Chapter 7: Rumors Travel Faster Than Homework
1227 Words
By the next morning, the entire school knew that Ethan had been visited by a mysterious man in a gray coat.
Nobody knew the details.
But that had never stopped rumors before.
At Westbrook High, rumors spread faster than Wi-Fi.
Noah walked through the hallway with Jake beside him, both carrying backpacks and the emotional weight of unfinished homework.
Jake was chewing gum loudly.
Suspiciously loudly.
“You’re thinking again,” Jake said.
Noah frowned.
“How do you know?”
Jake shrugged.
“You make that face.”
“What face?”
“The ‘I’m overanalyzing my life’ face.”
Noah rolled his eyes.
“I’m not overanalyzing anything.”
Jake stopped walking.
Stared at him.
Dead serious.
“You have loved the same girl since middle school,” he said.
“You absolutely overanalyze everything.”
Noah opened his mouth to argue.
Then closed it again.
Fair point.
They turned the corner toward their lockers, and the noise of the hallway hit them like a wave—students laughing, lockers slamming, someone arguing about homework, someone else running because they were late even though the bell hadn’t rung yet.
Sophie suddenly appeared out of nowhere like a reporter chasing a breaking story.
“I have news,” she announced dramatically.
Jake groaned.
“That sentence has never led to peace.”
Sophie ignored him.
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
“People are saying Ethan got suspended at his old school.”
Noah blinked.
“What?”
Jake’s eyebrows shot up.
“Suspended?”
Sophie nodded quickly.
“Yes. Or expelled. Or arrested. The story keeps changing.”
Oliver walked up behind them, holding a stack of books like a stressed librarian.
“None of those rumors are confirmed,” he said calmly.
Sophie waved a hand.
“Details.”
Oliver sighed.
“Facts are not details.”
Jake leaned against the locker.
“I vote we assume he fought a bear.”
Noah stared at him.
“…A bear?”
Jake nodded confidently.
“Very aggressive bear.”
Grace walked up just in time to hear that.
“You need professional help,” she said.
Jake pointed at her.
“Rude.”
Across the hallway, Lily was standing near the classroom door, talking to Ethan.
She looked relaxed.
Comfortable.
Smiling.
Ethan was leaning against the wall, listening to her with that calm expression he always had—the one that made everything seem under control.
Noah felt that familiar tight feeling in his chest.
Not pain exactly.
Just pressure.
Like carrying a backpack that was a little too heavy.
Jake followed his gaze.
Then sighed dramatically.
“You’re doing it again.”
“Doing what?”
“Looking at her like she’s the last slice of pizza.”
Noah groaned.
“Please stop comparing my feelings to food.”
Jake shook his head.
“Impossible. Food is my love language.”
The bell rang, and students rushed into class.
Mr. Daniels stood at the front of the room, already writing something on the board with the energy of a man who had accepted his fate.
“Take your seats,” he said without turning around.
Chairs scraped.
Backpacks dropped.
The usual chaos settled into a noisy calm.
Noah sat down at his desk, pulling out his notebook.
Lily slid into the seat beside him a second later.
“Morning,” she said.
“Morning,” he replied.
She leaned slightly closer.
“You look tired.”
He shrugged.
“Stayed up late.”
“Gaming?”
“Thinking.”
She made a face.
“That’s worse.”
He laughed quietly.
For a moment, things felt normal again.
Just the two of them.
Best friends.
Like always.
Then Ethan walked in.
And sat in the seat on Lily’s other side.
The balance shifted immediately.
Not dramatically.
Just subtly.
Like a chair moving half an inch.
Mr. Daniels turned around and faced the class.
“Pop quiz,” he announced.
The room exploded.
Groans echoed everywhere.
Jake nearly fell out of his chair.
“This is cruelty,” he declared loudly.
Grace smacked the back of his head.
“Quiet.”
Mr. Daniels raised an eyebrow.
“If anyone else complains, the quiz will be twice as long.”
Instant silence.
Even Jake stopped breathing.
Five minutes later, the classroom was filled with the sound of pencils scratching and students suffering quietly.
Noah stared at his paper.
Question three made absolutely no sense.
He leaned slightly toward Lily.
“Do you understand number three?” he whispered.
She glanced at his paper.
Then shook her head.
“Nope.”
Ethan leaned in from the other side.
“It’s B,” he whispered calmly.
Both of them looked at him.
“You’re sure?” Lily asked.
“Yeah.”
She smiled.
“Thanks.”
Noah wrote down the answer slowly.
Then whispered under his breath:
“If this is wrong, I’m blaming you forever.”
Ethan smiled slightly.
“Fair.”
After class, the hallway buzzed again.
Students complained about the quiz.
Jake held his paper like it was a crime scene.
“I guessed on half the questions,” he said proudly.
Oliver looked horrified.
“That’s not something to be proud of.”
Jake shrugged.
“Confidence is key.”
As they walked toward their lockers, Ryan jogged up to them, slightly out of breath.
“Coach wants to see Ethan,” he said.
Ethan looked surprised.
“Now?”
Ryan nodded.
“Yeah. Something about paperwork.”
Ethan hesitated for a moment.
Just a moment.
Then nodded.
“Okay.”
He turned and headed down the hallway toward the gym.
The group watched him go.
Sophie leaned closer to Lily.
“Do you trust him?” she asked quietly.
Lily frowned.
“What kind of question is that?”
Sophie shrugged.
“I don’t know. Something about him feels… complicated.”
Lily crossed her arms.
“Everyone is complicated.”
That answer ended the conversation.
But the uneasiness stayed.
A few minutes later, Noah opened his locker and started searching for his history book.
Jake leaned against the locker beside him.
“Serious question,” Jake said.
Noah sighed.
“What now?”
Jake lowered his voice.
“If Lily ever dates someone else…”
Noah froze.
Jake continued gently.
“What will you do?”
The question hung in the air.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Honest.
Noah stared into his locker.
Books.
Folders.
Random papers.
None of them had answers.
Finally, he spoke.
“I’ll still be her friend.”
Jake studied his face.
“You sure?”
Noah nodded slowly.
“Yeah.”
Jake didn’t look convinced.
But he didn’t argue.
Down the hallway, Ethan turned the corner toward the gym.
He walked alone now.
Quiet.
Focused.
The noise of the school faded behind him.
He reached the gym doors.
Pushed them open.
Inside, Coach Daniels stood near his desk, arms crossed.
Serious expression.
Waiting.
Ethan stepped inside.
The doors closed behind him with a dull thud.
Coach Daniels looked at him for a long moment.
Then said:
“Your father called again.”
Ethan’s stomach dropped.
Coach’s voice stayed calm.
But firm.
“He wants you transferred to another school.”
The words landed like a punch.
And suddenly, Ethan realized something terrifying.
His time at Westbrook High…
might be running out.
- Writer
