Chapter 10: The Noise That Follows Truth
The fallout didn't wait.
By the next morning, the rumor page had spread. Not just on paper — someone had posted a photo of it online, and the comments multiplied like rot. Anonymous accounts. Fake profiles. A few bold enough to use their real names.
Anna walked through the halls with her shoulders squared, pretending she didn't hear the whispers. Pretending it didn't scrape along her nerves. Pretending her hands weren't trembling inside her sleeves.
Jordan walked beside her.
Not too close — he wasn't stupid — but close enough that people noticed. Close enough that the right eyes narrowed and the wrong ones widened.
The message was obvious: he wasn't hiding.
And that alone lit more fires.
At lunch, the cafeteria went quiet when they walked in. The kind of silence that feels deliberate. Heavy. Waiting.
Anna had felt fear before — real fear — but this was different. Fear mixed with humiliation, irritation, anger she didn't trust herself to show.
Jordan's jaw was tight. "You want to eat somewhere else?"
"No," she said. "I'm not running."
He nodded once. No argument. No lecturing. Just respect.
They took seats at an empty table near the windows. For two minutes, nothing happened.
Then Riley and her orbit drifted in their direction.
Anna didn't look up, but she felt it — the pointed footsteps, the mocking pause beside their table, the smirk aimed at her bowed head.
"You know," Riley said, loud enough for half the room to hear, "I didn't realize being 'holy' came with... fringe benefits."
Jordan turned his head, slowly.
"Walk away," he said.
Riley sneered. "I wasn't talking to you, Blake."
"Didn't ask who you were talking to."
She scoffed. "Anna doesn't need you to fight her battles."
"She doesn't," he said. "But I'm not letting you talk to her like that."
Something in his tone cut the air. Riley faltered — just for a second — but pride wouldn't let her back down. She tossed her hair and walked off, muttering something snide enough to make her friends snicker.
Anna exhaled shakily.
Jordan's voice dropped. "You good?"
"I'm fine," she lied.
"You're terrible at lying," he muttered.
She didn't argue. She didn't have the strength.
That evening, the sky was a bruised purple when Anna left school. Her bus was late — perfect — and she sat on the bench outside the gates, hugging her backpack to her chest.
Jordan walked out a moment later. He didn't pretend it was a coincidence.
"You shouldn't wait alone," he said, dropping onto the bench beside her.
"I'm not scared."
"I didn't say you were."
Silence stretched between them. Not awkward — just full.
Then Jordan spoke, voice low.
"I meant what I said yesterday. I don't want you dragged into all this because of me."
Anna stared at the sidewalk. "People would've done this even if we barely spoke. They don't like that I'm... different."
He huffed a dry laugh. "Yeah. You being decent seems to offend a lot of people."
"That's not what I meant."
"It's what they mean."
She turned, finally meeting his eyes. "Jordan... I'm not leaving. Not because of rumors. Not because of them. And definitely not because I'm scared of whatever they think you are."
He swallowed hard. Looked away for a beat. When he looked back, there was something unguarded in his expression. Almost wounded. Almost relieved.
"You should be careful with people like me," he murmured.
"Why? Because you defend your brother? Because you refuse to let people get hurt? That's not dangerous. That's... good."
He stared at her, stunned silent for a moment.
Anna shifted, her voice softer. "I don't care what they say. I know who you are."
His breath hitched — not dramatically, but like he wasn't used to being seen without the armor.
"You have no idea," he said quietly.
"Then show me."
The words left her before she had time to question them. They surprised her. And him. His eyes searched hers, like he was trying to decide whether she meant it.
The bus pulled up — a loud, clattering interruption.
Anna stood, gripping her bag. "Walk me tomorrow?"
Jordan nodded once, almost immediately. "Yeah. Of course."
She took a step toward the bus, then hesitated. Turned back.
"Jordan?"
"Yeah?"
Her chest tightened, but she forced the truth out anyway.
"I'm glad you're in my life."
He blinked. Slow. As if she'd hit him with something he didn't have words for.
After a moment, he said, "Yeah... me too."
It wasn't smooth. It wasn't confident. It was honest.
And it was enough.
Anna climbed onto the bus, and as the doors closed, she saw Jordan still standing there — hands in his pockets, watching the bus pull away like he wasn't quite ready for her to be gone.