Chapter 17: Storm Warning
330 Words
The closer Luca and I became, the louder the whispers grew. It started as quiet glances, a few stifled laughs in the hallways, but soon the whole campus seemed to buzz with rumors about us.
Aly was working behind the scenes, twisting stories to paint me as the girl who only wanted to climb the social ladder by hooking up with Luca. The name-calling stung—more because of the way some of my classmates, people I barely knew, looked at me now.
One afternoon, I found my name scrawled in a bathroom stall, under a cruel list titled “Girls Luca’s hooked up with.” My heart sank. Humiliation washed over me in waves. I texted Luca immediately, my fingers trembling.
That morning, I barely made it through my first class. My mind was still stuck on the bathroom stall—the harsh words, the cruel list. It wasn’t just graffiti; it was a public attack on me, my reputation, and my relationship with Luca.
When I told him, Luca’s eyes darkened with anger. “Whoever did this is going to regret it,” he promised, his voice low and fierce.
But promises didn’t stop the whispers.
At lunch, people avoided me or stared with judgment. Even some of my closest friends seemed unsure how to act.
That night, Luca came over and sat beside me on my bed. “I hate that this is happening to you,” he said quietly. “I want to protect you from all of it, but I can’t.”
I looked at him, tears threatening to spill. “I’m scared. What if this changes everything?”
He pulled me into a tight hug. “Then we fight. Together.”
He showed up at my dorm minutes later, rage flashing in his eyes. But the way he held me—so fierce, so protective—made me want to believe in us even more.
But the pressure was real. The cracks were showing.
- Writer
