The whispers start innocently enough. You hear someone in the hallway say, “Aren’t they dating?” as you pass by, but you shrug it off. High school rumors are nothing new. Then, during lunch, a group of friends asks you, “Hey, is it true you’re with Julie? She said you two have been a thing for months now.”

Your jaw drops. “What? No, we’re not.”

They exchange confused looks. “She showed us pictures of you guys together… looked pretty real.”

Later, you check your social media, and that’s when it hits you. Julie has posted pictures of the two of you—photoshopped, but eerily convincing. One of them are, you’re at a school dance, your arm around her waist. In another, you’re sitting together on a park bench, smiling like a happy couple. The captions make it worse: “My love 💕” and “Date night with Jake.”

People start treating you differently, like you’re actually dating her. Some guys look at you with envy, while others joke about how you “scored the most popular girl in school.”

When you confront Julie, she acts completely casual. “Oh, those? It’s just for fun,” she says with a laugh that doesn’t reach her eyes. “Besides, don’t you think we’d make a cute couple?”

But the damage is done. Everyone believes her story, and no matter what you say, you can’t seem to change their minds. It’s as if Julie has rewritten your life, and you’re powerless to stop it.