Our Secret Diary

Our Secret Diary - The Rumor Everybody Knew

CHAPTER SIX

"Dear Diary,"

"I learned something today.

Sometimes people can look at the same thing and see completely different stories.

A smile can mean friendship to one person and love to another.

A conversation can be harmless to one person and a secret message to someone else.

Maybe that's why rumors spread so easily.

Because people don't always need the truth.

Sometimes, they only need something that looks like the truth."

The next morning, Lena arrived on campus earlier than usual.

She had barely stepped through the main entrance when she noticed something was different.

Students were gathered in small groups everywhere.

Some were whispering.

Others were laughing.

A few were checking their phones while showing something to their friends.

Lena slowed her steps.

"What happened?"

She wasn't speaking to anyone in particular.

Then Maya appeared beside her.

"Good morning."

Lena turned.

"Good morning."

Maya took one look at her expression.

"You haven't heard?"

"Heard what?"

Maya's eyes widened.

"Oh."

"What?"

"You really haven't heard."

Lena frowned.

"Hear what?"

Maya lowered her voice.

"There's another rumor going around."

Lena sighed.

"About what?"

"Ethan."

Lena's heart gave an involuntary flutter.

She immediately tried to ignore it.

"What about him?"

Maya glanced around before leaning closer.

"Apparently..."

She paused dramatically.

"...Ethan and Ava Williams are together."

Lena stopped walking.

"What?"

"I know."

"No."

"I said apparently."

"But they're not..."

Lena stopped herself.

How would she know?

She didn't even know Ethan well enough to say anything about his personal life.

Maya noticed her expression.

"Hey."

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"I'm just surprised."

"Everyone is talking about it."

Lena looked around.

Now that Maya had mentioned it, she could hear pieces of conversations around them.

"Ava posted another picture yesterday..."

"They're always together..."

"I knew they were dating..."

"Her friends said they're practically inseparable..."

Lena swallowed.

Ava Williams.

She knew who she was, of course.

Almost everyone at Evercrest did.

Ava was one of the most recognizable students on campus.

She was confident, stylish and always surrounded by people.

She was also in a different class from Lena and Ethan, but somehow her name appeared in conversations everywhere.

Especially whenever Ethan was mentioned.

Maya touched Lena's arm.

"Don't listen to them."

"I wasn't."

"You were."

Lena forced a smile.

"It's probably just a rumor."

"Exactly."

Chloe joined them a moment later.

"What's probably just a rumor?"

Maya looked at her.

"The Ethan and Ava thing."

Chloe sighed.

"Oh."

"You've heard it too?"

"It's everywhere."

Lena adjusted the strap of her bag.

"We should go to class."

Maya looked at her for a second before nodding.

"Okay."

The three girls continued walking.

None of them noticed the three young women approaching from the opposite direction.

Ava Williams walked confidently between Sophie Miller and Nicole Adams.

Ava's long hair fell neatly over her shoulders, and she carried herself with the kind of confidence that made people move aside without being asked.

She smiled as several students greeted her.

"Morning, Ava."

"Hey, Ava."

"Love your outfit."

"Thank you," she replied effortlessly.

Sophie laughed.

"You know everyone on this campus."

"Not everyone."

"Almost everyone."

Nicole glanced at her phone.

"The rumor is getting bigger."

Ava's smile widened.

"Which one?"

She already knew.

"Ethan."

Sophie leaned closer.

"People really think you two are together."

Ava shrugged.

"Let them."

Nicole raised an eyebrow.

"You don't want to correct them?"

"Why would I?"

Sophie laughed.

"Exactly."

Ava looked toward the crowd ahead.

Her eyes searched for someone.

Then she spotted him.

Ethan stood outside the student center with Noah and Jason.

Ava's smile became more confident.

"There he is."

Sophie followed her gaze.

"You should go talk to him."

"I will."

Nicole smiled.

"Make it convincing."

Ava didn't need to be told twice.

She walked toward Ethan.

Noah noticed her first.

"Oh no."

Jason glanced over.

"What?"

"Look."

Jason saw Ava approaching.

"Should we leave?"

Ethan looked confused.

"Why?"

Noah gave him a look.

"Because your girlfriend is coming."

Ethan frowned.

"She's not my girlfriend."

"I know."

"Then stop saying it."

Noah laughed.

Ava reached them.

"Ethan."

He looked at her.

"Hey."

She smiled.

"Are you heading to class?"

"In a few minutes."

"Walk with me?"

Ethan hesitated.

"I need to finish something."

Ava glanced at his notebook.

"You can do it later."

Before Ethan could answer, she gently took his arm.

