Page 25 of The Hunt

“Um… is this a joke? I don’t get it,” I said, heart thumping painfully fast.

“It’s all over campus, Everly,” Bree said stonily. “Apparently you hate gay people.”

“What?” My eyes widened with incredulity. “That’s not true!”

“It’s not just one person saying it, Ev,” Sloane said softly. She still wasn’t meeting my eyes.

“That shit really doesn’t fly here,” Tessa added. “Not in this day and age. Maybe it’s okay where you come from, but—”

I cut her off. “No, it’s not okay where I’m from!” I said hotly, lifting a palm. “Seriously, I swear,I’mnothomophobic! Who the hell is even saying this stuff?”

Bree exchanged a dubious glance with Sloane. Then she sighed and handed me her phone. “Open Holler.”

I frowned and clicked on the black and white H icon on her screen. Holler was a bit like the Gossip Girl app, but it was exclusive to Hollingsworth. Students could send in tips or comment on posts, and it was all anonymous. I’d continually put off downloading it because it seemed so silly and high-schoolish, but I majorly regretted that decision now.

Today’s top post featured a clear photo of me, taken during my first class of the day. The student who’d sent it in had attached a story filled with total lies about me.

Avoid this girl LIKE THE PLAGUE. Seriously!! She was sitting in front of me today and I could see everything she was doing on her laptop. I guess she didn’t realize I could see. Or maybe she didn’t care??

Anyway, she was on some streaming site writing a comment about how gay people should be forced to put content warnings on all their videos. Just for existing, I guess?? Then after that, she went on some weird forum and complained about gay/bi people on that. I literally saw her write these exact words: ‘I’m sick of being forced to witness their immoral lifestyles’.

So fucked up! We need to stamp this shit out at Hollingsworth. No hate welcome on our campus!!

The comments were filled with people agreeing with the original poster or expressing shock at the revelation.

HollerAnon236:Yup that tracks with my experience. I overheard her at a party saying the most hateful homophobic shit I’ve ever heard after she saw two guys kissing. Unbelievable.

HollerAnon781:OMG I actually know her! She lives in the same hall as me. Always seemed so bubbly and nice. Never would’ve guessed she was such a nasty bigot. Crazy!!!

HollerAnon902:Wouldn’t surprise me if she’s racist too. These things go hand-in-hand most of the time, right?

HollerAnon156:Yup agreed. Probably got a bunch of internalized misogyny going on too. It’s always the same with these fascist assholes.

HollerAnon332:Ew what a bitch.

HollerAnon379:Go back to the Stone Age please….

I stared at the words, my brain scrambling to put them together in a way that made any sense. My pulse was pounding so hard I could feel it behind my eyes, and heat was flooding my cheeks, a wave of humiliation mixed with anger.

My breath hitched as I tried to force my next words out, my throat tight with the effort. “It’s not true,” I said, gaze shooting between the girls. “Do you honestly believe this shit?”

Sloane finally met my eyes. “I really don’t want to, Ev, but more than one person said it.”

“It’s all anonymous! It could be the same person pretending to be multiple people!” I said, shaking my head. Hot tears spilled out over my cheeks. “Can’t you see what’s happening? This is Jake! It has to be!”

Bree’s expression shifted from dark disdain to a contemplative frown. “You thinkhewrote all that stuff just to get at you?”

“Yes.” I wiped my face with a shaky hand. “I told you; he hates me and wants me gone. He’d probably do anything to make me leave. I mean, just look at the message he sent me yesterday.”

I opened my texts and showed the girls the most recent pile of abuse Jake had sent to me.

J:Think you’re safe here, cunt? Think again. Just fucking wait and see what happens. By the time I’m done you’ll be begging me to stop, but I won’t.

Tessa, Sloane, and Bree stared at the words in silence.

“Wow,” Sloane finally said in a breathless whisper. “He’s disgusting.”

“See?” I sniffed as more tears pricked at my eyes. “He basically admitted that he’s planning a bunch of stuff to ruin my life here at Hollingsworth.”

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