The sun filtered through the college corridor windows, its golden light mocking the heavy shadows trailing Samanda's heart. She walked towards her locker, hazel eyes scanning the familiar bustle of campus life—laughter, whispers, the usual hum of the morning. But today, something was different.
She felt the weight of their stares, sharp as shards of glass slicing through her confidence. The laughter wasn't warm; it was cold, biting. She froze when she saw it—a piece of paper slapped across her locker door like a cruel announcement.
'Samanda, the Great Cheater.'
Her breath caught, her world tilted. The words screamed louder than her pounding heart. She ripped the paper off with trembling hands, her voice breaking into a raw, desperate cry.
"No… no, no, no!" she wailed, tearing it to shreds. But the pieces weren't enough to bury the humiliation.
Her legs moved on their own, carrying her far away, past the judgmental eyes and whispered rumors, until she reached the sanctuary of the washroom. Slamming the door shut, she slid down to the cold tiles, burying her face in her hands.
"Why me?" she whispered, tears cascading like rain. "God… why me?"
---
The bell rang, echoing in the silence of her refuge, but Samanda didn't move. She couldn't face them—not the posters, not the whispers, not the eyes. When the hallway quieted, she slipped out, her body heavy with dread, and found solace in the quiet corners of the library.
---
Bennet tapped his pen against the desk, his gaze wandering to Samanda's empty seat.
"I saw her earlier," he murmured. "Why isn't she here?"
His phone buzzed. Jenny, seated across the room, smirked and gestured for him to check it. Reluctantly, he glanced down. His eyes widened as the image filled the screen—a picture of the poster.
"Samanda, the Great Cheater."
"What the hell?" he muttered, anger bubbling beneath his carefully composed demeanor.
"Bennet! If you're so distracted, you may leave my class!" the professor snapped. All eyes turned to him, but he didn't care. He clenched his jaw, locking his phone and ignoring Jenny's smug expression.
As soon as the bell rang, he rushed out. He had to find her.
---
"Sam! Answer me!" Joe's voice trembled as she dialed Samanda's number again. No answer. Desperation gnawed at her. Samanda wasn't just her best friend—she was her sister, her pillar. And someone had shattered her.
She stormed through the library, her heart pounding. At last, she heard it—a faint, shaky sob coming from behind a row of shelves. She turned the corner and found Samanda huddled in the shadows, her hazel eyes red and swollen.
"Sam…" Joe whispered, kneeling down and cupping her friend's face. "Please don't cry."
"I can't…" Samanda's voice cracked. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Joe rushed to open a nearby window, letting the crisp air wash over her.
"I don't want to live like this," Samanda whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I thought college would be my escape. A fresh start. But it's worse… so much worse. No one wants me here."
Joe's own eyes filled with tears as she pulled Samanda into a fierce hug. "Don't you ever say that, Sam. You have me. You have Aunt Lu. We love you more than anything. Don't let them win. Don't let them control your life."
---
They left the library together, Joe holding Samanda's hand like a lifeline. As they stepped into the hallway, Bennet appeared, his expression unreadable.
"Nice poster, Samanda," he said coldly, though his voice cracked ever so slightly. "I never thought you'd stoop this low."
Before he could say another word, Joe shoved him hard. "If you talk about her like that again, you'll regret it," she snarled, her dark brown eyes blazing.
Bennet didn't respond, but his fists clenched. As Joe led Samanda away, he whispered to himself, "I can't see her cry anymore. But who… who did this to her?"
Behind him, Jenny smirked. "Well, she deserved it," she said under her breath, but Bennet ignored her, storming away.
---
"Sam, please stop crying," Joe whispered, her voice soft yet firm, like a lifeline thrown into a stormy sea.
"I'm trying, Joe," Samanda replied, her words trembling, fragile like autumn leaves caught in a restless wind. "But I can't. I feel… empty. Like nothing. You know how much I gave—how hard I worked to be here. And now… now everyone thinks I cheated."
Her voice broke, the weight of her anguish pulling each word down like anchors in an endless abyss. They walked on in silence, the only sounds between them the whispers of the wind and the muted crunch of their steps on the gravel path.
Joe reached out, gently rubbing Samanda's hand, a silent assurance that she was there—that she wasn't alone. Her touch was warm, a quiet reminder that even in the darkest shadows, light lingers.
