WHISPERS
402 Words
It crept in slowly, like a rumor always does.
Damon felt it before he heard it. The shift in energy. The way laughter dropped when he walked into a room. The sudden interest in his movements, his silence, his proximity to one person in particular.
Aria.
He caught fragments as he passed—half sentences, quiet laughs, his name paired with hers like a question people wanted answered.
“Since when does he "
“Did you see them”
“I heard she”
He ignored it. He always did.
But this time, it followed him.
In class, he sat straighter, jaw tight, eyes fixed on the board. He didn’t look back, even though he knew she was there. He didn’t want to give them anything else to talk about.
Mason leaned over. “It’s getting louder.”
Damon didn’t respond.
During lunch, Mason pressed again. “They’re bored. You give them mystery, they make stories.”
Damon exhaled slowly. “Let them.”
But even he knew it wasn’t that simple.
Across the cafeteria, Aria sat with her friends. She looked calm, so too calm but Damon noticed the way her fingers fidgeted with the strap of her bag. She wasn’t oblivious. She was choosing not to react.
When she stood and walked toward him, conversations shifted instantly.
She stopped in front of him, voice low. “Walk with me.”
He hesitated for half a second. Then he did.
Outside, the air felt clearer. Quieter.
“They’re talking,” she said plainly.
“I know.”
“They don’t know anything.”
“They never do.”
She looked at him then he really looked. “Does it bother you?”
Damon thought about it. About the years he’d spent letting people believe whatever they wanted. About how none of it mattered until it started touching something real.
“No,” he said slowly. “But I don’t want it to bother you.”
Aria’s expression softened. “It doesn’t. I just don’t like noise.”
That made him almost smile.
The rest of the day passed strangely. They didn’t sit together. Didn’t talk much. But awareness lingered every glance heavier, every silence louder.
By the time school ended, the whispers hadn’t stopped. They had only grown more confident.
As Damon walked home, hands deep in his pockets, he felt something unfamiliar settle in his chest.
Not fear.
Responsibility.
- Writer
