The Gossip Storm
By the next morning, Starlight University had a new headline.
And her name was Ava Thompson.
It started small — a few whispers in the hallways, a couple of laughs echoing behind her back. But by lunchtime, everyone in the school seemed to know that "the poor scholarship girl" had kicked Ryan Blake, the golden heir of the Blake Corporation, right in front of half the freshman class.
The rumor spread faster than wildfire.
And each time it passed through another pair of lips, it twisted a little more.
---
Ava didn't realize how bad it was until she walked into the cafeteria.
The moment she stepped through the glass doors, the noise dimmed — just slightly, but enough to make her stomach drop. Heads turned. A few girls leaned closer to their tables, whispering behind manicured nails. Someone actually giggled as she passed by.
Lina, who walked beside her with her lunch tray, noticed immediately. "Okay," she muttered under her breath, "why does it feel like we just walked into a movie scene where everyone knows something except us?"
Ava forced a smile. "Because apparently, that's what Starlight is — one giant movie set."
They took an empty table in the far corner. Ava poked at her salad, pretending not to notice the stares. But she couldn't ignore the two girls sitting at the next table — glossy hair, designer bags, the kind who never bought lunch because they had private chefs at home.
"Did you hear what she said to Ryan?" one of them whispered loudly on purpose.
"They say she kicked him and told him to apologize," the other giggled.
"Seriously? The audacity. She should be expelled for that."
"Or sent back to wherever she came from."
Laughter. Light and cruel.
Ava's grip on her fork tightened.
Lina leaned forward. "Ignore them," she said softly. "They're just bored rich brats who think gossip is a sport."
"I'm trying," Ava whispered back. "But it's kind of hard when the sport is me."
---
Meanwhile, across the cafeteria, Ryan Blake sat with his usual group — Ethan, Noah, Marcus, and Caleb — at the table everyone automatically avoided.
Ryan hadn't said much all morning. He wore his usual careless expression, scrolling through his phone, pretending he didn't hear the laughter that followed him everywhere now.
Ethan leaned over, grinning. "You know what they're calling her now?"
Ryan didn't look up. "I don't care."
"No, seriously," Ethan continued. "The Girl Who Kicked the Heir. I mean, come on — that's legendary."
Noah snorted into his drink. "Bro, she's got more guts than half the people here."
Caleb added, "Or more stupidity. Depends how you look at it."
The boys laughed. Ryan didn't. He tossed his phone on the table, the sound sharp enough to make them stop.
"Are you done?" he asked flatly.
Ethan raised both hands. "Relax, man. We're just joking."
"Yeah, well, it's not funny."
Noah frowned. "You're seriously mad about it? She's just some random girl."
Ryan didn't answer. He stared out the cafeteria window, where the sun glinted off the marble courtyard. He told himself he wasn't thinking about her — about her glare, her voice when she demanded an apology, or the fire in her eyes that refused to dim even when everyone laughed.
But he was.
And that annoyed him even more.
"Forget it," he muttered finally, standing up. "I've got practice."
Ethan watched him go, then exchanged a look with Noah. "Man, she really got under his skin."
Noah nodded. "Yeah. And he doesn't even realize it yet."
---
For Ava, the day dragged like a bad dream that refused to end.
By afternoon, the whispers had turned into open stares. Every hallway she walked through seemed to buzz with energy — eyes following her, people pretending to text while clearly taking pictures. Even in class, she felt it.
When the literature professor called on her to read aloud, a few students chuckled as she stood.
She could feel her cheeks burn. Her voice trembled on the first few lines, then steadied — because she refused to give them what they wanted: embarrassment.
When she finished, the professor smiled. "Excellent reading, Miss Thompson."
The laughter died. But the damage had already been done.
---
By evening, Ava and Lina were walking back to their dorm room. The sky glowed in shades of pink and gold, the air soft with the scent of flowers from the courtyard gardens. It should have felt peaceful. It didn't.
