Chapter 8: Everybody's Talking
889 Words
The next day, Ava discovered there was something worse than being invisible.
Being famous.
Not the movie-star kind. Not the rich-kid kind. The Kingsley Academy kind.
By the time she reached the main building, three students had already looked at her twice, one had smiled at her for no reason, and another had whispered her name loud enough for her to hear it.
Ava hated every second of it.
She tightened her grip on her bag and continued walking, hoping people would eventually get bored and move on with their lives.
They didn't.
"That's her."
"The girl who beat Ethan's record."
"I heard she studied twelve hours a day."
"That's not true."
"How do you know?"
Ava walked faster.
The rumors were already evolving.
At this rate, somebody would claim she solved world hunger by lunch.
When she entered her classroom, things weren't much better. A few students greeted her immediately, which would've been nice if she actually knew any of them.
"Morning, Ava."
"Hey."
"Congrats again."
Ava smiled politely and sat down.
The girl beside her grinned. "You're popular now."
"I'd rather be poor."
The girl laughed so hard she nearly dropped her pen.
Unfortunately, popularity came with side effects.
The first arrived before first period even started.
Three younger students appeared at the classroom door and looked around nervously.
When their eyes landed on Ava, they immediately brightened.
"There she is."
Ava pointed at herself.
The students nodded enthusiastically.
One of them hurried over.
"Can we ask you something?"
Ava looked around for help.
Nobody helped.
"What?"
"How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Beat Ethan Blackwood's record."
Several nearby students immediately stopped pretending not to listen.
Ava sighed.
"I studied."
The younger boy stared.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
"That's disappointing."
The class burst into laughter.
Even Ava laughed.
The students eventually left, but not before asking if she planned to take first place from Ethan this year.
Ava nearly choked.
"No."
They clearly didn't believe her.
By lunchtime, the situation had become ridiculous.
The cafeteria buzzed with conversation, and somehow she kept hearing her own name. Ava had just collected her food when someone bumped into her shoulder.
Hard.
Her drink tipped over instantly, spilling across her tray and splashing onto her sleeve.
The cafeteria went quiet.
Ava looked up.
A tall girl stood in front of her.
Not apologetic.
Not surprised.
Just annoyed.
"Oh," the girl said. "Didn't see you."
Ava looked at the empty space around them.
There was plenty of room.
"Clearly."
The girl's eyes narrowed.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the girl shrugged.
"Guess it's hard getting used to all the attention."
Ava frowned.
"What does that mean?"
The girl laughed.
"Nothing. Just don't get too comfortable."
With that, she walked away.
Ava stood there for several seconds, confused.
A boy nearby shook his head.
"Ignore her."
"Why?"
"Because she's one of Ethan's supporters."
Ava blinked.
"One of his what?"
The boy laughed.
"Welcome to Kingsley."
Apparently that explained everything.
It didn't.
The rest of the day wasn't much better. Every classroom discussion somehow turned into a comparison. Every achievement became a competition.
When Ava answered a difficult question in Literature, somebody immediately whispered, "No wonder she beat Ethan's score."
When she got praised in Mathematics, another student muttered, "The rivalry's already starting."
Rivalry?
What rivalry?
Nobody had informed her she was participating in one.
By afternoon, she was exhausted.
Worse, she was beginning to realize something.
The attention wasn't really about her.
It was about Ethan.
Some students admired him so much they viewed her as a threat. Others were excited because somebody had finally challenged him. A few simply wanted drama.
And unfortunately, Ava was now at the center of it.
The final straw came near the end of the day.
She was walking past an open classroom when she heard voices inside.
"...she definitely came here for it."
"For what?"
"To replace Ethan."
Ava stopped.
"What else? Nobody beats his record by accident."
The others laughed.
Ava continued walking before they could see her, but the words followed her down the hallway.
To replace Ethan.
The rumor would've been funny if people didn't seem to believe it.
By the time classes ended, her head hurt.
All she wanted was to pack her books and go home.
She shoved her notebook into her bag and stood from her seat. Most students had already left, but a few remained, talking quietly among themselves.
Then the conversations suddenly stopped.
Not all at once.
One by one.
Like dominoes falling.
Ava frowned and looked up.
Three boys had just entered the classroom.
She recognized them immediately.
Not because she'd met them before.
Because she'd seen them everywhere.
In the hallways.
In the cafeteria.
On the sports field.
Always together.
Always around Ethan Blackwood.
The atmosphere in the room shifted the moment they appeared.
Students looked away.
Others quickly left.
Nobody seemed eager to be noticed by them.
The tallest of the three glanced around before his gaze landed on Ava.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
Then he started walking toward her.
The other two followed.
Ava's grip tightened around her bag.
Something told her this wasn't a social visit.
"Well," the tall boy said as he stopped in front of her desk, "looks like we finally found the famous Ava Williams."
- Writer
