As I walked through the doors of my new school, an overwhelming sense of unease washed over me. The bustling hallways seemed to quiet down as I made my way to my locker. I could feel the weight of their stares, piercing through my skin like a thousand tiny needles. Whispers floated through the air, reaching my ears in fragments. It was as if the entire student body had already formed an opinion about me, and it wasn't a good one.

My heart pounded in my chest, anxiety gripping me tightly. Memories of my previous school flooded my mind, where I had endured relentless bullying. It seemed like the rumors had followed me here, like a dark cloud that refused to dissipate. I couldn't understand why people were so quick to judge me without even giving me a chance.

Summoning every ounce of courage, I approached my friends, Casey, Jade, Libby, and Summer. They had been my lifeline, my support system in this new chapter of my life. But as I tried to engage them in conversation, their eyes darted away, their body language cold and distant. It was as if I had become invisible, an inconvenient presence they wanted to avoid.

"Hey, guys," I said, my voice trembling with uncertainty. "Is everything okay?"

Casey glanced at me, a flicker of discomfort crossing her face. "Sorry, Harper, we're kinda busy right now," she muttered, her voice strained.

Jade and Libby exchanged awkward glances, their gazes filled with a mix of pity and guilt. Summer, usually the bubbly and vivacious one, avoided my eyes altogether, her attention fixated on her phone screen. The silence that hung between us was deafening, a painful reminder of the fracture that had formed within our friendship.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I realized the extent of the isolation I now faced. The whispers grew louder, the stares more intense. I couldn't escape the suffocating feeling that everyone knew something about me, something that I didn't even know myself. It was as if my past had become a haunting shadow, casting doubt and suspicion over my present.

And I fear it will always be like this.