A wave of dread washed over me. My hands shaking, I zoomed in on the photo.
There, on her screen, was the exact design fd stayed up all night creating.
And somehow, she’d posted it a full ten minutes before I had.
I was stunned, completely unable to comprehend what was happening.
I thought, “I wasn’t even online while designing. I didn’t leave my studio once. So, how could my work and Freda’s overlap again? Was I fated to be branded a copycat no matter how many times I lived this life?”
on?”
I shivered, memories of my previous ordeal flooding back, but I forced myself not to dwell on it
While I was lost in thought, Frieda’s post exploded online.
Her follower count rocketed from a couple thousand to over a million in a matter of hours.
The comments section was in uproar.
[Who copied you? Just tell us. We’ll make sure justice is served
[She practically spelled it out! It’s someone from her school who’s also in the competition. Shouldn’t be hard to figure out, right?
[Track down that shameless thief, Original work is the artist’s soul. Copycats should rot in hell
In one of the comments, someone used elimination to guess that it might be me.
Frieda didn’t reply directly but gave the comment a like
My heart sank. A wave of messages flooded into my inbox.
And since I’d posted my design ten minutes after Frieda, I was seen as the copycat.
Jaclyn tried to defend me, but she quickly became a target herself.
I’d entered this competition to gain a little recognition for myself.
But if this was the price of fame, then it simply wasn’t worth it.
With a bitter smile, I deleted the design I’d nearly finished submitting
Then I called my professor.
I told him I’d be withdrawing from the competition
After I hung up. I received a call from an unknown number.
I hesitated, but I answered anyway.
I hadn’t expected Kayser’s voice on the other end,
“Maureen, are you out of your mind? First, you dump me out of nowhere and block me, and now you’re dropping out of the competition? What’s going
I sighed, exasperated. “Out of nowhere? Do you think I didn’t notice what you and Frieda were up to?
And anyway, my withdrawal has nothing to do with you. We’re done, so stay out of my business!”
Kayson’s tone softened in an instant. “Maureen, you’re misunderstanding things. Frieda and I are just friends. It’s not what you think. If you’re determined to break up, I won’t argue, but you can’t just withdraw from the competition. Don’t you care about letting your professor and classmates down Besides, look at this mess with Frieda. You can’t just ignore it. Go apologize to her, and maybe she’ll let it go out of respect for me”
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “Kaysen, why are you so sure I’m the one who copied her?”
1:30 PM
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “Kaysen, why are you so sure I’m the one who copied her?
His tone turned mocking. If it wasn’t you, then who else? I grew up with Frieda. I know her character better than anyone if you’re trying to save face, at least don’t drag her down. And let’s not forget that she posted her sketches and ideas before you. The evidence is undeniable, so what’s there to
Stop with the drama and apologion to Frieda now, or have to handle it myself
Fury surged through me.
