The fist school day after my new album's release was expected to be busy. Some of my schoolmates happen to be fans, and while they can sometimes be overbearing, their congratulations were always civil enough.
However, I didn't expect a whole new level of busy. The entire building was abuzz with gossip, whispers, and exclamations. I didn't know the source until Miku sat in front of me and smacked a magazine on my table.
I've read my share of those glossy papers. Most of them include the highest level of hypocrisy (you are beautiful as you are so you should be happy, but here; a new trick to lose weight!), mixed with absurd levels of gossip.
I did not, however, expect to be on the front cover, with Lily photo-shopped at my side.
My first instinct had been to panic. I wanted to abandon ship, fly away, deny everything, and frantically so.
But my reason got the better of my natural impulse (luckily). I calmly took the magazine, raised an eyebrow, and asked what the big deal was.
I pretended it was merely more gossip. How irregular was that? With a new album, the artist resurfaces to the viral news, and slander multiples like wildfire. Miku caught up on her mistake quickly enough; she saw that making a big deal of it would only make it more difficult to sincerely deny.
Yet my heart beat like a wild drum. It wasn't like when I was with Lily; the happy, light thump. This was a hard, painful, irregular pounding.
The gossip was spot on. It had hit the bull's eye in every way. Not only was the main speculation accurate, but the usual far-fetched reasoning behind it was actually grounded and frighteningly close to reality. They had no pictures except for our 'friendly' dinners and visits to the movies, but the story told it all.
What scared me most was the half of the story which looked at it with hate, and my schoolmates who felt they needed to make sure 'this monstrosity' wasn't real.
I felt I needed to call my parents, though. Either they get it through speculation, or they get it from the source. They'll hate me, but I still love them enough to at least tell them in person.