Between Us

**Chapter 2: The Rumor**

By the time the rumor had made its way through the school, there was no way to escape it. “She likes him,” they said, and no matter how many times I denied it, the whispers only grew louder. It wasn’t true—I knew it wasn’t true. I didn’t like him. How could I? I barely knew him. But somehow, the more I fought the idea, the more it stuck in my mind.

At first, I tried to ignore it. After all, I had bigger problems to deal with. The bullying I faced wasn’t just from classmates; even some of the teachers seemed to think it was okay to call me dirty or make comments about my appearance. I never cared about dressing up or looking perfect. I was just a girl trying to get through the day without being noticed. But in this place, it seemed like everything about me was wrong.

I found it harder to be myself in school, to feel comfortable in my own skin. I missed the days when playing with boys wasn’t strange or frowned upon, but now, everything was different. Girls and boys didn’t mix here—there were no official rules, but it felt like there was an unspoken understanding. Any friendship or interaction between the two could easily become the center of attention. And now, because of this stupid rumor, everyone was watching me more closely than ever.

And then, as if things weren’t already bad enough, he started dating my best friend—well, my ex-best friend. I wasn’t surprised; she was everything I wasn’t. Beautiful, smart, popular—the girl who always had the right answer and looked flawless while doing it. She was perfect, and every boy wanted to be with her. So when they started going out, it didn’t come as a shock. But what did shock me was the way it made me feel.

I shouldn’t have cared. After all, I didn’t like him. Right?

But watching them together for almost three years was harder than I expected. He seemed happy, or at least, happy enough. But when she eventually broke up with him, I saw a different side of him. He was heartbroken, and it confused me. How could love—something I still didn’t understand—make someone so sad? It was like seeing a side of life I wasn’t ready for yet.

I thought I was too young to understand love or relationships, but seeing him so crushed by the breakup made me wonder. Was it really possible for love to make you cry, to make you feel so deeply? I couldn’t relate. My pain came from something else—the constant teasing, the bullying, the feeling of being left out. I was already struggling with my own sadness, but I didn’t think love could hurt that much.

I was battling depression back then, though I didn’t tell anyone. I kept everything inside, too afraid to admit what I was going through. My sadness made sense to me because it had a reason—the bullying, the loneliness. His sadness, though, was caused by love. And I couldn’t understand how something like love could make someone feel so broken.

As the years passed, I became more used to seeing him. We never really talked much during those middle school days. I was more like an observer, standing at the edges of his life, watching but never really being part of it. I didn’t know it at the time, but those silent years would lay the foundation for everything that came later.

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