I stayed in bed longer than I should’ve, staring at the ceiling like it might offer an out. But my alarm kept buzzing, and the world kept moving. So I got up. Threw on a hoodie. Didn't bother with makeup.
By the time I hit the school gates, the damage was already done.
Whispers trailed me through the halls, sticky and sharp, like gum on the bottom of my shoe. Heads turned. Eyes lingered. Some kids looked amused. Others just... moved away, like I might explode.
Like whatever Kyle did could rub off on me.
I kept my gaze on the floor, but their voices still cut through.
“She’s still with him?”
“I heard he hacked the FBI.”
“No, it was crypto. Millions in Bitcoin. Total scam.”
“Didn’t he do time?”
“Yeah. Juvie. Record’s sealed.”
“Debby’s such an idiot.”
My stomach twisted. My hands clenched around the straps of my backpack until my knuckles turned white.
I wanted to scream. Or cry. Or disappear.
Instead, I walked into the cafeteria like nothing was wrong.
Susan and Chloe were already at our table. But something about Susan’s face made me stop mid-step.
She looked… nervous.
I slid into the seat across from her, trying to keep my voice steady. “So. I guess you’ve heard the rumors.”
Chloe glanced at Susan, then down at her tray.
Susan didn’t look at me.
I leaned forward. “Seriously? You’re not even going to ask me if they’re true?”
Susan finally met my eyes. “Debby… come on. You saw the text.”
I flinched.
Yeah. The text.
The words had burned into my brain. I couldn’t unread them. Couldn’t unsee the way the screen lit up, the way my heart dropped, the way my fingers trembled as the phone slipped from my hand.
“That doesn’t prove anything. Maybe Kyle was also a victim,” I said, but even I didn’t sound convinced.
Susan folded her arms. “It wasn’t just a fluke, Debby. You think the cops just picked him up for fun? Everyone’s talking. And not quietly.”
“People always talk,” I shot back.
“Yeah, but this—this is different.” Susan’s voice was sharp. “One of the seniors said their cousin works in tech, and they said Kyle was part of a major hacking ring. Like, he shut down an entire government server once. That’s not normal!”
My chest tightened. “You believe that?”
“I don’t know!” Susan snapped. “That’s the problem, Debby! None of us really know him. Do you?”
I froze.
Did I?
I thought I did. His smile. His laugh. The way he held me. The way he kissed me like I was the only thing that mattered.
But now… I didn’t even know his real last name.
I looked at Chloe, hoping she’d back me up. But she just glanced away and mumbled, “He’s… kind of scary, Debbs. Not normal scary. Like, genius scary.”
“Genius isn’t a crime,” I muttered.
“Yeah, but secret-genius-who-went-to-prison and got arrested during your date?” she said softly. “That’s... a different kind of scary.”
“I don’t care what he did!” I snapped, slamming my tray down.
Susan jumped. Chloe blinked.
I didn’t care that the whole cafeteria had gone quiet, every head turned our way.
“I don’t care,” I said again, softer this time. “He never hurt me. He never lied.”
Susan’s expression shifted, her voice gentler now. “But what if he could’ve, Debby? What if he just… hasn’t yet?”
I stared at her. The words echoed louder in my mind than she even said them. What if he did? What if all of it—every kiss, every touch, every promise—was just part of the lie?
What if I was just a distraction? What if I was never anything real to him? I got up and walked out before I cried in front of everyone.
By lunchtime, the rumor mill was on fire. Apparently, Kyle had hacked a financial firm in Europe. Apparently, he used to work with the dark web. Apparently, he once made $10 million disappear in a day—and no one ever found it. And apparently, I was dumb enough to fall in love with him.
I stood by my locker, my head pressed against the cool metal, trying to breathe.
“He probably used her,” someone whispered nearby.
“Like, seduced her or something.”
“Poor thing. She always looked like she’d fall for the wrong guy.”
I spun around. “Say that to my face.”
They scattered like roaches.
By the time I got home, my heart felt like it had been dragged behind a truck. I paced my bedroom like a caged animal. My phone buzzed, over and over. Messages from people I barely knew. Curious. Prying. Cruel.
I threw it across the bed and sank to the floor.
How could I defend someone I didn’t fully know?
Was it possible… he was lying?
Maybe that’s why they dragged him away that night. Maybe that’s why he never came back. Maybe that’s why he never called or texted.
Because he was hiding. Because the stories were true. Because I meant nothing to him.
I hugged my knees to my chest, tears stinging my eyes. “I hate this,” I whispered. “I hate not knowing. I hate loving someone who’s probably not who he says he is.”
But worst of all?
I hated that part of me still wanted to believe in him.