Chapter Three: The Rumor

The next morning, I arrived on campus determined to prove something to myself.

Great Williams did not affect me.

Not his stupid smile.

Not his irritating confidence.

Not the way he'd looked at me under that umbrella yesterday.

Nothing.

I walked into the lecture hall, dropped my bag onto my usual seat, and opened my notebook.

Two minutes later, someone sat beside me.

I didn't look.

"Good morning."

I recognized the voice immediately.

"Morning."

Great leaned closer.

"You sound disappointed."

"I'm not."

"You didn't even look at me."

"I don't need to look at you to know you're here."

He chuckled.

"Interesting."

I finally turned toward him.

"Where's my notebook?"

He placed it on the desk between us.

"Good morning to you too."

I grabbed it.

"Thank you."

"You could at least smile."

"I am smiling."

"That's not a smile."

"Then stop looking at my face."

He laughed.

I tried not to smile.

I failed.

He noticed.

Of course he did.

"There it is."

I immediately looked away.

"Don't flatter yourself."

Before he could respond, the lecturer entered.

For the next hour, I concentrated on the lecture.

Or at least, I tried to.

Because Great kept tapping his pen against the desk.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

I turned toward him.

"Can you stop?"

He stopped.

For approximately ten seconds.

Then he started again.

I kicked his shoe underneath the desk.

He looked at me with exaggerated surprise.

"Violence?"

"Warning."

He smiled.

"Noted."

After class, Ada caught up with me.

"Chisom."

"Hmm?"

"What's going on between you and Great?"

I nearly stopped walking.

"Nothing."

She raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

"You were smiling at him."

"I smile at people."

"You don't smile at him the way you smile at people."

I rolled my eyes.

"Please."

She laughed.

"I'm just saying."

We continued walking toward the cafeteria.

Then I heard someone call Great's name behind us.

A group of girls stood near the staircase.

One of them walked toward him.

She was beautiful.

Tall, confident, perfectly dressed.

And she didn't look like someone who had come to say hello.

She stopped directly in front of Great.

"You've been avoiding me."

Great's smile disappeared.

"I've been busy."

"Busy?"

"Yes."

She glanced at me.

Then at Ada.

Then back at him.

"With her?"

My stomach tightened.

Great's expression hardened.

"Don't start."

She folded her arms.

"I'm not starting anything. I'm asking a question."

I looked at Ada.

"Who's that?"

Ada lowered her voice.

"That's Vanessa."

"Who is Vanessa?"

She hesitated.

"Great's ex."

I looked back at them.

Ex.

For some reason, that single word bothered me more than it should have.

Vanessa stepped closer to Great.

"We need to talk."

"There's nothing to talk about."

"There is."

Great sighed.

"Not here."

She smiled.

"Then I'll wait."

He walked away from her.

But before he left, his eyes briefly met mine.

I looked away.

I had no business caring.

Great and Vanessa had a history.

That was normal.

Everyone had a past.

So why did my chest feel tight?

"Chisom?"

I looked at Ada.

"I'm fine."

"You didn't say anything."

"I don't have anything to say."

She gave me a knowing look.

I hated that look.

We entered the cafeteria.

I ordered food and sat with Ada.

I was halfway through my meal when my phone buzzed.

A message from Great.

Great: Don't believe everything you hear.

I stared at the screen.

I hadn't even heard anything.

At least, not yet.

I typed:

Me: What am I supposed to hear?

He didn't reply.

I frowned.

"Who is it?"

"Nobody."

Ada laughed.

"You're terrible at lying."

I ignored her.

A few minutes later, Michael joined us.

He dropped into the chair opposite me.

"You guys heard?"

"Heard what?" I asked.

He looked at Ada.

Then back at me.

"About Great."

My stomach dropped.

"What about him?"

Michael lowered his voice.

"Apparently, he and Vanessa didn't exactly break up peacefully."

I put my spoon down.

"What happened?"

"Nobody knows the full story."

Ada leaned forward.

"Then why are you telling us?"

"Because people are saying Great cheated."

My eyebrows rose.

"With who?"

Michael shrugged.

"That's the thing."

He looked around before continuing.

"They're saying it was someone close to Vanessa."

Silence.

I suddenly lost my appetite.

Ada looked at me.

"Don't look like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're bothered."

"I'm not bothered."

Michael laughed.

"I didn't say you were."

I glared at him.

He immediately raised his hands.

"Okay, okay."

My phone buzzed again.

This time, Great.

Great: Can I explain?

I stared at the message.

I didn't know what to say.

Before I could reply, another notification appeared.

A picture.

I opened it.

My heart stopped.

It was Great and Vanessa.

They were standing very close together.

Too close.

The picture looked old.

But it was clear enough to make the rumors feel suddenly real.

Another message came.

Great: Please don't judge me before I tell you the truth.

I locked my phone.

I didn't know what the truth was.

But suddenly, I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

Because somewhere between the arguments, the stolen pen, the umbrella, and the stupid smiles...

I had started trusting him.

And that scared me more than the rumor.

That evening, I was leaving the library when I saw Vanessa standing alone near the gate.

She looked directly at me.

Then she walked toward me.

"You're Chisom, right?"

I stopped.

"Yes."

She studied my face for a moment.

Then she said something that made my entire body go cold.

"You need to stay away from Great."

I frowned.

"Why?"

She looked over her shoulder.

Then back at me.

"Because you don't know what kind of person he is."

I swallowed.

"And you do?"

Her expression changed.

"I know him better than you ever will."

She walked away.

I stood there, watching her disappear into the crowd.

My phone buzzed.

Great.

Great: Where are you?

I stared at the message for several seconds.

Then I typed:

Me: We need to talk.

His reply came almost immediately.

Great: I know.

I frowned.

Then another message appeared.

Great: And whatever Vanessa told you... it's not the whole story.

I looked toward the direction Vanessa had gone.

For the first time, I wondered whether the space between Great and me had started becoming something more than friendship.

And whether Vanessa had just given me a reason to be afraid of crossing it.