School Whispers

By Monday, the rumors had sharpened. From the rumors that started when Lashy went to a party with Matthew to a rumor that is obviously made from everyone's mouth.

“She’s with Matthew now.”

“No way. He’s just messing with her.”

“Did you see her at the party?”

Lashy walked the halls with her chin high, pretending the whispers didn’t exist. But when she passed Matthew’s locker, he gave her a crooked grin, and it made all the noise fade.

“Skipped class?” he asked, falling into step beside her. “I was late.” She answered as her mood slowly lit up.

“Better. Next time, don’t bother showing up at all.”

She laughed, even though she knew he wasn't joking. The teachers had started noticing her slipping grades. Her parents had started noticing her slipping curfew.

But Matthew noticed her. And that was enough for her.

It started with a hoodie.

Matthew tossed it at her one night as they sat on the hood of his friend’s car, the city lights twinkling around them. “Wear it,” he said simply.

She hesitated, fingering the rough black fabric. It smelled faintly of smoke and cologne, a sharp contrast to her usual lavender-scented cardigans. But for some reason she loved the smell. It really reminds her of Matthew.

When she pulled it over her head, it swallowed her whole.

Matthew looked at her for a long moment, smirk fading into something softer. “Better.” Her chest tightened. She didn’t know what “better” meant to him, but she liked it.

And for the first time, she realized she hadn’t worn pink in days.

...----------------...

“Where did that come from?” her mom demanded when Lashy came downstairs in the hoodie.

“A friend.”

“That’s not your style.”

“Maybe it is now.” She shrugs.

Her father slammed his hand against the table. “Don’t talk back to your mother.”

“I’m not!” Her voice cracked, hot tears burning her eyes. “You don’t get it! You don’t get me.”

Her mother’s face crumpled. “We don’t even recognize you anymore.” She said firmly. The words struck deep inside her. Because Lashy wasn’t sure she recognized herself either.

She was devastated by the family lectures that has happened, but her face immediately lit up when Matthew had asked her to hang out.

It was late, the city nearly silent, they were alone in that place. That they could freely do what they want.

Matthew had walked her to the park, the swings swaying gently in the wind. They sat side by side, silence stretching, the weight of unspoken things hanging between them.

Then he leaned closer, his voice a whisper. “You ever kissed anyone before?” Her breath hitched. “No.”

His smirk was soft this time, almost tender. Not the lazy one that she was used to. “Wanna fix that?” She didn’t answer, but when his lips brushed hers, she didn’t pull away.

It was messy, tasting faintly of smoke and sugar from the candy he’d eaten, but her heart soared.

When he pulled back, he smirked again. “Not bad, Pinky. You’re learning.” She touched her lips, dizzy.

And she knew she was falling. Falling too hard, that couldn't be saved.

Silence lingers between them. "Let's go home." He insists and Lashy quickly stand up and smiled. "Yeah."

It was 2 AM and Lashy easily went into her bed. She wasn't scared anymore, was it because of the kiss? Just by thinking of that kiss that had happened, she couldn't help but to squeak.

She was too happy that she didn't realize that her math teacher pulled her aside after class.

“Lashy, is everything okay at home?”

“Yes,” she lied.

“Your work has been slipping. You’re not the student you used to be. I have seen your grades and works on your previous school, it was perfect.”

She mumbled another excuse, but her ears burned. The words “not the student you used to be” echoed in her mind.

Not the daughter she used to be.

Not the girl she used to be.

She shoved the thoughts aside and texted Matthew instead.

[Where are you?]

Within minutes, his reply came, her face lit up. Suddenly, the disappointment disappeared.

[Out. Come here.]

And that was all it took. Her lies were smoother now.

“Yes, I’m staying at Blaire's.”

“Yes, we’re working on a project.”

Yes, yes, yes. The words came smoothly, without guilt and hesitant.

She slipped into the night again, Matthew’s shadow swallowing hers. The party was louder, wilder. Teenagers pressed bottles into her hand, laughter spilled too close to her ears.

She drank. She laughed. She let Matthew spin her in the middle of the crowd until she couldn’t tell if the dizziness was from alcohol or from him.

Her phone buzzed in her pocket—three missed calls from Mom.

She ignored them.

Lashy stood in front of her mirror later that night, mascara smudged, lips swollen from Matthew’s kisses. Her pink bows lay untouched in their drawer.

Her room, once her sanctuary, now felt foreign. She didn’t look like the girl her parents had raised. She didn’t feel like the girl who’d walked into Moonlight High School on her first day.

She was someone else now. Someone Matthew had made. And for the first time, she wasn’t sure if she could ever go back.

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