The whispers started before first period.
Not loud. Not obvious.
Just sideways glances. Quiet snickers. A tension in the air that felt like thunder before a storm.
By lunch, it wasn't just whispers anymore.
It was a rumor.
And it had a name.
Sid.
Theo.
Together.
Inappropriately.
Illegally.
Unforgivably.
A blurry photo from the Paris trip.
Not damning, not proof—
But enough.
A close angle.
His hand on her back.
Her laugh.
The way they looked at each other like the rest of the world had disappeared.
It spread like wildfire.
To students.
To staff.
To administration.
And by the time Theo walked into the faculty lounge, the room froze.
He felt it.
Every stare. Every silence.
Like knives pressed against his spine.
"Professor theo ," the department head said stiffly. "We need to speak. Now."
His heart dropped.
Not because he didn't know what this was about.
But because she was about to get dragged into hell with him.