Chapter 4He Cheated With My Best Friend

Evan was busy in the kitchen while Zoey and I stood in awkward silence in the living room.

After a moment, she reached for me. "Kaitlyn..."

I pulled my hand away, my face cold.

Her lips tightened, and for a split second, resentment flashed across her face. Then she glanced toward the kitchen and stepped closer.

When she looked back at me, all the hurt and hesitation were gone. Her eyes were full of spite.

"Kaitlyn, I honestly don't know how you can still stand living here. Evan and I have been together all over this apartment. He loved bringing me here. Said the risk made it hotter. We've done it on the couch, the balcony, in the kitchen..."

She paused, a nasty smile spreading across her face.

"Oh, and one more thing. He said you're terrible in bed. You just lie there and don't do anything."

She curled her lips into a mocking smile.

I stared at her in disbelief, nausea twisting in my stomach as my lips started to tremble.

"Get the hell out of my apartment!" I screamed.

Hearing the shouting, Evan rushed out of the kitchen and immediately stepped between us.

"Enough! If you're pissed, take it out on me. I've always felt she's sweeter and more understanding than you, so I…"

Smack!

I slapped him across the face as hard as I could, leaving a bright red handprint on his cheek.

His eyes went bloodshot as he stared at me. After a long silence, he suddenly gave a quiet laugh.

"Kaitlyn, I'll take that slap as payment for what I did. You'll come crawling back eventually."

With that, he put an arm around a sobbing Zoey and stormed out.

Not long after, "Top Conservatory Student Accused of Plagiarism" shot to the top of the trending page.

I stared at the headline, my nails digging into my palms.

The timing couldn't have been worse. The selection process for the International Young Artists Awards was already in its final stages.

That night, while Zoey kept me distracted in the living room, Evan went through my things and took every original draft of my work.

He knew that without them, I would have a hard time proving I was the one who created it.

By turning the story around on me, he could ruin my reputation and destroy my future as a musician.

It wasn't long before my phone rang.

"Apologize to Zoey, and I'll make a public statement saying this was all a misunderstanding."

Evan paused, then lowered his voice.

"I just want you to give in for once. It's not too late to fix this."

He hung up, clearly convinced I would come crawling back sooner or later.

The next day, the conservatory issued a notice requiring Evan, Zoey, and me to appear before a faculty panel and present our sides.

On the day of the hearing, Evan and Zoey confidently laid out what they claimed was proof that I had plagiarized Zoey's work.

Whispers spread through the room.

"That evidence looks pretty convincing."

"Maybe those rumors about Kaitlyn bullying Zoey were true after all."

I pressed my lips together as the murmurs grew louder around me.

"Kaitlyn, it's your turn. What do you have to say in response to the plagiarism accusation?"

I slowly lifted my head and looked around the room.

Professors and students alike were already looking at me with open skepticism. As far as they were concerned, the so-called evidence Evan presented had already proven me guilty.

I lowered my eyes and let out a humorless laugh. Then, I pointed to the obscure piece referenced in the paper.

"Since you're accusing me of plagiarizing your work, Zoey, I'm guessing you know this piece pretty well."

The second I asked, Zoey stiffened.

Evan immediately cut in. "Analyzing a piece and performing it are two completely different things. You don't have to know how to play something in order to write about it."

A few professors on the panel nodded.

I shot the two of them a cool look, then walked straight over to the piano. I sat down, placed my hands on the keys, and played the entire piece flawlessly from beginning to end.

When I finished, I held up the collector's-edition vinyl.

"This piece was a private demo Maestro Louis recorded late in his career. It was never officially released and only exists on this record.

"When Evan and Zoey gave it to me, the record was still factory sealed.

"Zoey had never even heard this piece before, so how could she possibly have written an entire paper analyzing it?"