The Boy Who Fell Off a Lawn Mower | Watty's '18

10. Gossip Fire

Chapter 10

Gossip Fire

Aida occasionally spent her lunches in the library, rather than sitting through another Tiffany gossip session. Those few lunches she had there were typically spent catching up on homework, but on rare occasions she was able to work on more pleasurable projects.

She sat there, furiously scribbling her pen across the worn notebook she always kept on her. Aida brought the pen to her lips, thinking, and sat back in her chair, when a sudden sharp whispering caught her attention. It wasn't particularly the fact that they were whispering, but rather that she heard the name "Levi" pop into their hushed conversation.

"Didn't you hear about that kid?" asked the first person. Aida was unable to make out what the second person said, but then again heard the first person speak. "He's freaking loaded. Lives in a mansion. His mom is a CEO or something. Everyone thought he was dirt poor but I guess we were all wrong. Everyone has been talking about it all morning."

The second, quieter person spoke again for a minute. Aida was absolutely lost. "And he's cute, too. Looks like we've discovered a hidden gem, huh?" The two whispering girls giggled a little too loudly for a library. Aida watched the librarian send them a stink eye and they stopped talking all together.

Aida frowned, now completely distracted from her work. It was Monday, and she was definitely feeling it. Why were people gossiping about Levi? People never talked about him – people weren't even supposed to know who he was. He probably wasn't even at school, considering his poor attendance record. Aida slowly began packing her bag, feeling uneasy after eavesdropping. She sighed as she gently began to stow her notebook away, noticing she'd lost her train of thought midsentence due to the gossipers.

Suddenly, they began talking again – practically squealing. Aida just had to turn around to see what the big deal was, but she was met face-to-face with Levi himself.

"Mind if I sit?" he asked. He did not look pleased at all. His typical cool composure seemed almost too cool.

"Of course not," replied Aida quickly, moving her backpack off the seat next to her. She ignored the gossipers, knowing they were surely talking about the not-so-new-girl and the hidden gem sitting together.

"What are you working on?" asked Levi, pointing to the open notebook that was still in Aida's hand.

Pink fled onto Aida's cheeks as she quickly finished stuffing it away, with far less delicacy than she would normally use in the interest of haste. "Nothing," she mumbled.

"Well, it certainly looks like something interesting, but you don't have to tell me." He paused and looked directly into her eyes. He spoke quieter, knowing the gossiping girls were listening to them. "What you do have to tell me though, is why everyone is going around telling everyone else that I'm rich."

Yep, definitely too cool. So cool he was practically ice. "Uhh... I'm not sure." Aida was genuinely perplexed for a minute until she connected the dots. The gossiping girls, what she'd told Tiffany at the sleepover, Levi's apparent anger.

Gossip spreads like wildfire here. Tiffany had said it herself. She was the gossip queen. Aida should have known anything she said was fair game.

"Are you sure?" he pressured, leaning in. She could feel his breath; it was hot and angry, a stark contrast to his icy expression.

"No," she replied, even quieter, tearing her eyes away from his as goosebumps rose on her arms from the proximity and loss of eye contact. "How do you know I said something?" she asked, trying to be aloof.

"You saw my house." Levi knew his house didn't belong with what people thought of him. He wanted to be unknown. He wanted to be hidden.

There was a long pause between the two. Aida breathed in the smell of oak that radiated off his typical white shirt and jeans. His deep brown hair was actually styled in place and she realized just how good he looked when he was put together, even though he almost looked better when he was working on the lawn.

Suddenly, Aida realized something. She returned her gaze to him. "Why does it matter?"

He wasn't expecting that. Something flickered through his face, through his gray eyes. His cool composure resumed as quickly as it had disappeared for that second. "That's something I shouldn't have to tell you." He looked deep into Aida's eyes now. "Maybe I enjoy being on the outside of all this. Didn't I tell you I try not to associate with anyone at school?" He waved his hand around him, referring to the building full of gossip. He didn't give Aida a chance to respond. "But anyways... So, you did tell someone?" He knew what Aida had done.

She looked at him, weighing her options. She could deny it. She could own up to it. Hell, she could even blame someone else. But Aida knew what was right. She sighed. "I did. I didn't mean to, it just sort of came out. And I didn't realize anyone would care enough to say anything. I... I'm really sorry. I don't know why you're trying to keep this a secret, but I should have respected that."

Levi's mouth faltered. His lips that had originally been pressed into such a hard line now almost fell open. He was shocked that she'd owned up to it. That's not something he was used to after being at this school for so long. "I guess you were right, Aida, you really aren't from our school." And with that, he stood up and left the library, leaving Aida more lost than she was before.

Had he just accepted her apology? Had he even... complimented her?

All she knew was that she needed to leave. And she walked out to a flurry of whispers from the gossipers behind her.

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A/N: How do you feel about Aida after she blabbed Levi's secret? Mad at her or do you think she was just an innocent victim of Tiffany's gossip fire?

I know this was kind of short, but I'm okay with that. Hope you enjoyed, don't forget to vote!! Officially adding the Watty's tag today :) Also, I have the next 4 chapters written, so comment if you want the next one! 

Thanks for reading xx