Day four since the gossip about her and Arthur Fortisiano blew up everywhere, Valerie still hadn’t dared to step foot outside her apartment. The headlines just wouldn’t die down. The media kept recycling those park photos, spicing them up with wild theories about their “relationship.” Every time Valerie accidentally caught a glimpse of a new headline, she’d slam her phone shut like it was burning her fingers.

“I should stop looking at this crap,” she muttered, frustrated. ...