Secrets In The Garden / l.h ✔️

44

~Ophelia's POV~

I stared at the floor as Luke and I sat next to each other in health, the sound of Ms. Chen's voice fading into the background the farther I drifted off into thought.

Before I could get too deep into my mind, Luke gently nudged me in the side with his elbow, making me look over at him and frown. "You thinking about something?" He asked low enough for only me to hear. And just like that, I was right back in it, but I simply shrugged. "Yeah, something." I grumbled, looking away from him. I knew he was a little confused but I didn't have the guts to say anything more. At least not while we were here.

"You sound...upset." Luke said awkwardly, staring at the side of my face with a frown on his full lips. I just shrugged again. "It's nothing." I said, earning perhaps the most confused look that one could ever give another person in their life. "Huh?" He asked. "You just said it was something, though!" He huffed, furrowing his brows.

Even though I didn't want to, I couldn't help but to smile in amusement, staring up at him. "I don't want to talk about it here." I said honestly, all while knowing that I really just didn't want to talk about this to him because it was about him. I couldn't tell him something that would just make me look like a fool. He could try all he wanted. "You'll tell me after school, then?" Luke asked, try as he might. And I nodded my head, sending him a small smile.

"I will." I said, knowing that I wouldn't.

**

It happened on Wednesday.

I had gotten to school a little bit later than normal, just because the bus route took longer than it normally did because the bus came late. I'd been left standing there at the bus stop for maybe twenty minutes, wondering if I had missed it until it finally came turning down the street.

When I walked into the school, there were more people around the doors that I came in than usual. Like a lot more. At first, I didn't know what was going on, or why there were so many people there. And when they all laid their eyes on me and began to whisper to each other, I was even more lost. I looked around at everyone and frowned, not quite getting what was happening. Had I done something that I was unaware of that was deserving of attention?

As embarrassing as it is to admit it, I didn't know why everyone was looking at me until someone from the crowd pointed at something behind me, on the wall. So naturally, I turned around to see what it was. And when I saw it, my heart dropped so much that I was sure it was now in my stomach.

Because there, hung up on the wall, was a giant picture of Luke and I taken through the open blinds on my window.

My eyes widened and I gaped at the picture in utter shock, unable to believe what I was looking at. The picture was big and surprisingly clear, so it was easy to tell who was in the photo. There was no denying that it was Luke and I, at all. But even worse was that we were both half naked, him without his shirt and me in just my bra and skirt. Who could have taken this photo, and why did they spread it for everyone to see? Why did they even take it in the first place?

I was so taken aback I couldn't do anything but stare at the photo with my mouth open, stuck in place as I tightly gripped the straps of my backpack. Everyone around me was whispering, looking at me like I wouldn't notice or hear anything if they didn't say it straight to my face. But I heard what they whispered.

What a whore.

Why would he go for her? She's not even that pretty.

Poor girl, she probably thinks she's different to him.

My stomach churned and I walked forward quietly, calmly ripping the large picture off the wall. I crumpled it up into a giant ball and shoved it deep into the trash can by the doors, trying not to cry even though my chest burned with the need to. Without a word, I turned around and walked off down the hall, searching for Luke. I ended up outside of the cafeteria, where I could hear the sound of an angry feminine voice yelling—and she was yelling loud, at that.