Chapter 10: When Rumors Hurt the Most
655 Words
By the time Abigail stepped through the school gates that morning, she felt it.
The stares.
The whispers.
The sudden silence when she walked past.
Something was wrong.
She clutched the straps of her backpack tighter as she moved down the hallway, her heart pounding louder with every step. Students leaned toward one another, murmuring behind their hands. A few glanced at her with pity. Others with judgment.
“What’s going on?” she whispered to Sarah when she finally reached their lockers.
Sarah’s face went pale. “Abigail… you haven’t heard?”
Heard what?
Before Abigail could ask another question, her phone vibrated. A message notification flashed across the screen. Then another. And another.
She opened the first one—and felt the air leave her lungs.
It was a photo.
Her and Ethan. Laughing together after festival practice. Innocent. Harmless.
But the caption beneath it wasn’t.
“Looks like Abigail’s been getting close to Ethan for reasons we didn’t know. Guess sweet girls aren’t always so sweet.”
Her hands trembled as she scrolled. Comments flooded the post. Assumptions. Lies. Cruel jokes.
Tears blurred her vision.
“This isn’t true,” she whispered, more to herself than anyone else. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
Sarah wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “I know. We know. But Vanessa posted it late last night. It spread fast.”
Vanessa.
The name felt like a slap.
Abigail spent the rest of the morning drifting through classes she couldn’t focus on. Words on the board blurred together. Teachers’ voices sounded distant. All she could think about was how quickly people believed the worst of her.
By lunchtime, she couldn’t take it anymore.
She slipped out to the courtyard, sitting on a bench beneath the old oak tree where she usually read in peace. But today, even that place felt heavy.
That was where Ethan found her.
He stopped when he saw her, his expression softening instantly. “Abigail…”
She didn’t look up. “You shouldn’t be here,” she said quietly.
“Why?” he asked, stepping closer. “Because people are talking?”
She finally raised her head, tears shining in her eyes. “Because I don’t want to drag you into this. Everyone thinks I’m using you. That I’m pretending to be someone I’m not.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened. “That’s ridiculous.”
“It doesn’t feel ridiculous,” she said, her voice breaking. “It hurts.”
He sat beside her, close but not touching, as if giving her space to breathe. “I saw the post,” he said gently. “And I know who you are, Abigail. That’s what matters.”
She shook her head. “Why does she hate me so much?”
Ethan hesitated. Then he sighed. “Because I turned her down.”
Abigail’s breath caught. “You… what?”
“I told Vanessa weeks ago that I didn’t feel the same way,” he admitted. “I didn’t want to lead her on. I just didn’t expect her to take it out on you.”
Silence stretched between them.
“I’m sorry,” Abigail said softly. “If I’d stayed away—”
“No,” Ethan interrupted firmly. “Don’t say that. You didn’t do anything wrong. And I’m not staying quiet while someone hurts you.”
He stood up and held out his hand.
“Come with me,” he said.
“Where?” she asked.
“Anywhere people can see us,” he replied. “Because I’m done letting rumors speak louder than the truth.”
Abigail stared at his hand, fear and hope battling inside her chest.
Slowly, she placed her hand in his.
And for the first time that day, she felt like she wasn’t alone.
Behind them, from a classroom window, Vanessa watched—her lips pressed into a thin, furious line.
And she knew this wasn’t over.
- Writer
