Chapter 4

Match day.

Ken was busy soothing Myrtle.

"Don't be nervous. My first match, I was just like you."

"Just play the way you always do."

"Besides, you've got me."

Before he took the stage, Ken hung back a few steps and stopped in front of me.

"Summer, you win."

"When the match is over, I'll admit I was wrong."

Then he walked straight past me.

I kept my head down, thumbing at my phone. I had nothing to say.

The second Ken and Myrtle walked out, the crowd roared louder.

They wore matching couple outfits, feeding the audience sugar in front of everyone.

But on the stage, Myrtle kept missing.

The coach called a timeout, running through tactics again and again.

"Myrtle, are you okay?"

"If you're not, we'll sub in a backup."

Myrtle nodded and went back in early.

This time her aim was sharper.

Not a single miss.

When they took the win, Ken threw his arms around her.

Just as they were about to hand over the trophy.

The opposing team called a halt.

They said someone had been cheating.

Myrtle's shoulders started to tremble.

After the staff ran their check, they confirmed it: Myrtle had cheated.

The scandal broke, and Myrtle fainted on the spot.

But the moment I got back to the company.

The talk online had flipped again.

Everyone was saying I'd been jealous of Myrtle.

That I'd tried to steal Ken and failed, so I'd rigged the cheat to frame her.

My breathing went ragged. I was about to go find the person in charge.

Ken blocked my way.

"You broke Myrtle's mouse before the match."

"That's why she panicked and slipped."

"I had someone post it. You're not clean in this either."

I dropped into the chair.

My eyes went cold on him.

He knew perfectly well none of this was on me.

Myrtle just wanted the win too badly.

"Why pin it on me?"

Ken pinched at his brow.

"Myrtle isn't like you. She has talent."

"You're only an assistant. This is the cleanest way to handle it."

I couldn't hold back the sneer.

"And did you ever ask me what I thought?"

Ken's hands clamped down hard on my shoulders.

"Enough. I'm just informing you."

"Is your opinion really worth that much?"

"If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even have finished school."

"Don't be so selfish. No wonder your parents never loved you."

Each fine little word drove in until I was all thorns.

When he finished, something like regret flickered across his face.

"Nobody online is going to keep watching you."

"You've still got me, anyway."

Then he turned and left.

I covered my face, tears leaking out between my fingers.

I raised a hand and pressed stop on the screen recording.

The company put out a formal statement.

Overnight I became the cheating dog everyone wanted to beat.

Everyone looked at me like they were looking at trash.

I finished the handover and left the company.

HR from the new team messaged me.

"When can you start?"

I typed back.

"Right now everyone's saying I'm the one who cheated."

The reply came in a second.

"You're just taking the fall."

"We've already got a plan for it. Just come in tomorrow and start."

That night, a new post hit the trending page.

Myrtle cheated, Ken covered for her.

Their two names, side by side once again......