**A Promise Written on the Rusted Edge of Time by Dael Rowan Sire**
**Chapter 4**
A week later, things took a turn for the worse, spiraling into a nightmare I couldn’t have anticipated.
That morning, as I shuffled into the living room, I found my roommates huddled together, their eyes glued to their phones. They exchanged furtive glances, and I felt a chill run down my spine.
“Ivy, have you checked the school forum recently?” one of them asked, a twisted grin spreading across her face that made my heart race with dread.
I shook my head slowly, an uneasy feeling settling in my stomach.
“Oh, you REALLY need to see this,” she replied, her smile growing more sinister. “You’re famous now.”
Famous? My stomach plummeted. What could possibly warrant such attention? With trembling fingers, I navigated to the school forum, my heart pounding in my chest.
The pinned post hit me like a slap, a visceral jolt that left me breathless:
**[EXPOSING THE TRUTH ABOUT BUSINESS MAJOR’S BIGGEST LEECH]**
Over ten thousand views. More than five hundred comments. I felt a wave of nausea wash over me as I clicked on it, my hands shaking uncontrollably.
The post was a grotesque caricature of my life, detailing how I had “stalked” Dylan and “shamelessly” spent his money. Each word felt like a dagger, twisting deeper into my heart.
Every innocent moment I had shared with Dylan was distorted into something vile and pathetic.
**[According to inside sources, A***** has been clinging to Dylan since middle school.]**
**[She mooches his breakfast every single morning.]**
**[During tests, she always sits near Dylan. Her intentions are SO obvious.]**
**[Heard her family’s dirt poor and the Carters have been supporting her this whole time.]**
And then there were the photos.
The first one showed Dylan and me eating together, but the caption twisted the truth: “freeloading again.” HE was the one who invited me, but that detail was conveniently omitted.
The second image featured Dylan bringing me breakfast. I had been sick that day, too weak to eat, and he was just being kind. Yet, the caption read: “The Leech feeding time.”
The third photo? A candid shot of me working at the burger joint. Whoever took it managed to capture me in the worst possible angle—bent over, wiping down a table. The caption mocked me: “Look how pathetic she is. Always playing victim for sympathy.”
What stung the most was how people dissected my actions, analyzing my so-called “manipulative tactics.”
**[This type of girl is the most dangerous. Acts all innocent but she’s actually calculating.]**
**[She’s been gold-digging since she was a kid. Smart move, honestly.]**
**[Poor Dylan. Got stuck with this human parasite.]**
The comments were a brutal onslaught, each one cutting deeper than the last.
**[Girls like this make me sick. Zero self-respect.]**
**[If I were her, I’d kill myself from embarrassment.]**
**[Dylan’s such a victim here. Having this leech attached to him.]**
**[Someone needs to kick The Leech out of our school!]**
**[The school should expel students with such terrible morals.]**
Each comment felt like a knife stabbing my chest, twisting with every word.
But then, the situation escalated to terrifying levels. People started posting my personal information, invading my privacy in ways I had never imagined.
Someone had found my middle school.
Someone else posted my home address.
And a particularly deranged individual even dug up old photos of my grandmother.
**[Oh, so she’s an orphan. That explains everything.]**
**[No wonder she has no shame. Who was gonna teach her?]**
**[I feel so bad for Dylan. Being stalked by this freak.]**
I was trembling all over as I reached for my phone, my fingers shaking uncontrollably as I dialed Dylan’s number.
The phone rang endlessly, each tone echoing my growing panic until finally, he picked up.


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