It Was Already Too Late 💔

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Chapter 3: The Rumor

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The next morning, Maya walked into school hoping things would be different.

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She had barely stepped through the gates when she noticed people looking at her.

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Whispers followed her down the hallway.

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“She really likes Ethan.”

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“I heard she confessed to him.”

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“Apparently, she thinks they're going to date.”

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Maya stopped walking.

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Her heart sank.

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She hadn't told anyone.

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Not even Lena.

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She tightened her grip around her books and kept walking.

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Then she saw Ethan.

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He was standing with his friends near the lockers.

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Jordan noticed her first.

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“Look who's here.”

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Ethan turned.

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Their eyes met.

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Maya expected him to look away.

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Instead, he smiled.

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Not a kind smile.

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A teasing one.

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“Hey, Maya,” he called loudly. “Is it true?”

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She froze.

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“Is what true?”

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“That you're in love with me?”

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The hallway erupted with laughter.

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Maya's face burned.

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“I never said that.”

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Ethan stepped closer.

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“You don't have to.”

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Someone behind him laughed.

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Maya looked around.

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Everyone was watching.

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She wished the floor would open beneath her.

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“Just leave me alone,” she whispered.

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Ethan laughed.

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“What? I'm just asking.”

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She walked away.

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Faster this time.

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She didn't stop until she reached the girls' bathroom.

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She locked herself inside a stall and finally let the tears fall.

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A few minutes later, someone knocked.

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“Maya?”

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It was Lena.

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Maya wiped her face.

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“Go away.”

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“No.”

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“Please.”

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“I know you.”

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Maya stayed silent.

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Lena sat on the floor outside the stall.

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“You don't deserve this.”

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Maya closed her eyes.

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“I shouldn't have told him.”

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“You didn't tell him.”

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“Then how does everyone know?”

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Lena didn't answer.

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Because they both knew.

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Ethan had figured it out.

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And instead of keeping her feelings private, he had turned them into entertainment.

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Later that afternoon, Maya found a folded piece of paper inside her locker.

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She opened it.

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STOP CHASING ETHAN.

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Her hands trembled.

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She looked around.

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Nobody was there.

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She crumpled the note and threw it away.

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Then another piece of paper fell from her locker.

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This one said:

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HE WILL NEVER LOVE YOU.

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Maya stared at it.

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For the first time, she wondered if they were right.

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Maybe she had been foolish.

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Maybe Ethan really would never see her as anything more than a joke.

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She closed her locker and walked away.

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She didn't notice Ethan standing at the end of the hallway.

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He had seen everything.

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And for the first time, the laughter disappeared from his face.

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He had expected Maya to cry.

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He had expected her to chase after him.

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He hadn't expected her to stop.

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He watched her walk away without looking back.

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Something inside him felt strangely empty.

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But instead of following her...

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He turned around.

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He told himself he didn't care.

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He was wrong.

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He just didn't know it yet.8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQJ4jffigg

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