Chapter 15

The rumors were unrelenting, but Laura did her best to shut them out, pouring all her energy into dance. Still, there were some things that could not be avoided. The cafeteria was buzzing that afternoon. Laura had just sat down with her roommates when a woman screamed sharply, "Laura! You're really good at pretending, aren't you?" Instantly, every head turned to Melinda, who was standing in the middle of the cafeteria. Her carefully made-up face was twisted with undisguised jealousy and contempt. She walked straight up to Laura's table, and her finger almost poked Laura in the face. "You couldn't steal Shayne away, so you tried a disappearing act? You tried acting pitiful and aloof, hiding all the way out here. Did you think it would make him miss you?" Melinda sneered. Her voice was shrill and sharp, and every word dripped with venom. "What can you even do other than pull these cheap tricks? You were the one who asked for the breakup, weren't you? Now that he's chased you here, yo