Talk of the Campus

After a while, I finally convinced my parents to go on a trip and asked Lexi to stay with a friend, precisely Lia. I didn't tell them about the stalker yet; Lexi too doesn't know what happened last summer. I decided I was not going to put my family in danger. My parents are in Utah, Lexi at Lia's, and I am home alone. Olivia insisted on staying with me, but I convinced her not to since I had no idea how dangerous this stalker was.

I was so caught up with the stalker situation that I forgot about my rumors at school. People have been talking about how I broke Nyx's heart and she suffered so much that she had to leave the school. Of course, the rumors would die down, but in people's hearts, somewhere there will always be hatred for me. I need to put an end to this. I need to find who made the rumors and expose them.

"Hey, I need your help," I said on a call.

The next day was a beautiful day; it was raining (I love rain). I enjoyed the weather with a cup of hot chocolate and went to school. I love being alone sometimes; it's far more peaceful—no rules, nothing. You could get up and cook at 3:00 am and no one would tell you a thing. But yet, I can sit at home and relax. My not going to school would be a key to proving that rumors are right. Besides, a stalker is lingering around the corners of my house that I don't even know about. So, staying at home is also scary but not more than going to school.

I got dressed for school. Since it's raining, I decided to go with a plain brown pleated midi dress. Underneath it, I wore a white shirt and brown boots. I also wore a rain sweater along with an umbrella in hand and walked down the road on my way to school. It was peaceful; there were not many people on the roads because it was raining and also because it was 7 am.

I reached the school gate. I could see a few students here and there. I went to my classroom, and there was barely any student—just one boy who is a quiet kid, and nobody talks to him since he is weird. I went to check in on Liv's class, and she was sitting on her bench writing something.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I asked her, but she quickly hid the paper.

"Guess it wasn't for me," I said, making a sad puppy face.

"Umm... sorry about that. But I hope nothing happened last night," she said.

"Yeah, it was peaceful in my house. Like no one was making lots of noise. I was able to do some photoshoots too. I was thinking about asking you to come over tonight, like just you and me, like a movie date?" I said because I did feel bad about turning her down yesterday.

"Oh well, about that, I am sorry. I won't be able to; I have plans for tonight," she said. I felt my heart sink.

"Oh, that's alright. So, I will get going now. See you at lunch," I said and left the classroom. I was feeling down, and I might have cried, so I just left the place. That's unfair; I'm upset over something that isn't even mine and might never be too. It's just heartbreaking to imagine. I like her so much; we are close, but can't be that close. I just couldn't hold back my tears and went to the washroom. I cried in the toilet; in case someone I knew came in, I didn't want to answer questions.

I got a call; it was Amelia.

"Hey, I see your stuff. Are you in school?" she asked.

"Yeah, I am. I was just heading towards the classroom," I said and cut off the call. I looked at the time; it was 7:30 am. Classes start in like half an hour. The date today, however, was 31st August, which means tomorrow is my birthday. While I don't think it's important enough to tell Liv about it, besides, I never see Lia celebrating her birthday, so I guess it's not much of a tradition at their place.

I walked out of the toilet, washed my face, and fixed my makeup a little bit so it didn't look like I had been crying for the past 10 minutes. I walked towards the classroom; I saw more people than before. All my friends were present except for Lexi and Liv since they are in different grades, which is like on a whole other floor.

"Hey there, guys," I said. They were discussing something but stopped when they saw me.

"Hey there, come join us," said James. I walked over to them.

"So what's up?" I asked them.

"Oh, nothing. It's just another rumor about you that has spread," said Lia.

"What rumor?" I asked and sighed.

"This time, Nyx is accusing you of abusing her," said Amelia.

"Wait, what? Abusing her? What is she on?" I said.

"Exactly, I mean, I don't get why she would accuse you like that," said James.

"I know why; she is a popular influencer. Nyx can't watch her being happy, so her downfall will make her happy," said Amelia. Now that she mentioned it, I do see it now. She was also trying to get me away from my friends too.

"Now we just need evidence for her to shut up," said Jeremy. And then it clicked for me.

"Oh my god, guys, I was watching old dwarf clips of my videos yesterday, and I came across this one video that I remember I was shooting at school, and Nyx popped out of nowhere and started talking shit about everyone. That was also the time I broke off with her," I said, recalling that incident years ago.

"It's perfect; you send me that file. I will edit it and upload it first thing tomorrow so that she doesn't trouble you again," said James.

"How about you just come over to my place?" I asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry; I have plans tonight, and coming to your place and going back will interrupt my plans," said James.

Certainly! Here's the revised continuation without the removed line:

As the lecture droned on, I found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. My mind kept wandering back to the strange behavior of James and the others. Were they just busy with their plans, or was there something more going on?

When the bell finally rang for the end of the day, I gathered my things and headed out of the classroom. Lexi caught up with me in the hallway.

"Hey," she said softly, looking slightly nervous. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"is everything alright?" I asked feeling concerned,

"yeah it's fine, it's just I am worried about you," she said,

"oh don't worry about me, nothing will ever happen to me, and if you need someone to talk to I am always ready to hear," I said and smiled

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Lexi said with a small smile. 

We walked together a bit longer, chatting about lighter topics to lighten the mood. Despite the lingering unease about the rumors and James' and other's behavior, I was grateful for Lexi's honesty. It reminded me that friendships could weather misunderstandings and uncertainties, as long as there was open communication and trust.

As we parted ways, I couldn't help but wonder what the next day would bring. Would James follow through with his promise to help with the evidence against Nyx? And more importantly, would we finally uncover the truth behind the rumors and put an end to the speculation once and for all?

That evening, as I arrived home feeling both relieved and apprehensive about the upcoming events, I noticed something unusual—a trail of colorful balloons leading to my front door. My heart raced with curiosity and excitement. What could this mean? As I cautiously approached, the door swung open, revealing a darkened interior with faint flickers of light and the sound of whispered voices.

Entering cautiously, I flicked on the lights to reveal a room filled with familiar faces shouting, "Surprise!" Confetti flew through the air as I stood there, stunned and overwhelmed. It was then that I realized: amidst the chaos of rumors and uncertainty, my friends had orchestrated a joyous celebration to mark not just the end of a challenging chapter, but the beginning of something new.

Tears welled up in my eyes as hugs and laughter enveloped me. Lexi, with a mischievous grin, handed me a beautifully wrapped gift. "Happy Birthday!" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with mischief. "We wanted to make sure you knew how much we appreciate you."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, I thanked each friend, soaking in the warmth and love of the moment. The doubts and worries of the day melted away as I realized how fortunate I was to have such incredible friends by my side. As we celebrated late into the night, I couldn't help but feel a renewed sense of hope and excitement for the future—a future where rumors would no longer hold sway, and true friendship would prevail.