Noelle Preston turned off her phone. "I have a class to get to."
"Hey, Ms. Preston, how can you not be worried at all?" Ms. Miller asked, concerned.
"Thank you for your concern, Ms. Miller. I'm not worried. The truth will come out eventually. For things I haven't done, the rumors will fall apart on their own."
Unaffected by any of it, Noelle Preston walked into the classroom with a light spring in her step.
The classroom was buzzing. A male student was frantically wiping the blackboard.
The board was a bit dusty, but some insulting words were still faintly visible.
"Ms. Preston, don't take it to heart. The people on the forums are just a bunch of brain-dead keyboard warriors," Shawn Stone said, trying to comfort Noelle Preston as he vigorously wiped the board.
"Yeah, Ms. Preston! We all love your class. What you teach is interesting and useful," the students below chimed in.
A wave of warmth washed over Noelle Preston, touched by the trust of these young men and women.
