Chapter 2- Rumors & Reputations
852 Words
The next morning, I got to school earlier than usual. The halls were quieter, filled only with sleepy seniors and the occasional teacher sipping coffee. I liked it that way peaceful, predictable.
Unlike the knot sitting in my stomach.
It wasn’t just Jayden. It was the way he looked at me, like he was sketching something in his mind. The crumpled drawing from yesterday still lingered in my thoughts. I should’ve thrown it away. Better yet, I should’ve ignored it.
But I didn’t.
“Okay, spill.” Serena slid into the seat beside me in homeroom, a knowing smirk on her face. “You’ve got that look.”
“What look?”
“The one where you pretend nothing’s wrong, but your brain is spinning a thousand miles an hour. I’ve known you since braces, Lay. Don’t test me.”
I hesitated. “It’s nothing. Just... Jayden.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Jayden Black? Again?”
“We were assigned as lab partners in Chemistry.”
Her lips twisted into a half-frown. “Ugh, unlucky. What’s he like up close?”
“Mysterious. Quiet. Moody and Unpredictable. He sketched me during class, I think.”
Serena blinked. “Wait he what?”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“It’s a huge deal! Are you serious?”
“Serena...”
“No, Layla. Guys don’t just sketch girls for fun. That’s like... romantic movie behavior. But also, super creepy. What if he’s obsessed?”
I rolled my eyes. “You're being dramatic.”
She leaned in, lowering her voice. “Okay, listen. Do you know why he transferred here?”
I shook my head.
“Last year, I heard at his old school, he got into a fight. Like, a serious one. Some say it was self-defense, others say he snapped. Either way, it was bad enough they kicked him out.”
“That’s just a rumor.”
Serena shrugged. “Maybe. But rumors come from somewhere. Look, I just don’t want you getting caught up in some... dark tortured soul thing.”
I stared down at my notebook, tracing the edge of the page.
“I’m not. We’re just lab partners.”
“Good,” she said firmly. “Keep it that way.”
But “being lab partners” turned out to be easier said than done.
By lunch, the whispers had already started.
"Did you hear Jayden drew that Harper girl?"
"I bet he’s into her."
"She’s way too clean-cut for someone like him."
It was subtle at first side glances in the hallway, the occasional hushed giggle when I passed. Then came the not-so-subtle.
At lunch, a girl from the art club, Liana, slid into the seat across from me.
“Hey, Layla.”
“Hey…?”
“You know Jayden, right? You’re in Chem class together?”
I nodded slowly.
“He used to go to art school on weekends. He was crazy good. Like, borderline genius. But then he stopped. No one knows why.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Just figured you’d want to know before things get... complicated. People like him? They don’t just drift into your life for no reason.”
And just like that, she got up and walked away.
“What the heck was that?” Serena asked, halfway through her juice box.
“I have no idea.”
But I was starting to get one.
Chemistry class was worse.
Jayden barely looked at me, let alone spoke. He kept his hoodie up and his eyes down, even when I asked him to pass the pipette.
“You okay?” I finally asked, when our lab work was done and we were waiting for the bell.
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
“You're quiet.”
He scoffed. “I’m always quiet.”
I hesitated. “People are talking.”
He glanced at me, just once, then back at his notebook. “They always do.”
The bell rang. He was up and out the door before I could say another word.
That night, I couldn’t focus on my homework. I opened a blank page in my journal and just stared at it, pen hovering.
What was it about him that got under my skin?
I barely knew him. But somehow, he felt... familiar. Like a song I hadn’t heard in years, but still remembered the lyrics to.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown Number: You forgot your notes in Chem.
I frowned.
Me: Who is this?
Unknown Number: Jayden. Don’t worry, I didn’t read your secret formulas.
A smile tugged at my lips despite myself.
Me: Thanks. I didn’t realize you had my number.
Jayden: You wrote it on your notebook once. I remembered.
Pause.
Jayden: You okay? You seemed... off.
I stared at the message, heart skipping.
Me: I’m fine. You?
Jayden: Used to it. The whispers. The looks. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck though.
Me: People can be cruel.
Jayden: Yeah. But you’re not.
I stared at the screen for a long time.
He didn’t send anything else.
And I didn’t need him to.
- Writer
