Reborn Rupture Chapter 06
Before long, the guidance counselor called me to her office.
Mrs. Romano and Matteo were already sitting inside.
The moment I stepped through the door, Mrs. Romano lunged at me, her hand raised to strike.
Before the slap could land, my dad shot forward and caught her wrist.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he snarled, pulling me behind him.
The counselor sighed.
“We all know about the situation on the app. It’s having a very negative impact, and Matteo’s grades have been slipping…”
Matteo glanced at me, his expression dark.
“Virginia, what’s the point of all this? I don’t like you. ”
“If I ever did anything to give you the wrong impression, I apologize. But can you please stop making things up?”
The moment she heard that, Mrs. Romano was even more convinced I was the culprit.
“I knew you were up to no good! First the underwear, now this garbage online! ”
“If my son doesn’t get into the Ivy League, I will never let you off the hook!”
My parents both spoke at once.
“Our daughter would never do something like this!”
I put a calming hand on my furious parents’ arms and addressed the counselor directly.
“This account constitutes cyber harassment. ”
“Why don’t we call the police and have them trace the IP address? Whoever posted it can take responsibility.”
Mrs. Romano froze, then nodded emphatically.
“Yes! Call the police!”
At that, Matteo’s expression shifted.
“We can’t call the police,” he said, jumping to his feet.
Mrs. Romano stared at him.
“Son, what are you talking about? The most important thing is finding that girl. We can’t let this affect your applications!”
Matteo avoided her gaze.
“Mom, we’re all classmates. If this gets blown out of proportion, it won’t look good for anyone. ”
“It’ll just cause more problems with admissions. ”
“Let’s just drop it. I promise I’ll do better on the next exam.”
The counselor, not wanting this to escalate to the police either, quickly jumped in to smooth things over.
“That’s right, Mrs. Romano. If this becomes a bigger issue, Matteo will be the subject of even more gossip. ”
“Don’t worry. The school will conduct a thorough investigation. ”
“We won’t let anyone disrupt the students’ learning.”
Mrs. Romano looked from Matteo to me, her eyes still filled with suspicion.
In the end, she left, her jaw tight with resentment.
Once we were alone in the hallway, Matteo leaned in, his voice low.
“What has gotten into you lately? ”
“Changing seats, starting fights, now this talk about calling the police. ”
“Do you have to keep making trouble for me?”
I laughed in his face.
“Matteo, let’s get one thing straight. We are just neighbors. ”
“Your mother falsely accused me, and you lied to protect Krystal. ”
“Now you want to pin this on me, too? And I’m not allowed to fight back?”
His face hardened. He was speechless.
“Stop thinking you’re so important.”
I slung my backpack over my shoulder.
“My world doesn’t revolve around you. So stop being so disgusting.”
As I walked past, he grabbed my wrist.
“Virginia, you never used to be like this…”
I looked at him, my eyes cold as ice.
“Matteo, I used to think you weren’t this kind of person, either.”
This time, I yanked my arm free and walked away without a backward glance.