Did You Hear About Betty?

by J. C., Allenstown, NH

"Hey Bob! Guess what I heard about iBetty! She went to a major keg party over the weekend with some college guys and the party got busted! Betty was really drunk. The cops arrested her and hauled her off to jail," exclaimed Sue, the school gossip queen. "No way!" said a disbelieving Bob.

"No joke, my friend. I heard about it during first period. Now, would I lie to you?" replied Betty.

"Of course not. I've got to tell the guys!" said Bob as he hurried off to spread the news.

Ah yes, rumors. Every high schooler's worst nightmare. It seems like we're constantly surrounded by little white lies. Sometimes they aren't so little. Take Betty's case for example. Who knows? Maybe she just went to her five-year-old cousin's birthday party, or maybe her older brother brought some friends home with him from college and they took Betty bowling. Somehow, the original story got grossly distorted. Although this scenario is fictitious, it is not far-fetched.

I haven't found a successful way to escape rumors in my two short years of high school. Some of my best friends have been temporarily destroyed by them. The full impact of what rumors can do to people appeared right in my face last year. I walked into the bathroom and was stunned to see one of my best friends doubled over, sobbing violently. "What's wrong?" I asked. I didn't get a reply, because she was crying so hard that she could hardly breath, let alone speak. I knew that as soon as I stepped into the hallway, the whispers would give me an explanation of her predicament. It's kind of scary to think that people would submit others to great pain and embarrassment just for something to talk about.

I remember one girl last year. Some really nasty rumors were going around about her and another guy who was not her boyfriend. Well, she lost her boyfriend. She also lost a lot of weight and sleep. I was worried about her. She came to school with a pale face and bloodshot eyes. On some days, she didn't even come to school because she couldn't face the rude comments, the cruel laughter, and the stares. She threatened to kill herself. All of this happened because one or two people decided to blow an innocent situation out of proportion.

Although it's hard to hear rumors about your friends, it's even more difficult to hear them about yourself. Not too long ago, a girl in my class was telling people that my friends and I were "really into drugs." No one believed these rumors, but what if they had? A lot of rumors were buzzing around our school about kids getting expelled for drug use. We were concerned, but we were confident because we were innocent.

I know that I'll probably hear a hundred more rumors in my remaining years of high school. I do my best to avoid them. I don't start or help spread them because I know that I don't like it if people spread rumors about me. I've realized that nothing good ever comes out of rumors, so why bother with them