Rumors

Robin's Emotional Baggage.

Even though Bridget was on a high from all the kindness she received from the students, it all had to end. Girls that had included her in conversations slowly forgot about her. Boys that had flirted with her, even though she wasn't interested, began looking the other way. The flattery she felt was disappearing as students began ignoring her again, treating her like just any regular kid.

It had been almost a month since the Amy rumor when Bridget had to tell someone about it. From what she heard when listening to other students, Amy was having a great time at the private school she now attended. It was a relief to hear, since she still worried that Amy was living a life of hell like Bridget had. But the four girls had been right - Amy was happy.

When Bridget had explained to Maggie about the accidental rumor she had made, the girl had been angry. No, not angry - furious. She had yelled over the phone at Bridget, calling her names that even Bridget's dirty vocabulary wouldn't let her repeat. But then Maggie had calmed down and listened again, comforting Bridget when she voiced her worries. The girl had told her that it wasn't her fault.

"You said it was an accident," Maggie had said with a deep breath. Her voice had cut out for a second, since Bridget had been at the store with her mom and didn't have the greatest reception. "Quinn and the others didn't understand what you meant, so that's their fault."

And that was it. Maggie was back to her happy, cheerful self. There was a moment where Bridget had thought to mention how she didn't believe spreading the rumor was a bad thing, but then thought better of it. Maggie seemed like the kind of girl that wouldn't get it; that would turn against her for believing rumors weren't bad. Bridget didn't want to lose another friend like she had with the others.

Fortunately - or unfortunately, from the student's point of view - school was passing by quickly. The first month was uneventful, with classes picking up and students remembering why they should hate school. Bridget had put all of her attention on her education, distracting herself from thoughts of Brittany and the others. During the second month, the 'new girl' stares she had been getting slowly filtered off, leaving Bridget both relieved and sad.

She had been getting used to the attention. For so long, all she had was negative attention put on her that, when she finally started receiving positive attention, she felt bare when it left. Bridget had begun to adore the amount of focus put on her! It made her feel important, like she was more than just the girl who had gotten bullied. Now she was left alone, with only her memories reminding her of the temporary popularity she had gained.

But it wasn't completely bad.

Now that she had gained a confidence boost from the popularity, she had been able to push her anxiety and fear of starting conversations to the back of her mind. The wounds of being bullied were healing, and it had gotten to the point where Bridget hardly even remembered her last school and its students. She was able to talk more freely, without the fear of sounding stupid. She could walk through the halls with her head up and not lowered to the ground. She was able to laugh and smile more naturally and not worry about what other students thought of her looks. Bridget, for the first time in a long time, felt good.

Due to this, she was able to start a conversation with Robin more easily.

"Why don't you like Brittany very much?" she questioned. Lunch had started almost fifteen minutes ago and, upon turning the corner to her favorite genre section, she had found Robin searching through book titles. "The way you react whenever you see her makes it seem like you don't like her or any of the others."

She had seen him glare and frown at Brittany during first period. Some times, Brittany and the other three visited the class before the bell rang, greeting Robin with flirtatious giggles and eyes. Most times, Robin just smiled politely at them and excused himself, but other times, he would frown and walk away. Bridget had wanted to go and speak with the girls many times, but seeing Robin's interactions with them made her hesitate. Books and movies have informed her that when a friend doesn't like someone, one should never even look at that person.