Roselle’s eyes snapped open. The familiar ceiling of her bedroom greeted her which was filled up with soft morning light.

  Then, she heard it—her own voice, panicked and breathless.

  "I’m gonna be late! Where’s my uniform?!"

  Her body jolted upright but she thought: That was her voice, but she hadn’t spoken. Had she?

  Her hands scrambled to throw off the covers and her feet hit the cold floor. Her school uniform—where was it? She yanked the closet door open. Blouse, skirt, tie—she had done this a thousand times before, which made it feel like a familiar scene playing out without her control.

  Just when she fumbled with her sleeves, the doorbell rang.

  Her mother’s voice floated through the house. "Oh my! What a surprise! I haven’t seen you in a while!" Her mother’s tone held warmth.

  She approached the stairs and shouted,

  "Roselle! Come down, dear!"

  Roselle’s heart pounded. Who could be at the door so early?

  Roselle hurried down the stairs and fixed the last few buttons on her uniform. When she reached the bottom, she spotted a Michigo dressed in her own school uniform standing near the door with a smirk on her face.

  "Yo, Roselle," Michigo greeted with a wave. "Came to walk with you today."

  Roselle blinked, then managed a small smile. "Good morning, Michigo."

  Her mother clasped her hands together. "Well, you two had better hurry, then. You’ve got five minutes."

  Roselle’s breath caught. "F-Five minutes?!"

  Michigo clapped a hand on Roselle’s shoulder. She was already turning towards the door. "No time to sit and chat then—let’s go!"

  Before Roselle could protest, Michigo grabbed her wrist and yanked her outside. The rush of morning air hit her face. She barely managed to keep pace as Michigo broke into a run and let their hands part.

  From the doorway, Roselle’s mother watched them go with a fond smile settling on her lips. "Ah… how nostalgic."

  Roselle’s breath came in short gasps. The moment Michigo let go of her hand, she was left in the dust. Her legs felt ready to fall off after just a few seconds of running.

  "W-Wait up—Michigooo!" she wheezed.

  Michigo glanced over her shoulder, then burst out laughing. "Man, I forgot how frail you are." She turned around and made her way over to Roselle. Then, she crouched down. "Alright, hop on."

  Roselle barely had time to protest before Michigo grabbed her by the arm and effortlessly lifted her onto her back..

  "I-I can run, you know…" Roselle muttered while puffing her cheeks slightly.

  "Yeah, sure you can," Michigo teased while adjusting her grip under Roselle’s legs before breaking into a steady jog. "Sorry for running ahead like that. Didn’t mean to make you mad."

  Roselle stayed quiet.

  "But actually," Michigo continue with her tone shifting to serious, "I wanted to tell you something weird."

  Roselle perked up at that.

  "I met up with one of my friends I tried to call the other day," Michigo said. "Remember when I told you their numbers were out of service?"

  Roselle frowned. "Yeah, what about it?"

  "Well, they told me they got a weird text. They don’t remember the exact words, but… it had something to do with you."

  Roselle’s eyes widened. "W-With me?"

  Michigo side-eyed her. "Yeah. They said it felt… off. Like they were being warned about something."

  Roselle’s fingers unconsciously tightened their grip on Michigo’s uniform.

  "This is getting more complicated..." she murmured.

  The school gates loomed ahead as Michigo sprinted across the courtyard. The morning bell was just about to ring.

  "One minute to go," Michigo muttered while skidding to a stop. She let Roselle down.

  Roselle stumbled slightly before straightening herself out.

  As they walked down the hallway, Roselle immediately noticed the stern looks from students lingering near their lockers.

  Roselle tried to keep her gaze ahead of her but it was hard to ignore the stares. Just when she thought someone might actually say something, Michigo turned her head and gave the hallway a slow glare.

  The gossiping students quickly looked away. One guy, who had looked like he was about to say something swallowed his words and hurried off.

  Roselle sighed in relief once they reached her locker. She quickly spun the dial, opened it and grabbed her books.

  Michigo nodded. "Got your books? Good. Now let’s get to class."

  Roselle blinked. "Wait. Don’t you need your books too?"

