DIGGY's POV

~After School~

I texted Jake and he said he can meet me after school to talk -- I didn't tell him it's about the rumors. I'm kinda with Khalil on this one. I don't think he would be the one spreading rumors, especially since we just got on good terms, but I need to check anyway. I need to get to the bottom of this foolishness.

As people were leaving the school and clearing the halls, me and Khalil waited by the cafeteria hallway for Jake. He turns the corner and waves at us while approaching.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Jake asks.

"Nothing, dude. How you been?" I respond.

"Pretty good." He grins. "So, what did you wanna talk about?"

I take out my phone and open the Facebook app. "Well, I was wondering if you knew anything about these rumors..." I show him my page and he looks on, scrunching his face. I glance at Khalil.

"Naw, man. Why are they saying that?" Jake looks up at me with a frown and I slip my phone back into my pocket.

"I don't know, but it's messy and not true at all. I don't even know how they knew about our break-up in the first place."

"That's crazy."

"The only person that was present on the night we broke up was... you. After I found you in bed with Julie..." I say in a quieter voice, taking a glance at Khalil who just shakes his head and glances away.

Jake's jaw drops. "Hey, you know that was a misunderstanding--"

"Yeah. I know that now. I know Julie was behind a lot of the drama. I'm not accusing you... I'm just trying to figure out who could've started these rumors. I asked Chris if he knew anything about it since he and Julie were close or whatever... but he didn't know," I explain.

 "Well, you know how rumors go around here... it could be anyone. But it wasn't me, bro. I don't get down like that," he confidently says. I chew on my bottom lip, reading his eyes and seeing nothing but the truth. 

I nod my head and respond, "Yeah... okay. Thanks anyway."

Jake nods his head and sighs.

"So what now?" Khalil asks me.

"I still wanna get to the bottom of this..." I start thinking about who else would know about me and Julie's situation. Who would try to start some mess? The only person I can think of is...

***

~The next day, Wednesday~

KHALIL: Have you talked to Julie yet?

It was first period, and there was only 15 minutes left before the bell rang. Yesterday, I told Khalil about my suspicions behind the rumors, and she was the only one that came to mind.

ME: No. She didn't come to class today...

KHALIL: You could text her.

ME: I've been avoiding her for a reason. but if i do talk 2 her i wanna do it face to face with no misunderstandings

After first period, I was determined to ask if she knew anything. I know it seems pretty stupid, but if I couldn't trust her last semester, how can I trust that she wouldn't try to start more drama this year? Unfortunately, she wasn't in class, but hopefully, I'll see her around the halls or something.

As I was walking to my Writing 101 class, Jake stopped me. Sam was right beside him.

"Hey, did you ever figure out who did it?" Jake asked me.

"Uh, no... I had someone in mind, but I haven't seen them yet..." I reply, glancing at Sam who is on her phone.

"Okay, well have they posted anything else on your page?" He steps closer as Sam's back is to us. I wonder if she knows about it.

"Yeah..."

"You can take it to the administration and they could find whoever is spreading the rumors. Technically, it can be considered cyberbullying, dude."

"Nah, it's not that serious..." I glance down at my phone, contemplating his suggestion.

"Obviously it is if you're trying to find out who did it. The police could help you," he explains.

"Thanks, but I can be a pretty good detective." I force a laugh.

Jake pats my arm. "All right. Well, hey, don't let the rumors get to you. They're false anyway, right?" He gives me a reassuring grin.

"Right. Thanks, Jake."

"No prob. See you later." He walks away with Sam following behind and she looks up at me, expressionless. Our eyes meet. Does she know something?

***

~After school~

I haven't seen her all day and there are more messages appearing on my Facebook page. And a new rumor. Now people are saying that I'm the father of Julie's child... but she told me herself that she lied before saying that it wasn't mine. I don't even think she's pregnant... I mean, you'd be able to tell by now, right? Man... I don't know. Julie couldn't be dumb enough to spread rumors about herself online, especially if they were true, right? She'd wanna keep that stuff to herself... and I don't think she's that hungry for attention. But this is Julie we're talking about. I put all of my trust in her when I didn't know her that well and I ended up getting played.

But she has been acting different lately, not as "in your face", but kinda calm. I don't know what to think... all I know is I'm nobody's baby daddy...

Wait! The only other person I haven't talked to is Sam. She lied to me just like Julie did. They both were lying about relationships and even worked together to plot me and Julie's breakup. Sam might just know something. Imma call her.

SAM's POV

Diggy wants to talk to me for some reason... I don't. Jake said that I should talk because it may be important. I don't care. Becca says I should, too. I wanted her to come with me in case things get heated or he says something stupid to me because we still ain't "cool", but she has a cheer squad meeting in the gym. Sigh. 

He told me to meet him by his locker... and there he is. Standing there with his cell phone in hand, a hand in his jean pocket, and an irritated look on his face. I cross my arms and approach him.

"Hi," I say, looking around the nearly empty hallway. Everybody is headed home and I gotta talk to this dude.

"Hi. Thanks for coming--"

"Mhm."

A pause. He does something on his phone and then looks up at me. "I wanna ask you if you know anything about this..." He shows me some posts on his social media page; people are talking crap about him and Julie saying she's pregnant with his baby. How did they know she was pregnant? Diggy raises an eyebrow and asks: "You know anything about maybe who would start the rumors?"

