5SOS Book of Imagines

AFI // Rumors (1)

Apparently, it was Ashton Irwin's turn.

As Hillary walked across the parking lot that dreadful Monday morning, her name and Ashton's—she doesn't even know who the bloke was—were in everybody's mouths.

She didn't wonder why, already knowing what it was about. It was usual.

She subtly eavesdropped as a freshman girl eyed her and whispered not so low to her friend, "That's Hillary. She's the junior who sleeps around all the time. I heard it was that guy Ashton Irwin this week. Doesn't she get STDs or don't the boys even feel dirty when they do her? She's so..."

The girl let that drag and made a face.

Hillary looked straight at the freshman defiantly, and as she expected, the girl tried to hold her gaze but then looked down in defeat.

She smirked and made her way to the building, earning more and more whispers as she passed by the hallways.

It was always like this.

If she cared—like she used to, she would've gone to the principal to plead to know who made up the rumors and for the principal to defend her because she swore nothing happened and that she didn't sleep with anyone at all, but she didn't. She stopped giving fucks about what people think about her.

She never really knew when it started, she used to defend herself from the rumors, to try and clear up her name but nobody ever really believed her that in the end, she just gave up. And since she knows she'd be flying off to California after the school year, she figured why not leave a legacy of some sort—even a nasty one at that.

Even though she stopped trying, the rumors still come—she also stopped trying to find out who spread them. That every week she lets some random guy from the university sex her, or more so, she forces the guys to sex her. That she was this girl fucking her way into every boy in the little suburban town few miles south of Adelaide.

The final bell has rung and if Hillary was going to be honest, she felt bad the day had to end. She still wanted to hear more exaggerated stories of her bedroom escapades from people who don't even know shit about her. Oh, well, she thought. There's always tomorrow.

She was on her way to her car when she noticed an unfamiliar figure leaning back on her car. It was a quite tall guy with a messy bunch of dirty blonde hair in his head. He was muscular, his veins making quite an appearance as Hillary surveyed him from the side as he held his arms across his chest, obviously waiting. He was wearing a white shirt with its sleeves cut off and jeans too tight for his legs and humongous feet trapped in a black converse.

"That's my precious car you're leaning on, mister," Hillary started as she got close.

The guy looked in her direction, and Hillary found herself staring into the prettiest pair of hazel eyes she had ever seen. She lost train of thought for a while, feeling sucked in his gaze, and then the guy blushed and looked down.

Hillary felt the irrational urge to reach out and tilt his chin up just so she can see his eyes again. She was able to stop and compose herself.

"Um... Err... How do I... Well..."

"Just spit it out." Hillary frowned; she totally does not like shy boys. Her level of excitement faltered, no matter how pretty his eyes are, she swore never to date shy boys. They're borderline gentlemen and weird maniacs, in her case, it's always more so in the weird maniac. She has learned her lesson the hard way.

She watched the guy's Adam's apple bob down and then inhale deeply, then again, she was lost in his eyes. She barely heard what he said. She thinks it was, "I didn't have sex with you, Hillary."

Blinking, she realized who he was. Ashton Irwin. She wondered for a second why she had never seen him in school, then a second after, she realized it didn't matter.

"So?" she eyed him like he was an idiot.

"So... why aren't you denying all the rumors?"

Instead of answering, she studied him, "You're new around here, aren't you? You definitely don't know what's up."

Forgetting his own question, Ashton lifted up a hand and scratched the back of his head. "I, uh, just moved here with my mom a few weeks ago. It's my second week here in school and I turn up in the parking lot this morning hearing everyone say we had sex on the weekends."

She shook her head, tutting. Poor guy.

"Sorry, Ashton—that's your name, right?—but in this town's eyes, you're already my victim. Be careful now. They say I have STDs." She opened her car, leaving the cute guy with a confused look on his face and drove away.

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