Chapter 2

Chapter 2 Laughed at by the Whole School

By the next day, the rumors spread like a virus. During the first break, I went to the restroom. Two girls were fixing their lipstick in the mirror, eyeing me through the reflection.

“That’s her, right?” one whispered.

“Yeah, the girl from the post,” the other replied. “She’s pretty enough, I guess. Too bad she’s such a desperate simp.”

They made sure I could hear them. I didn’t look up. I just washed my hands, dried them, and walked out.

As I reached the door, a scoff followed me. “Pretending to be all high and mighty now. Where was that pride when she was stalking him?”

During the second break, someone shouted from the hallway. “Sienna! Stellan is here! Hurry up and look!”

I turned around, only to see a group of guys doubling over with laughter. Stellan wasn't there. They were just mocking me.

By the third period, someone had used chalk on the blackboard. They wrote “Sienna → Stellan” inside a messy heart. The class president tried to wipe it off when I walked in, but the damage was done.

Everyone had already seen it. I sat at my desk and opened my textbook wide, trying to hide my face.

Maisie slammed her hand on the table. “Who did this? We need to check the cameras! Tell the counselor!”

“Forget it,” I told her.

“You can’t just let this go!” Maisie’s face was red with fury. “If you don’t explain, they’ll think you’re admitting it’s true!”

“Explaining won’t help,” I said, flipping a page. “Once people decide on a narrative, the truth doesn't matter. They just care if the story is funny.”

Maisie went quiet. She knew I was right.

The rumors were just the spark. The real reason this exploded was Stellan himself. He was the school’s golden boy―top of the class, star of the basketball team, and he had a face that half the girls on campus tried to photograph.

His existence was a constant headline. Any girl linked to him, true or not, was instant clickbait. I was just the unlucky girl chosen to be the “content.”