Crescendo

Chapter Two (Nevan)

If there was one thing I hated most, it was the rumors. I never really cared what people said about me. Being "popular" came with its own baggage, and I had learned to shrug it off long ago. The endless chatter about who I was dating, who I wasn't dating, what I said or didn't say—it all became background noise, something I could tune out. But lately, that noise had become louder, almost deafening. It was like I couldn't go anywhere without hearing my name in whispers, without feeling the weight of eyes watching my every move.

People were obsessed with the idea of us. They shipped us like we were characters in some teen drama. It was ridiculous, but somehow, it stuck and spread like wildfire.

The idea that Ruelle and I were more than just friends, more than occasional acquaintances was awful. It wasn't just the typical gossip anymore—it had turned into something more intense, more suffocating. Every time I entered a room, the air seemed to change. Conversations would drop to a hush, and I could feel the judgment in the silence before the whispers started up again. It felt like I was walking on a stage, performing for an audience I never asked for, and the script? It was all about Ruelle.

Everyone acted like there was some grand love story unfolding right in front of them, when in reality, we barely knew each other.

Don't get me wrong, Ruelle is amazing. I wasn't blind to that. She was sweet and talented, with this incredible voice that could fill a room, captivating everyone lucky enough to hear her. 

I'd watched her perform a few times, and she had this presence—this way of drawing people in like they couldn't look away. She was magnetic. But outside of those performances, we didn't have much of a connection. Sure, we'd exchanged smiles or quick conversation in the halls, but that was it. Nothing more.

The weirdest part was that Ruelle was almost always with Verena, her best friend, who used to stare at me from across the room like I was something out of a dream. I could feel her gaze on me in almost every social setting. I didn't mind it, in fact, at first, it was kind of flattering. She seemed harmless, just a girl in love. But over time, it started to feel strange, like she was waiting for something to happen, for me to make a move I had no intention of making. And then, without warning, Verena faded from the picture. 

Suddenly, it was Ruelle everyone was talking about. She became the center of attention, and I became part of the story people wanted to tell.

I tried to block it out, to stay focused on what really mattered. I had bigger things on my plate. My final project, writing new songs, getting ready for the showcase that could make or break everything I'd been working toward. 

Music was my escape, my way of staying grounded when everything else felt like it was spinning out of control. So, I buried myself in it, letting the notes and lyrics drown out the noise.

But the thing was, the more I tried to ignore it, the harder it became to push Ruelle out of my mind. Not because of the rumors, or the gossip that swirled around us, but because she was starting to stand out in a way I hadn't noticed before. 

There was something about her that went beyond the spotlight she thrived in. She was different. She wasn't like the other girls who flocked to me because of my music, or the attention I got from performing. She didn't seem to care about any of that. She had her own dreams, her own fire, and that—was fascinating.

I found myself watching her, not in the way people thought I did, but in a way that made me curious. Ruelle wasn't just a performer, she was someone driven by something bigger than the rumors that surrounded us. Whether it was the intensity in her eyes when she practiced, the way she spoke about her own art, or the way she laughed freely, without caring who was watching—I couldn't help but be drawn to her.