Chapter 1I Can't Stop Crying

I was born with a crying reflex I cannot control.

The moment someone raises their voice, even slightly, my tears start falling before my brain can even process why. It isn’t out of self-pity, and I’m not trying to play the victim. My tear ducts simply have a mind of their own.

Before I turned eighteen, my family kept me wrapped in a protective bubble. My parents and my older brother, Nathan, always told me:

"Crying is never a mistake, Sienna. The only mistake is when people use your tears for their own amusement."

But when it was time for college, I insisted on living in a standard four-person dorm. I wanted to prove I could survive on my own.

My roommate, Chelsea, was a rising lifestyle influencer.

On our very first night, she accidentally knocked my water glass off my desk. Before I could even open my mouth to say it was fine, a fat tear rolled down my cheek.

Chelsea froze, staring at me for a few seconds. It was as if she had just discovered a cheat code for viral content.

From that day on, she made a game of catching me off guard.

She filmed me when she startled me, recording my tears. She filmed me when she accidentally locked me out on the balcony, and she filmed me when our other roommates crowded around, asking if I was just faking it for attention, while I sobbed too hard to breathe.

Using those clips, her follower count exploded by over a hundred thousand, and she even applied for the university’s prestigious Digital Creator Scholarship.

On the day of the awards ceremony, my tear-stained, trembling face was projected onto the massive auditorium screen.

Chelsea stood on stage, smiling warmly into the microphone. "I believe in capturing raw reality. I’m just trying to help my roommate grow."

The next moment, the guest presenter walked onto the stage.

"You used my sister's pain to apply for the scholarship I funded?"

The polite applause in the auditorium died instantly.

The smile on Chelsea’s face froze, but she was quick on her feet. After a brief second of panic, her eyes welled with tears.

"Mr. Brooks, there must be a misunderstanding," she said, clutching her certificate as her voice trembled. "Sienna and I are roommates. We're actually very close."

"She’s new to campus and was having a hard time adjusting to dorm life. I was only trying to help her break out of her shell."

She turned her head to look down at me in the audience.

That single, heavy look made my fingers tighten around my skirt. I knew exactly what she was silently demanding.

Our academic advisor, Ms. Gable, rushed onto the stage to smooth things over.

"Mr. Brooks, I believe this is indeed a minor misunderstanding," she said, her smile tight but her tone deliberately soothing. "Chelsea is an excellent student, and her social media reach has been wonderful for our school's public image."

"The engagement on her videos was highly successful, though her methods might have been a bit unconventional. But college is a transition, and Sienna is away from home for the first time. It takes some students longer to adjust."

Before I left for college, my father had asked me repeatedly if I wanted them to purchase an apartment near campus. My mother had agreed, saying there was no need for me to live in a crowded dorm.

But I had refused.

I didn't want to spend my entire life hiding behind my family's wealth. Even with my involuntary crying reflex, I wanted to prove I could stand on my own two feet.

Yet, only a month into the semester, I had made a complete mess of things.

The entire student body knew me as the girl who couldn't stop crying. Online, strangers called me dramatic, pathetic, and a spoiled rich girl.

If Nathan pushed this matter further today, tomorrow the rumors would only claim that Sienna Brooks couldn't survive a single day without her family fighting her battles.

I didn't want that.

When I stood up from the back row, my knees were shaking. With every eye in the auditorium locked onto me, my tears began to flow automatically.

"The videos... I knew about them," I said, my voice barely a whisper.

My brother's brow furrowed, his eyes filling with immediate, protective concern. I couldn't bear to look at him, so I kept my head down, staring at the tips of my shoes.

"I am new here, and I've been having a hard time adjusting to dorm life."

As soon as the words left my mouth, a wave of low murmurs rippled through the crowd.

Chelsea let out a highly visible sigh of relief.

Ms. Gable quickly chimed in. "You see, Mr. Brooks? Even Sienna says it was just a minor roommate dispute. We will make sure to facilitate better communication moving forward to prevent any future misunderstandings."

Nathan didn't say a word to the advisor. He stepped down from the stage and walked straight toward me, stopping right in front of my row.

"Sienna."

He rarely used my full name like that.

My tears fell faster, but I refused to look up. As he draped his heavy coat over my trembling shoulders, I reached out and squeezed his sleeve.

"Nathan, please, let it go," I whispered, keeping my voice low enough so only he could hear. "I don't want everyone to think I can't survive without my family the second I start college."

He stared at me for a long time. His jaw was clenched with anger, but he slowly forced his breathing to calm down.

"Only this once," he said quietly.

I nodded.

The ceremony ended abruptly. Chelsea’s scholarship was temporarily withheld, pending further administrative review.

Ms. Gable instructed us to return to our dorm, specifically warning me not to blow things out of proportion and damage roommate relations.

The moment we stepped back into our room, Chelsea tossed her certificate onto her desk and turned to me with a sharp, mocking smile.

"Sienna, I had no idea. You really are a little princess, aren't you?"

I backed up until my shoulders hit the door, my fingers gripping the edge of Nathan’s coat.

Chelsea took a step toward me, her presence radiating hostility.

"You knew what would happen, didn't you? If you let your brother ruin me, everyone on campus would hate you even more."

"Spoiled, dramatic, abusing your family's influence. Don't you think those labels fit you perfectly?"

I opened my mouth to defend myself, but no words came. Only more tears.

Watching my face, Chelsea pulled out her phone.

"Sienna, your brother put on quite a show today, but in the end, he couldn't actually touch me, could he?"

"So you're going to be a good girl now and help me record a clarification video."

I shook my head.

Her expression darkened instantly.

"Sienna, don't be ungrateful."

"You're the one who told the school I didn't bully you. Who's going to believe you if you try to take it back now?"

My tears flowed faster.

Chelsea looked at her screen, her harsh expression suddenly melting into a satisfied grin.

"Perfect. Keep crying just like that."

"It makes the apology look much more sincere."