Writers 
Sarah noticed something was wrong the moment she walked into the hallway after class.
People were looking at her.
Not everyone.
Just enough to make her uncomfortable.
Two girls standing near the lockers whispered when she passed. Another student glanced at her phone, then at Sarah, before quickly looking away.
Sarah frowned.
She turned toward Mia.
“Why is everyone acting weird?”
Mia hesitated.
“You haven't checked your phone, have you?”
“No. Why?”
“Maybe don't.”
Sarah immediately pulled out her phone.
“Mia.”
“Sarah.”
“What happened?”
Mia sighed.
“Someone posted a picture of you and Ryan.”
Sarah's stomach dropped.
“What picture?”
Mia unlocked her phone and showed her.
It was a photo from lunch.
Sarah and Ryan were sitting across from each other. The picture had been taken from far enough away that neither of them had noticed.
Underneath it was a caption:
New girl and new boy? 👀
Sarah stared at the screen.
“You're kidding.”
“I wish.”
Sarah scrolled through the comments.
Some people were joking about them.
Others were already calling them a couple.
She locked the phone.
“This is stupid.”
“I know.”
“I've known him for two days.”
“I know.”
“And we've only been working on a project.”
“I know.”
Sarah looked at her.
“Then why does everyone care?”
Mia shrugged.
“Because this school is bored.”
Sarah sighed.
Before she could say anything else, someone spoke behind them.
“What's stupid?”
Sarah turned.
Ryan.
Mia immediately smiled.
“Nothing.”
Ryan looked between them.
“That sounded convincing.”
Sarah held up her phone.
“Someone took a picture of us at lunch.”
Ryan looked at it.
His expression barely changed.
“That's it?”
Sarah stared at him.
“That's it?”
“It's just a picture.”
“Everyone thinks we're dating.”
Ryan looked at her.
“Are they wrong?”
Sarah's mouth fell open.
Mia burst out laughing.
“Ryan!”
He smiled.
Sarah pushed his shoulder lightly.
“Stop.”
He laughed.
“I'm kidding.”
“You're not funny.”
“I thought I was.”
“You weren't.”
Ryan looked at the screen again.
“Who posted it?”
“I don't know,” Sarah said.
He handed the phone back.
“Then don't worry about it.”
Sarah frowned.
“Easy for you to say.”
“Why?”
“Because you're not the one everyone is staring at.”
Ryan looked around the hallway.
“People stare at me too.”
“Because you're new.”
“Exactly.”
Sarah crossed her arms.
“So what do we do?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Ryan nodded.
“If we react, they'll keep talking.”
Sarah considered it.
He actually had a point.
“Fine.”
“Good.”
He started walking away.
Sarah watched him for a second.
Then he turned around.
“Oh, and Sarah?”
“What?”
“You looked good in the picture.”
Her eyes widened.
Ryan grinned and walked away before she could respond.
Mia stared at her.
Sarah slowly turned toward her.
“Don't.”
Mia was already smiling.
“I didn't say anything.”
“You were about to.”
“I was just going to say that your face is red.”
Sarah touched her cheek.
“It is not.”
“It definitely is.”
Sarah groaned and started walking toward class.
Behind them, the same girl who had been watching them earlier stood beside the lockers.
Her name was Jessica.
She looked at the picture on her phone again.
Then she looked toward Ryan.
Unlike everyone else, she didn't look amused.
She looked annoyed.
And she wasn't planning to let the rumors disappear that easily.