Elena stared at the whiteboard, but the teacher's words were a blur. She tried to take notes, but her mind wouldn't focus. It didn't help that the classroom felt smaller than normal.Nearer. She jumped at the slightest sound behind her, a scraping of chairs or a soft whisper. She wasn't sure if she was imagining it, or if people were staring.
She flipped to a clean page in her notebook. Her handwriting looked sloppy. Her fingers trembled as she started to write. Copy the teacher's words, she thought. If she was quiet and behaved, the weight would lift. Then another whisper drifted toward her, languid as smoke.
"She thinks she can save him."
"No, just low-key roughing it is her game."
Elena's shoulders tensed.
She told herself she didn't care what people thought. She reminded herself why she was here. I died. I came back. I chose him. But her chest was tight, and her lungs seemed to want to stop working. It was unfair. They didn't know her. They didn't know Liam. And even if they did, what did it matter? Why did they care so much?
The bell rang and she jumped slightly.
The other students rose hastily, murmuring and laughing as they collected their things. Some of them glanced in her direction. A few looked quickly away, as if they weren't looking at all. Bella hurried over and put a hand gently on Elena's desk.
"Come on," she said softly. "Let's get out of here."
Elena nodded and slowly gathered her things.As they left the room and into the hallway, someone brushed past her. A boy. He muttered just loudly enough for Elena to hear.
"Bet she's paying him."
Elena stopped walking.
Bella noticed and stopped, too. "Don't," she warned.
But Elena turned.
The boy who had spoken was already in the stairwell, laughing with a friend. She saw the curve of his back, the tilt of his head, the casual sway of his step.
Her fists clenched at her sides.
"Cowards," she said quietly under her breath.
Bella shot her a hard look. "You'll only make it worse if you react."
"They're already saying everything," Elena said. Her voice was trembling, but she didn't care. "What's worse than this?"
Bella exhaled slowly. "You like Liam, don't you? Then don't make this about them."
That was unexpected.
Elena blinked. "What?"
Bella's voice was softer now. "If he's worth it, you don't pay attention to the noise. You stay level. People want a reaction because it makes you look weak. Don't give them that."
Elena didn't say anything for a long moment. She was still thinking about what Bella said when they stepped outside into the sunny courtyard.
By lunchtime, the whispers had grown into full-blown stories.
Someone claimed Liam kissed her behind the gym. Someone else swore she had sent him lavish gifts. Another rumor insisted she was buying popularity and had chosen the most dangerous boy she could find just for attention.
Elena ignored it.
Well, she tried to.
She sat under the trees behind the science building with Bella. It was more private there. Fewer people passed, and most of those who did weren't the kind to gossip.
"I didn't even do anything," Elena said as she cracked her lunchbox.
Bella sipped her iced coffee. "You didn't have to." She raised an eyebrow. "All you did was sit next to the guy nobody talks to… and smile like you meant it."
"I did mean it," Elena said softly, poking at her food.
"That's what makes it worse." Bella smirked, but it wasn't malicious. "People can sense when something's real. It frightens them."
"Frightens them?" Elena gazed at her, confused.
Bella leaned back on her elbows and let the sun's rays warm her face. "Yeah. They're used to playing games. You're not. That's the threat."
Elena was quiet and stared across the grass. A group of boys were kicking a soccer ball.A couple of girls strolled by, giggling and glancing in her direction. She recognized one of them from English.
She sighed. "I don't want to be a story."
"You already are," Bella said simply.
Later that day, during math, Liam finally showed up.
He was late, again. He walked in without a word, hood up and one earbud still dangling from his collar. He didn't look at anyone. He plopped down in the seat next to Elena with a small, soft thud and pulled out his notebook like the world around him didn't exist.
Elena didn't say a word. Neither did he.
But the atmosphere in the room shifted the second he sat down. The background chatter quieted. Eyes followed their every movement. A few students whispered, just at a low enough volume to hear.
Liam tapped his pencil against the desk then muttered under his breath, "They're talking about you."
She glanced sideways at him. "I know."
He didn't look at her. "Why are you still here?"
Elena hesitated a second."Because I want to be."
His jaw flexed. He didn't say anything for a few minutes.
She waited, then asked quietly, "Are you worried about me… or are you worried about you?"
He finally looked at her. Just for a second. "I don't care what they think about me."
"But you care about me getting involved," she said.
He frowned and looked away again.
The teacher began talking and the room settled down. But under the table, Elena felt something brush her hand. Just the tip of Liam's pinky finger. It was soft, quick, and very clearly not an accident.
A small gesture. A silent message.
She didn't move her hand. But a small smile played on her lips.
She knew he saw it, even if no one else did. That small moment meant something.
After class, Liam waited by the door.
Elena gathered her things slowly, then started to walk toward him.She could feel the others watching. Some of them probably thought she would turn around. But she didn't. She walked straight toward him.
He didn't say anything. He just started walking. Elena followed.
They didn't talk until they were outside the building and the chatter of the school faded behind them.
"They're not going to stop," he said, voice low and flat.
"I figured."
They paused by the bike rack. Liam kept his eyes on the ground. "You shouldn't be around me. You know that, right?"
Elena crossed her arms. "Too late."
He shot her a sideways glance. "You don't know me."
"I'm learning."
He shook his head. "There's nothing to learn. I'm not part of your world."
"You're in my world now," Elena said.
He stopped walking.
"I transferred here for you," she added, her voice gentler now. "I'm not afraid of rumors."
Liam looked down at his shoes. "I didn't ask you to."
"I know. But I still chose you."
He finally looked at her, really looked. And for once, he didn't look angry. He didn't even look annoyed. He looked scared.
"I don't know what you're expecting," he said softly. "I'm not good at this. I'm not good at anything."
Elena took a step closer. "Then let me be good for both of us."
He exhaled slowly, uneven and unsteady, and ran a hand through his hair.
She reached out and tugged gently on the edge of his sleeve. "Will you walk me home?"
He hesitated.
Then he nodded.
This time, when they walked side by side, Elena didn't feel like a rumor or a problem.
She felt seen.
And for a few short minutes, Liam did, too.