When Anna’s family arrived at Lincoln Center, a hush fell over the lively crowd. Polite hellos were offered to the parents, but as Anna stood there, she couldn’t help noticing no one would look at her. She and Steven sat up front with the other students in attendance, and Anna was glad, thinking her own peers would be easier on her than their disappointed parents who didn’t want to be reminded that if a girl like Anna could get caught in a sex tape scandal, then God knows what could befall their own progeny.

But it wasn’t easier, not by a long shot.

Every single girl turned away from Anna, but that was nothing compared to the looks she received from the boys as she passed by: snickers, leering glances, and crude gestures, once they knew Steven couldn’t see them. What hurt Anna the most was the whispering that began the moment she walked by. Anna held her head high and bit her tongue to keep the tears at bay, but when she saw Vronsky sitting with Beatrice and Claudine she faltered. Vronsky stood up immediately to greet her, genuinely thrilled to see her. He was about to reach out, but Anna took a step back, looked down at her Louboutin Mary Janes, and shook her head.

“Please, Alexia,” Anna said quietly. “Don’t.”

Vronsky was stunned, but respected Anna’s wishes and sat back down, never taking his eyes off her when she sat down next to her brother two rows ahead of them.

“You could have said hello,” he whispered angrily to Beatrice. “It would be the nice thing to do. It could have helped her. Everyone is being such assholes.”

“Dear cousin, that girl’s beyond help,” Beatrice snapped back. “And you of all people should know I’m not nice. Besides, I have more important things to do with my mouth.” She smiled at Claudine and blew her a kiss, licking her lips.

Anna sat frozen next to her brother, trying to process what had just happened. Not a single person had greeted her besides Vronsky. It was like she was a ghost at her own funeral, invisible to everyone and yet the subject of their gossip.

“Do you want to leave?” Steven asked. “It’s okay if you do.”

“No,” Anna said. “This is the shit pipe that I have to crawl through, and I have to start sometime.”

“What does that mean?” Steven asked.

“It’s The Shawshank Redemption,” Dustin said, appearing beside them. “Steven, I really need to shore up your film studies education. It’s pathetic.”