School Rumors

By the next morning, Anthony Carter had become the most talked-about student at Westbridge Academy and he hated every second of it.

As soon as he stepped inside through the entrance of the front gates, he noticed that the student were all staring at him.

Students whispered behind their hands, some students are whispering to each other ear, Some Groups of students stopped talking when he walked past,Some openly pointed at him Others simply watched.

It felt as if the entire school had suddenly decided he was the center of attention.

Anthony sighed.

“Great. Just what I needed.”

He adjusted his backpack on his shoulder and he continued heading toward the main building, Unfortunately, the rumors were only getting started.

Inside the cafeteria, dozens of students surrounded the tables, they were all discussing about yesterday confrontation.

The problem was that every version of the story was different.

“I heard Anthony challenged Lucas to a fight.”

“No way. I heard Lucas challenged him.”

“That is nothing. My cousin told me Anthony beat up five seniors before he was transferred to our school.”

“What? That’s impossible.”

“I heard he got expelled from his old school.”

“Really?”

“No clue, but it sounds cool.”

The rumors spread like wildfire, Each person different story, Each person added something new,Each version became more dramatic.

Before lunchtime, Anthony had somehow become a martial arts champion, a gang leader, a genius, and a troublemaker all at the same time.

Near the windows, a group of girls was sitting down together discussing the school newest mystery.

Emily Parker stirred her drink with her spoon.

“You know most of those rumors are fake, right?”

Her friend Jessica laughed.

“Obviously. But you have to admit he’s interesting.”

“What makes him interesting?”

Jessica looked toward the cafeteria entrance.

“He stood up to Lucas.”

Another girl nodded.

“And he didn’t look scared.”

“Nobody does that.”

Emily couldn’t argue.

The entire school had seen it.

Anthony had looked Lucas directly in the eye and refused to back down That alone is enough to make him different.

Jessica smirked.

“And he’s kinda kind of cute.”

Emily nearly choked on her drink.

“Seriously?”

“What?”

“I’m just saying.”

Another girl giggled.

“I wouldn’t mind talking to him.”

Emily rolled her eyes.

“Good luck with that. He barely talks to anyone.”

The girls laughed.

But secretly, they were all curious.

Who was Anthony Carter?

And why wasn’t he afraid of Lucas King?

Meanwhile, Anthony was trying to survive his morning classes, Everywhere he went, people start staring at him.

In English class, students kept glancing through his direction, In science class, someone actually asked if he was a professional fighter.

By lunch, he was already losing his patience.

“No,” Anthony replied for what felt like the hundredth time.

“I am not a fighter.”

The student looked disappointed.

“Oh.”

Anthony groaned.

“What exactly are you people saying about me?”

The boy hesitated.

“You really want to know?”

“No.”

“Smart choice.”

After lunch, Anthony escaped to a quiet relaxation center behind the library, the relaxation center was very quiet.

Finally.

Peace.

Or so he thought.

“Mind if I sit here?”

Anthony looked up.

A girl was standing nearby holding several books,She has a very long dark hair and a calm smile.

Anthony shrugged.

“It’s a free bench.”

She sat down.

For several seconds, neither spoke.

Then she smiled.

“You’re Anthony right.”

Anthony immediately sighed.

“Of course.”

The girl laughed.

“Relax. I’m not here to ask if you secretly know karate.”She said to him.

“That’s the fifth time someone has asked me that today.”Anthony replied.

She laughed harder.

“See? That’s exactly why I came over.”

Anthony couldn’t help smiling slightly.

For the first time all day, the conversation felt normal.

“My name’s Sarah.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You too.”

Sarah studied him for a moment.

“You know, you’re different from what people say.”

Anthony groaned again.

“Please don’t tell me you’ve heard the rumors.”

“Yes of course.”

“ I’ve heard all of them.”

“And?”

She smiled.

“I think they’re ridiculous.”

Anthony laughed, a genuine laugh the first one all day and somehow, it felt good.

Not everyone was happy about Anthony’s growing popularity, Not everyone is happy with him.

In another part of the academy, Lucas sat with several friends, He was sitting down on a desk reading a Novel.

One of them frowned.

“People won’t stop talking about that new guy.”

Lucas continued reading a book.

“So?”

“Doesn’t it bother you?”

“No.”

His friend looked confused.

“He’s stealing attention.”

Lucas calmly turned a page.

“Attention isn’t power.”

The group fell silent.

Another student move forward.

“You don’t think he’s becoming a problem?”

For the first time, Lucas looked up.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

“Not yet.”

The answer somehow felt more threatening than anger.

By the end of the school day, Anthony was exhausted, he was very tired as he was arranging his book inside his bag, Emily approached his desk.

“Hey.”

Anthony looked up.

“Hi.”

She hesitated.

“I just wanted to say something.”

Anthony waited.

“You were brave yesterday.”

He blinked.

“Oh.”

“I mean it.”

Anthony smiled awkwardly.

“Thanks.”

Emily laughed.

“You really don’t know how to handle compliments, do you?”

“Not really.”

“That explains a lot.”

They both laughed,For a moment, everything felt normal then Emily expression became very serious.

“Just be careful.”

Anthony frowned.

“About Lucas?”

Emily nodded.

“People think yesterday is over.”

“And?”

“It isn’t.”

Anthony already knew that, The problem was he didn’t know what came next.

As students left campus, another rumor begin to spread widely this one was very different, Much different Because it wasn’t completely false.

A student from Anthony previous school was recently transferred to Westbridge and he recognized Anthony immediately he saw him.

The boy was sitting down alone on a desk inside the school library, He was staring at an old picture on his phone.

His face changed.

“No way…”

The picture showed a young Anthony Standing beside several adults One of them was a man many powerful people feared, A man whose name rarely appeared in public, A man connected to secrets far bigger than school rivalries.

The transfer student hands start shaking, He quickly looked around to make sure nobody was watching him.

Then he whispered,

“Anthony who are you really?”

That evening, as Anthony walked home, completely unaware of the rumors spreading around him, a black car slowly rolled to a stop across the street.

The car tinted window lowered.

A pair of sharp eyes watched him from inside, the passenger pulled out a photograph,It was Anthony The same photograph from years ago.

The man in the car spoke quietly.

“We finally found him.”

The driver glanced over.

“What do we do now?”

The man folded the photo and smiled.

“Nothing.”

He continued watching Anthony disappear down the road.

“Not yet.”

Far away, in the shadows of Westbridge Academy, someone else’s phone vibrated.

It was a message notification.

A single message appeared on the screen.

TARGET CONFIRMED.

The sender identity was hidden.

But the message carried only one instruction:

DO NOT LET LUCAS KING FIND OUT THE TRUTH.

And that raised one terrifying question.

What truth were they trying so desperately to hide?