kaitlynn rose // h.s

rumors

"Okay, so like, when you disappeared the other night..." Erin starts. We were in our room, laying on the floor and talking. Our classes had finished for the day, so we were killing some time before we had to start doing homework.  "Where did you go?"

"Oh. I uh, stepped out for air. It was really crowded in there."

"If you were to ever go off and sleep with a guy at a party, which I'm not saying you did or anything, would you tell me?"

I sit up and look over at her in confusion. "Uh, I guess? That's kind of a weird question, Erin. Did you think that's what I was doing?"

"I mean, I didn't say that's what I think. But I heard some... things."

"What do you mean you heard some things? Can you stop being vague as hell and tell me whats going on please?"

She sits up and plays with the hem of her shirt in anxiousness. "Well I was with Liam earlier, who was with his group of friends. A guy named Harry was there, and they were all like giving him props? And they were talking about how he fucked you at the party. I don't know. I assumed it was you they were talking about, 'cause Liam told them all to shut up and looked at me worried."

My eyes widen and I could feel my heart rate increase. What the actual hell? "Wait, did Harry tell them that we did?"

"I don't actually know. He didn't say a word the whole time, he just rolled his eyes at them. He glanced over at me when they were talking about you and I could have sworn he almost looked worried. It was really weird. How do you even know him?"

"He's in two of my classes. I did go upstairs with him, but I didn't do anything with him. I promise you."

"What did you do then? Why would he take you upstairs?"

I bite my lip and recall the conversation I had with Harry. I barely knew him, but for some reason it felt  totally wrong to tell Erin his secret.

"I can't tell you. But it really wasn't that big of a deal."

"Kait, I'm your best friend. Why won't you just tell me?"

I sigh. "I know, and I love you. But I just can't tell you."

//

the next day

It felt like everybody was watching me as I walked past Harry and sat down in my seat for photography. It was likely that absolutely nobody was, but ever since Erin told me about the rumors it felt weird to even be near him. I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye, but I didn't dare meet his gaze. I pulled out my notes and jotted down today's date on a new page. I could not wait for this class to be over.

A slow hour and a half eventually passes by and I stand in a hurry to leave the room. My anxiety was going to make my body explode. My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest as I rushed by him.

"Kaitlynn."

I freeze as my name rolls of his tongue, his accent thick. I keep my head down, not daring to look at him. He stands and walks in front of me, stopping a foot away from me. He opens the book that's in my hands and slips a piece of paper in before closing it. Without a word, he turns and walks out of the room. I felt like I was going to pass out as I watched him walk away.

Once I'm outside the classroom, I open my book and take the paper with my shaking fingers. I unfold it, seeing his scribbly writing in the middle. There was an address, followed by a short few sentences.

meet me at this address at eight pm tonight. we need to talk.

- H.

//

I never thought I'd be the type of person to go to a random address to meet a person who I don't know at all, but I guess I am.

The address led me to a hole in the wall ice cream parlor a couple of blocks off campus. He's sitting in the far corner, looking down at the coffee mug in his hands. When he hears the bell on the door, he looks up and his eyes meet mine.

I slide into the booth across from him and set my bag down next to me. "Is this another one of your secret places?"

His lip twitches up into a smirk for a second and then goes back to normal. "I guess, yeah. I didn't think you would show."

"I didn't think I would either."

He nods, glancing down at his cup again. He fumbles with the paper on the end of his tea bag, twisting it around the handle of the mug. "Why did you?"

When I don't answer right away, he looks up at me again. I shrug as he stares into my eyes. "Because I have questions, and I'm guessing that you have answers since you probably already know what I'm going to ask you."

He doesn't reply, but his stare breaks again as he glances past me.

"That is why you invited me here, right? Or did you invite me here so we could be seen by somebody and have more rumors fly around?"

His eyes close as his head falls. "I told you I was sorry."

"You could have warned me."

"I know. And I should have. I didn't think you would hear anything that might've gone around. I didn't realize Erin was your roommate. If I would've known, I absolutely would have explained everything to you."

I take a deep breath and wait until he's looking at me again to say anything.

"Lets say, theoretically of course, that you had taken me upstairs to sleep with me," I say quietly. "Why would it matter enough for people to talk about it? For your friends to fucking congratulate you for it?"

He sighs and takes a drink. He looks nervous. "I guess I'll start out with the fact that I kind of have this reputation with my friends. Ever since I got to college, I've been the frat guy. I was the guy who had all the parties. Who drank all night and slept with girls every weekend. The first two years here, that's who I was. But last year and over the past few months I haven't been exactly upkeeping that image, I guess. So when my mate saw us going upstairs, he told everybody else that I had my 'groove back' which is why a rumor spread."

"Why won't you tell them the truth? You said they're your friends. If you don't wanna be that guy anymore, that shouldn't affect your friendships."

"The whole reason they started hanging out with me back at home was because of my image," he says quietly. "It's too complicated to tell them anything."

"Listen, I can't tell you how to live your life, nor can I tell you what's right or wrong. But honestly, if they're really your friends, they'll accept who you really are. If they can't, they're not worth your time. I can tell you're not that guy, Harry. I'm surprised they haven't figured it out yet."