Rumors

Chapter 2

The rumor of the game is now spreading more than ever before. Like everywhere I go to, the grocery mall and even in the school, I rarely talk without hinting on the dumbass game. I wonder how people could be this clueless, primitive and naive. I mean there are lot of signs there to prove the game false still they decide to neglect their own life to be slaves to rumors. 

Right now I'm at the school cafe with my best friend bethel. 

I’ve been rambling about a classic I just read, telling her what I love about the book ‘fences’, an American themed book. I told her what I hate and how I felt about Troll's death, which in my opinion wasn’t supposed to die. While I was busy talking, she kept nodding and mouthing an 'Uh yeah’ oh’ absently mindedly and I almost narrated the entire book before I realized she wasn’t even paying attention instead she was busy operating her phone, deeply engrossed in whatever she was doing. 

“Bethel...” I snapped at her, making her flinch and her phone slide out of her hands crashing down to the floor before she could recollect herself. 

“What...uh..about troll I think he’s um...” she faltered, scratching the back of her head like a total idiot. 

“I think he’s a great guy.” She giggles and smiles like a creep revealing her chubby cheeks on display. 

Then she leaned down to pick her phone. Bringing her phone to her face she gasps at the sight of it, her well-shaved brow contracted living a frown on her face. 

“My poor phone...” she squeaks like a baby. “It cracked.” 

“Serves you right for ditching me and making me talk to myself like some repellent lunatic..” I smirked, feigning annoyance. 

“Huh?” She snaps her head up to face me. “You are so evil. “ She pouts and swatt me at my arm. 

“Okay okay, I know I read fences practically because I was choiceless but I don’t find anything thrilling about the book so I really don’t have anything to talk about.” She defended, blowing dust off her phone screen. 

“Choiceless? Where the hell did you get that word from?”

“My own dictionary?” She said in a way of question followed by a shrug. 

“Whatever, you could have just told me to shut up then rather than making me talk to myself.” 

“Uh I’m sorry.” She gave me a Puppy face. 

“Whatever. What were you doing with your phone... I mean I’ve noticed you’ve been on your phone since morning even in class..” not only her though, a lot of students have been on their gadgets lately and I wonder what’s the thing about that. 

“Don’t worry, I bet you don’t want to hear it.” Bethel shoves her phone in her chest pocket picking up her chopstick. 

“Like hell I want to know what is more important on your phone than me...” I insisted and for someone who had known me since kindergarten, she should be aware that I don’t take no for an answer. 

“Hey...hey, chill out. It’s nothing. I was just shuffling through some Reviews about this game buzzing here and there.” She rolls her eyes dramatically as if anticipating my reaction. 

“Crap, you know what? If you spends the amount of time you spend in doing some stupid researches about a lame game that isn’t real, on your studies, I swear you are gonna be a straight A student.” 

“Oh man we aren’t bickering over this today right? I really don’t know what grudges you have about this game. I mean if 99.9% of people are talking about the game there’s a true fact that the game obviously does exist and everything said about it is true.” Bethel asseverated with so much conviction lacing in her voice. 

I don’t know ever since these rumors about the game was introduced bethel had picked interest in it and each time I tried speaking against it it always ends up in an epic argument.  

“Look whoever came up with that topic obviously did it to create fear in people's minds and it’s sad to see how many people are falling for the superstitious myth including you.” I tried to reason. 

“But people who played it confirmed it's true. If I were you I’ll do a little research about it just to prove my point and be sure I’m on the right track.” 

“If so, then why aren’t people dying to answer me? Don’t tell me they all win all rounds easily and nothing happens?.” I asked and remained silent for a while but she always has a way of making a right. 

“Maybe a lot of people are still afraid to play the game okay. Now, end of discussion..” 

We didn't talk about it again as we just dug into our food. 

How is it even possible that people who engage in the game all win and come to tell people that it’s real. Where’s the proof? What kinda game is played without people failing it? It all just proves that the rumors are all faked and those who are probably claiming they won the game must be those paddling the rumor. 

“To my dear Clarissa,” the familiar voice jolts me out of my thoughts. 

I look to my side to meet those pair of some stupid starling gray eyes staring at me. Don’t hate me if you love gray, I love gray too but when you get to meet someone like Xavier trust me you’ll hate gray. He's the typical definition of a pervert. 

His pitch black hair was messy as usual as he was stamping an annoying smirk on his face. I lowered my gaze to his hands to see him holding out a bouquet towards me. 

“C’mon go ahead and take it?” He gestured still holding out the flowers, making me bewildered. 

I took glances behind him and a half of the students in the cafe were staring at us. Well Xavier is quite popular so his presence magnets students especially girls. 

