Chapter 3: Rumours are Free
1101 Words
The next morning, Anaya arrived at college with one goal.
Survive.
That was it.
No adventures.
No drama.
No mysterious rich boys.
No becoming the center of attention.
Just survive.
Unfortunately, the universe had other plans.
The moment she stepped through the gates, she felt it.
People were staring.
Again.
Anaya stopped walking.
"Urvashi."
"Hm?"
"Why are people looking at me?"
Urvashi glanced around.
"Oh."
"Oh?"
"They know."
Anaya felt dread settle into her soul.
"They know what?"
"That you met Adrian."
Anaya closed her eyes.
Of course.
Because apparently meeting a person for three minutes was enough to become national news.
A group of girls passed by.
One of them pointed.
Another whispered.
A third gasped dramatically.
Anaya looked at Urvashi.
"I haven't even committed a crime."
"Yet."
"That wasn't reassuring."
They continued toward class.
Halfway there, someone suddenly blocked Anaya's path.
It was a girl from the second year.
Anaya had never spoken to her before.
The girl looked excited.
"Is it true?"
Anaya sighed.
"What is true?"
"That Adrian smiled at you?"
"What?"
"And that he asked for your number?"
"What?!"
"And that he offered to buy you coffee?"
"WHO IS MAKING THESE THINGS UP?"
The girl blinked.
"So it's not true?"
"No!"
The girl looked disappointed.
Then she walked away.
Anaya stared after her.
"What just happened?"
Urvashi was trying very hard not to laugh.
"Congratulations."
"For what?"
"You're officially a rumor."
Anaya considered dropping out.
The idea was becoming increasingly attractive.
By lunch break, the situation had somehow become worse.
Much worse.
Someone had apparently started a story that Adrian and Anaya were secretly meeting after classes.
Another claimed they had known each other for years.
One particularly creative student had decided they were engaged.
Engaged.
Anaya was nineteen years old.
She couldn't even decide what to eat for lunch.
How had she become engaged?
"I hate everyone."
Urvashi took a bite of her sandwich.
"I know."
"No, seriously."
"I know."
Anaya dropped her forehead onto the table.
"This college needs hobbies."
"It has hobbies."
"Then why are they obsessed with my life? "
The answer had arrived twenty minutes later.
And it arrived in the form of a photograph.
Someone had somehow managed to capture a picture of Anaya and Adrian from the previous day.
The photo was currently being passed around the classroom like a national treasure.
Anaya stared at it.
Then stared harder.
"Why do I look like a sleep-deprived potato?"
Urvashi grabbed the phone.
"Oh wow. "
"What? "
"This angle is criminal. "
"THANK YOU. "
Across the room, a girl sighed dreamily.
"They look so cute together. "
Anaya nearly fell off her chair.
"He's standing six feet away from me! "
"Distance means nothing when two souls are connected."
"I'M LITERALLY TRIPPING IN THE PHOTO"
The last class of the day felt endless.
The professor continued explaining a topic with the enthusiasm of a sleepy turtle.
Half the class looked unconscious.
The other half wished they were.
Anaya doodled absent-mindedly in the corner of her notebook.
A small sketch.
Nothing special.
Just random lines.
When the bell finally rang, she almost cried from happiness.
Freedom.
As students rushed out, Urvashi packed her bag.
"Coming?"
"In a minute."
Anaya pulled out her phone.
A notification blinked on the screen.
Her face immediately brightened.
A new artwork had been uploaded by her favorite artist.
Eclipse.
Without thinking, she opened the post.
The artwork was beautiful.
Detailed.
Emotional.
The kind of drawing that made people stop scrolling and stare.
A smile appeared on her face.
She quickly typed a comment.
"This is amazing. Your art keeps getting better every time. Don't forget to take breaks though."
Then she hit send.
A small, silly habit.
She had been following Eclipse's work for years.
Supporting him felt natural now.
Satisfied, she slipped her phone back into her bag.
"Ready?" Urvashi asked.
"Yep."
Together, they headed toward the exit.
Neither of them noticed the tiny notification appearing hundreds of kilometers away on an artist's screen.
A comment.
From a familiar username.
One that had been there since the very beginning.
And for the first time in months-
he smiled.
Seeing the artwork had instantly improved her mood. The rumors from earlier had faded into the background as she made her way home.
Her phone suddenly vibrated.
Mira Calling
Anaya answered immediately.
"Hello?"
"Where are you?"
Anaya blinked.
"Uh... on my way home?"
"Good. Come straight home."
The tone caught her off guard.
"Why?"
"Because I said so."
"That's not an answer."
"Anaya."
Now she sounded serious.
"Don't wander anywhere. Just come home."
Before Anaya could ask another question, the call ended.
She stared at her phone.
"Well, that was rude."
Usually, Mira would lecture her for at least five more minutes before hanging up.
Today, she sounded... distracted.
Anaya shrugged.
It was probably bakery-related.
Knowing Mira, a customer had likely ordered a cake shaped like a dinosaur riding a motorcycle.
Nothing surprised her anymore.
By the time she reached home, the bakery was unusually quiet.
The front lights were still on.
The display shelves were full.
Everything looked normal.
Yet something felt off.
Anaya stepped inside.
"Mira?"
No answer.
"Mira?"
This time she heard movement from the office at the back.
The door opened.
Mira stepped out.
"There you are."
Anaya frowned.
"You told me to rush home like the world was ending."
"It wasn't."
"Then why did you sound so dramatic?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Anaya narrowed her eyes.
Mira smiled innocently.
A very suspicious smile.
The kind that usually meant trouble.
As Mira walked past her, something caught Anaya's attention.
A photograph lay partially hidden on the office desk.
Just for a second, she caught a glimpse of it.
Two young women stood side by side.
One was unmistakably Mira.
The other woman's face was hidden beneath a fold of paper.
Before Anaya could look closer, Mira casually picked up the photograph and slipped it into a drawer.
"What was that?"
"What was what?"
"The photo."
"What photo?"
"The one you just hid."
"I didn't hide anything."
"You literally hid it."
"You're imagining things."
Anaya stared.
Mira stared back.
The silence stretched between them.
Then Mira pointed toward the kitchen.
"Go wash your hands."
"What does that have to do with-"
"Wash. Your. Hands."
Anaya sighed dramatically and walked away.
But as she disappeared around the corner, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was different today.
And for the first time in years...
Mira looked worried.
Very worried.
Because if Mira was worried...
then something was terribly wrong.
- Writer
