The Girl Everyone Talks About

I learned two things on my first day back at school. One:people never forget a rumour. Two:they never ask if it’s true. The whispers started before I even reached my locker. “That’s her.” “The one from last term.” “Do you think it’s true?” I kept my head down and pretended not to hear them, even though every word slid under my skin. The hallway felt smaller than I remembered, like the walls were leaning in, waiting for me to break. I wasn’t always that girl. Last year, I was invisible. The kind of student teachers forgot to call on. The kind boys didn’t look twice at. I liked it that way. Being invisible meant being safe. Until one night changed everything. I reached my locker and fumbled with the lock, my hands shaking slightly. I told myself to breathe. To focus. To survive the day like I always did. Then a shadow fell across me. “Hey.” I froze. That voice. I didn’t have to turn around to know who it belonged to. Everyone at Westbrook High knew that voice calm, confident, dangerous in the quietest way. I slowly faced him. Ethan Cole. The boy every girl wanted. And the one person who knew the truth about what really happened last term. His eyes met mine, unreadable. “We need to talk,” he said. And just like that, I knew this year was going to be worse than the last.