Falling For You

Chapter 1: Heartbreak and Gossip

I had always thought Aaron and I were meant to be. It wasn’t one of those fleeting high school crushes; it was love—or so I believed. We met at the start of junior year, during a football game where Aaron had played as quarterback. He was the star, the guy every girl wanted to be with, but somehow, he chose me. It felt like a dream back then—his smile, his confidence, and how he made me feel like the only girl in the world.

It was during a home game, and the entire school had gathered at the bleachers to cheer for our team. I had only gone because Jenna practically dragged me along. The game wasn’t my thing, but the moment I saw Aaron on the field, I was mesmerized. He was tall, athletic, and charming—the whole package. After the game, as he walked off the field, sweaty but triumphant, our eyes met, and that was it.

He approached me later, all smiles, and started chatting as if we’d known each other for ages. I remember blushing, unsure of how to act, but Jenna nudged me, urging me to respond. Aaron asked me to grab a milkshake after the game, and from that moment, things just flowed naturally. We started dating, and soon, I was known as Aaron's girlfriend.

We went from talking after school to attending every party together, and for a while, it was perfect. I had someone who cared about me—or at least I thought he did. Jenna, my best friend since middle school, had always been wary of Aaron. She didn’t trust him, thought he was too charming for his own good, but I didn’t listen. Blinded by love, I brushed off any concerns she had.

Then, everything came crashing down.

The day I found out Aaron was cheating with Roxanne, I felt like my world was crumbling. Roxanne, with her perfect blonde curls and designer clothes, was the queen of the school. She was everything I wasn’t—bold, stylish, and ruthless. I should have seen it coming. People like Aaron don’t stick with someone like me forever. Still, the truth hit me harder than I imagined.

It was during lunch when I overheard some girls whispering at the next table. They didn’t notice me at first, but when I caught Aaron's name and saw the way they glanced at me, I knew something was wrong. My heart pounded as I leaned closer, trying to make sense of their conversation.

“I heard Aaron was with Roxanne last night,” one girl said, giggling. “They were totally all over each other.”

“No way,” the other replied, feigning shock. “What about Bianca?”

The first girl shrugged. “I guess he’s done with her. I mean, look at Roxanne—who wouldn’t choose her?”

My stomach dropped. I felt sick, the cafeteria suddenly too loud and too hot. Without thinking, I stormed out, barely registering Jenna calling after me. I had to see Aaron, had to know if it was true. Confronting him later in the day, my voice shaky with nerves, I asked him straight up if he was seeing Roxanne behind my back.

His response was cold. “Bianca, it’s not like we were that serious.”

That one sentence shattered me. He didn’t deny it. Instead, he shrugged off our relationship like it meant nothing. Worse, he added, “Roxanne’s just… more exciting. You’re kind of boring, Bianca. I mean, look at how you dress—jeans and T-shirts every day? You never really tried to stand out.”

I was speechless. My appearance? Since when did that matter to him? I had always thought he liked me for who I was, but apparently, that wasn’t enough. Aaron’s cruel words echoed in my head as I left, barely holding back tears. To think I had loved someone who could so easily tear me down. And the worst part was, he said all of this with a smirk, like he was proud of himself.

The next day at school was a nightmare. By the time I arrived, everyone already knew. The whispers started before I even reached my locker, and every hallway I walked down was filled with people gossiping about how I got dumped. It was like I had become the school’s latest entertainment.

“Did you hear? Aaron dumped Bianca for Roxanne,” I overheard someone say as I passed by.

“She should’ve seen it coming,” another voice chimed in. “Aaron was too good for her anyway.”

I tried to ignore it, to keep my head down, but the hurt was unbearable. Everywhere I went, people were talking about me, judging me, like my heartbreak was some kind of joke. By lunchtime, I could barely breathe, the weight of their stares suffocating me.

But it wasn’t until I sat down in the cafeteria that things really escalated. I was just trying to eat in peace when I noticed Roxanne and her clique approaching. My heart sank. She strutted over, her heels clicking against the floor, with a smug look on her face. She was dressed in her usual expensive clothes, a tight-fitting dress and perfectly styled hair, the complete opposite of my casual jeans and oversized daisy-print T-shirt.

“Well, well, well,” Roxanne said, loud enough for the entire cafeteria to hear. “If it isn’t little miss dumped and forgotten.”

Her friends snickered behind her, their eyes gleaming with malice. I tried to ignore her, focusing on my food, but she wasn’t done.

“I mean, seriously, Bianca,” she continued. “Is that really what you wore today? No wonder Aaron dumped you. You dress like a five-year-old. Who would want to be seen with someone so… boring?”

The words hit me hard, but I didn’t let her see it. I kept my head down, refusing to engage. But just as I was about to get up and leave, Jenna appeared out of nowhere, standing between Roxanne and me.

“Back off, Roxanne,” Jenna said sharply, her voice full of anger. “What’s your problem?”

Roxanne laughed, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Oh, please. I’m just being honest. Someone needs to tell her the truth.”

Jenna wasn’t having it. She crossed her arms, glaring at Roxanne. “And someone needs to tell you that you’re just a bully who gets off on making other people feel bad. So, why don’t you do everyone a favor and leave Bianca alone?”

Roxanne’s smirk faltered for a moment, but she quickly recovered, rolling her eyes. “Whatever,” she said, tossing her hair again. “You losers can have each other.”

With that, she and her friends strutted away, leaving the cafeteria buzzing with whispers. I felt a wave of relief wash over me, but also a deep sense of gratitude toward Jenna. She had always been there for me, even when I was too blinded by Aaron to see what was really going on.

“Thanks,” I muttered, looking up at her. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Jenna smiled, sitting down next to me. “Of course I did. You’re my best friend, Bianca. Don’t let her get to you. She’s just jealous because you’re a better person than she’ll ever be.”

I nodded, trying to believe her words, but the sting of Aaron’s betrayal and Roxanne’s cruelty was still fresh. How had my life turned upside down so quickly?

And then, just when I thought things couldn’t get worse, I saw him—the new guy, Mateo Hernandez, walking across the cafeteria with his tray. His dark eyes were focused ahead, his strong jawline tense, and the piercing on his brow caught the light. He was handsome in a quiet, mysterious way, the kind of guy who didn’t need to say much to command attention.

But what made everyone talk about him wasn’t just his looks. No, it was the rumors swirling around him. People said they had seen him outside the police station with his father. Though his dad wasn’t even in handcuffs, the gossip spread like wildfire. Some claimed Mateo’s father was a criminal, that Mateo himself was bad news. It was ridiculous, but high school thrived on rumors, and Mateo became the latest target.

As I watched him take a seat alone at the far end of the cafeteria, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of curiosity. He didn’t seem to care about the whispers or the judgmental looks. He just kept to himself, his face unreadable. Part of me wondered how he could be so unaffected. Wasn’t he angry? Didn’t it bother him?

I shook the thought away, realizing that I had enough problems of my own. But something about Mateo lingered in my mind, even as I turned back to Jenna and tried to focus on what really mattered—getting over Aaron and somehow surviving the rest of this school year.