Hayley Hayes had a knack for making an impression. Unfortunately, it was usually the kind of impression that left people either laughing or staring—and sometimes both.

Today wasn’t going to be any different.

It had been a week since she started the second semester, and her morning was already off to a catastrophic start. She’d overslept, spilled cereal all over her study notes, and somehow grabbed the wrong shoes from her dorm floor in the rush to leave.

By the time she boarded the campus shuttle, she realized her mistake.

On one foot, she wore a sunny yellow sandal with a cheerful sunflower design. On the other, a clunky black platform sandal that looked like it belonged to a rebellious rockstar.

She glanced down and groaned. “Oh, come on.”

The shuttle was packed, and it didn’t take long for someone to notice.

“Hey, check it out,” a voice whispered from the back.

Another voice chimed in. “Trendsetter alert.”

Hayley shrank into her seat, tugging her bag onto her lap to hide her feet.

Unfortunately, the whispers grew louder.

“Mismatched shoes? Bold choice.”

“Yeah, bold... or blind?”

She exhaled sharply and decided to embrace the chaos. Straightening her back, she glanced over her shoulder at the offenders. “Thanks for noticing. This is chaotic chic. Milan runway vibes.”

The bus erupted into laughter. Hayley smiled tightly, pretending she wasn’t dying inside.

---

Class wasn’t much better.

By the time Hayley shuffled into the lecture hall, whispers about her sandals had already spread. She slid into her usual spot at the back, plopping down beside Emily, her quiet seatmate.

Hayley felt Veronica’s eyes on her, even before she said anything. There was something about the way the other girl looked at her—like she was assessing her, sizing her up. Hayley had always known Veronica was a little… intense. After all, she was the class topper, the golden girl everyone seemed to worship. But this look was different, sharper, like there was something bubbling beneath the surface.

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When Veronica made her comment about Hayley’s mismatched sandals, the room erupted into laughter, and Hayley managed a tight smile, trying to brush it off. "Thanks for noticing. This is chaotic chic. Milan runway vibes."

But as she spoke, she noticed Veronica's smirk was just a little too wide, her eyes just a little too cold. It wasn’t the usual playful teasing Hayley was used to; it was something more cutting, more deliberate. Veronica was pretending to be amused, but Hayley could feel the faint bitterness behind the words.

Why? What had she done to deserve this? She had barely spoken to Veronica. Sure, they'd shared a few classes, but Hayley didn’t even care about the whole "class topper" thing. She didn’t care about being the best in the room, the smartest, the one everyone admired. She was just trying to survive the semester without falling apart.

But as she looked at Veronica, she could see it something behind the eyes, something Hayley couldn’t quite put her finger on. There was more to the hostility than a pair of mismatched sandals.

Then it hit her. The semester exam. The one where Veronica had been expecting to top the class, like always. The one where Hayley had answered that impossible question about war crimes, the one no one else could get, and suddenly, Veronica wasn’t the only one getting attention.

That was the moment, Hayley realized. Veronica had expected to be the best, to get all the praise, but then there was Hayley, this girl who barely seemed to care, who just showed up and somehow did better than expected. It wasn’t just the sandals it was everything. It was the way Hayley had taken attention away from Veronica without even trying, without even realizing she was doing it.

It was the way Veronica had always been used to winning, to being the best. And now Hayley, unknowingly, was starting to chip away at that perfect image.

The realization stung, and a sense of discomfort washed over Hayley. She’d never intended to be in competition with anyone—especially not someone as seemingly perfect as Veronica. But as the laughter echoed around her, she realized Veronica saw her as a threat. And the worst part was, Hayley had no idea how to fix it.

Emily nudged her. “That was bold.”

“Boldly embarrassing,” Hayley whispered back.

---

The professor arrived, sparing Hayley from further humiliation. The lecture dragged on, and Hayley found herself doodling in the margins of her notebook instead of taking notes.

As soon as class ended, she bolted for the door, determined to escape the stares and whispers.

Her escape plan hit a snag when she tripped over the last step of the lecture hall stairs. Books and papers flew everywhere, and a collective gasp rippled through the room.

Hayley scrambled to gather her things, muttering under her breath. “Can this day get any worse?”

A senior passing by leaned down to help her. “You okay?”

“Perfect,” she said, shoving her papers back into her bag. “Just practicing my grand exits.”

He chuckled, and she darted out of the room before anyone else could comment.

---

Later that evening, Hayley sat on her dorm bed, recounting the day’s disasters to one of her dorm friends.

“So let me get this straight,” her friend Rose said, stifling a laugh. “You wore two different shoes, got roasted in class, and tripped in front of everyone?”

“That’s the highlight reel,” Hayley replied, flopping onto her pillow dramatically. “I’ll never live this down.”

Rose grinned. “Don’t worry. People will forget by

tomorrow. Probably.”

Hayley groaned, covering her face. Somehow, she doubted it.