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Michigo froze. The realization hit her like a brick.

  "Ah, crap!" She smacked her forehead. "Seeya later, Roselle!"

  Before Roselle could even respond, Michigo was dashing down the hall towards her own locker.

  Roselle just shook her head and put on a small smile.

  Classes went by in a blur. When the lunch bell rang, Roselle stepped out of class, which is where she spotted Michigo waiting for her.

  "Took you long enough," Michigo said.

  "You literally just got here," Roselle shot back.

  "Details."

  Together, they walked across the courtyard. The Afternoon sun was scorching down on several picnic benches. Tori was at one of them. Her pink hair was tied up in a bow. She sat among a group of students.

  The moment Tori caught sight of them, she shot up from the bench.

  "Omah god! If it isn’t my two friendies!" she practically sang and clapped her hands together.

  Several of the students at her table turned to glance at Roselle and Michigo. Tori excused herself with a wave and hopped over to Roselle and Michigo in three quick steps.

  Before Roselle could react, Tori slung her arms over both of them and pulled them in close.

  "Aaand we’re walking!" Tori chirped and lead them toward a more secluded bench beneath the shade of a tree.

  Roselle sighed. She’d forgotten how aggressively affectionate Tori could be.

  Michigo, on the other hand looked like she was already regretting this. "Tori, Personal space."

  "Personal schmershonal! Spill, you two." Tori grinned before finally releasing them at the private bench.

  Michigo crossed her arms. "Remember what we talked about? We’re the ones needing info."

  Tori plopped down onto the bench and leaned back on as if she were royalty lounging on a throne. "And remember what I always say? Information ain't free, darling."

  Michigo groaned. "It should be."

  Tori wagged a finger. "Not all information is free with me. You gotta pay to play, sweetie."

  Roselle, who had been quietly observing spoke up. "Maybe… maybe this time, you could go without?" She spoke even softer than usual. "This is serious."

  Tori turned her head to meet Roselle and saw the girl’s nearly frowning face. She frowned herself momentarily before reaching out and patting Roselle’s head. "You’re just too adorable sometimes, you know that? Hard to resist when you make that face."

  Michigo scoffed. "So, that means you will talk?"

  Tori smirked and flicked Roselle’s forehead lightly. "Relax, relax. I got you. Now, listen up.”

  Tori dropped her speech to a whisper and said, “So, I heard from a girl who knows a girl who knows a girl that said there was some serious buzz about you, Roselle."

  Roselle and Michigo leaned in.

  "What kind of buzz,” Asked Roselle.

  Tori leaned in even closer. "They said you beat Sarah so bad that people thought she wasn't gonna ever be the same again."

  Roselle blinked.

  "But," Tori continued while tapping a finger on her chin, "Sarah came back to school yesterday."

  Roselle’s stomach twisted. She had been expelled for that fight with Sarah. She just came back yesterday herself.

  Michigo frowned. "That’s just recycled gossip."

  "Maybe," Tori shrugged. "But then they said they saw you at the Silver Star Arcade doing shady stuff."

  Roselle felt her breath hitch. "Me? I don’t even go there that often anymore…”

  Tori tilted her head. "That’s what I figured. You? Doing some back-alley business? No offense, Roselle, but you’re too frail-boned to be running around breaking laws."

  Roselle’s lips pressed into a thin line. Something weird was definitely going on.

  Tori dusted off her skirt and stretched. "Welp, that’s all I got for gossips today! You know the rules—three rumors a day keeps the boredom away."

  Michigo didn’t look amused. "You take this too lightly."

  Tori just winked. "Oh, I take everything seriously. Just in a fun way."

  After Tori’s words, Sarah passed by. When she spotted the group, she walked over and offered a small wave.

  Tori was up in an instant. She wrapped Sarah in a tight hug. "Sarah! Oh my god, girl, sit down, sit down!" She practically shoved her onto the bench. "We were just talking about you! You’re okay, right? But are you really okay, though?"

  Sarah chuckled softly. "I still feel a little pain here and there… I’m still okay though. No need to worry."

  Roselle hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Actually, we were just talking about some rumors going around about me."

