CHAPTER 2: One Photo, A Thousand Rumors

EVELYN'S POV

I took his hand instinctively, and he pulled me up with so much ease. My eyes locked onto his green eyes, and I couldn't do anything but stare at him.

There was a sharp flash, and that helped me break the gaze, and snatch my hand out of his grip. I took two steps back and lowered my head. “Thank you…” I shuddered, heart racing.

For a moment I didn't hear a single thing, so I lifted my gaze slowly. My heart froze when I saw his face. He was staring at me so intently. Far behind him, the corner of my eye caught Jason staring at me. He shook his head when our eyes met, then left.

I couldn't take the piercing stares of everyone around me anymore, so I just squeezed in between the Westlake players and ran off to my dorm.

***

Buzz-buzz!

My phone wouldn't stop vibrating, and I hissed out loud. Still half asleep, I fumbled around my desk until my fingers found my phone.

I picked the call without staring at the screen. “Hello…”

“Why the fuck haven't you been responding to my texts?” Chloe shot at me once again, and I let out a frustrated sigh.

“Do you even know what the time is?” I asked, then glanced at my wall clock and instantly regretted asking that question.

“It's 9:20 AM, you fool…” she responded, and I just couldn't help but let out a muffled laugh.

“So, what is it…” I asked, sitting up on my bed. “Why exactly have you been sending me several texts?”

She scoffed, and I could picture her doing her hands akimbo. “The internet is going crazy because of you, and there you are… having a peaceful sleep.”

My brows furrowed at her words. “What do you mean by the internet going crazy because of me?”

“You have a phone right?” She asked in a sarcastic tone. “You could just check.”

I let out a sigh and shook my head as I navigated to the school's gist platform. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the pinned post of the page. It was the picture of Damien holding my hand, with the caption — 'North Crest Cheer Captain Dumps School Hockey Captain for Westlake Rival Captain.'

My fingers curled tightly around my phone. “What the fuck?”

“Uh… now you get why everyone is going crazy,” Chloe clicked her tongue, then laughed softly. “So tell me… is there really something going on between you and Damien? Cause, that would be crazyyy.”

“Just shut the fuck up,” I shot at her, then sighed. “I've gotta go now… I'll hit you up later.”

“You'd better not be gatekeeping gists from me,” she muttered teasingly, and I ended the call.

My fingers trembled as I scrolled through the thousands of comments under the post. Some thought I dumped Jason because his team had lost to Westlake, while others thought I was just a slut who would do anything to stay relevant.

After a whole lot of crazy comments, I eventually shut down my phone and crashed on the bed, eyes fixed on the ceiling. There's no way I'm going to let all the noise distract me from my sole focus. So, I picked up my books and started studying.

***

On my way back from the Library, I sighed heavily and pulled my hood closer to my face as the stares and whispers grew worse. I kept walking around less crowded paths until I almost bumped into someone around the school's park.

I instantly regretted it when I took off my hood to stare at the person before me. “What exactly was that yesterday?” Jason asked, raising a brow.

“What do you mean?” I tried walking past him, but he pulled me back.

“You know exactly what I meant,” he roared, eyes narrowed at me. “How could you betray your own school team?”

“And how exactly did I betray my school?” I responded in a cold tone, despite the fire raging inside me.

“I don't know why you can't see it,” he bit his lower lip, and I hissed. “Damien is just using you to get to me.”

WHAT AN IDIOT

At that point, I'd already had enough with him. “Get the fuck out of my face, or I'll scream right here and let everyone know, how much of an insecure bitch you are.”

“What?” He asked, eyes widening.

I shrugged, glancing past him and he stepped aside. I let out a heavy sigh as I walked past him, and headed towards my dorm.

***THREE DAYS LATER***

I was in the library studying, when a notification popped into my phone from the school's page. It was a joint charity and student leadership program always held before the annual Winter Classic rivalry. Every major sports team participates, in order to improve relations between schools before the nationally televised game.

A poll was dropped after the notification about choosing two people to represent the school. There were ten names, but the highest number of votes went to Jason and me.

“What the fuck?” I mumbled, as I navigated off the page.

I was about to drop my phone when another notification came in. I clicked my tongue before I opened it—it was a message from the school council.

Hi Miss Evelyn, you've been selected to represent the North Crest hockey team in the joint charity and student leadership program. Please make yourself available at the school council hall by 4PM for preparations as regards the event.

“What the…” I bit my lower lip as I glanced at the time on my phone.

It was literally fifteen minutes to four. Just how crazy is the school's management?

I pushed myself up and threw on a jacket before heading out.

***

The atmosphere in the Council hall was already tense when I stepped inside. Jason's gaze was locked on Damien, while Damien simply ignored him. Jason only retracted his gaze when the school board walked in.

They explained everything about the annual Winter Classic, and told us that we were expected to work together for the next two weeks, attend charity events, visit community centers, and appear before the media as representatives of both universities.

The irony almost made me laugh.

Out of every student on campus, I had somehow been paired with my ex-boyfriend while the entire internet was convinced I was secretly involved with his biggest rival.

The school board continued speaking for almost an hour, explaining schedules, responsibilities, media appearances, and the consequences of failing to attend any official event.

By the time the meeting finally came to an end, my head was pounding.

Chairs scraped against the floor as everyone began filing out of the hall.

Jason walked past me without sparing me another glance.

I let out a quiet breath and headed for the exit, wanting nothing more than to return to my room.

“Evelyn.”

My footsteps came to an abrupt stop.

That voice...

I slowly turned around, heart slamming hard against my chest.

Damien was standing a few feet away, his hands tucked inside the pockets of his jacket. The rest of the hall had almost emptied, leaving only the two of us and a few members of the school board gathering their files.

He held my gaze for a brief moment before speaking. “How are you holding up?”

For a second, I simply stared at him.

Everyone else had spent the last three days talking about me, accusing me, judging me, or dragging my name across social media.

He was the first person who had actually asked how I was doing, apart from Lilly.

I forced out a small smile and nodded slightly. “I've been better.”

A gentle smile crept onto his lips, as though that was the answer he had expected. “I'm sorry,” he said quietly. “I never thought helping someone up would put this much pressure on you.”

My heart skipped as I stared into his eyes. “It wasn't your fault.”

Silence settled between us once again, and I shifted awkwardly, tightening my grip around the strap of my bag. “I should get going.”

Damien gave a small nod, his eyes still fixed on me. “Take care of yourself, Evelyn.”

I looked at him for one last second before turning around and walking out of the hall.

For reasons I couldn't explain, it felt like my heart was going to explode just by talking to him.