Rumor Has It...

10th Grade Art

It started in art class. Everyday, ninth period, we suffer through forty minutes of torture, or at least something equivalent to it. At least, I feel like I'm being tortured. I hate art, or at least actually doing. I'm not that skilled, nor do I have the mental drive or endurance for those long term projects most people admire. The best I can do is anime doodles and various other mindless things that every basic teenager can do.

But this is not a story where I complain about my lack of ability. This is true. This is terrifying. This is all our fault.

We're in the basement, aka Mr. Zeller's classroom, scratching away noisily at plexiglass, about to get ready to make prints. Mine looks awful, which is actually being quite generous to myself. I have this huge ego that tells me I can do stuff, but there's also the sensible side of my brain that's always right. This is a stupid idea, Maya. This is too difficult, and you're an idiot. Yeah, I know. You don't need to tell me.

Naria is part one of the trio. We're all blond, the three of us, and I always imagine people thinking we're lowkey Nazi supporters. Naria is constantly doubting herself, even though she's capable and cultured and awesome. She has about a million freckles that she hates, even though they make her face look cute and young.

Ayla is a reading buff who has clear skin that makes me angry, even though I don't have more than the occasional breakout of, like, two pimples. She is our librarian, second only to Mr. Hyde, who sounds like a story book character, which I think is amazing. Ayla is crazy smart and likes to talk about it.

Et moi. A light dusting of freckles, the only one without glasses. I'm kind of a mix between the two's physical traits; in other words basic.

Naria had seemed conflicted since she had walked into art class. The look on her face and the quietness were the first clue. Also, the "Nothing, I'm alright."

I waited. That's my game, to wait until the person is ready to open up. The hunt for information takes patience, and I have a lot.

"Naria, what's wrong?" I ask again. Instead of immediately responding, she looks at Ayla, and the two share a tacet look.

"I've been thinking... I don't think I want to be in a relationship with Jace anymore."

There's silence. We continue the etching, making painful squeaking noises from time to time. "When did you start thinking this? Do you know what brought it into your head?"

"Just today. It just popped into my head. I don't want to be in a relationship. I don't want all the pressure, and with all the sexual harassment stuff going around..."

That doesn't seem like a real reason. I know she's stressed, I know we're all stressed; there's homework, guys, sex, guys, and more of those stupid guys. They say we're too much trouble.

I entertain the idea. "What do you mean by sexual harrassment? Like, is stuff going on in school, or just in media?"

"Just, everywhere. And... I don't want to be alone with him. He invited me over to his house, just if I wanted to hang out, and... I lied. I told him I had homework, and I didn't have homework. I told a lie, guys."

Helplessly, she looks to the two of us. After sharing a look with Ayla, she explained that this happened over break. This is a big deal for Naria; she always tells the truth, no matter how much complaining she has to do after for people being upset with her. She almost never lies. Except, of course, when she says she's fine, but this is a common sin of our species; any sense in the world would allow people to see that none of us are 'fine', that fine is a lie, that we're all dying.

For a time, we do nothing but scrape at the plexiglass, my own scraping becoming rather angry, because I am frustrated with this stupid, stupid piece of glass. Or maybe I'm the stupid one.

"Why don't you tell him the truth?" I say finally, hating the fact that neither of us are helping her.

"No, I can't do that."

"But do you want to be in this relationship?"

Silence follows. Then, a quiet yet resolute, "No."

"Well, the longer it goes, the more it will hurt in the end. You don't want him to keep going out with you, because soon, 'I love you' will be exchanged-"

"And kisses," Ayla adds, saying what I was hesitant to.

"Exactly. It will crush him. You need to cut it off soon and clean." I hate moments like this once in awhile; in my heart, I'm the voice of common sense, of reality, but I know that voice hurts so many, so I try and hide it.

"But I can't break up with him now. He's got all this Select Chorus stuff going on, and with the musical... He's so stressed, and depressed. I don't want to make it worse." She buries her face in her hands, and I feel the desperation to fix the entire world, to shift the stars if only to take the clouds from her eyes.

My loyalty, my love, is what brings the horrible, life-ruining idea into my head. That is why I am to blame for the hell that came after.

"What if we could get him to break up with you?" Ayla asks, an idea I then switch up just a bit.

"Or, give you a dramatic reason to break up with him."

Naria moves goes ahead and tells us about this Youtuber who pays a girl to get into a scandalous position with her boyfriend. The Youtuber took great offense to this and got in an argument with her boyfriend, then proceeded to break up with him.

"But we can't do that," she concludes. "I have no money."

"I'll do it," Ayla offers. Oh, yeah, she's the spoiled one; forgot to mention.

"Yeah, no." Naria starts scratching again, as if we're about to give up.

"What if someone saw him cheating on you... Maybe with Raena? Everyone knows she likes him, right? Maybe the feeling is more mutual than he let on."

"Oh my god, that could work," Naria responds, looking mildly excited. None of us are etching any more; we've all surrendered fully to the temptation of conversation and gossip. Luckily, our group of tables is in Mr. Zeller's blind spot; we couldn't have found anywhere better to sit if we tried.

"I could tell Tanya," Ayla says, and we're all in the boat, "She'll tell Collin, Collin will tell Amy, and Amy will tell everyone, 'cause we all know how she is."

I did not know who Amy was, but I nodded in agreement nonetheless. If she was a blabbermouth, I was all for her being a vector for this disease of lies. "Then Naria will find out." I turn to her. "All you have to do is act."

"I can do that," she says, and she's right, because she was the lead in the last drama play, and she's a star.

Ayla and I think about the character she will have to play. Suddenly, we're cut throat emotion stategists. Ayla speaks first, saying "You'll need to act betrayed-"

"Devastated-"

"Depressed-"

"Overall, angry. That's how you'll act when he denies everything."

We nod in agreement. The period is dwindling down, and I feel the jittering energy of escape being so close. "Are we seriously considering this, guys? I mean, it sounds serious, but so did the last time Naria drank coffee, and she started a war."

Both Ayla and Naria laugh at that, remembering the three month war from ninth grade, all because Naria got over excited with caffeine running through her very impressionable bloodstream. Then, with sense that should have ended the entire thing, Naria says, "No, I don't think so. I mean, I don't want to ruin Jace's reputation like that, because everyone will think he cheated on me, and... I just can't. We can't."

The disappointment that followed should have been sickening, but in the moment it felt righteous.

The last dregs of the period were sipped at lazily by Father Time, who was content to try and teach us patience with his grip. He just didn't want any of us to find out that he is an illusion.

When the bell finally rings, I don't do the usual goodbye. I just get up, put my stuff away, and leave. Nothing to it. Little do I know, I just helped plant the small seed that would grow into the thorny bushes guarding a new kind of hell behind. Or that soon, I would release that flame with my own hands.