way up • stephen curry [au]

xvi. all eyes on me

Arzaya

From the moment I set my feet on the very grounds of my school, I felt all eyes scrutinizing me.

My every move. They were giving me judging stares, they looked at me up and down, some would sigh and shake their head, some would snicker and whisper something to their friends. They all looked at me as if I was anticipating my grave.

I was suddenly the target of scrutiny in this school and I hadn't figured why.

I was thinking maybe Ben told a friend and the story passed on like a bítch on the loose.

But frankly, it looked like there was more to it. I had never felt so much shame that I practically looked at the ground as I headed towards my locker.

And as I opened it, the people beside me were gossiping.

Ignore, Zay.

Then Holly and her friends passed by, laughing in absolute entertainment. I stayed silent as I put my things in the locker.

It didn't affect me much until I saw Ben passing the hallways with Devin and D'Angelo.

"Ben," I called, nervously.

For a moment, we locked eyes but all I see in his was pure loathe. He immediately averted his eyes after glaring at me and walked through.

Looking at Devin and D'Angelo wasn't a different story. They didn't greet or even smile like they usually did and I realized that they were taking Ben's side in this.

What have I done?

And what's worse is that Shay wasn't around to keep me company today. She was too ill to go to school and now I had to be the lone sheep that everyone laughed about.

I was so grateful when I heard the bell ring because I could finally get to class.

It took more stares to do so but I got through it when I entered my Trig class. As I spotted Klay, I quickly took a seat beside him.

"Hi, Zaya." He offered me a small smile and I wanted to cry because he was the first person who hadn't looked at me the way everyone else did.

"Hey," I replied, gulping and fiddling with my desk.

Klay just gave me his infamous 'Klay stare' the one that makes you feel like he knew what was going on in your head—that he could hear the voice inside you.

"Where's Steph?" he asked, trying to make the conversation casual.

I shrugged. "My dad dropped me off today so I didn't go with him."

"But you guys are okay, right?"

I nodded once. "We are."

He nodded too and patted my back. "Look, just ignore everyone, okay? You know this school loves gossip. At least we know the real story."

I took a deep sigh and looked at him. "Klay, how did everyone know?"

"Wait, you don't know?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.