Pulled in Two Directions
The gossip started subtly at first—whispers in the hallways, lingering stares that felt heavier than usual. I brushed it off as leftover drama from the party, but then the anonymous account appeared, and everything spiraled out of control.
It started with a single post:
“Word is, Emma’s caught between two bad boys. But has Caleb given her more than just late-night thrills? Rumor has it, she’s got something she can’t get rid of—if you know what I mean.”
My stomach dropped as I read the words, bile rising in my throat. The implications were clear, and the comment section made it even worse:
“Yikes, imagine choosing Caleb and ending up in a clinic.”
“STD girl strikes again.”
“Emma’s not just passing notes anymore, huh?”
The cruelty was overwhelming. My hands trembled as I scrolled through the comments, each one worse than the last. By the time I put my phone down, my chest was tight, and I was struggling to breathe.
***
People glanced at me in the halls, their faces a mix of pity, judgment, and amusement. Every laugh, every murmur—it all felt like it was aimed at me. Even Sarah couldn’t shield me from it.
“Who would even start something like this?” I asked her during lunch, my voice cracking.
“Someone jealous,” she said firmly. “Someone pathetic who has nothing better to do.”
“But people believe it,” I said, my hands gripping the edge of the table. “They’re acting like it’s true.”
Sarah reached out, her hand covering mine. “It’s not true, Emma. The people who matter know that.”
Her words were meant to comfort me, but they did little to ease the knot in my stomach. Everywhere I turned, I felt the weight of their judgment, the sting of their assumptions.
***
Caleb, of course, was unfazed. When I brought it up to him after school, he shrugged it off like it was nothing.
“Let them talk,” he said, leaning casually against his car. “Who cares what they think?”
“I care,” I snapped, my frustration boiling over. “They’re saying I have an STD, Caleb. They’re acting like I’m some—”
“Some what?” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “Some girl who actually has a life? Who doesn’t live by their stupid rules? Screw them, Emma. They’re just jealous.”
“Jealous of what?” I asked, throwing up my hands. “That my life is falling apart?”
Caleb stepped closer, his smirk softening into something almost tender. “No,” he said quietly. “That you’ve got me.”
His confidence was maddening and strangely comforting at the same time, but it didn’t erase the doubt gnawing at the edges of my mind. The rumors, the fight with Logan, Vanessa’s games—it was all spiraling out of control, and I didn’t know how to stop it.
***
Logan wasn’t staying quiet either. I caught him glaring at Caleb in the hallways, his fists clenched like he was one wrong move away from starting another fight. When we passed each other between classes, his eyes would linger on me, filled with frustration and something I couldn’t quite name.
The tension between them was suffocating, and the gossip account only made it worse. Every day brought a new post, each one more invasive and cruel than the last.
“Looks like Caleb’s not the only one sharing secrets. Wonder what Emma told the nurse?”
“Two guys, one girl, and a clinic visit. Who wore it better?”
I slammed my phone down, tears stinging my eyes.
