Chapter Nine

❀

"I'm home!" I announced as I stepped inside our house. Usually, my mom or my sis will answer back, "Welcome home" or "How's your day, have you eaten yet?" But I was beyond surprised when my sister, L dashed towards me and gripped my wrist tight, dragging me towards the sala.

"Wa-wait, hey!" I reacted while following her as she dragged me along. "No need to be forceful!" Instead of answering me with an answer that is aligned with my statement, she let my wrist go as we got into the dining table where her laptop is located.

She flipped her laptop and then showed a website to me. "Look, look. Is this really you?" She started. I furrowed my eyebrows as I checked out her laptop and was in utter shock after seeing what had been posted on the website 30 minutes ago. It was the photo of me and NJ in the locker that started the stupid rumors. I couldn't blame the people. We were captured in an angle where it looks like we are making out, when in reality, nothing happened. He just pinned me and weak as I was, couldn't feel my body move nor push him away.

"Are you and Nico dating?!" L asked in surprise.

"W-what?! NJ and I were definitely NOT dating!" I instantly answered. "That stolen photo was just a misunderstanding!"

L threw me a direct suspicious look and raised a brow. "It doesn't look like a misunderstanding to me," she started. "Clearly, you two were making out in the locker! Of all the places, why the locker? Couldn't you at least get a room of your own and do your thing there?" L continued with a shrug.

"I'm telling you the truth! Nothing happened between the two of us," I said and decided to explain myself just to make everything clear. "It's true that NJ and I were both in the locker room and at that moment, he pinned me. Just that."

"He just pinned you without you two doing anything?" She stated suspiciously. "I don't believe you."

"I'm telling the truth," I answered. "We're not dating, play dating or in a committed relationship. I am still single and NJ is just a friend of mine." And finally sighed.

"Well, whether you are telling the truth or not, you're pretty famous now," my dear sister L stated and looked at the screen. "Ah. Controversy. You've got a lot of comments too. Way too many comments."

"I am aware that rumors of us dating have spread like wildfire in school but I never expected that that photo would be exposed on the website," I said and sighed in frustration. "Goodbye peaceful days. Welcome to hell."

My sister rolled her eyes at me and grunted, "Such a baby," she started then continued. "At least what's posted aren't nude photos. Photo of NJ and you making out -"

I cut her off by saying, "I am telling you, it's not what it looks like!"

"Whatever. Making out or not, it looks that way," she said. Suddenly, she flashed a grin and I don't like it when she does that 'cause whenever she does her signature grin, she would probably give a suggestion that is not really favorable to me. "If you're saying that it's all a misunderstanding, why don't you kiss him for real?"

My mouth almost dropped upon hearing her suggestion. There is no way I'm gonna kiss NJ! I am not the type of person who makes the rumors true.

Crossing my two arms in front of me, I simply answered, "No, not a chance. Definitely not!" First, we're just friends. Heck, we just started being friends. Second, we are not dating and third, I don't want another rumor to start spreading like a wildfire.

"If you say so, B. If you say so," she answered. We heard a ping sound coming from the laptop that caught our attention. We looked at the website and saw there is a new notification about a user that just posted a newest article. We opened the article with the title "School Affair, is this true?"

My eyes widened in surprise as we started reading the article because it is about the rumor spreading about me, NJ and Tom.

"Oh come on! Give me a break!" I reacted and banged my clenched fist on the table. "Seriously?! Issue after issue?! I even have no idea what's going on!" Since when did this started? This is why I disliked being with the popular ones. Heck, I don't even want to be with anyone! I am definitely clearing my name.

"Ooh, look at this B," she started and then began reading the article.

Is it true that Beauty Smith, the geek girl, is dating Nicholas Johnson, our famous basketball player and apparently, Thomas Anderson our famous swimmer, is the affair?

What a shock! Who would have thought that Beauty will be able to catch the two biggest fish in this school?

With a clear evident photo, Beauty and Nicholas have reported being seen at the locker, making out.

Beauty claimed that the three of them are nothing more than friends but based on the rumors spreading and the evident photo, they are more than that.

While Beauty has been dating Nicholas, we could also see how close Beauty and Thomas were. Beauty and Nicholas were very hot in the spotlight, while Thomas and Beauty's relationship were kept hidden.

Beauty can't have both, right? So the students, most especially the girls, would like her to dump one of them.

Is she choosing Nicholas or Thomas?

And another question. Is Thomas the real affair here? Or is it Nicholas the chosen one to be an affair, and Beauty made him believe that he's the legal one?

For the first time in history, Beauty Smith has made a record, doesn't she?

But at the end of the day, she needs to pick only one of them. And for Nicholas and Johnson, they have to make sure that Beauty Smith is telling the truth and making sure what was her real motive for being with the two. For dating the legal one and the affair one.

What's gonna happen next, we'll never know.

More updates about our school buzz coming soon!

WHAT. THE. HELL.

I could not believe what I just read!

I became a trend real quick and in a veryyyy bad way. I have no idea that I am dating both of them AT THE SAME TIME!

