How To Forget Your Crush

Step 12-Avoid Rumors

Step 12-Avoid Rumors

I slammed the door behind me and trotted to the cafeteria. Pre-calculus had squeezed the juice out of my brain so I was not really aware of the people around me until I bumped into someone. I looked up and saw Stacey. "Sorry," I said and smiled sheepishly. She frowned at me in return then walked away as if I had an infectious disease. The old Stacey Milan was back—the Stacey who ignored and looked down at me. Shrugging, I continued my jog.

                The world seemed to pause and look at me for about fifteen seconds when I entered the cafeteria. The chatter and clang of trays died and all of the people inside stared at me. I shifted at my feet and walked quickly, scanning the tables for June and Rebecca. The cafeteria noise returned but I could still feel eyes watching me. "Joanne," I heard June call. My body relaxed a little when I heard my friend's voice. I went to the direction of the voice and sat with them with a sigh of relief and dropped my bag beside me.

                I felt the weight of June's and Rebecca's eyes on me. I tilted my head. "What? First the whole cafeteria, now you two, what's going on?"

                "I think you should eat first before we tell it to you," June said gently and passed me a sandwich. I shrugged and ate the sandwich.

                After eating, I cleared my throat then signaled for them to tell me the news. June and Becca hesitated for a moment, as if they were deciding how to kill a cute little hamster gently. "Uhmmm, there's this story...," June started. Oh great, another school gossip, I coulnd't wait to hear it through one ear then push it out through the other.

                I nodded for June to continue. I wasn't really a fan of gossips but for the sake of June and Becca, who always talk about those stuff, I tried to listen. "Well, it's not just a story...because it's about you and Gavin..." Despite my shocked expression, she went to continue the story. "Someone said that Gavin was only hanging around you because you were his...bedmate."

                I almost fell off my chair when those words came out of her mouth. Chills ran though my spine and my eyes widened. It was like I was stab through the heart "What?! Who told you?!" So that was why people looked at me differently earlier.

                Being the subject of a random rumor like having a knockoff of some purse was bad enough, but being rumored to be a whore was... Gosh, I didn't know what to say. My heart pumped like horses ran inside it and it was like every time my mind replayed the words, a knife rammed its way to my heart.

                "Calm down," Becca said. Easy for her to say, she wasn't the subject of the rumor.

                Joanne Paxton, get a hold of yourself. You don't cry at stories that aren't true...people who cry are weak at controlling their emotions, emotions that shows the weakness of a person.

                Breathe in, breathe out... I chanted in my mind.

                I buried my face in my palms and waited for my emotions to settle. I wasn't going to show anyone that a lie was my weakness. When I finally calmed down, my friends were looking at me with concern etched in their face. "I'm fine," I said—well more like croak because it was hard to control my emotions. The two of them nodded but they were not concerned. "Who...How did you..."

                "Stella asked me earlier this morning," Becca said. "She asked if it was true. I asked her who told her that and she handed me her phone, showing a message saying that you were Gavin's bedmate. The message was from an unknown number."

                "It's no doubt that someone is jealous that's why she sent a rumor flying around the school," June said.

                Before I could even comment on that my phone buzzed. I took it out of my pocket then studied the screen. Gavin was calling. I hesitated for a moment, but I felt that it was important for me to answer the call so I pressed the green button.

                "Hey," Gavin said. "I need to talk to you. Go to music room number three after you have eaten lunch." Then he hung up, not letting me to say a word.

                I pushed my phone back to my pocket then looked up to my friends. "I need to go. I have to talk to someone." They nodded.  I grabbed my bag then darted outside the cafeteria. Eyes still followed me but not as many as before. I went to the other side of the building where the music rooms are. Three minutes later I arrived at music room number. I took a deep breath then opened the door. At first I thought I was alone with the drum set, guitars and keyboards in the room, but I noticed someone shuffle at the other corner of the room. Gavin.

I walked towards him. "I guess you already heard," I said. He nodded. His face was serious. He looked like he would punch someone—without hesitation—that pissed him off.

Silence crept around the room for a moment then he spoke, "I'm sorry I got you into this mess."

"Huh? Why? You weren't the one who spread the rumor, right?"

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Yes, but...indirectly, it's my fault."

I snorted. "Are you saying that—because of your hotness, and gorgeousness, and popularity among girls—someone got jealous of us, or me, so she started a rumor?" I couldn't help but smile at my comment.

He smirked, obviously happy about me complimenting his good looks, but then he said, "No. That's not technically it, but close enough."

"Then what?"

"Because, my good looks attracted a lady then we became a couple, but then we broke up. She spread that rumor either because she hasn't really moved on or because she bore a grudge against me," he explained.

I nodded.  "Who's the girl then?"

"Stacey."

"But why me? She could've spread a rumor about you being a drug addict or a mentally damaged player if she's angry at you, but why me?"

He shrugged, "I dunno but I'm not going to stand here and hear them talk about you being a whore. Details might be added or removed in a rumor every time it is passed to someone else." With that said he moved closer to me and patted my head before going out of the room, leaving me wondering.

A/N Be honest, this chapter is...just meh... right? xD

I don't like Stacey? xD Do you like her? (Obviously, no xD)

Q: If you became the subject of a rumor, what will you do?

I don't think I've ever been subject to a rumor before... but if I ever did, I don't know what I'll do.