(16) The Rumor

I sit in geometry tapping my pencil on top of the cover of my calculator as I wait for the bell to ring. It's finally Friday and it seems like it’s going to be forever until my weekend begins.

A pen falls off Josh's nose as the loud shrill echoes through the school. A swarm of students swallow me up as I open the room's door and head for my locker.

Hopping down the stairs in my sunflower flip-flops, I run through my head all the assignments I have to do over the weekend. "Geometry worksheet. study for Espanol. . .journal entry for English...no homework for Chem., and finish paper for World Studies."

As I reach my locker, I turn my lock through its combination and start collecting the books I need for the weekend. As I fall onto my knees to be able to reach down inside my locker for the book that is wedged between two binders, I see two pairs of feet coming towards me. I immediately recognize the J. Crew, white flip-flops as Britney and Charlotte's.

"Hey, guys, I'll just be . . ."

"Daria, we have some serious talking to do." Britney's tone is sharp - like my mother gets when she's upset with me. I glance up at them a little bewildered. They cross their arms across the chests of their white cardigans that complement their matching light green and blue Capri pants. I decide to continue to toss the last two binders into my backpack and wait for them to tell me what they are so upset about.

Pushing Catcher in the Rye down into my bag, right behind my world studies notebook I Then I zip the two zippers so they meet above the Northface logo. I stand up, not meeting Britney and Charlotte's penetrating gaze.

" Aren't you even going to ask us what we heard?" They look at me expectantly.

"Umm, all right, what's the matter?" I pull the lock back in its hole and slam shut my locker. I start walking down the hall and they hurry after me.

"We know what you did this weekend behind Charissa's back and we're very upset at you."

Running my fingers through my long, blonde hair, I try to think of what I have done that weekend, what it had to do with Charissa, and how anyone had found out in the first place. My mind is a blank.

"Okay, I give up. 1 have absolutely no idea what you're-"

"How could you go out with Charissa's boyfriend behind her back?" Britney stops, her face full of anger. Charlotte pauses also. I think about telling them how technically Rick Hastings isn't Charissa 's "boyfriend" because they have only gone out once, but I think better of it.

Then I instantly understand what they are talking about. Last Friday, I had gone to Post Corner Pizza with Olivia to get dinner
after her soccer game and my field hockey practice had ended. When we had ordered our food, my older sister went to go sit with her soccer teammates, and I had spotted Rick. He had invited me to sit down with him and his friend. Someone must have seen us together talking and eating, and mistaking it for a date, and had spread the word. I have discovered the problem and it will be easy enough to calmly come up with a solution and tell my friends the truth.

"Oh my goodness, you guys, I can totally explain all of this. Just listen. You see, 1 had gotten some food, my sister had gone to sit wjth her friends, Rick had invited me to sit with him, and then we-"

"Daria, we don't want to hear excuses. Heather saw you holding hands and laughing. What you did was disloyal to all of us. Just faceup to it, you cheated on Charissa and how do we know we won't be your next victim?”

HEATHER had started this! I should have known. I can't believe that she would stoop to this level. I can maybe understand how she could make the mistake of assuming that Rick and I were on a date, but the handholding was an out-and-out lie.
The closest we had gotten to touching hands was by handing each other a slice of pizza!

"Heather's crazy! I can't believe you would actually take her word over mine! I'm telling you, I had absolutely no intention of getting romantically involved with Rick Hastlngs.”

We reach the door leading to the parking lot and I swing it open angrily, immediately feeling the heat of the sun on my face. I instantly see with disgust Heather's bright blue jeep in the line of cars. Charissa is sitting in the passenger seat and Heather is obviously talking about me, as Charissa's face falls into an expression of disappointment and sadness. The anger is rising in my face, my cheeks grow hot and I am ready to pull out Heather's perfect golden tresses, curl by curl.

"Charissa, don't listen to her, she's lying about everything!" I shout into the car. Britney and Charlotte hop into the back next to Cameron and Josh. I look into Charissa's eyes, praying she will believe me, because out of all my friends, I treasure her trust the most.

Heather flicks back her hair and shakes her head at me. "Daria, it's too late. I saw you with him and you weren't just at a friendly distance. I'm afraid we're Just going to have to think twice about trusting you again.”

I wait for someone to stand up for me, but nobody speaks. "You guys, this is silly, why can't we just discuss this on the way home?" I reach for the handle of the jeep's door and a loud click echoes through the air. The sound continues to bang in my ears. No one goes to unlock the door for me. No one besides Heather looks up at me.

"Heather come on, this isn’t funny, how else am I going to get home?" I hear her laugh that sweet, innocent little laugh.
"Oh, Daria, you can always walk." My friends laugh too, and their voices surround me until I feel like I am about to faint.
Cameron rolls down the window and looks at me solemnly.

"Cameron, you can’t actually...”

"Geez, Daria, I didn't know you were like that...." His eyes are disappointed, not meeting mine. Then I hear the roar of Heather’s engine, and they are gone.

I stand there, dumbly, in the parking lot, shocked, hurt, and utterly alone. The pain I feel is like a ton of bricks that presses on my throat so that I gasp for breath. Heather has so easily turned all of my friends against me, and now I am the outcast. The people that I need most right now have deserted me and believe something so ridiculous that I might lose their trust in me forever. My feet start walking down the road through neighborhoods and streets. I can't control the drops of water that come crashing down my face, for they come on their own and make large dark dots on the sidewalk where tiny ants scurry in packs, as they flee the blazing sun towards the refuge of small cracks.

The tears keep rolling down my cheeks.