It started with a list.

  No one knew who wrote it, or how it ended up taped to the cafeteria doors Monday morning. But there it was—printed in bold, black letters:

  “Willow High’s Top Ten Biggest Fakes”

  The moment Mia Sullivan saw her name at #3, her stomach dropped.

  A crowd had already formed, students whispering, laughing, taking pictures. Someone nudged her. “Oof, tough break, Mia,” Kyle Dawson smirked. “Guess your ‘sweet girl’ act isn’t fooling everyone.”

  Mia swallowed hard and forced a smile. “Oh please, this is so dumb.”

  She walked away, but the damage was done.

  By third period, the list had spread across the entire school. Whispers followed Mia through the hallways. Her phone buzzed with texts:

  “You okay?”

  “Who do you think wrote it?”

  “I mean… are they wrong?”

  That last one stung the most.

  At lunch, she found her best friend, Tessa, waiting for her. “Ignore it,” Tessa said firmly. “Some jealous loser just wants drama.”

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  “Yeah,” Mia muttered, but her appetite was gone.

  Across the cafeteria, she locked eyes with Brooke Adams—#1 on the list. Queen of Willow High, Brooke had a reputation for being perfect. Except now, everyone was watching her fall.

  Brooke stood, flipping her hair like she didn’t care. “You all must be really bored,” she announced loudly. “Seriously, a list? So original.”

  The crowd murmured, but Mia could see it—Brooke’s hands clenched just a little too tight.

  By the end of the day, everyone had a theory. Some said it was Jake Miller, still bitter about his breakup with Brooke. Others suspected Emily Tran, who had been fighting with her ex-best friend all month.

  Mia had her own suspicions.

  She found Brooke by the lockers, scrolling through her phone like nothing was wrong. Taking a deep breath, Mia stepped closer. “You okay?”

  Brooke looked up, surprised. “What, are we friends now?”

  Mia shrugged. “We’re both on the list.”

  Brooke studied her for a moment, then sighed. “It’s just… people love to see you fall.”

  Mia hesitated. “Yeah. They do.”

  A pause. Then Brooke asked, “Do you think… Tessa did it?”

  Mia’s stomach twisted. “What? No way.”

  Brooke raised an eyebrow. “Think about it. You’re #3. She’s nowhere on the list. And suddenly, everyone’s talking about you instead of her.”

  Mia wanted to deny it, but doubt crept in. Tessa had been acting weird lately. And she had told Mia to ignore it…

  The next morning, a new note was taped to the cafeteria doors.

  “You’re all so busy pointing fingers, you don’t even see the real liar. ;)”

  And just like that, the drama wasn’t over. It was just getting started.