"Come on."

Ethan's expression tightened.

He carefully removed his arm.

"I'll see you later."

Ava's smile faltered for half a second.

Then she recovered.

"Fine."

She walked away with Sophie and Nicole.

Noah watched her leave.

"You really don't like her."

Ethan sighed.

"She's fine."

"That's not what I asked."

Jason chuckled.

"Leave him alone."

Noah grinned.

"I'm just saying."

Ethan looked across the courtyard.

His eyes landed on Lena.

She was standing with Maya and Chloe.

She hadn't been watching him.

At least, he thought she hadn't.

He smiled slightly.

Noah followed his gaze.

"Oh."

Ethan looked at him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

But Noah's smile said everything.

---

By lunchtime, the rumor had become even bigger.

Lena sat with Maya and Chloe beneath their usual tree.

She tried to focus on her food.

It wasn't working.

"So," Maya said.

Lena looked up.

"So?"

"How's the project?"

"Good."

"Just good?"

"We're still planning."

"Did you and Ethan meet again?"

"Not yet."

"Do you have another meeting?"

"Tomorrow."

Maya smiled.

Chloe shook her head.

"You've become very interested in this assignment."

"I want to do well."

"Of course," Maya replied innocently.

Lena rolled her eyes.

Before she could say anything else, a group of students walked past.

One of them whispered loudly enough for them to hear.

"That's Lena."

"Who?"

"The girl who's working with Ethan."

"Oh."

The girl laughed.

"I wonder what Ava thinks about that."

Lena's smile disappeared.

Maya immediately turned around.

"Do you want me to say something?"

"No."

"But—"

"No."

Lena looked down at her food.

She didn't want to be part of the rumor.

She didn't want people thinking she was trying to get close to Ethan.

She certainly didn't want Ava thinking that.

Unfortunately, someone else had already noticed her.

Across the courtyard, Ava stood with Sophie and Nicole.

Her eyes were fixed on Lena.

"That's her?"

Sophie followed her gaze.

"Lena Brooks."

Nicole folded her arms.

"She's Ethan's project partner."

Ava's expression remained calm.

"So?"

Sophie shrugged.

"It's nothing."

Ava continued watching.

"Then why does everyone keep talking about her?"

Nicole smiled.

"Maybe because she's suddenly spending time with Ethan."

Ava looked away.

"I don't care."

Sophie and Nicole exchanged glances.

They both knew that wasn't true.

Ava cared.

More than she wanted to admit.

---

That evening, Ethan sat in the library with Noah.

His laptop was open, but he hadn't typed anything for several minutes.

Noah looked across the table.

"You're distracted."

"I'm thinking."

"About?"

"The project."

Noah smiled.

"Of course."

Ethan ignored him.

He opened the document they'd started together.

"We need a better ending."

"You're not even going to deny it anymore?"

"There's nothing to deny."

Noah laughed.

"You know what I think?"

"I don't want to know."

"I think you're going to fall for her."

Ethan looked up.

For once, Noah wasn't smiling.

He was serious.

Ethan didn't answer.

He simply looked down at the screen.

Maybe Noah was wrong.

Maybe he was right.

Ethan didn't know.

What he did know was that whenever Lena was around, he wanted to know more.

More about her thoughts.

Her dreams.

Her stories.

Her quiet smile.

He wanted to know why she carried that blue diary everywhere.

And perhaps most importantly...

He wanted to know what she wrote inside it.

---

That night, Lena sat by her bedroom window with her diary open.

She thought about the rumor.

She thought about Ava.

She thought about Ethan.

Then she slowly began writing.

"Dear Diary,

I don't know why today bothered me so much.

Maybe because I believed the rumor for a second.

Maybe because I shouldn't care.

Ethan is not mine.

He has never been mine.

And I have no right to feel disappointed by something that may not even be true.

But if he really does like Ava...

Then maybe I should stop hoping for things that were never meant for me.

Tomorrow, I'll focus on the assignment.

Nothing else."

Lena closed the diary.

Across campus, another diary opened.

Ethan stared at the blank page.

He thought about Lena.

Then he wrote.

"Dear Diary,

Today I heard another rumor about Ava and me.

I don't understand how people can decide what someone feels without asking them.

Maybe that's the strange thing about being known by everyone.

People think they know you even when they don't.

But there's one person I wish would actually try to know me.

Lena.

I don't know why I keep writing her name here.

Maybe because saying it out loud feels too dangerous."

He paused.

Then he closed the diary.

Neither of them knew it yet...

But the rumors surrounding Ethan and Ava were only the beginning of a misunderstanding that would eventually reach far beyond the university.