Chapter 7
Monday morning, I walked into the campus coffee shop expecting a normal routine. Instead, I found a man in a suit waiting for me.
"Evangeline Rosemont?" he asked, standing up.
Shit. Suits on campus are never good news.
"Depends who's asking."
"Jake Morrison, sports writer for ESPN. I'm doing a piece on the intersection of college athletics and social media drama. Mind if I ask you a few questions?"
"About what?"
"About the Homecoming Queen election. The... irregularities that were mentioned. And about your relationship with Axel Kingsley."
ESPN? How did college Homecoming drama make it to ESPN? Unless... unless someone contacted them.
"I don't have a relationship with Axel Kingsley."
"Really? Because I have some interesting photos. You two at what looks like a very private conversation on the football field. Late at night. Very... intimate body language."
He showed me his phone. Long-lens photos of Axel and me at our midnight meeting last week.
"Who gave you these?"
"Sources." He smiled. "Look, Miss Rosemont, I'm going to write this story either way. You can participate and give your side, or you can let others control the narrative. Your choice."
Sienna. She's escalating beyond campus politics. She's bringing in actual media.
"I have nothing to say."
"Interesting. Because your roommate had quite a lot to say."
I immediately called Madison and Tyler for an emergency meeting in a library study room.
"She talked to ESPN," I told them. "Actually sat down with a sports reporter and gave them information."
"What kind of information?" Madison asked.
"I don't know yet. But enough to get them interested in a college Homecoming story. Which means it's either about Axel, or about me, or about both of us."
Tyler was already on his laptop. "Found the guy. Jake Morrison. He usually covers NFL draft prospects and recruitment scandals."
NFL draft prospects. That's why he's here. Not for Homecoming drama, but because Axel is a potential first-round pick. And if there's a scandal involving his personal life...
"She's trying to hurt Axel's draft prospects," I realized out loud.
"What?" Madison looked confused.
"Think about it. NFL teams don't just draft talent, they draft character. Clean image. If there's drama surrounding Axel, if he's involved in some kind of campus scandal... it could affect his stock."
"So she's not just targeting you anymore," Tyler said. "She's targeting both of you."
"But why would she want to hurt Axel? She's obsessed with him."
Because she figured out that hurting him is the best way to hurt me. And maybe... maybe she realizes she can't have him, so she'd rather destroy him than let anyone else have him.
While I was dealing with the media crisis, Axel was facing his own problems. We met at our usual spot in the equipment room.
"Three different scouts called my agent today," he said without preamble.
"About what?"
"About my 'off-field situation.' Apparently there are rumors circulating about inappropriate relationships, academic misconduct, and character issues."
She's not just playing games anymore. She's actively trying to destroy his future.
"What did your agent tell them?"
"To ignore rumors. But Evie, if this escalates... if there's actual media coverage... it could affect everything. The draft, endorsement deals, my entire career."
"I know."
"Do you? Because I'm starting to think you don't understand how serious this is."
That stung. "Of course I understand—"
"Do you? Because you're playing games with someone who apparently has no limits. And I'm the one who's going to pay the price."
I stared at him. "So what are you saying?"
"I'm saying maybe it's time to end this. The secrecy, the hiding, all of it. Maybe we should just go public, explain everything, and deal with the consequences."
"And what about my experiment? What about experiencing college as a normal person?"
"Evie," he said gently, "you're not a normal person. You're never going to be a normal person. And trying to pretend otherwise is hurting both of us."
He's right. But I'm not ready. I'm not ready to go back to being Marcus Rosemont's daughter. I'm not ready to give up being just Evie.
Two days later, Sienna made her boldest move yet.
"Evie!" Madison burst into the room where I was studying. "You need to see this. Now."
She thrust her phone at me. Sienna was doing an Instagram Live, and she already had over 2,000 viewers.
"...just think it's important for our school community to know the truth," Sienna was saying, looking earnest and concerned. "We put these people on pedestals, we vote for them, we trust them to represent us. But what if they're not who they claim to be?"
Comments were flying:
"What truth??"
"Spill the tea sis!"
"Is this about Homecoming?"
"I can't say too much yet," Sienna continued, "because I want to be fair. I want to give certain people a chance to come clean on their own. But if they don't..."
"More hints!"
"Tell us!"
"Who are you talking about?"
"Let's just say," Sienna smiled at the camera, "tomorrow is going to be a very interesting day at Texas State. And some people are going to have some explaining to do."
Tomorrow. In public. And she's building anticipation for it.
I called Axel after the Instagram Live.
"Then maybe it's time," he said.
"Time for what?"
"Time to stop being victims. Time to take control."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what if we beat her to it? What if we tell our story before she can tell hers?"
I considered this. "And then what? Everything changes. I go back to being Marcus Rosemont's daughter. You go back to being the quarterback dating the NFL owner's daughter. All the normal experiences, all the genuine relationships... gone."
"Evie," Axel said softly, "were they ever really genuine? I mean, Madison and Tyler, they care about you. But they care about Evie Rosemont, not some fictional character. You're not lying about who you are at heart. You're just... selectively sharing information about your background."
Is that true? Have I been overthinking this? Are the relationships I've built actually real, regardless of my family's money?
"But what about your draft stock? What about everything you've worked for?"
"What about it? If NFL teams don't want me because of who I choose to love, then maybe those aren't teams I want to play for."
He's willing to risk everything. For me. For us. How did I get so lucky?
"Okay," I said finally. "But we do this right. We control the narrative, not her."
"Agreed. So what's the plan?"
"I make some phone calls. Pull in some resources. Show Sienna what real power looks like."
Instead of going to classes the next morning, I drove to meet with Harrison Blake, the private investigator my family keeps on retainer.
"Miss Rosemont," he said, shaking my hand, "interesting case."
"What did you find?"
"Everything." He opened a thick folder. "Sienna Blackwood, real name Sienna Chen. Father is Lin Chen, works as a janitor at the Superdome. Mother is Mary Chen, works three jobs—restaurant server, hotel housekeeping, and grocery store cashier. Family income last year: $31,000."