Ava sat on the steps outside Evergreen High, her phone resting in her lap as she stared at the ground, lost in thought. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this confused. The morning had started like any other, with the usual jumble of thoughts about her art and her own self-doubt, but now, it felt different.
The rumor mill at school was something Ava had learned to ignore over the years. She wasn't part of the popular crowd, and she didn't want to be. She had Chloe, her best friend, and a few people she considered genuine friends, and that was enough. But this... this was different. The whispers, the way people looked at her during lunch, the sudden coldness from some of her classmates it was all linked back to Ethan Blake.
She could hear Chloe's voice from a few steps away, making her way toward Ava with the sound of hurried footsteps. "You need to hear this," Chloe said breathlessly, her usual upbeat tone replaced with concern. Ava looked up to see her friend standing beside her, a frown tugging at the corners of her lips.
"What's going on?" Ava asked, her voice tinged with frustration.
"I heard something. It's... it's about you and Ethan," Chloe said, glancing around as if checking for eavesdroppers. Ava straightened at the mention of Ethan's name. Her stomach twisted into knots.
"What about Ethan?" Ava asked, trying to keep her voice steady. She had a sinking feeling she already knew the answer.
"Someone saw you two talking after school yesterday, and now it's all over the place that you're..." Chloe paused, her brows furrowing. "That you're... together. Like, romantically involved."
Ava blinked, momentarily stunned. "What? That's not..."
"I know! But it doesn't matter what's true, Ava. What matters is what people think. And right now, they think you're with him." Chloe shook her head, her hands on her hips as she glanced at the ground. "You have to be careful. You know how things work around here. People are going to start talking."
Ava felt her heart race, her mind whirling. There was no way she could have been clear about her boundaries with Ethan. Sure, they'd talked a few times okay, more than a few times but they had only just started collaborating on their art project. Nothing more. Yet, the rumors had already taken root. And now, she was being painted into something she wasn't.
"I haven't even... I don't even like him like that," Ava murmured, mostly to herself. But as the words left her lips, she realized it wasn't entirely true. Not in the way she thought she should like someone. Ethan had gotten under her skin, and it wasn't just because he was popular or good-looking. There was something else there a connection. But it wasn't anything like what the rumors suggested. It couldn't be.
Chloe sighed, sitting down beside Ava. "I know. But you know how rumors work. They're like wildfire no matter what you say, people are going to twist it."
"Is that what they're saying? That Ethan and I are... a thing?" Ava asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Chloe nodded, biting her lip. "Yeah. And it's spreading fast."
Ava's mind was a swirl of confusion, embarrassment, and disbelief. How had things gone from perfectly normal to this in the span of one conversation? It wasn't even like Ethan and she had ever crossed any lines. Sure, they'd spent time together, talked about their project, but nothing more than that. But now it felt like the whole school had already drawn conclusions.
"Don't listen to them," Chloe said firmly, nudging Ava's shoulder. "People are going to talk, but it doesn't mean it's true."
"I know," Ava muttered, running a hand through her hair. "I just... I didn't think it would get like this."
"You didn't think the school would blow it out of proportion?" Chloe asked, half-amused. "Come on, Ava. You know better than that. This is the same school that spreads rumors about people over something as simple as a smile."
"Yeah, I guess," Ava replied, though her stomach still churned with unease. She didn't want to be caught up in some high school drama, especially not with Ethan. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized how complicated it had all become.
She couldn't deny that Ethan had been different with her. He wasn't like the other popular kids who tried to impress everyone. He wasn't just the charming soccer captain. There was something deeper there, something raw and real. But did that mean she should let herself get caught up in it? Did she even want to? She didn't have the answers yet, and now, with the rumors swirling, it felt like she was already in too deep.
"Just talk to him," Chloe suggested, her tone softening. "Tell him what's going on. You don't need to let this mess get bigger than it already is."
Ava bit her lip, torn. Talking to Ethan meant confronting the mess of feelings she'd been trying to avoid. It meant acknowledging that the lines between what was real and what was imagined had already started to blur. She hadn't even considered what Ethan might think of all this. Was he as confused as she was? Or was he enjoying the attention? Was he even aware of how quickly things had escalated?
"I guess I'll have to," Ava replied, though the thought made her stomach tighten further.
That afternoon, she found herself pacing in front of the library, hands clammy, waiting for Ethan to show up. She had texted him earlier, telling him to meet here after school to talk. It wasn't easy, trying to act like everything was normal when everything inside her felt so tangled. But she needed to know what he thought about the rumors. Was he just going along with it? Was he even aware that the whole school was whispering about them?
When Ethan finally appeared, his familiar smile greeted her from a distance, but this time, Ava couldn't bring herself to return it.
"Hey," he said, walking up to her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his hoodie.
"Hi," Ava replied stiffly, trying to find the right words. She felt a knot in her throat that she couldn't quite swallow.
"What's going on?" Ethan asked, his eyes scanning her face with an unreadable expression.
Ava hesitated, her heart pounding. She could feel the weight of everything she hadn't said hanging between them. "I need to know if you're... if you're okay with what's going on," she began, struggling to keep her voice steady. "With the rumors."
Ethan blinked, a slight furrow forming between his brows. "Rumors? What are you talking about?"
"The ones about us," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "That we're... together."
Ethan looked genuinely confused, his head tilting slightly as he processed what she was saying. "What? Who's saying that?"
"The whole school," Ava said flatly. "It's everywhere. I don't even know how it started, but... people think we're more than just project partners."
Ethan's expression softened, and he took a step closer, his eyes narrowing in concern. "Ava, I didn't know any of that. I swear. I'm sorry you're dealing with this."
Ava crossed her arms, not sure whether to feel relieved or more frustrated. "I don't know how this all happened," she said, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I didn't want this. I didn't ask for this."
"I know," Ethan said softly. "I don't know how to fix it, but I'll help however I can. You shouldn't have to deal with this alone."
Ava looked up at him, meeting his gaze for the first time in what felt like forever. He didn't seem like he was playing a game, and for the first time, Ava truly believed that maybe this whatever this was wasn't as one-sided as she'd thought.
"I just don't want things to get weird," she said, her voice quieter now. "I don't want to ruin our project... or our... whatever this is."
Ethan smiled, the tension easing from his features. "We're fine, Ava. Whatever happens, we'll figure it out together."
Ava nodded, still unsure of everything, but somehow, hearing him say that made the weight on her shoulders feel a little lighter.
They stood there in silence for a moment, the world around them continuing its unrelenting pace. Ava wasn't sure where this would go, where "they" would go but she felt a small flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't all be as complicated as it seemed. Or maybe it would be. Either way, she wasn't alone in it anymore. And that was a start.