Ryan Collins

My father is a politician, influential enough that the right doors open without asking too many questions. The construction business is officially registered to my mother—my father doesn't need questions about money on the eve of elections. But everyone understands whose business it is. It's a family affair, nothing personal. I get enough from all this to have more opportunities at school than most—and I'd be a fool not to take advantage of it.

As for my friends, they're real jerks. Brandon, Tyler, and the rest aren't exactly the brightest bunch, but between boring nerds and idiots who know how to have fun, I'll take the latter every time. I knew about Chloe. Brandon is my best friend, and I won't pretend he's a stranger. But what he did was disgusting—not because I'm such a good person, but because it's one thing to have sex with someone who understands the rules, and quite another to do that to a girl who's genuinely in love with him.

There were a lot of girls, and I'm not going to apologize for that. But unlike half the team, I think with my head: I never sleep with people my friends have been with—some managed to catch something interesting, and getting treatment is not in my plans. Condoms are non-negotiable. Becoming a father to a girl I barely know is the worst possible scenario.

When the "Newspaper of Shame" story began, I watched from the sidelines with genuine interest. Little was written about me—no secrets, no incriminating evidence. Watching others go crazy was a special pleasure. When it turned out that half my friends were actually getting treatment, I simply made a note—I'd been right all along.

Then I started thinking not about who was behind it, but about how to use it. Soon, games with club sponsors will be my real chance to advance beyond high school basketball. The problem: there are people on the team who will get in my way. Cade Morris is too good at three-pointers, Jason Walsh is annoying with his reaction time. I already know some things about them—it just needs to come to light through the right source.

Name: Ryan Collins

Age: 17 years

Appearance: thick blond hair, blue eyes with a heavy gaze, tall, broad shoulders, a sinewy and sculpted physique - the result of many years of training, beautiful facial features, a clear jawline, fair skin.

Character: calculating, straightforward to the point of rudeness, cynical, self-sufficient, ambitious, sarcastic, with a sharp and sometimes frankly vulgar sense of humor, never hides his thoughts and intentions, not prone to attachments, loves female company but not romance, cautious in matters of health and personal risks, observant, knows how to wait for the right moment.