Chapter 3

Under the weight of every stare, Elijah's face drained paler and paler.

Beneath his uneven bangs, a fine sweat had broken across his forehead from the strain.

And with Kathryn fixing him with a threatening glare, he was even less able to answer.

"Samantha, what else do you have to say?"

Melvin came right up to me, his finger already jabbing at my nose.

Patricia shot me a vicious glare.

"You'd frame my daughter just to get famous? I'm not done with you!"

"I'll make sure you never graduate, and I'll pull every string I have so you can't work a single day in this industry!"

"You think you can be famous just by being hated, ride that toxic attention? I won't give you the chance!"

Melvin pulled out his phone and pointed it at me. "I'm calling your school right now. You are definitely not graduating!"

The live chat comments started flying by:

"This bitch. She sounded so sure of herself just now, I actually believed her."

"Selling out her own mother just to lie, and Eli won't even play along!"

"Eli loves his sister Katie most. Why would he ever play along?"

Melvin suddenly shoved my shoulder hard. I lost my footing and dropped straight down onto Elijah's lap.

"You bitch, now you're trying to seduce my brother too?"

Kathryn rushed over and tore at my hair.

Slap!

Patricia's hand cracked across my face. "You little slut, you won't even leave an autistic boy alone. Your mother must be an old slut too, teaching you every trick by hand?"

"I didn't. I—"

I tried to explain, but another slap landed and drove the words back down my throat.

Right now, I could only look toward Elijah. He was the only one who could prove I was telling the truth.

And Elijah, who a moment ago had been tense and terrified, watched me get hit, and his eyes went firm.

He nodded. Hard.

But the others acted like they hadn't seen it.

So he kept nodding.

Every nod sent a tear falling.

The live chat comments went quiet for a beat, then began flying again:

"He nodded!"

"Eli nodded!"

"Did Katie really plagiarize Eli's work?"

"I always knew Kathryn wasn't a good person."

I saw him nod too, and I shoved Kathryn and Patricia away, pointing at Elijah. "He nodded! He nodded!"

Melvin, Kathryn, and Patricia all turned to look.

They all saw it, Elijah still nodding, one nod after another.

Kathryn's eyes had filled with pure fear and guilt.

But Melvin suddenly said, "Eli responding doesn't prove Katie plagiarized his work. It's because the therapy I just did is taking effect."

Kathryn jumped in at once. "Exactly, there's no way I would plagiarize my own brother's work!"

Patricia looked like she'd let out a breath. "My daughter would never do something like that! Dr. Gilbert is right, it's the therapy working!"

The live chat comments chimed in too:

"You'd ignore a famous therapist and believe some intern instead?"

"Besides, we all know how much Katie loves Eli."

"This is all that bitch Samantha's fault, stirring things up. So annoying. Can she just explode where she stands?"

I pinned all my hope on Elijah, looking at him as I said, "Is Melvin right? If he's wrong, please shake your head!"

Silence again.

Every burning stare fell back onto Elijah.