Their path veered toward a fork in the road, where a smaller lane stretched out like a secret. Towering trees framed the way, their branches interwoven in a canopy of whispered stories. Samanda stopped, her gaze fixed on the road ahead, her eyes glistening with something beyond her tears.
"Can we go this way?" she asked, her voice barely above a breath, as though the road itself had called to her.
Joe nodded, her curiosity sparking, though she held her questions close. Together, they stepped onto the hidden path, their footsteps softened by the embrace of fallen leaves.
Samanda's eyes wandered to the sky, tracing the patterns of sunlight breaking through the foliage. Her gaze drifted over the world around them as if each detail—each tree, each whisper of wind—was something she hadn't seen in years.
Joe watched her, her friend's silence humming with an unspoken story. "Have you been here before?" she finally asked, her voice gentle yet probing.
Samanda stopped and turned to Joe, her lips curving into a faint, wistful smile. "Can we sit… and talk?" she said, tugging Joe toward an old wooden bench nestled under the trees, its weathered surface holding the weight of countless unspoken moments.
They sat, the stillness wrapping around them like a comforting blanket. Samanda's eyes returned to the horizon, her voice soft yet heavy with memory. "This place… it feels like a dream I almost forgot. Like pieces of something I lost, trying to find me again."
"I miss my grandma," Samanda whispered, her gaze fixed on the park across the street. Her voice trembled as the memories began to surface. "You see that park? She used to take me there every day when Mom refused to. Even when she was tired, she'd come with me. She never let me feel alone."
Her voice cracked, and tears welled in her eyes. "He'd be there too."
Joe frowned, her confusion evident. "He?"
"Bennet," Samanda said softly, the name carrying both warmth and pain.
"Bennet?" Joe repeated, her brow furrowing. "You were friends? Why didn't you ever tell me about him?"
"I did tell you," Samanda replied, a faint smile tugging at her lips, though her eyes remained glassy. "He's my Bennie Pam. Not is, was my Bennie Pam."
Joe's eyes widened as realization struck her. Bennie Pam. The name Samanda had mentioned countless times, the childhood friend she wouldn't stop talking about. Joe remembered rolling her eyes at the stories, teasing her endlessly. "When am I going to meet your boyfriend, Bennie Pam?" she'd mock. But now, the truth felt like a slap in the face.
"Bennet is Bennie Pam?" Joe whispered, stunned.
Samanda nodded, her voice trembling. "I was so happy to join this college because of him. I couldn't wait to see him again, to reunite with my childhood friend. I even planned to surprise you by introducing him as Bennie Pam. But then…" Her voice broke, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "That first day, he mocked me in front of everyone. He laughed at me like I was nothing. It broke my heart, Joe."
Joe's chest tightened, guilt flickering in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that bennet is bennie pam, Sam?"
Samanda looked away, her voice barely audible. "I couldn't. I didn't want to ruin my memories of him. I didn't want to destroy the Bennie Pam I've kept in my heart—the best friend who still means so much to me."
Joe clenched her fists, anger bubbling up. "But how could he be like that? How could he treat you like that?" she said, her voice rising in disbelief.
"Maybe he misunderstood you," Joe added softly, trying to offer a sliver of hope. She knew how much Bennie Pam meant to Samanda, how deeply those memories were woven into her life.
Samanda shook her head, her voice firm now. "No, Joe. He's not Bennie Pam anymore. Not the one I knew."
"How do you know? You never even talked to him," Joe asked, desperate to understand.
Samanda's eyes darkened as fresh tears welled up. "I did, in a way. He saw me with Mom on campus. She was so happy to see him again. For a moment, I got to see the old Mom, the one who wasn't broken. But he just walked away, Joe. Like we didn't exist. Like we were nothing to him."
Her voice cracked under the weight of her pain. "That... that broke my heart into pieces. The Bennie Pam I loved would never have done that. Never."
Joe's heart ached as she looked at her friend, so full of love for a person who no longer seemed to deserve it.Joe pulled Sam into a tight hug, feeling her tears soak into her sweatshirt. She held her even closer, her voice teasing. "Don't soak me with your tears."
Sam let out a soft laugh despite herself. "Sorry."
They shared a brief, shaky laugh, but then Sam's expression shifted. "Is that him?" she asked, her voice laced with fear.
"Joe, run…" she whispered urgently.
---
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