Chapter 28

Kenzie felt that jab cut straight through her pride,and her cheeks flushed with anger. She clenched her jaw and snapped, "At least I didn't end up being walked all over!"

Right after that, the crowd erupted into a sea of hushed voices and muttered rumors.

"Hey,come see this for yourselves!"

"This is beyond gross. Elissa owes us all an explanation!"

"Isn't there a video of Elissa's dance floating around Griridge University's forum? Did she seriously rip someone off?"

Not even a moment had passed after Elissa's group left the stage before people started talking,their stares cold and accusing. Elissa could feel their eyes following her every move, and confusion clouded her face.

In a rush, Zoe appeared, shoved her phone in front of Elissa, and asked, "What is this about?Why does your routine look exactly like the one

Kenzie uploaded to the forum?"

When Elissa caught a glimpse of the video, the blood drained from her face.

She had used Kenzie's moves as her own. But admitting it was out of the question.

"There must be some mistake. I created this choreography myself," Elissa responded. She turned to Kenzie and said, "That was my work,right?"

Kenzie never expected her post on the school forum to cause this much trouble. She wondered how everything had escalated so quickly.

With dozens of eyes locked on her, Kenzie had no choice but to play along. "Yes, Elissa did all the choreography.I was just fooling around onstage."

A quiet sigh slipped out from Elissa, but a sharp,frosty look flickered in her eyes.

Kenzie had posted that video behind her back,clearly hoping to get her in trouble.

Clearly,Kenzie would have to pay for this.

"Then how do you explain these comments?"someone called out from the crowd.

Insults from Kenzie sat right under the video,

glaring for everyone to see.

"You stole my work, Elissa! I put my heart into that dance, and you just took it like it was nothing!"

"Everyone's going to find out who you really are.You can't fake it forever."

With a quick flick of herthumb,Zoe read through the comments, her face growing more and more grim as she looked over at Elissa, completely stunned.

Over the years, Zoe had always respected Elissa,especially since she was close to Zoe's niece.

Any hint of plagiarism could destroy Elissa's standing in the troupe, and she would be gone in a heartbeat.

Pressure mounted i Elissa's chest, sending a cold shiver down her arms, but fury simmered just beneath the surface.

Before long, tears slid down Elissa's cheeks."Kenzie and I have always been friends. I never imagined she'd say these things about me behind my back."

Turning her attention back to Kenzie, she said,sounding hurt, "If there was a problem, Kenzie,you could have talked to me instead of trying to

ruin my reputation in front of everyone."

Without missing a beat, Zoe blurted out, "Kenzie,you owe everyone an explanation!"

Kenzie could feel every stare drilling into her,making her want to disappear. The way Zoe looked at her said everything. The crowd's faces,twisted in judgment, didn't help.

Elissa's glare was sharper than ever.

Any confession would end her place in this industry. Staying silent, though, would make her Elissa's next target.

Meanwhile, Arabella lounged back in her chair,eager to see how Kenzie would handle this disaster.

Words failed her as Kenzie stammered, "I-l..."

No sooner had she started, Zoe interjected,"Elissa's never been that kind of girl. You've really crossed the line this time, Kenzie. Picking on her like that is just cruel."

Kenzie trembled. The urge to defend herself was strong, yet every pair of eyes in the room made it clear nobody would take her side. Eventually, she whispered, "I'm sorry. I was just jealous of Elissa.That's all."

Her chin dropped as she stared at the floor,weighed down by a sense of deep unfairness.

Shock rippled through the crowd in a wave of startled murmurs.

川 can＇t believe people in college would go this far," someone blurted out.

"No way Elissa had to steal from anyone. She's a natural," another voice insisted.

"Kenzie is just pathetic, always sticking to Elissa like a shadow, and now she's trying to ruin her," a third added.

Fingers curling into fists, Kenzie pressed her nails deep into her skin, trying not to cry.

From the other side, Elissa spoke in a gentle,almost sorrowful tone. "I never thought Kenzie would do something like this. Still, I need to take some responsibility. I should've noticed she wasn't herself lately. If I had paid more attention as her friend, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way."

The room immediately softened, and sympathy shifted in Elissa's direction.

Arabella rolled her eyes. Elissa was always clever at turning the tide.

A faint smile played on Zoe's lips. All along, she trusted Elissa's character and believed there was no way she would resort to copying.

A sudden shout sliced through the crowd. "That dance didn't belong to your friend at all-it's Isabella's! Anyone can see Elissa's routine matches a video Isabella uploaded a while back.She deleted it soon after, maybe because she thought it wasn't good enough. Lucky for me,l downloaded it-I'm lsabella's biggest fan, after all!"