Chapter 9 : A reason to explain
Evan ran.
His backpack bounced against his shoulders with every hurried step, but he didn't slow down. The sun was dipping low behind the campus rooftops, casting long, golden shadows across the pavement. Still, he ran, past the cafeteria, past the library, past the bench where he and Lucas once ate in silence.
His lungs burned by the time he reached his dorm.
He fumbled with the key, shoved open the door, and collapsed onto his bed, chest rising and falling in uneven gasps.
The words. The laughter. The tone.
It kept repeating in his mind like a broken tape.
> "Who's been feeding Lucas like a puppy every day?"
"Do you think Lucas knows?"
"Free food, free praise."
Evan curled his fingers into the bedsheets.
It was about me.
There was no mistaking it. They had said Lucas's name. And no one else brought him lunch every day. No one else stood quietly at the tennis courts just to watch him. No one else smiled a little too long.
They all know.
The room suddenly felt too small, the walls pressing in, the air too hot. Evan sat up, rubbing his chest. A dull pressure settled there, not quite pain, but close. Anxiety.
And more than that, fear.
His thoughts raced.
Is that why Lucas is acting strange lately? Did he hear it already? Is that why he won't look me in the eyes? Why he never talks unless I speak first?
He felt his throat tighten.
He must think it's true.
And maybe… maybe it was.
He didn't know what this feeling was. But he knew what people would think it was.
He remembered what it was like in the last school. And the one before that. The rumors. The whispers. The isolation. Always different, always alone. But now.. here, he had found something. A group. A rhythm. A friend.
He couldn't lose that.
Not again.
He sat up straighter, gripping the edge of his bed.
I have to fix this.
He would talk to Lucas. Face to face. Make it clear that he wasn't trying to make things weird. That he just wanted to be a friend, qnothing more. That the lunchboxes weren't about romance. Just… gratitude.
Lucas had been kind in his own way. And Evan didn't want to lose that kindness. Not because of a stupid rumor.
I have to explain before it's too late.
---
At the college tennis court, the sun had almost vanished behind the treeline. The floodlights buzzed on overhead, casting a pale glow across the court as Lucas practiced his serve, each swing crisp and clean.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, breath steady, body moving out of habit more than focus.
His mind was elsewhere.
Evan's been quiet lately.
He hadn't gotten a lunchbox today. For the first time in two weeks, his desk had been empty.
He should've felt relieved.
But somehow… it felt off.
Just then, Kelv walked up to the court, Robin and Chuin trailing behind him.
"Yo," Kelv called, stopping near the net. "You seen the group chat?"
Lucas caught the tennis ball mid-air. "No. Why?"
Robin looked serious. "The gossip's everywhere now. Not just whispers."
Chuin added, "They're posting stuff online. Memes. Jokes."
Lucas's grip on the ball tightened. "About Evan?"
Kelv nodded. "Yeah. And you."
Lucas stared at him.
Kelv leaned in slightly, his tone calm but sharp. "So… what now? Do we move forward? This might be the perfect time."
Lucas looked down at the racket in his hand, his jaw clenched.
What now, indeed?