  Sarah blinked. "Rumors?“

  Roselle met her gaze. "About you. People are saying I hurt you so badly that you weren’t gonna be the same again.”

  Sarah’s face didn’t change, but she slowly exhaled through her nose. "Yeah... I’ve heard that, too."

  Roselle placed her hands over her lap and glared ahead of her, but at no one specifically. "I swear, I'm gonna catch whoever's impersonating me."

  Michigo nodded. "Damn right you are."

  Roselle continued. "Whoever this imposter is… they’re not just messing with my name. They’re tearing apart everything I am. They want people to see me as some reckless, violent thug—someone who picks fights in the streets, someone shady and dangerous. But I’m not just gonna sit here and let them write my story. If they think I’ll roll over and take it, they’re dead wrong. I’m going to pick up the pen, and write them write out of my book!"

  Tori let out a low whistle. "Oof, girl that was kinda scary. But also kinda hot. You should do dramatic speeches more often."

  Roselle gave her a flat look, but Tori just grinned.

  Sarah chuckled. "Well, if you’re picking up the pen, I know a co-author who’d love to help."

  Michigo smirked and cracked her knuckles. "And I’m handling the ass-kicking. That imposter won’t know what hit ‘em."

  Roselle felt a warmth settle in her chest. In this mess of confusion, rumors and a stolen identity, she had people who believed in her and were ready to fight alongside her.

  She smiled, small but genuine. "I couldn’t ask for better friends."

  Tori placed a hand on her chest. "Aww, Roselle, you’re gonna make me cry! And then I’ll get snot on my lunch, and that’s just tragic."

  Roselle couldn’t hold back the tiny laugh that escaped her. Just then, she found her gaze locked on someone in the distance at a different bench. It was a yellow-haired girl who had pigtails that bounced slightly. She knew that face, but from where?

  Sarah, noticing her stare followed her line of sight. "Oh, that’s Ella, isn’t it?"

  Tori nodded. "Yep. Resident bossy. Even bossier than Mrs. Boss Aruka herself."

  Roselle frowned. The names struck a chord, but the details felt hazy. "Ella… Aruka…" she muttered. "Remind me where the ‘Boss’ part comes from?"

  Tori smirked. "Well, Aruka’s loaded. Filthy rich. She makes people call her ‘Boss’ like she’s some big deal."

  Sarah chimed in. "She used to be friends with us too, back in the day."

  Roselle’s eyebrows lifted. "She was?"

  "Yep," Tori continued. "But ever since she got all that money, it’s like she flipped a switch. She acts like she’s too important for us now. She might not even want to talk to you anymore."

  Roselle glanced back toward Ella who was shouting instructions at her group. "And what about Ella?"

  Tori shrugged. "Ella follows Aruka around like a lieutenant. She’s not as rich, but she’s just as bossy. Still, if anyone knows anything about this whole imposter mess… it’s probably Aruka."

  Roselle tapped her fingers against the bench. Aruka. A former friend. Someone with power, connections, and maybe—just maybe—answers.

  She exhaled. "Guess I better find out where she stands."

  Roselle stood from the bench and made her way toward Ella’s group. The students around quieted slightly. Ella, arms crossed, turned with a raised brow.

  "Hm? What do you want?" Ella's eyes flickered with recognition before she smirked. "Ohhh… you’re Roselle." Her tone carried a hint of surprise. "What a rare sight. What brings you here?"

  Roselle kept her face neutral. "I just wanted to ask Aruka a—"

  Ella raised a hand sharply and cut her off. "Uh-uh. Boss Aruka."

  Roselle blinked. "...Huh?"

  "You don’t just say Aruka like you’re equals, bitch," Ella said with a glare. "If you’re gonna talk about her, you will call her Boss Aruka. Capiche?"

  Roselle fought the urge cringe. "Right. Boss Aruka. I just wanted to—"

  Ella chuckled. "You’re really saying it, huh? Wow. You’re actually trying..."

  Roselle’s patience thinned. "...Are you actually gonna let me talk, or are you just here to waste my time?"

  The students around Ella chuckled, but Ella simply smiled. "Relax, Roselle. Just say what you wanna say and we’ll see if it’s worth her time."