It starts with your phone buzzing nonstop during your morning class.

A gasp ripples through the lecture hall. Then another. Screens light up. Whispers crawl across the room like smoke.

GOSSIP GIRL: Looks like NYU’s favorite “normal” girl isn’t so normal after all. XOXO.

You don’t need to check to know who it’s about.

Olivia.

You find her on the steps outside the library, sunglasses on, knees pulled to her chest. She doesn’t look up when you sit beside her.

“They know,” she says flatly. “Everything I tried to leave behind.”

Another buzz. Your name—tagged.

GOSSIP GIRL: And who’s the mystery plus-one standing beside our fallen star? Careful, darling. Collateral damage can be messy.

Your stomach drops.

“They’re dragging you into it,” Olivia says, finally looking at you. Her eyes are red. “I’m so sorry.”

You shake your head. “I’m not going anywhere.”

The posts escalate fast. Old photos. Half-truths. Headlines that twist her past roles, her relationships, her mistakes. People stare when you walk by. Friends go quiet. Professors suddenly “check in.”

That night, you’re holed up in your apartment, curtains drawn, Olivia pacing.

“I wanted to be invisible,” she whispers. “Now I’m a headline again.”

You take her hands, steadying her. “Then we face it together.”

The next post hits minutes later.

GOSSIP GIRL: Looks like our star found herself a knight in shining armor. Cute. Let’s see how long they last.

Olivia laughs bitterly. “They want to break us.”