Ava's hands were buried deep in her pockets, her steps slow. "Do you ever feel like… you're not supposed to be here?"
Lina frowned. "You mean at Starlight?"
Ava nodded. "Yeah. Like we're guests at someone else's party, and any minute, they'll realize we don't belong and throw us out."
Lina bumped her shoulder lightly. "Don't let them get in your head. They're just trying to scare you. You didn't do anything wrong."
Ava gave a hollow laugh. "Except kick their favorite prince."
Lina smiled. "Yeah, maybe don't lead with that on your résumé."
Ava couldn't help laughing softly. "Thanks, Lina."
"Always," Lina said. "You've got me, okay? Let them talk. People like that—" she gestured vaguely toward a group of students snapping selfies by a car "—they feed on attention. Don't give them any."
Ava nodded, even though deep down, she wasn't sure she could keep ignoring it forever.
---
That night, in the girls' dormitory, Ava sat on her bed, staring at her phone.
Her mother's name flashed across the screen.
She hesitated before answering.
"Hi, Mom."
"Sweetheart! How was your day? Did you make friends yet? How's the school?"
Ava forced a cheerful tone. "It's… beautiful. Huge, and fancy, and kind of overwhelming."
Her mother's laughter was warm through the phone. "That's my brave girl. I still can't believe you're really there. All those years of dreaming… finally real."
Ava swallowed. "Yeah. Real."
There was a pause on the other end. "You sound tired. Everything okay?"
For a moment, Ava considered telling her — about the rumors, the stares, the cruel words. But then she pictured her mother's face, the exhaustion hidden behind her smile, the sacrifice she'd made to get her here.
She couldn't add to that.
"I'm fine, Mom," she said softly. "Just adjusting, I guess. Classes start soon."
"That's normal," her mother said gently. "Remember what I told you? You don't have to fit in, Ava. You just have to be yourself. You're there because you earned it."
Ava blinked back tears. "Thanks, Mom. I'll be okay."
"I know you will. Now, go rest, alright? I love you."
"I love you too."
She ended the call and stared at the ceiling. The hum of the air conditioner filled the silence. Somewhere outside, laughter drifted in from the courtyard.
She curled up on her bed, hugging her pillow. For the first time, she wondered if she could really survive four years here — among people who looked at her like she was invisible until she made a mistake.
She didn't want to cry. But a single tear slipped out anyway.
---
Across campus, Ryan stood alone in the basketball court, tossing the ball from hand to hand. The floodlights bathed the ground in cold white light. His friends had gone home, but he stayed behind, restless.
He shot once, missed, and caught the rebound. His thoughts wouldn't stop spinning.
He'd seen her that morning, walking through the courtyard. The whispers, the laughter, the way her shoulders tensed like she was holding the world up by herself.
He didn't like seeing it.
But he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry either. Not after she'd kicked him in front of everyone.
And yet…
The memory of her glare wouldn't leave him. There was something about it that didn't fit with the way everyone painted her. She wasn't trying to show off. She wasn't doing it for attention. She'd just… refused to be humiliated.
Ryan sighed and threw the ball again, harder this time. It slammed against the backboard and rolled away.
"Get a grip, Blake," he muttered to himself. "She's just another girl."
But even as he said it, he knew it wasn't true.
---
The next morning, new posters appeared on the hallway boards.
A hand-drawn cartoon of a girl kicking a boy — labeled "The Scholarship Girl vs. The Heir."
Laughter echoed through the halls. Students snapped pictures, posted them on social media, tagged them with jokes.
Lina ripped one of the posters down in fury. "They're disgusting!"
Ava stared at it quietly. Her stomach twisted. She wanted to tear them all down — but doing so would only draw more attention.
She looked up and saw Ryan walking down the hall with his friends. His eyes met hers briefly. Just for a moment.
He didn't laugh.
He didn't smirk.
He just looked at her — something unreadable flickering in his gaze — and then looked away.
Ava turned to Lina. "Let's just go to class."
But even as she walked, she could feel the storm building around her.
And deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.