Chapter 20 The Rumors
Chapter 20 The Rumors
Chapter 20
The car ride started quietly. Too quietly. I could hear the soft hum of the engine, the subtle shuffle of Cole’s movements behind the wheel, and my own heartbeat pounding like a drum in my chest. I gripped my bag a little tighter, feeling suddenly very aware of the space between us. I kept glancing out the window, trying to calm my nerves, but my mind refused to be quiet.
Why is it so quiet? I thought. Is he… mad? Or is he just being Cole?
I tried to push my thoughts away, tried to focus on the scenery—trees blurring past, the morning sun glinting off the windshield—but every small movement he made drew my attention back to him. The way his hands held the steering wheel so firmly, the way his jaw was set, and that cold, unreadable expression on his face.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice the car starting to swerve slightly toward the sidewalk. My stomach dropped.
“Cole—!” I shouted before I could stop myself, my voice sharp with panic.
In the next heartbeat, he was reacting faster than I could even comprehend. The wheel jerked, the tires screeched against the pavement, and the car stopped just inches from a cyclist who had appeared out of nowhere. My body froze, my knuckles white as I clutched my bag to my chest.
I wanted to scream, to cry, to demand an explanation, but all I could do was stare at him. He didn’t even look rattled—his blue eyes were sharp, intense, and completely focused. But the way he had positioned his body just slightly toward me, his arm near mine as if shielding me without even touching, made my heart lurch.
“You okay?” he asked, his voice calm, controlled—but something in the edge of it made me feel like I had just witnessed a glimpse of… him. The Cole he didn’t let anyone see.
I nodded quickly, my throat dry. “Y-Yeah… I’m fine. Thanks…” My voice trembled a little, betraying the flood of emotions I couldn’t put into words.
We drove the rest of the way in tense silence, and I couldn’t stop replaying that moment in my head. The sudden danger, the way he reacted, the fact that he had… protected me. My chest felt tight. My stomach swirled with adrenaline—and something I didn’t want to name.
When the car stopped in front of the school, I noticed the students. They were everywhere—laughing, talking, staring. But then… their eyes snapped to us. I froze, my stomach twisting.
Why are they looking at me?
I didn’t have to wonder for long. The whispers started almost immediately.
“Is that… Mila? In Cole Hayes’ car?”
“Wait… she’s coming out of his car? What’s going on?”
“Did they… are they together now?”
I felt my cheeks burn. The bag in my hands suddenly felt too heavy, like everyone’s eyes were pressing down on me. I tried to ignore them, to keep walking, but every step felt like it echoed across the entire campus.
Cole got out of the car first, his movements calm, deliberate. He adjusted the rearview mirror, then turned to me. His gaze met mine for just a second—cold, serious, but undeniably protective—and I felt like he could see straight into my chest.
“Come on,” he said, voice low, almost quiet. “We should get inside.”
I swallowed hard, keeping my eyes on the ground as I stepped out. The moment my feet hit the pavement, I felt it—the weight of every stare, every whisper, every assumption about me. The school’s golden boy, the untouchable Cole Hayes, was walking beside me… and now everyone thought we were something more.
I clutched my bag a little tighter, feeling a surge of embarrassment, fear, and something else I couldn’t name. I’m just supposed to be the transfer girl, invisible. Not someone who makes headlines by stepping out of Cole Hayes’ car.
Cole, as if sensing my tension, didn’t say a word. He didn’t reach for my hand, didn’t offer a comforting smile. He just walked beside me, his stride long and confident, leaving me to navigate the whispers and curious glances.
Why isn’t he saying anything? I wondered, my chest tightening. Does he even care what they think?
And then I noticed it—subtle, almost invisible if you weren’t looking. The way he shifted slightly toward me when someone in the crowd came too close. The way his shoulders squared, silent warning. The flicker of awareness in his eyes that screamed, Don’t touch her.
I felt a strange mix of reassurance and confusion. He was distant—cold as always—but in his own way, he was still protecting me. And somehow… that made my stomach twist even more.
I wanted to speak, to thank him, to say I see you. But the words caught in my throat. I didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what I was allowed to feel. Instead, I kept walking, silently matching his pace, every step amplifying the tension between us.
The crowd’s whispers grew louder as we reached the school entrance, and I realized I couldn’t hide my own heartbeat, the way it thumped in my chest. I felt exposed. But at the same time… alive.
For the first time, I understood that being near him wasn’t just terrifying—it was thrilling. My body and mind were alive in a way they hadn’t been before, every glance, every tiny movement charged with meaning I couldn’t quite put into words.
Cole opened the door for me—his hand on the handle, his posture perfect and controlled. I stepped inside, my hands shaking slightly. He didn’t rush me, didn’t speak, didn’t even look at the crowd. He was focused entirely on me, or maybe… on keeping the world from noticing too much.
And I realized, for the first time, that he wasn’t just the coldest, most untouchable boy in school. He was something else entirely. Something I couldn’t name, something that made my chest ache and my thoughts scatter.
As we walked down the hall, the whispers continued, the stares burned, and my stomach twisted—but I felt it, too: the pull between us. The silent understanding that this was only the beginning, that every step forward would be another challenge, another game of skill and patience, another push against the boundaries we both carried.
And deep down, I knew that no matter how much I tried to stay invisible, I couldn’t escape him—or the way he made me feel.