“…can’t believe she—”
“—Bella’s still with him though, right?”
“—guess she couldn’t keep her legs closed—”
Laughter ripples through the room.
My stomach twists.
Leslie stands up and walks over, her expression soft but her eyes darting around nervously. “Hey,” she whispers, sliding into the seat across from me.
“What’s going on?” I ask under my breath, looking over at them. All of their eyes are on me. “Why are they acting like this?”
She hesitates, glancing toward Bella’s table. “You really don’t know?”
“Know what?”
Leslie leans closer, voice low. “Everyone’s saying you… hooked up with Miles.”
The words hit like ice water.
I blink, trying to form a denial, but my throat locks up. “What? That’s—who told them that?”
She shrugs helplessly. “Doesn’t matter. Word’s out. And since Bella and Miles have a… thing, I guess they think you stole her guy.”
I look at her, expecting the same vitriol on her features, but there’s nothing. As soon as Bella and Miles started seeing each other, Leslie has stayed away from him.
I should have done the same.
I stare down at my untouched toast, nausea climbing my throat.
Bella. Of course, it’s Bella.
She’s the kind of girl people orbit—loud, confident, effortlessly magnetic. Everyone knows the rumors about her, that she sleeps around, that she doesn’t care. I used to think she was untouchable because of it. But now I see the truth is that she can get away with it because people like her decide who counts as a slut and who doesn’t.
And today, that’s me.
Leslie fidgets, biting her lip. “They’re saying you’ve been throwing yourself at the guys on the team too. That you slept with Jamie and now you’re just working your way around.”
I feel the blood drain from my face.
“That’s not—” I stop, realizing how useless denial is here. Once a rumor catches, it burns like gasoline.
“Thanks for telling me,” I manage.
Leslie gives a sympathetic nod before retreating to her side of the table.
I sit there, staring into my coffee, heart pounding.
Bella stands up then, her voice carrying over the chatter. “Ladies, meeting in ten!”
She doesn’t even look at me. But the smirk on her face says everything.
I linger by the gym door, hoping maybe I can slip in and out without anyone noticing, but no such luck.
Maggie and Brielle are already there, stretching in their matching leggings, hair slicked back into perfect ponytails.
When they spot me, Maggie grins. “Well, look who decided to show up.”
