She thinks you're too quiet to fight back."
Lila looked down at the ground. Quiet. That word again. As if silence meant weakness. As if staying calm meant she had no power. She realized then how easily people mistake gentleness for emptiness.
"What do I do?" she asked, her voice firm but confused.
Hana closed her phone and put it away. "That's up to you. But if you want proof, I have more."
Lila nodded slowly, but her mind wasn't focusing on the proof anymore. It was focusing on something else—something sharp.
Sara had attacked her because she thought she could get away with it.
Because she thought Lila wouldn't fight.
That afternoon, Lila walked through the school hallway like a shadow with a purpose. Students stared at her, waiting for emotion, waiting for embarrassment.
But she wasn't embarrassed.
She wasn't hiding.
She was watching.
And she knew exactly who the real enemy was now.
Not rumors.
Not the crowd.
But the girl who smiled while ruining others from a distance.
Lila didn't want revenge.
She wanted truth.
And truth, she knew now, could be louder than any rumor… if she chose to speak.