“And Why are you suddenly giving me flowers?” I ask but instead of him replying, he tries forcing the flowers into my hand which of course I rejected. I withdrew my gaze from him. 

“Well,” he pulled out a chair besides me sitting on it. 

“The thing is I finally started playing that game and I’m scared I’ll be losing you any moment now so who knows this might be my last gift to you.” 

“And how’s that got to do with me?” 

“You know the rule of the game says if you fail then you lose someone you love and you know I love you right?” His facial expression is so serious that one could easily fall for his lame tricks. 

“Hell yeah I hate you too.” I grinned like a creep playing along with him. 

Leave it to Xavier to make a joke out of some lame games. 

“Wait, isn't it that if you fail you yourself dies?” Bethel gasped in fear, cluelessly falling for Xavier trick. 

Xavier looks at her and then bursts into feet of laughter obviously seeing the horror in bethel’s face. 

“Well, yeah that’s right I was just trying to pull a leg.” He shrugs, earning a glare from bethel. 

“Unfortunately you didn’t choose the right prank.” I retorted, rolling my eyes. 

“Whatever. By the way have you guys tried playing the game?” He asks. 

“I wouldn’t even think of that. first of all I’m not good with games and I still love my dear life okay" Bethel replied to him. 

“Well that’s why they won’t even think of approaching girls in the first place.” He said superciliously. technically implying that we girls are weakling which just getting on my nerves 

“What if I say I’ve been approached?” 

And I regretted saying that because bethel picks interest in it asking questions as to how, when, where I was approached and who? I had no choice than to spend a good amount of my time telling them about the stranger of yesterday. 

Bethel strictly warns me not to play while Xavier urges me to and me having a mind of my own stuck to my own decisions. 

As soon as I was done eating I left both of them to continue bickering about the game while I headed for class. 

There were few students in class as we are still on lunch break. So I slid out a Novel from my locker to keep myself company just then a voice stole my attention from The back. 

“Clarrisa,” I turned back and was met with Nathan’s hazel eyes. 

Just whom I had expected as he’s the only one that sits behind me. Talk about a jealous boyfriend 

“Uh hi Nate” I smiled. 

“You didn’t tell me you left for the cafe,” he said quietly. 

“Well, I’m sorry but you were nowhere to be found.” I enthused and he didn’t say anything anymore but suddenly chuckled out of the blue. Frowning and puzzled, I followed his gaze and he was staring at my hair. 

“Since when did you start adorning your hair with flowers?” He answered with a questioning look on my face. 

“What?” I frowned and my hand flew to my hair rubbing it till I felt something in my hair. Bringing it down I discovered it was a stem of flower. Which obviously was from those roses from Xavier. 

“That prick...” I muttered curling the flowers in my palm. 

“What was that?” Xavier raised an eyebrow. 

“I’m very sure it was Xavier who sneaked this into my air.” I said casually before I could process what I just said, rage that crossed Nathan's face instantly. 

But before he could speak I immediately told him not to worry that Xavier was just pulling some sort of trick on me that he joined in the game and he’s scared he’ll lose me so he gave me the flowers as compensation I guess. Nathan's expression softens a bit as a ghost of a smile appears across his face. “And you believed him?” 

“Off course not. I know he’s joking and Even though it was true he played the game I have nothing to be scared about. All those are just rumors you know.” I said with a small laugh to lessen the tension. 

“Yeah.” He nodded, returning back to the image he was scrubbing on his paper. 

“So did you finally do your research about the game?” I tried striking a conversation cause I know how weird my boyfriend is. He isn’t the all chatty type. You could simply call him an introvert. 

And that’s one reason I love him because he’s the only one unique guy I know. 

“Yeah, kind of just a few reviews.” He shrugs while focusing on his drawing. 

“So what’s your own review about the game?” I know I’ve asked that before but he kinda dodged the question. 

“With the vast majority of reviews I read, I strongly believe that the game is true and everything said about it is true...” I just sighed pushing my lips in as I fought the urge to start an argument. “So you are gonna try out the game?” 

“Nah, you know I’m too busy for that.” He replied, matter of factly. 

For a student who works mini jobs to fend for himself, he wouldn’t have spare time for stupid stuffs. 

“You?” He asked and I raised an eyebrow in a questioning manner. 

“Are you gonna try out the game?” He asks 

“Hell no..” I snapped and he couldn’t help smiling at my immediate reply. 

“You know if you strongly believe that this game is a myth or something you should give the game a try to prove your right at least.” And he is repeating the same sermon everyone has been telling me. 

We didn’t get the chance to talk more about the game before a teacher walked into our class after the lunch break was over. 

We had Few more classes till school was closed.