COLEEN
It started with whispers.
On Monday morning, walking into class felt different. I could feel the weight of eyes tracking me from the moment I stepped through the door.
Normally, I was the kind of person who could slip into a seat unnoticed, vanish into the rows like background noise. But that day, it was like someone had put a spotlight over me and turned the brightness all the way up.
I pulled my hoodie tighter around me, clutching my notebook against my chest as if it might shield me.
“Is it true?” a girl’s voice hissed from somewhere in the row ahead.
“I heard they kissed at the rink.”
“No way. Hayden Michaels? With her?”
My face burned. I forced myself to keep walking, my sneakers squeaking faintly against the tile floor.
When I sat down, I caught one of the girls, Jen
