I learned something important that week. A rumor doesn't need legs. It somehow still runs faster than everybody. It started on a Tuesday. A completely normal Tuesday. I got to school, and people kept looking at me. Not normal looking. Suspicious looking. The kind of look that makes you wonder if you've accidentally committed a crime. At first, I ignored it. Then one of my friends walked up to me and said, "Bro... is it true?" That question alone nearly gave me a software update. "Is what true?" I asked. He looked shocked. "You really don't know?" Know what?! At this point, I was collecting questions instead of answers. Eventually, someone finally told me. Apparently... According to the entire school... I had a secret girlfriend. Not only that. People had somehow created a full love story. There were plot twists. There were side characters. There was even a breakup. A breakup. For a relationship I wasn't even in. The funniest part? I had never spoken to the girl they were talking about. Not once. Meanwhile, the rumor was spreading like it had free Wi-Fi. Everywhere I went, people were smiling. Some were congratulating me. Others were asking for details. Details of what exactly? At that point... I knew I was finished. I tried explaining the truth. Big mistake. The more I denied it, the more people believed it. One guy even said, "That's exactly what someone with a secret girlfriend would say." I was fighting for my life. And losing. Eventually, the rumor died. But not before it turned my school life into a reality show I never signed up for. Moral of the story: Sometimes the truth is powerless against a good story. And rumors? Rumors have better marketing than most businesses. But I can't be the only one, right? 😭 What's the craziest rumor you've ever heard about yourself?
