WHAT WE LOST

Chapter Eight —The Rumour

Amara told herself she wasn’t going to think about the picture.

She had already spent too much time thinking about Chloe, the anonymous messages, and everything that had happened over the past few days.

Ethan had explained himself.

He had looked her directly in the eyes and told her there was nothing going on.

She believed him.

At least, she wanted to.

But sometimes, even when you trusted someone, a small doubt could still find its way into your mind.

And Chloe seemed to know exactly how to plant it.

By the time Amara arrived at school the next morning, she had made a decision.

She wasn’t going to confront Chloe.

She wasn’t going to question Ethan every time Chloe came near him.

And she definitely wasn’t going to allow another girl to change the way she treated the person she loved.

She walked through the corridor and spotted Ethan waiting for her.

His smile immediately made her feel better.

He asked why she looked so serious.

Amara smiled and told him she was fine.

Ethan didn’t completely believe her, but he didn’t push.

Instead, he took her bag from her shoulder and carried it for her as they walked to class.

Amara laughed at him, telling him she could carry her own bag.

Ethan refused to give it back.

For the first time that morning, Amara forgot about Chloe.

Unfortunately, not everyone had forgotten about her.

During break, Amara was sitting with her friends when one of the girls suddenly mentioned something.

She said she had heard that Ethan and Chloe had been spending a lot of time together because of the school event.

Amara’s smile faded.

She asked what she meant.

Her friend shrugged.

She said it was just something she had heard from another student.

Apparently, people had started talking.

Amara tried to act like she didn’t care.

She told herself that people always talked about things they knew nothing about.

Still, the words stayed with her.

By lunchtime, the rumour had spread further.

Someone claimed Ethan and Chloe were always together after school.

Someone else said Chloe had been helping Ethan with his work.

Another person joked that they looked good together.

Amara heard everything.

None of it was proof of anything.

But that was the problem.

There were just enough little pieces to make her uncomfortable.

She found Ethan after lunch.

He was standing near the sports field with some of his friends.

When he saw Amara, he immediately walked toward her.

He could tell from her face that something was wrong.

Amara didn’t want to ask him about the rumours.

She didn’t want to sound insecure.

But eventually, she asked if he and Chloe had really been spending so much time together.

Ethan looked confused.

He explained that because of the school event, everyone involved had been spending more time together.

It wasn’t just him and Chloe.

There were other students too.

Amara nodded.

That made sense.

Then Ethan asked her why she was asking.

Amara hesitated.

She finally told him that people were talking.

Ethan sighed.

He said people could say whatever they wanted, but he knew the truth.

Amara looked at him.

She wanted to believe that was enough.

Ethan reached for her hand.

He told her that if she ever heard something about him, she should come to him first.

He didn’t want her listening to rumours and allowing them to create problems between them.

Amara smiled.

She promised.

For a moment, everything was okay.

Then Chloe appeared.

She walked toward them carrying some papers from the school event.

She handed them to Ethan and explained what needed to be done.

Ethan thanked her.

Chloe looked at Amara and smiled.

She acted completely normal.

Almost too normal.

Then she turned to Ethan and mentioned that they needed to meet later to finish something for the event.

Amara looked at Ethan.

Ethan immediately explained that the meeting would include other students.

Chloe simply nodded and walked away.

Amara watched her leave.

Something about the whole situation felt planned.

But she couldn’t prove it.

That afternoon, Amara stayed behind with Ethan.

They sat together outside their classroom while waiting for the next activity.

Ethan noticed she was still thinking.

He asked her what was going through her mind.

Amara finally admitted that she didn’t understand why Chloe seemed so interested in being around him.

Ethan thought for a moment.

He said he hadn’t noticed it in the same way Amara had.

To him, Chloe was simply another student.

That answer made Amara realize something.

Maybe Chloe’s behavior was obvious to her because she was the one Chloe wanted to affect.

Ethan wasn’t looking for hidden meanings.

He wasn’t expecting someone to try to interfere with their relationship.

Amara couldn’t blame him for that.

She leaned against his shoulder.

Ethan smiled and rested his head lightly against hers.

They stayed like that for a while.

No drama.

No rumours.

Just the two of them.

Amara felt peaceful again.

But somewhere else in the school, Chloe was preparing something new.

She had realized that rumours alone weren’t enough.

Amara kept going back to Ethan for answers.

And every time she did, Ethan reassured her.

Chloe needed to create something that couldn’t be explained so easily.

Something that would make Amara question what she saw with her own eyes.

The next morning, Amara received another message.

This time, it wasn’t from an unknown number.

It was from Chloe.

The message was surprisingly polite.

Chloe apologized if she had made Amara uncomfortable.

She said she didn’t want there to be any tension between them.

Then she added something that made Amara pause.

She said she thought Amara deserved to know that Ethan had been talking to her about something important.

Amara stared at the message.

Her heart started beating faster.

She immediately asked what Ethan had said.

Chloe didn’t answer.

Instead, she told Amara that it wasn’t her place to explain.

That made Amara even more curious.

A few minutes passed.

Then another message arrived.

Chloe said that if Amara really wanted to know, she should ask Ethan herself.

Amara put her phone down.

She didn’t know whether to be angry or worried.

What could Ethan possibly have been talking to Chloe about?

And why would Chloe refuse to tell her?

Amara spent the rest of the morning trying not to think about it.

When Ethan found her between classes, he smiled as usual.

Amara looked at him differently.

Not because she had stopped trusting him.

But because she suddenly had a question she couldn’t ignore.

She asked him if he had ever talked to Chloe about anything personal.

Ethan thought about it.

He said no.

Amara asked again.

He told her that the only things they had discussed were school-related.

Amara nodded.

She wanted to tell him about Chloe’s message.

Before she could, one of Ethan’s friends called him.

Ethan told Amara he would come back later.

She watched him walk away.

Then she looked down at her phone.

The message from Chloe was still there.

For the first time, Amara wondered whether Chloe was lying.

Maybe there was nothing Ethan had told her.

Maybe Chloe was simply trying to make her suspicious.

And if that was the case, Amara wasn’t going to give her what she wanted.

She deleted Chloe’s message.

Then she took a deep breath.

She loved Ethan.

She trusted him.

And she wasn’t going to let someone else decide what she believed about her own relationship.

But Chloe had already noticed something important.

Amara had deleted the message.

She had not forgotten it.

And that was all Chloe needed.

Because doubt didn’t have to be huge to cause damage.

Sometimes, all it needed was a tiny space in someone’s mind.

And Chloe had finally found that space.

As the school day ended, Amara and Ethan walked through the gate together.

Ethan was talking about their weekend plans, while Amara listened quietly.

She smiled when he made her laugh.

She held his hand tightly.

She wasn’t going anywhere.

Neither was he.

At least, that’s what she believed.

Behind them, Chloe watched from the school entrance.

She didn’t smile this time.

She simply watched.

Her plan was getting closer to where she wanted it.

But she still had two more chapters before she would make her biggest move.

And Amara had no idea what was coming next.