Chapter 46: Echoes After the Whistle
(Isabella's POV)
The next morning, the school looked the same, but it didn't sound the same.
Every hallway hummed with leftover noise from yesterday's match...the laughter, the gasps, the shouts. It wasn't a surprise that the story will spread. What surprised me was that it covered gossip about me for some time.
"Did you see it?"
"Michael actually hit him in the face."
"Mateo's nose is broken...well, almost."
"He flipped off the ref, you know. Both hands."
They didn't need to mention his name twice. Everyone knew who "he" was.
Eilidh had been right...news at this school spread with the speed of light. Even people who hadn't cared about football now claimed they'd been front-row witnesses. And in every retelling, someone added a new twist.
By the time I reached the main corridor, Michael had gone from "the hot-headed midfielder" to a folk hero, depending on who you asked. But the stories came with a price. They also came with my name.