I could never do that. I am not that type of girl, but now, in the eyes of everyone, I am a two-timer.

Who does that?

Right. The ones who lack self-love, probably. But hey, I lack self-love too. Almost empty, but I never dated two guys or more at the same time. And now, everyone's eyes are on me most especially the girls who are probably into my guy friends. If they are gonna take them, they better get this issue cleared.

I am definitely gonna clear my name and this issue up. By then, I would probably never want to hang out with any of them anymore.

L made a long whistle 'til it faded away and commented, "Juicy"

"Shut up, L! Do you think it's funny and interesting? Just look at what happened! All of a sudden, I'm in hell." I reacted.

"Come on B, it's not true anyway." she said with a shrug.

"I don't care, L. I am definitely clearing my name! And I hate being in the spotlight too." I heaved out a deep sigh, making sure that L is going to feel how frustrated and angry I am because of the issue.

As much as I genuinely despise the idea of having an affair, what I hated the most is having a rumor spread about ME, about the things that rumor said that I did even though I never did it. I have no idea what's going on. This is really frustrating. If ever I get to have my own lovelife, I want to be with someone faithful and I am definitely not getting an affair.

Unfaithful lovers are NOTHING but fake lovers. It is not genuine, not true. I don't get why people date, when they get attracted to others easily and date them too and sleep with them while their present partner is waiting for them.

Just a friendly suggestion to those who love dating two or more at the same time.

You better stop doing that.

'Cause someday, you'll meet your match who can do much worse than you.

Players are nothing but inconsiderate with other people's feelings, do they? And in the end, they'll just waste other people's time.

Why get a partner when you want to have another? Crazy bastards.

I couldn't believe that I was accused of doing something I despised the most.

"You said that, but how are you going to clear your name?" L asked me.

For a while, I was silent but answered, "No plans at the moment. I'm still trying to process the issue inside my mind. I'll get back at you with a plan."

She chuckled. "Alright, alright. You better hurry before another false issue about you arises."

She's right. I shouldn't have ignored the issue we have and I should have cleared everything and put the issue to an end from the start, but I never did.

No one is to blame but me.

I'm putting this to an end.

"I-I think I need to rest for a while," I said and hurried upstairs towards my room without looking back at L and the laptop.

Now, what should I do?

As I stepped inside my room, I shut the door. I was about to jump into the bed and tuck myself inside my blanket when I saw all the clothes I left on my bed.

So before laying down the bed, I grabbed all of the clothes I put in the bed this morning and threw all of them down the floor. After clearing the bed, I jumped in and tucked myself inside, drifting away from reality to my dreamland.

Boy, I was exhausted that I chose to sleep than to eat even though I am starving. I've got a lot in mind right now, so maybe it's much better if I sleep. I'll eat tomorrow morning.

❀

"Hey sleepy head, wake up! It's already seven o'clock in the morning, and you're still sleeping?!" that familiar voice woke me up and forcefully made my eyes shut open in an instant. "We're getting late!"

Scratching my eyes to adjust my eyesight, I followed the voice booming all around my room then grabbed my eyeglass under my pillow and wore it

"What are you doing here?!" I asked NJ, the culprit for waking me up. "It's still early! Let me sleep."

"We have class today! We're gonna be late." he stated.

"Again, I don't care. Why don't you just go to school by yourself?" I asked him.

"Didn't I tell you that I'd like to show everyone that we are friends, like how you show your friendship with Tom to everyone too."

All of a sudden, flashbacks of that moment came rushing towards my mind that led me into remembering our latest issue that made me pushed him away literally.

"Go away!" I demanded. Hasn't he heard about the fake news we've got?

"Whoa," he reacted. "Take it easy! I don't bite. What's wrong with you?"

"Haven't you heard of the issue spreading around?" I asked.

"You mean the photo issue?" he responded.

"Not only that. The latest issue we have!" I answered. "Check out the school's website. Everything's there. It's not even accurate!"

"Before that, you better prepare for school," he said. "If you're not gonna move by yourself, I'm gonna throw you to the bathroom." he threatened me.

"Ooh. Scary," I answered him sarcastically but I dragged myself out from the bed. "Now, go away. I'm gonna prepare for school." I said and pushed him out of my room then shut the door closed.

How did he manage to get in? I made sure to lock my door before I go to sleep. Did my mother give him a duplicate key for my room?

I walked towards the area where I threw all of my clothes last night and one by one, picked them up to smell them. Seems like some of the clothes lying down on the floor need to be washed but when I picked some clothes that didn't smell bad, I chose to wear them. Based on the smell, it seems that some of them are manageable to wear too. I assume that it's still clean.

I threw the clean clothes that I picked to the bed before dragging myself into the bathroom to take a bath.

From the other side of my bedroom's door, even though I am inside the bathroom, I could hear NJ humming a song that I am not familiar with. I wonder if that was his own tune but whatever. No need to ponder. All I need is to finish taking a bath so we can go to school together.

Maybe I'll ask NJ to part ways before turning the left corner of our street.

I needed time to think of a way on how to clear this mess all by myself.

Seriously, what a drag.

❀