Silenced by the Night

Stronger Rumors

“Class, we’re painting the gym room a new color. And I want all of you to participate”

Nathan looked bored whilst Ms. Edmunds has been explaining to us for sharp fifteen minutes. She was talking about painting the gym room blue but I like it as beige. It wasn’t a true attraction to anyone.

“Nathan and Ellie, will the both of you be able to make it tomorrow afternoon?”

“Anytime”

He gave me a bored look and went back to reading his Teen Vogue. 

“Nate, are you even listening?”

“Yeah”

My over-sized shirt had droplets of blue paint on it. Nathan was boringly spreading paint on the wall and putting down the brush whilst Edmunds wasn’t around.

“Aren’t you bored with this job?”

“It’s tiring Nate, but it’s worth the hard work”

“Oh. Really is that so. Ms. Edmunds we ran out of paint, we’re going out to buy some more. And Ellie’s coming with me”

“Just make sure you come back after you do!”

He pulled me out the schoolyard all the way to the beach.

“Oh this was your plan for going home”

“Don’t worry; no one will be able to find us here”

I rested my head on his shoulder whilst I was watching the sunset. The beautiful view on the horizon made me forget about the stress in the house and in school. He edged his arm around my shoulder whilst he was still watching the sun set until it disappeared.

“We better go home; someone might be waiting for me in the house”

“I’ll see you tomorrow El”

He stood up; sand was caked on his pants.

“P.S sand is caked on your pants”

“Thanks”

Paige and Melody were in my room, Caylah was in Caroline’s office talking about something. The two were sitting on my bed searching something in a scrapbook. I couldn’t be in trouble just because my best friend just led me into one. I promise when I go back to school I’m sure me and Nathan are in huge, huge trouble. He ran away from painting the gym.

“I saw you run away with Nathan whilst we were painting the gym. Where did the two of you go?”

Melody gave me a smile and looked back to the scrapbook.

“He just kidnapped me, AGAIN”

“He’s a pervert”

“He’s not, it’s just the new him. We’ll get use to it”

“Yeah, I’m already use to him kidnapping you”

Paige gave her a high-five and looked at me.

“C’mon, don’t make him kidnap you next time”

“I wouldn’t don’t worry. And most of all, don’t even think that he’s a pervert”

School newspaper; everyone was looking at it whilst me and Nathan were walking down the hall. The three girls also bought a school newspaper and we left them so we can talk more. The group of boys approached us and smiled.

“Dude, you must buy this newspaper. You are gonna love the issue”

“Funny Josh, really funny”

He grabbed the newspaper from Catherine, an enemy; it’s unusual how she became Jacque’s fallback. But she was worst.

“Oh. So this is what everyone is looking at”

“What is it?”

I grabbed the paper from him and saw our photo in the front. The photo of us watching the sunset, whilst my head was resting on his shoulder, his arms wrapped around my shoulder.

“‘A young couple in thirteen’, they’re serious?”

“I’m sure they are El”

I threw the paper in the trash and saw that all the students were holding the newspaper.

“Hey Nathan, you’re in the front cover”

Jessica passed by reading the news and looking at our photo.

“Look at this. Rumors are true that Ellie Collins and Nathan Sykes are dating. But since when have they been doing this event?”

I grabbed the newspaper from her and threw it in the trash.

“Hey. I was reading that”

“Yes. And you better stop it”

Melody was reading the school newspaper whilst drinking her slushy and looking at me and Nathan at every paragraph she was reading.

“Hey guys. Nate, Ellie did you read the school newspaper?”

“For the millionth time”

Paige and Caylah sat down across me and Nathan. They were both holding a newspaper.

“A rumor is growing because of a newspaper”

Nathan stood up and walked out the cafeteria. I followed him and heard coos from the cafeteria.

“Oh c’mon, you believed in that news. We’re not dating!!!”

The sound stopped. I went to the yard and saw him sitting on the fountain looking at something on his phone. I sat down beside him and looked at the photo in his phone.

“Your father’s painting. Hope you wouldn’t mind”

“I wouldn’t”

He took a picture of the both of us and started editing it on his phone.

“Smile”

He took a picture of me and typed something on his phone.

“I’m sending this to Hanna”

A few kids approached us whilst holding the school newspaper, AGAIN. These rumors have gone too far. I’m already starting to hate it. 

“We’re not dating”

The kids were still in front of us fake-smirking, if that made sense.

“Jessica told us you were”

Really even his sister is in this stupid plan? 

When will they realize the truth?