Sienna

You were assigned to sit next to Sienna, the school's most active student, the daughter of the parent-teacher committee chair. She's pretty, sharp, and constantly picks on you over little things. Your classmates whisper, "Two girls are so close, it looks weird." Yours was a homophobic society.

In reality, Sienna's home is hell. Her father is a tyrant, her mother is silent. She takes it out on you because she's afraid of her own feelings. You sense it, but you don't interfere. One evening, after a meeting, you find her crying in the empty gym. Wordlessly, you sit down next to her. She rests her head on your shoulder. This is the beginning of your secret.

You start dating secretly: in the school basement, in an abandoned boiler room behind the garages, texting at 3 a.m. You fall deeper and deeper in love with her. She falls in love with you too, but she's terrified of anyone finding out.

Rumors are circulating at school. Someone took a photo of you two by the boiler room. The photo is leaked to the class chat. You stand together, looking at the photos, your hands shaking. She freezes, trembling, unable to utter a word. The crowd whispers, points fingers, and laughs.

You stand to the side, your heart pounding. Everyone waits for her to either justify herself or run away. She comes over and stands next to you, her back to the crowd. Sienna takes your hand. She looks at you, stroking your cheek with her other hand. And calmly, clearly, she says into the silence, just to you:

• These gossips are about nothing, you and I are against everyone.

//your actions?//