Page 35 of Finding a Melody

“What?” I asked.

She settled down next to me.

“Them singing. The song was to you, wasn’t it? What did they do to fuck up so much that they were willing to get suspended?” She played with her camera. “The whole school is talking, you know.”

“About their show?” I asked.

“And about you.” She smiled. “Paxon, Justin, and Toby are pretty popular, but their group built a wall a long time ago, keeping others away. Bryan makes sure it stays there too. So it’s hard to approach them.”

“Where is Lillian?” I asked, hoping to stop this direction of conversation. “Aren’t you two always together.”

Hazel laughed. “We aren’t conjoined twins. She’s meeting with a teacher.” She shook her head, like there was a hidden joke in there. “That’s what she gets for not bothering with her homework since school started.”

I raised an eyebrow. Lillian was smart, probably a contender with Bryan for valedictorian. “We’re only like two weeks into school.”

“I know,” Hazel said, as if reading my reaction. “She’s like this at the beginning of each year. It takes her a bit longer to get back into the groove. She’ll be fine. Now, no changing the subject.”

“I was hoping you’d take the hint.”

“Received. Ignored.”

I almost wanted to smile. “I’m not feeding into the gossip.”

Hazel leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Neither am I. I’m concerned.”

That had me raising my eyebrows. “Concerned?”

“For you. You always ran under the radar, but being around the others has put you in the spotlight. You’ve got people’s attention now.”

“The girls are gossiping,” I said in a bitter voice.

“They always are, but yes, you’re the current hot topic. The girl who was able to get past their walls. The girl accepted by the guys who had been untouchable all through high school.”

“That doesn’t make sense. I’m pretty sure they’ve dated before.”

Hazel shrugged. “Sure, but they didn’t amount to anything. Paxon was with a sweet girl for a while through freshman and sophomore year, but she moved out of state and they broke it off. He hasn’t dated since. Toby is a bit wild and flirts with everyone, and yet he has never verified a single rumor about any hookups. Justin is probably the most untouchable. No one really knows anything about him except he’s an exceptional athlete. He’s a bit intimidating to approach. Bryan publicly dated someone in freshman year, but it went bad and he hasn’t bothered since. Or at least hasn’t been open about it. Seth dated like a normal high school boy, but he’s graduated, so who knows what he’s up to now.”

I groaned. “I didn’t really want their dating history.”

That made Hazel laugh. “Well there isn’t much there anyway.” She grew serious as she opened her lunch. “Be careful, Cadence. The rumors are growing more brutal each day.”

“Think I’m going to be bullied?” I asked, surprised by her kindness in filling me in. I never really paid attention to my surroundings enough to listen to rumors.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if someone tried to start something. Jealousy is ugly.” She shuddered as she flattened her sandwich together and then took a bite. There seemed to be so much in her response. I remembered they mentioned something happening over the summer. What was it? What was making them pull away from their normal crowd so much that they’d rather be talking to me instead?

“I’ll be fine,” I said.

“I know. You’re strong. That’s why I like you. Either way, you have people on your side, not just them. I’m here. Lillian too.”

I wanted to pry more into their summer, but Hazel forced the conversation into a different direction and she didn’t stop until the bell rang. She did give me a lot to think about though, and as I walked to physics class, I paid more attention. It didn’t take long to see it. The side glances my way as people moved closer to whisper to each other. It was so evident that I wondered how I missed it in the first place. I did pick up on it, but didn’t realize it was to this degree.

That didn’t sit well with me at all as I ducked my head and beelined into the classroom and to my seat.

The rest of the day went by just as slowly, but even more painful as I became overly aware of the other students. I’d walk by a group and as soon as I did, they’d break out into giggles. Or I’d walk into a classroom and too much attention was turned my way as conversations stopped. Never had I felt so paranoid before.

When the final bell rang, I couldn’t get out of school fast enough. I was nearly back to Seth’s when my phone rang. I answered using Bluetooth.

A woman’s voice came through the speakers, a little too perky. “Miss Wiles? I’m calling on behalf of Mr. Laurens.”