I wasn’t actually that upset about the coffee.

But when my fashion design professor questioned my academic integrity during her office hours, I realized how serious things had become.

“Professor Anderson, that gown really is my final project…”

I sat in her office, staring at a screenshot of Hailey’s TikTok on her computer screen.

“Miss Miller,” the professor pushed her glasses up her nose, “I see this video has 12,000 views. If you use a class project for commercial purposes, or lend it out for social media content, it violates our academic integrity policy.”

“I didn’t!” My voice trembled with indignation. “That girl is my boyfriend’s… friend. She took it without my permission…”

“Then you need to provide evidence that you are the original designer,” the professor’s tone softened slightly. “I need to see your design sketches, fabric receipts, and progress photos.”

Of course, I had all of that. But when I got back to the apartment, my design notebook was gone.

I called Jackson. “Have you seen my black sketchbook? The one with all my dress designs.”

His voice sounded impatient. “Haven’t seen it. Did you lose it again? Chloe, can you please stop being so careless?”

“This is important! The professor is investigating me…”

“It’s just a dress, does it really need to get to the professor?” he interrupted. “Hailey already apologized. What more do you want?”

I hung up the phone.

In the end, it was Maya, my Sigma Kappa sorority president, who helped me find the backup photos in my phone’s cloud storage.

When I presented the complete evidence to my professor, she sighed.

“Miss Miller, I believe you. But you need to understand—in these circles, some people will always try to take advantage. Learn to protect yourself.”

That night, Jackson came home with takeout, acting like nothing had happened.

“Oh, by the way,” he said casually, “my mom was asking if you know how to make cranberry sauce. She wants you to try our family recipe for Thanksgiving.”

I looked at him, suddenly feeling exhausted.

“Sure,” I said flatly. “I’ll make it.”