The glow from Tina's laptop screen cast soft shadows on her dorm room walls. She was half-smiling, replaying moments from her mall and movie outing with Ishaan — the bookstore, the teasing during the movie, the quiet rooftop conversation. It was the first time she'd felt like she wasn't defined by her past.
But peace never lasted long.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number:
"Miss me, Rathod? Thought you won after that little show at the hackathon? Think again."
Tina's stomach tightened. She hadn't heard from Dev since he and Riya were thrown out. She had assumed it was over. But this message was different. More menacing.
Another notification popped up, this time from a student group chat on campus. Mira's voice rang from across the room, "Tina, don't look at the—"
Too late. Tina saw it.
Someone had shared a fake photo of Tina, clearly edited, but this time it was plastered with cruel captions:
"Hackathon Queen or Hackathon Cheat?"
"Would you trust her with your project files?"
The whispers started almost immediately in the comments.
"Is this for real?"
"She seemed quiet… guess we know why."
Tina's vision blurred. She felt like she was back in high school, surrounded by Riya's whispers and Dev's smirks, their laughter slicing through her like knives.
---
"Okay, that's it," Mira snapped, grabbing her phone. "I'm reporting this to the dean. Dev's gone too far."
"No." Tina's voice was quiet but firm. "Not yet."
Mira froze. "Tina, this isn't just bullying. This is defamation."
"I know," Tina said, her hands trembling slightly. "But if I let him see me panic again, he wins. I'm done being that girl."
Mira's expression softened. "Then what's the plan?"
Tina's mind was spinning. There was only one person she wanted to talk to right now.
---
When Tina knocked on Ishaan's door at 11 PM, he looked both surprised and concerned. "Tina? What's wrong?"
She handed him her phone without speaking. His jaw tightened as he read through the group chat. By the time he reached the fake photo, his knuckles were white.
"This guy," he said, voice low and dangerous, "is asking for war."
Tina sank onto his couch. "I don't want this to become… bigger. I just want it to stop."
Ishaan crouched in front of her, meeting her eyes. "We'll make it stop. But you have to let me in, Tina. No walls. No pretending you're fine."
For a moment, she almost cried. The vulnerability in his voice cut through her defenses. "I used to think… if I ignored people like Dev, they'd just get bored. But they never do. They enjoy breaking people like me."
"Not anymore," Ishaan said. "You're not alone this time."
---
By midnight, Ishaan was at his laptop, fingers flying over the keyboard. "I'm tracking the IP source of the uploads. Dev's dumb — he's using the campus network."
"Won't that get us in trouble?" Tina asked.
"Not if I frame it as a security audit," he said with a grin. "Hey, I did win first place in a cybersecurity challenge last year."
Despite everything, Tina smiled faintly. "Show-off."
"Only for you," he said softly.
---
The next morning, Ishaan's findings were damning. He had screenshots of Dev's uploads, time-stamped evidence, and even logs from the fake accounts Dev had used to spread the photos.
When Tina saw the file, she froze. "We can't show this to everyone."
"Why not?" Ishaan asked. "This clears your name and buries his."
"Because… I don't want my life to become a circus," she said quietly. "I just want to move forward."
Ishaan paused, then nodded. "Then we use this strategically. Let's make sure Dev can never pull this stunt again."
---
That afternoon, Ishaan confronted Dev outside the cafeteria. Tina stayed back but watched from a distance, her heart pounding.
"You think hiding behind fake accounts makes you clever?" Ishaan's voice was sharp. "I have everything, Dev. Every log. Every file."
Dev's smirk faltered. "You wouldn't dare."
"Try me," Ishaan said. "One email to the dean and your career is done."
"You think this makes you a hero?" Dev sneered. "She's not worth it. She's weak. She—"
Ishaan grabbed him by the collar, his voice deadly quiet. "Say one more word about her, and you'll regret it."
Tina saw something flicker in Dev's eyes — fear. It was the first time she'd ever seen him back down.
---
Later, as they walked back from class, Tina looked at Ishaan. "You didn't have to fight my battles for me."
"I didn't," he said. "I fought with you."
She stopped walking. "Ishaan…"
He looked at her, waiting. The streetlight above them flickered, casting them in a warm, golden glow. For a second, the world narrowed down to just the two of them.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For seeing me when I don't even see myself."
He smiled, slow and genuine. "Always."
---
To be continued…