Elena sat on the edge of her chair, notebook in hand. Her history teacher droned on about Mesopotamia and other things ancient and dead, but it wasn't the front of the room that was loud. It was behind her, and beside her, and across the room near the windows.
Whispers.
Elena had heard them before. The first day. On the halls. By her locker. But they were louder now, careless.
"Why is she sitting next to him again?"
"Did you see them at the game? He walked her home."
"Maybe she's into bad boys."
Elena kept her expression flat, but her eyes on the map the teacher had sketched on the board. Her ears were not so loyal.
Liam slouched in the chair beside her, arms crossed and eyes half-open, like he didn't care. But she could see how his fingers tapped against his leg. Harder than normal. He heard them too.
"Don't listen to them," she whispered, without turning.
He said nothing.
The teacher swiveled in her seat to face the class and posed a question about Mesopotamia. A few hands shot up. Elena's was among them.
"Yes, Elena?" the teacher asked, looking a little surprised.
Elena answered confidently, even mentioned something she had read in a book at her old school. A few of the kids in front of her rolled their eyes. A boy near the back of the room snorted loudly.
At the end of class, kids surged to the door, and Elena took her time, gathering her books slowly.
"You could've ignored that question," Liam said, speaking quietly next to her.
"I wanted to answer."
He didn't move. "They think you're trying too hard."
"I'm not here for them."
His eyes narrowed. "Then who are you here for?"
She blinked, surprised. But before she could answer, he was already walking out of the room.
The whispers came in the next class too.
"She's rich, right? Why is she here?"
"She must've gotten kicked out of St. Claire."
"I heard she paid to transfer."
"Liam's got a new sugar mama."
Elena sat next to Bella this time, and the girl frowned as she pulled out her books.
"You okay?" Bella asked.
Elena gave a small nod. "They're just curious."
Bella leaned in close. "No, they're cruel. And jealous."
Elena sighed. "I didn't expect to be liked by everyone. But I didn't think it would be this loud."
Bella looked across the room where Liam sat with his hoodie pulled over his head. "People don't understand him. And now they don't understand you either. That's a dangerous combination."
For lunch, Elena picked a table in the back. She didn't feel like talking, but Bella came and sat with her anyway.
A few minutes later, a boy came over. He had spiky hair and a bright smile, and a voice loud enough to draw attention.
"Hey, Elena," he said, sitting down without asking. "You're in my chem class, right?" Elena gave him a polite smile.
"Yes."
He grinned back at her. "You've got smart girl vibes. I like that."
Bella raised an eyebrow. Elena suppressed a sigh.
The boy leaned in a little. "Listen, a bunch of us are going to the arcade after school. You should come."
Before she could answer, Liam walked by with a tray of food. He didn't stop. He didn't even glance their way. But his jaw was tight and the tray clattered on the table harder than necessary when he sat down a few rows away.
The boy kept talking. "So, what do you think? It'll be fun. Unless you've got plans with that guy—what's his name? Liam?"
Elena looked him in the eye. "I don't need anyone's permission to go somewhere."
The boy laughed. "Right. Independent girl. I like that too."
Bella rolled her eyes. Elena gave a polite excuse and left the table early.
The hallway after lunch was just as loud.
"She's definitely into him."
"He's going to ruin her."
"She'll regret this. Just wait."
Elena passed a group of girls who watched her as she walked by. Their eyes were sharp, their lips curled in fake smiles.
One of them whispered loudly, "Some people don't know where they belong."
Elena didn't stop walking. But she could feel the sting.
By her locker, Liam was leaning against it. Arms crossed and head tipped when she approached.
"Was he flirting with you?" he asked.
She met his eyes calmly. "Does it matter?"
"It shouldn't," he muttered. "But it does."
She opened her locker, pretending to look for something. "Why?"
"Because they're talking about you. About us."
Elena turned to face him. "Let them."
He didn't say anything.
She took a step closer. "I didn't come here to fit in. I came here to see you."
His eyes flickered. "Why me?"
"You're not like them."
"That's not a compliment," he said bitterly.
"It is to me."
For a moment, the air between them was heavy. Not angry. Just full.
Then Liam pulled away. "People will think whatever they want." "Let them think," she said.
His lips twitched like he almost smiled. But then he pushed off the locker and walked away.
Elena watched him go. The whispers would come again. Maybe louder. Maybe harsher.
But she didn't regret a thing.
Elena kept her head down as she moved through the hallway. It wasn't normal school chatter anymore. Every few steps, she felt it—eyes on her, whispers behind her back.
"She transferred from St. Claire's just to follow him?"
"Why Liam of all people?"
"I heard he got into a fight last month. She must be into bad boys."
Each sentence felt like a pin prick. Elena tried to ignore them, but they slid under her skin and sat there.
She stepped into her classroom and moved to her seat. Bella caught her eye and gave her a small sympathetic smile, but even Bella's shoulders seemed more tense today.
"Morning," Elena said, voice a little too light.
Bella leaned in close and whispered, "Don't check your phone. It's worse online."
Elena's stomach tightened. "How bad is it?"
"There's a thread on the school page," Bella said, her voice low. "Someone posted that you only transferred here because you're obsessed with Liam."
Elena blinked. "Well… it's kind of true."
Bella gave her a sharp look. "Can you not say things like that out loud? Seriously."
Elena tried to smile, but it came out lopsided. "Why? People already think it."
Bella sighed. "Exactly. That's why you should be more careful. You don't want to make it worse. But…" She gave a small shrug. "People do love a good story."
Elena leaned back in her seat and stared up at the ceiling. Was all of this really because she sat next to Liam in class? Because he walked her home once?
How fast did rumors grow in this school?
She should've known this would happen. This school wasn't like St. Claire's. Rumors here didn't get cleaned up by the dean's office or pushed under a shiny rug. They grew. They spread like spilled ink.
As class began, Elena tried to focus on the lesson. Kept her eyes on the board and pretended everything was normal. But the whispers didn't stop. They floated through the room like smoke—thin, bitter, and impossible to ignore.
They weren't even trying to be quiet.
Someone two seats behind her muttered, "Rich girls must get bored too, huh?"
Laughter followed.
Elena's grip on her pen tightened. Her knuckles turned white. She took a slow breath, trying to slow the heat rising in her chest.
I'm older than them, she told herself. I've lived through worse. I've lived into my fifties. These are just kids...
But that didn't make it easier.