CHAPTER 334: CHAPTER 334: RUMORS

Olivia tilted her head slightly, her eyes shining with amusement. "Are you not in your right mind?" she asked, her tone light but cutting.

Eleanor let her face twist into an almost-crying look.

"Olivia, you are my best friend," she said in a trembling voice. "As my best friend, should you not at least congratulate me for having a boyfriend?"

Olivia’s lips curved into another chuckle, her calmness like a knife against Eleanor’s fake tears. "Have you not heard the rumors going around?" she asked.

Eleanor blinked, pretending to be confused. "What rumors?" she asked.

Olivia’s eyes grew colder. She stood up slowly, her chair making a soft scraping sound against the floor. Everyone leaned forward unconsciously, their notebooks forgotten.

"I do not like to waste words going in circles," Olivia said. "It is simple. You got together with one of my admirers."

Her words were blunt, and the class erupted with quiet whispers. People covered their mouths, shocked at Olivia’s straightforwardness.

Eleanor’s face twisted, but she quickly recovered. She frowned and said loudly, "Yes, Mateo liked you. But does that mean I cannot be with him? Olivia, do you have any feelings for Mateo at all?"

The students shifted in their seats, their interest growing hotter by the second. Mateo, who was sitting near the window, looked up from his paper.

His hand paused in mid-writing, his eyes suddenly sharp. He had been planning to pull Eleanor away from this mess, but now he decided to wait. He wanted to hear Olivia’s answer as much as everyone else.

Olivia stood straight, her calm face slowly shifting into something softer, almost broken.

If Olivia said that she indeed likes Mateo, then she would seem pretentious. After all, she had repetitively declined Mateo’s pursuit.

If Olivia said that she doesn’t like Mateo, then it means that Eleanor can date Mateo however she likes, and she has no right to interfere.

So instead of answering right away, Olivia tilted her head and said in a low, steady voice, "I never expected this from you, Eleanor."

The words were not sharp, but they were heavy. They dropped into the room like stones into a still pond, and ripples spread in the hearts of every student listening.

Eleanor’s heart gave a painful thump. Her lips parted, and she was about to defend herself, but then Olivia did something no one expected. Olivia’s shoulders trembled slightly, and her eyes filled with tears. Her voice, soft and broken, echoed in the silent classroom.

"I never liked Mateo," Olivia whispered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"But at the very least, I expected that if you started dating him, you would tell me first. You are my best friend, Eleanor. Yet, I had to hear it from other people. Do you know how foolish that made me feel?"

A gasp escaped from the group of students in the back. Some girls covered their mouths, their eyes wide in disbelief.

Olivia’s tears slid down her cheeks, her sobs quiet but clear.

"Not once did you tell me you liked Mateo. Not once did you even give me a hint. If you had told me, I would not have minded. I never liked him anyway. But instead, you hid it, and I had to stand here like a fool, watching you with him while others whispered behind my back."

Her voice shook as she continued.

"Tell me, Eleanor. Have all the men in this world disappeared? Did you really have no one else but him? You knew I never liked Mateo, you knew how much I disliked him, yet you still chose him. And as my best friend, you did not even think I deserved the truth?"

Every eye in the room turned sharply toward Eleanor. The atmosphere changed in an instant.

The whispers started.

"That’s true... why didn’t Eleanor tell Olivia herself?" one boy muttered.

"I always thought Eleanor was kind of... jealous of Olivia," another girl whispered to her friend.

"And now she’s with Mateo? Out of all the boys in school, she picked Olivia’s old admirer? That’s fishy."

"I remember last year, didn’t Eleanor also date someone who had confessed to Olivia before?" another voice added. "It’s like she only goes after the ones who liked Olivia first."

The murmurs grew louder, weaving together into a net that caught Eleanor where she stood.

Her cheeks burned as though the floor had vanished beneath her feet. She had wanted to trap Olivia, but instead, Olivia’s words turned everything back on her.

Olivia lowered her gaze, her long lashes wet with tears. Inside, she chuckled to herself.

Did Eleanor really think she was some weak rabbit that would not fight back? That was nothing but Eleanor’s dream.

Eleanor, however, bit her lip hard, thinking quickly. She could not let Olivia win. With a trembling voice, she said, "I... I love Mateo. I love him a lot."

The class quieted again. Everyone turned their eyes on Eleanor, curious about what excuse she would use now.

Eleanor sniffled, her voice shaking with fake sadness.

"Yes, it is true. I liked many boys before. But... but it was a coincidence that they all liked Olivia first. I used to think maybe it was because I am not as beautiful or popular as Olivia. But with Mateo... it is different. I really love him. Even if everyone says I am stealing him away, I still love him. I loved him from the moment he walked into this classroom. But he only had eyes for Olivia."

Her tears rolled down, falling onto her desk, making her look pitiful. She turned her red eyes to Olivia and said,

"Olivia, you have so many admirers. So many boys love you. I only have one. Can’t you let me have him? Can’t you let me have Mateo?"

The classroom grew quiet again, stunned by Eleanor’s emotional words.

Some students frowned and whispered softly.

"If you look at it that way... Eleanor only likes one person, Mateo. Olivia has many admirers. Maybe she should let it go?"