Rumors Like Wildfire
309 Words
Chapter Seven
By the next morning, the whole school knew.
Whispers followed me down every hallway, sharp and cutting. Girls huddled in corners, their eyes darting toward me, their laughter like nails against glass. Boys smirked, nudging each other as if I were suddenly the biggest joke in Crescent High.
All because of three words.
She’s mine.
I wanted to scream that it wasn’t true. That he was insane. That he was my stepbrother, for God’s sake. But no one would believe me. They’d seen the way he’d stood beside me, the way his hand lingered at my back.
And the worst part? Deep down, a part of me hadn’t hated it.
I shoved the thought away, gripping my locker handle so tightly my knuckles went white. Just breathe. Just survive.
But survival wasn’t in the cards.
A hand slammed my locker shut, and I flinched. Sabrina stood there, her eyes blazing. Her posse circled behind her like vultures.
“Enjoying the attention?” she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. “Because that’s all you’ll ever get. Attention. He’ll get bored, and when he does, I’ll be right here to watch you crash.”
Her words were loud enough to draw a crowd. I felt their eyes boring into me, waiting for me to break.
Before I could speak, before I could defend myself, another presence filled the space.
Him.
He stepped between us, his body shielding mine, his gaze locked on Sabrina like she was nothing but dust beneath his feet.
“You’re right about one thing,” he said, voice calm but dangerous. “She is getting attention. Mine. And I don’t share.”
The gasp that rippled through the hallway was deafening.
And as he reached back to lace his fingers with mine, I realized this was no longer just school drama.
This was war.
- Writer
