34 The Rumor!

As soon as Mia opened her locker to get her clothes out, her vision became blurry.

And soon tears started streaming down her red cheeks. She couldn't stop them; she didn't want them to stop.

This was the only way, she could vent out her anger.

'I hate him….I hate him like this…..I want that old Ray back….'

She sat down on her knees, covering her face with her hands.

'I….I want him..back….'

~

Next morning.

Mia entered the school gate with heavy steps. Looking down at the ground, she was walking towards the school building.

"Mia?"

"Miaaa…..MIA!"

But Mia didn't hear, she kept walking lost in her own thoughts.

"Hey!", suddenly, someone pulled her shoulder from the back.

"Huh?" Mia turned back.

"Are you deaf or something? I called your name and you didn't even turn back."

Mia saw Gyuri standing there with her hands folded.

"Huh? Hey Gyuri.." Mia gave her a weak smile.

"OMG…What's wrong?

Why are you looking like that? Your eyes are so swelled up!

What happened?"

"It's nothing. I didn't get much sleep...I... I was studying." Mia said plainly.

Gyuri gave her a confused look.

Then both the girls walked towards their classrooms.

Gyuri was talking but Mia wasn't reacting much.

On their way, everyone who was crossing their road, or was standing nearby was looking at Mia with a weird expression.

Mia didn't notice it at first but when she did, she didn't understand what was going on.

'Why is everyone looking at me like that?....'

People were looking at her and then talking something between them.

Mia couldn't hear what they were exactly talking about, but she was sure it was about her.

She looked at Gyuri, who was also looking at her.

"What's going on?" Mia whispered.

"Umm…."

"Did something happen? Why is everyone giving me that weird look?"

Gyuri didn't say anything for a while but when she opened her mouth to say something,

"Hey, Mia!", someone called her name.

Mia and Gyuri saw So Hee standing in front of them.

"Is it true?", So Hee asked.

"What is?" Mia asked her being confused.

"The rumor!" So Hee whispered.

Mia couldn't understand what she was talking about.

She looked at Gyuri. Gyuri was also looking at her with concern.

"What rumor?"

"Don't act like you don't know anything." So Hee said with a wry smile.

"I really don't know anything. What is going on?

Will anyone explain this to me?", Mia said with a frustrated tone.

"Really? You don't know anything?" So Hee asked her and then she looked at Gyuri.

"You didn't tell her anything?"

"Um…No…Not yet…"

Suddenly, the school bell rang and Gyuri saw their homeroom teacher coming towards them.

"Teacher…He is coming..Mia, I'll tell you later."

"Huh? What?"

"…See you later…" and Gyuri ran towards her classroom.

Everyone else entered their classrooms.

Mia looked at So Hee, who was looking at her worriedly.

"It can't be true….", So Hee murmured, and then she also walked inside the classroom.

Without understanding what they were talking about, Mia also entered the classroom.

'Is there a rumor about me or something?....'

~

It was the lunch break. Mia was waiting for Gyuri.

'She doesn't get this late…What took her so long?….' Mia was thinking.

As she noticed that the girls of her class were looking at her and giggling.

'What is with that look?... It's so annoying…' Mia got up from her seat and went out of the classroom.

'Let's see what Gyuri is doing? Why didn't she come for the lunch?' and she walked towards the class 3-B.

As she came to Gyuri's class, she peeked inside through the window.

And she found Gyuri was sitting at her seat and was having lunch with another girl from her class.

On the next seat, Ray was having his lunch with another guy.

They were chatting and laughing.

'Huh? Why are they having lunch together?'

Mia took a few steps back.

'Why…Why didn't she tell me anything?... What is going on?'

"Oh! So you are here again?"

Mia turned back and saw 5-6 girls standing there.

She didn't know them personally but she knew they were from Gyuri's class.

"You are very stubborn. Huh?" One of them said.

Mia couldn't understand what they were talking about.

" Yeah, he rejected you and you are still following him like an idiot, don't you?" the other said.

"Wh...What are you talking about?", Mia asked.

"Don't act so innocent now!"

"We know girls like you very well."

"Act so sweet and nice, and then try to trap handsome boys like him."

"Yeah…I mean, we all have a crush on him, don't we girls?"

The other girls nodded.

"But we haven't confessed to him. We just watch him from far afar and feel lucky that he is in our class." A girl said looking inside the classroom towards Ray.

'What are these girls talking about? Are they talking about Ray?'

"But you girl….You've got some guts!", one of them said folding her hands.

"Yeah, you confessed to him and then kept asking him again and again.

In the classroom, in the hallways, library, on the ground…everywhere!"

"At the cycle stand too. Jin kyu told me that." Another girl added.

Mia came forward, "Listen…you must have got me wrong.

There is a misunderstanding…I was not—"

But before she could finish her sentence, one of the girls interrupted her,

"You are the one, who's misunderstood here. He has clearly rejected you and now he is trying to avoid you.

Don't you get it? He doesn't like you.

Are you an idiot?"

The girl said with a mean smirk on her face.

While other girls laughed at her comment.

"She sure is an idiot. Coming here like this today also."

They laughed again.

Mia clenched her fists as she held her skirt tightly.

Her eyes started tearing up.

She kept her head down so they couldn't see her face.

"It…It is..w..wrong…", few words came out of her mouth, however.

"Yeah girl, that's what we are saying. It is wrong.

You and him? Impossible.

So stop already. And go to your classroom.

He has already rejected you so don't bother him again. Understood?"

"Idiot!"

"Idiot!"

And the girls started laughing again.

"For the last time…. I...", Mia said as she lifted her face. "I WAS NOT CONFESSING TO HIM!!!" She yelled at those girls, as the tears were streaming down her face.

By looking at her like that, the girls were stunned.

"AND IF ANYONE WHO IS IDIOT HERE, IS YOU AND THE GUY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!"

Giving them a mean look she broke through them and gushed out from there with long steps.

"She must have lost it because he rejected her…" One of the girls said and all others again started laughing.

While everyone in the classroom heard Mia's voice and saw her walking away like that.

Ray was looking at all this with a plain and emotionless face.

~

Walking through the hallways, the stairs, Mia came on the rooftop of the school.

Standing at the railing, she closed her eyes.

Deeply breathing in and out through her mouth, she stood there for several minutes.

'What a nonsense rumor it was! Stupid people!

I will confess to Ray? Impossible!

If you have asked me last year, if I like him, I might have said yes!

But now? After all this? Never! This is never going to happen.

That idiot, arrogant Ray…I hate him….'

"I HATE YOU!" Mia said as she punched in the air.

She took a few minutes to calm herself down.

Then letting out a loud sigh, she said to herself,

"Everything's gonna be alright… Everything's gonna be alright..."

Mia kept patting her heart gently.

"It will be alright…"