“Did you know? Shella is pregnant.”
“Who told you?”
“From Jennifer the gossiper! Gosh, she’s good at gossips especially here in our school!”
“Really? So that’s probably a hundred percent true! Wow, that Shella is a flirt!”
Every single day, I always hear gossips from my schoolmates. I sometimes find myself thinking, 'Are they really educated people?’ Because if you're one, then you won’t easily believe what you heard, especially if you don’t know whether it’s true or not!
While I’m walking towards my first subject, I could feel the students around me staring. I shook my head to show that I don’t really care. When I was about to take a seat, Jennifer the gossiper approached me along with her troupe. She glared at me first, then smirked with cross arms.
“So, how was your intercourse with a stranger last night? Was it fun? We thought you’re an innocent one, but we’re wrong. You’re a flirt inside,” the gossiper said. I kept myself in my seat, forcing myself not to slap her.
“Oh, so that’s your hobby, huh? Spreading gossips without confirming whether it’s a hoax or not," I blurted out. "Is that your happiness? Ruining someone’s life?”
“I don’t ruin anyone’s life! I’m just spreading news. And I know that it’s true!” she answered. I smiled at her, making her confused.
“Really, huh? Then tell me why I got pregnant and if you told the truth, I’m going to leave this school right now,” I dared her, emphasizing the word ‘truth'.
“B-because you flirted with a stranger! Right? B-because that's what you really are! A flirt!” she answered in a loud voice. I got up my seat and slapped her.
“No! It's because I got raped! Know that? I got raped by an addict at the back of our store! I felt like killing myself because of all the false statements you've been spreading here in our school and the whole town!" I yelled. I have had enough of people belittling me for something I did not do. I am tired of being too wary of all the disapproving looks that people would give me every time I was around. But mostly, I was tired of not having the courage to do anything about it. "Do you know why our classmate, Jessica, hanged herself in her room? It's because you told to everybody that she’s not virgin anymore! Because of your non-sensual gossip, you've ruined someone’s life—killed by your filthy mouth. The next time you spread gossip, make sure that it’s true, and show some evidence if you have one. Lastly, I can assure you that I am more educated, and I have manners, unlike you.”
I left her speechless. The next day, I heard that Jennifer was kicked out by our principal because apparently, they found out about Jessica’s suicide case. The last thing I knew was that she was taken in for investigation, and the gossips have stopped since then.
LESSON:
Exodus 23:1 “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness.”
Matthew 7:1-2 “Do not judged, or you will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you used, it will be measured to you.”
The bible verses say it all. In this generation, gossips are found all over social media. Whether it be from reading posts, looking at pictures, and watching videos, you'd really never know if it’s true or not. Must learn not to judge easily unless we know the whole truth behind the story.
Katrina P. Petilla | Regina Lucis College
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