The school corridors felt suffocating today. Whispers hung in the air, eyes tracking me like they were waiting for me to break.
When I finally saw him—Damien—standing against the wall by classroom 312, I knew I couldn't avoid him anymore. He didn't look at me. Not even when I walked by.
"Damien..." I called softly, stepping beside him.
He turned slowly, blue eyes cold and distant. His jaw was clenched so tight I could see the lines of pain and frustration.
"I heard the rumors," he began, voice low. "You and Rylan... everyone's saying it's real."
My heart dropped. "Damien—" I started, stopping myself.
He cut me off, eyes sharp. "You smiled at him today. Saw you talking to him after class. I watched."
I shook my head, tears threatening. "They're just rumors. Lies."
His expression hardened. "If it's not true... why didn't you say so before? Did you care so little about me?"
"Because... because I didn't think I had to!" I gasped. "I thought you trusted me. I thought you knew what was real and what wasn't."
He paced a small circle. "You always said I could be myself with you. That I mattered." His voice cracked. "And now I feel like I meant nothing."
I stepped closer. "Damien, you know how I feel. You know I don't like him like that."
He stared at me for a long beat. "Then why let people think otherwise?"
I swallowed hard. "Because sometimes things are bigger than what people see. I didn't want to make you jealous. I would never do that intentionally."
His fists clenched at his sides. "You lied to me."
"No!" I whispered, voice trembling now. "I didn't lie. I trusted you would understand."
He looked away. I could see his chest rise and fall like his breath weighed a thousand pounds.
"I'm tired," he said softly. "Tired of rumors, betrayal... lies I didn't commit."
He turned and walked away before I could say anything else.
Tears flooding my vision, I dropped to my knees beside the lockers, stunned by how quickly everything I'd built could crumble.