December 14th

                                    

                                          
14th
                          
"Don't forget this, too: Rumours aren't interested in the unsensational story; rumours don't care what's true." ― John Irving, In One Person
                          
I know something isn't right when I turn on my phone and watch with bleary eyes as notification after notification comes through, each time causing it to buzz in my hands. Bemused, I sit up in my bed and rub my eyes.
                          
Five Facebook bulletins accompany the three from Twitter and the seven texts from Immy. Although to another person, someone popular, this might be normal; to me it is completely out of the ordinary and makes me feel uneasy. Something must have happened for people to suddenly be tweeting or messaging me. 
                          
First, I open Immy's texts. After all, I have actually held a conversation with her, unlike most of my Facebook 'friends'. 
                          
From: Imogen <3
What's going on????
                          
From: Imogen <3
Scarlett tell me what the hell is going on
                          
From: Imogen <3
WHY ARE THERE RUMOURS ABOUT YOU
                          
From: Imogen <3
Answer me please x
                          
From: Imogen <3
Fine... I'm checking Facebook
                          
From: Imogen <3
SCARLETT WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME
                          
From: Imogen <3
I'm in shock omg reply to me asap!!! xx
                          
The series of messages only deepens my confusion. I figure the next best thing would be to check Facebook, because that's how Immy found out about this apparent news about me, but I act cowardly and open Twitter instead.
                          
The first tweet is just Immy telling me to check my phone. But it's the next one that confuses me further. It's Ed, on a private message. It appears this rumour, whatever it is, involves him and he's just as confused as I am. The third and final notification is from Kayleigh. I groan before I've even read her tweet. 
                          
@Kayleigh649: attention seeking again I see @ScarlettMoore it's pathetic really
                          
That is it. I throw my phone down and it hits the mattress with a satisfying thump.  Out of sight out of mind, right? Just at that moment Jay walks past my open bedroom door.
                          
"Morning," he says. I reply with an agitated grunt. "Someone's touchy," he mutters, but he leaves me alone. 
                          
Eventually, when my anger has subsided, I reach for my phone and open Facebook. There's another message from Ed, another from Immy and one from Kayleigh saying pretty much the same as her tweet did. Quickly, I send Ed a message. He responds instantly, seeming just as frustrated and confused as me.
                          
After a while of reading our peers' comments on every social media site we're a part of, Ed and I come to a conclusion. It appears that a rumour has somehow emerged around the school that we were spotted on a 'date' and – this bit is the worst – we 'didn't stop kissing'. Frankly, I feel sick. Not at the thought of dating (and apparently kissing) Ed, but at the fact that somebody has actually decided to ruin my morning by spreading ridiculous and completely untrue rumours.
                          
I spend the majority of the day fuming as I reply to every message, comment on every status and respond to every tweet shooting the rumour down. At some point in the afternoon, Immy Face-Times me. 
                          
"Wait, so is it not true about you and Ed?" she asks abruptly the moment I answer the call.
                          
"What do you think?" I exclaim, exasperated. "I can't believe anyone would believe that Ed and I are dating. Especially you, Immy. You're my best friend yet you still go straight ahead and believe something that Kayleigh said to you!"
                          
"Calm down, Scarlett. Who said this was a bad thing, anyway?"
                          
I have a feeling Imogen is about to continue, but I get in there first. "Because it's not true! We bumped into each other in town so we had McDonalds together then went home. Big deal. Why does everything have to be blown so out of proportion? It's always like this: whatever you do you get rumours spread and backstabbers and liars and cheats and-"
                          
"Scarlett?" Immy interrupts, sounding almost scared.
                          
"Yeah?"
                          
"Why are you so affected by this?"
                          
It's a genuine, concerned question that's completely innocent, but I'm not sure I can answer. I sigh, struggling to think of a reply, when Jay bounds into the room. He leaps on top of me, God knows why, and knocks my phone out of my hand. Normally I would be annoyed, but when I see that it has cut off the call, I'm actually thankful.