B For Bad Boy

Chapter Fifty-Six: It's Stupid

He frowned, averting his gaze from me to the table. "I mean, the weirder part is who'd actually follow them that late at night to actually spread rumors." 

Wow for a person whose only focus was sports, he sure did  think about this. "I know," I nodded, innocently heaving a breath. "I feel kind of bad for the students though."

Cal leaned back on his chair again. "It kind of makes sense but why?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "I mean they probably went there for having fun or something, and they just randomly got caught. I heard they even got chased by police?" 

He looked unsurprised at that, "Probably true."

Of course it is.

"But it's strange." I pretended thoughtfully. "Don't you think, aside from vandalizing areas, it's more strange who'd even go that far to catch them red handed? After everything I've been hearing in school, it almost seems like the person who started the rumor has some kind of beef with the vandalizers."

Cal looked amazed by my research. "Wow, you really thought this through?"

"What do you think?" I pressed on, casually, so I don't seem suspicious.

The look of amazement fell from his face and became pensive again. "Well, if you think about it that way, the one who followed and spread the rumor seems to be like the same person."

No, I thought to myself. The person I saw that night didn't look like Rose at all.

"Maybe," I said, "the person who spread the rumor isn't the same person who followed u- them."

"How?"

I gulped. "I don't know. It'd be kind of stupid to do don't you think?"

Cal nodded, his eyebrows frowned. "You know now that I think about it, it's kind of lost in the way, you know- the fact who even spread it."

I felt a bitter pang at the thought that came after his insight, because I knew exactly who spread it. 

"Who really hates them that much?" Rather than questioning him, I felt like I was questioning myself almost, because I knew I'd like nothing more than the truth. I was pretty sure it wasn't Kate, not anyone I knew. 

Someone... out of the whole circle. 

I stared behind Cal, at Jayden, who immediately glanced back. 

Who hates us that much to do this to us?

"It's stupid, why are we even talking about this?" I sighed and looked elsewhere. "It's not something to do with us."

Cal agreed, although reluctantly. "Yeah."

I glanced across my date's shoulder again to look at him and he had went back to talking with Jenny in a highly artificial manner, or maybe it was just my imagination because I've been too familiar with his constant whining about things and hand throwing. 

I felt strangely lonely, seeing that. 

Maybe he does that only for me so I don't feel left out. Maybe the person he is with Jenny is the real Jayden, without any filter he puts on for me. 

Christ, even their names start with the same letter. 

I cursed myself for thinking that. 

"What do you keep looking at?" Cal said in a worried tone and starts to look behind but I gasped and slammed my hands on the table.

"IhadacrushonyoulastJanuary!"

He froze mid way and looked back at me as if to say 'have you gone mad?' but instead he squinted his eyes and cocked his head. "What'd you say?"