Beneath the Surface

chapter 24: undying hope

The cafeteria buzzes with hushed conversations and curious glances. Tristan enters, immediately sensing the tense atmosphere. He grabs a coffee and heads to his usual spot, where Emily and a few other friends are already gathered, looking concerned.

Tristan: (sitting down) Morning. What's going on? Everyone seems on edge.

Errol: (leaning in) Have you heard the news? It's all over campus.

Tristan: (frowning) What news?

Carl: (whispering) They're saying that Sarah disappeared because she's pregnant, and the father won't accept the child.

Tristan: (stunned) What? Who's spreading that rumor?

Dax: (shaking her head) I don't know, but it's spreading fast. People are saying that's why she left.

Tristan's face turns pale as the realization sinks in. He tries to stay calm but his mind races with the implications of the rumor.

Tristan: (voice shaking) What if it's true? What if she is pregnant? And... what if the child is mine?

Dax: (surprised) Tristan, what are you talking about?

Tristan: (frustrated) Think about it. Sarah wanted to talk to me urgently that day, but I brushed her off. What if that's what she wanted to tell me?

Errol: (concerned) Are you saying you might be the father?

Tristan: (nervous) I don't know... But remember on my birthday, she was the gift this B*stard Dax gifted for me...

Errol: What?

Dax: Did you sprayed everything on her? You did not have safe sex like you always do? 

Tristan: Yes... In my drunkeness I forgot... I lost self-control... But what if that day she went to my office she was trying to tell me something important and I just ignored her...

Errol: (comforting) Tristan, don't jump to conclusions. We need to talk to Sarah first and find out the truth.

Tristan: (nodding) You're right, but can we talk to her..to ask her...  But I can't just sit here and do nothing. I need to find her and make sure she's okay.

At the campus park, Sarah is still the topic of conversation among students. As the students gossip, Tristan and his friends arrive at the park.

Student 1: I heard she ran away because she couldn't handle the pressure.

Student 2: Do you think the rumors are true? That she's pregnant?

Student 3: Who knows? But it's sad. I hope she's okay.

Tristan and his friends overhear the conversation as they walk through the park, their expressions turning serious.

Tristan: (to his friends) Have you guys heard anything about Sarah?

Dax: (shaking his head) Just the same rumors everyone else is talking about. I don't believe any of it.

Errol: (sighing) It's tough. She's been under so much stress lately.

Carl: (nodding) Yeah, especially with her mother and father  being sick and everything. People should give her a break.

Tristan: (determined) We need to find out what's really going on. Aside from she's a classmate, at anyrate she been our friend...  and maybe--- ... she deserves our support.

Dax: Maybe we can check with some professors or the admin office. They might have some information.

Errol: And we can talk to her close friends, see if they've heard from her.