Whispers and Stares
316 Words
Chapter Fourteen: Whispers and Stares
By morning, the rumors had teeth.
“They’re together.”
“She moved in just to trap him.”
“What kind of freak dates their stepbrother?”
Each whisper scraped against me, sharp and cruel. My books felt heavier than bricks as I hugged them tighter, weaving through the stares.
At my locker, a group of girls blocked my path. The ringleader smirked, arms crossed. “Here’s some free advice. Stay away from him. You’ll never be more than a cheap distraction.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but then a warm arm draped across my shoulders.
“Funny,” his voice drawled, confident as ever, “because she’s exactly mine.”
The hallway went silent. Heads turned. The girls gawked, fury flashing in their eyes before they scattered.
I stood frozen, my face burning as laughter and whispers rippled around us. I shoved his arm away the second they were gone. “Are you insane?!”
He leaned in, his smirk infuriating. “Maybe. But you’re mine either way.”
And with that, he walked off, leaving my heart pounding and my reputation in shreds.
When the teacher announced the project partners, my blood ran cold.
“You and him.”
The snickers that followed made me want to sink into the floor. Of course fate—or cruelty—would bind me to him again.
After class, I rushed to the teacher’s desk. “There must be a mistake. Can’t I switch partners?”
“No switching,” she said kindly but firmly. “You’ll learn to work together.”
Later, in the library, I sat stiffly at the table while he lounged across from me, arms folded behind his head. “See? Even the universe wants us together.”
I rolled my eyes, flipping open my notebook. “This isn’t the universe. It’s bad luck.”
- Writer