"No..." I pause for a moment trying to think. It could be anybody, but if they know about her pregnancy -- something that I only got wind of that night she was crying outside the mall -- it has to be someone she's close to. The only person that comes to mind is-- "Did you ask Chris? I could see him starting something, because he was mad about you and Julie in the first place. Or maybe Julie, but..." My voice trails off and I don't say anything else.

"I asked Chris already and he said he didn't start them. And I don't think Julie would start ish about herself, even though I know what she's capable of." He pauses as he eyes me. "So that leaves you."

I frown. "What do you mean that leaves me? You think I started the rumors?" I chuckle at the audacity of him claiming something like that.

"You always had something against Julie since she came here, and you along with Julie lied to me about several things--"

"That may be true, but you gotta put a lot of time and energy into rumors, and I'm not gonna put time and energy into someone I don't care about," I reply with a roll of my neck.

He doesn't say anything, just nods while looking a little frustrated. "Okay then... thanks for your time."

I cross my arms and scoff at him. "Is that all? You sure you don't wanna interrogate me about anything else going on in your life?" I say this very sarcastically with much attitude.

He clenches his jaw - I know a hit a nerve. He replies, "No. I'm good... bye." He brushes past me and exits the hallway. Wow, this dude acts literally like a little kid.

***

JULIE's POV

It was 3:00pm exactly and I walked into the school gymnasium with my purse in hand. I was feeling sick this morning so I decided to stay home, but I didn't wanna miss the first cheer squad meeting of the semester. I'm one of the head cheerleaders - the team is depending on me.

Dana, Becca, and Ladelle were sitting at a folding table facing the bleachers where the team sat. Becca is the first to recognize me and she waves with a warm smile. I return the gesture.

"Hey! Glad you could make it! I heard you weren't feeling too well?" Becca asks.

"Yeah... but I can't miss my cheer squad duties," I laugh softly.

"Hey, Julie," Dana smirks at me. "Just in time. Here, you can have my seat. I'll stand."

I sit in her spot at the edge of the table, looking at the rest of the cheer squad. Dana claps her hands to get everyone's attention.

"Okay, team, let's start. First of all, thank you for coming to the first meeting of the semester. So before we start practice, I'd like to go over some Cheer Rules in case you've forgotten."

She picks up a piece of paper and begins reading from it.

"Number one: You must attend all rehearsals for the year, including performances, and need to have a doctor's note if you're sick. Number two: Everyone must keep their uniform in good condition - if something happens to it for some reason, you will have to pay for a new one. Number three: Cheer members' diet should consist of no fatty foods with plenty of water, fruits, and vegetables..."

I tuned out as she read the rules since they're nothing new. I felt my phone buzz in my purse, again. This morning there were five new posts on my Facebook page about the rumors... I'm sorta glad I skipped classes today because I don't know if I could handle people staring at me and judging. I've never felt the need to hide ever in my life - things always seemed to work out with me - until now. Everything in my life has been perfect, except my relationships.

"...And finally, the last rule that I feel is vital to the cheer squad's reputation: Members are able to vote out anyone on the team - including the head team leaders - if they are involved in negative situations that may taint our image, are extremely sick, or if they bring negativity to the environment." Dana places the paper down and looks at me. "Since we're talking about this, Julie, I'm sure you've heard the rumors going around."

I stare at her confused. "Huh?"

Dana turns to the team. "Girls, have any of you heard about the rumors involving Julie and Daniel Simmons?"

My heartbeat pounds faster. How does she know this?

The girls on the team awkwardly look at me and then nod their heads at Dana.

"So, how many of you would agree that this brings a negative image and even stereotypes about the squad?"

The girls look between each other whispering and slowly raise their hands. I can't believe this.

Dana looks at me, glaring into my eyes. "Julie, do we have to mention the fact that you're pregnant? You'll be physically unfit to rehearse as intensely as we do. Don't you agree?"

My mouth was dry and I was unable to form words. I looked from the girls on the bleachers to Ladelle and Becca, searching for any kind of help. Or an answer.

"Dana, is this really our business? Is this necessary?" Becca asks, with a concerned look.

"Yes, it is necessary. If people get this bad image of the cheer team, no one will want to join the team after this. I'm also looking out for Julie. If she's pregnant, how would she be able to be on the team? Not only would it be physically tiring for her, but she might put her baby in danger if she works too hard," Dana exclaims.

"I-I'm not... who said I was pregnant?" I manage to get out.

"Oh, please, honey. You've been sick for weeks now... and don't forget those times we saw you puke in the middle of practice. The signs are clear."

I gulp, my lip quivering a bit. "S-So... what are you gonna do? Kick me off the team?" I nervously laugh.

Dana smiles and turns to the cheer squad. "That's not solely my decision. Ladies, all who think that Julie Martinez should be kicked off the cheer squad for the rest of the year, raise your hands."

In a flash, my life was over. 

Everyone raised their hands, even if they looked unsure. Before Dana could tell me herself, I immediately left the gymnasium holding back my tears; I felt this weight within my chest as I turned the corner seeing the big glass doors of the school entrance. The room was spinning and I didn't know how I would get home in one piece.

"Julie?"

I turn to see Diggy walking my way.

"Are you alright?" He asks.

"I'm fine," I reply as I run out the doors and into the student parking lot, letting my tears fall down my cold cheeks.