2
As a penalty for losing the dare, Sean treated everyone to a weekend night out at a club his family owned.
Someone joked with him, “Dude, you’d rather lose the game than kiss Ava. Aren’t you afraid she’ll dump you?”
He just laughed, a look of absolute confidence on his face. “Why would I be? She’s obsessed with me. She’s not going to break up with me over a stupid game.”
Everyone laughed along. “True. Your girl knows how to handle things. She’s not gonna sweat the small stuff.”
I lowered my head, fighting back the urge to cry, my face a carefully constructed mask of indifference. Don’t cry, I told myself. Not here. Not in front of everyone.
The game continued.
This time, it was my turn to draw a dare. I unfolded the slip of paper. It read: [Go and eat a piece of food from the top-ranked student’s plate.]
I stared at the words, stunned.
Adrian was the new transfer student. He’d shown up and immediately snatched the number-one rank from Sean, his picture plastered on the school’s honor roll display. Someone had even snapped a photo of it and posted it online. Thanks to his criminally handsome face, it had over a million likes.
A few troublemakers immediately started hooting. “Ooh, this is a good one! Go on, Ava!”
“That’s Adrian we’re talking about! The cold, untouchable genius who transferred into our class. He’s the reason Sean got knocked down to second place for the first time ever.”
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19.21
“He’s seriously cold, though. A bunch of girls confessed to him already, and they all came back crying.”
Olivia covered her mouth, a sly grin on her face. “I hear Adrian’s single. With Ava’s figure, if she wore someth ing a little more revealing tonight and wrapped herself around him, he probably wouldn’t be able to hold his books straight.”
A couple of people shot her a warning look. “Hey, don’t talk like that. Ava’s Sean’s girlfriend.”
“Yeah, everyone knows she’s head-over-heels for Sean. She’s been following him around like a puppy since they were kids.”
Olivia feigned surprise, sticking her tongue out playfully at Sean. “Oops, my bad! I totally forgot she was you girlfriend.”
I dug my nails into my palms, the sharp points nearly breaking the skin. I waited for Sean to say something anything. I couldn’t believe he’d just let her talk about me like that, making crude jokes at my expense.
Sean just looked at Olivia, a smirk tugging at his lips. “It’s fine. I don’t have a problem with it.” He shrugged “Sounds good to me. While you’re at it, why don’t you go up to him with nothing on under your dress? Seduce him, tank his grades. I don’t mind.” His voice dripped with arrogance. “Ava’s crazy about me, right? It’s perfe ct. Her body might be with the top student, but her heart will still be with me. Works for me.”
He let out a short, harsh laugh. “Besides, she’s so wrapped around my finger. I haven’t even had a taste, why would I let someone else get a free sample?”
Olivia was the first to burst out laughing.
In that moment, my heart seemed to skip a beat, then stop altogether. I couldn’t believe the boy I’d loved my whole life could be so utterly disrespectful. A tremor ran through my body, an uncontrollable shudder of hurt
and anger.
The phantom comments appeared again.
【There he goes again. Can he just drop the tough-guy act? He’s saying all this horrible stuff just to push our girl into apologizing and making up with him!]
【He spends all his time scrolling through their old chats. He thinks we don’t know? His thumb must be raw by now.]
[But damn, that number one is a total masterpiece. Even more of a heartthrob than Sean. I kinda want Ava to have a little taste of something new.)
[Sean has no idea. The new guy didn’t just steal his top rank; he’s been coveting his girlfriend for a long, long time.]
【Wait, isn’t the top student supposed to be the villain of this story? And isn’t he the sole heir to the Sterling Corporation or something?]
[Seriously, Ava, stop wasting your time on Sean. Give Adrian a chance! His study is filled with your photos.
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He probably keeps the pens you’ve touched in a freaking safe.]
[If you so much as brush a finger against him, he’d probably tremble with excitement!)
I stared at the floating text, my eyes wide. Adrian… was like that?
19:21
Seeing my hesitation, Olivia tugged on Sean’s sleeve, pouting. “Look at Ava, she’s gone all quiet. Girlfriends are so much trouble. Can’t even take a little joke. And you,” she said, turning on Sean, “you should at least try to comfort her. Girls like her are so sensitive. What if she starts crying?”
Sean’s brow furrowed in annoyance. “What’s there to comfort? It’s just a game. Acting like it’s the end of the
world. Such a buzzkill.”
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Olivia giggled, inching closer to him. “Oh, so you can take a joke? What if the dare was for you to kiss me? Would you do it?”
Sean raised an eyebrow. “Of course. It’s just a game.”
Olivia laughed and shoved him playfully. “Ugh, shut up. I wouldn’t want to kiss you anyway.”
Watching them flirt, completely oblivious to my presence, I felt a wave of bitterness so strong it threatened to drown me. Maybe the comments were right. Maybe all I had to do was soothe his ego, and he’d instantly soften and we’d be fine. That’s how it always was. Sean would push my boundaries, and I would be the one
to retreat.
But I knew if I backed down one more time… I’d be nothing more than a spineless doormat.
Under the weight of everyone’s stares, I suddenly stood up, my bowl and fork in hand.
“Fine,” I announced, my voice clear and steady. “I’ll give it a shot. He’s smart. I’ve been wanting to get to know him anyway.”
The smile vanished from Sean’s face, replaced by a dark, thunderous expression.
The comment-feed went wild.
[LMAO, Sean finally overplayed his hand. She’s actually going to do it!)
[Did you guys see Adrian’s face when he found out Ava was dating Sean? He looked like he wanted to co- mmit murder. And speaking of commitment, his commitment to her is…)
【He hasn’t taken his eyes off her this whole time. And speaking of time, he could probably go for…]
[He’s been dying to have her. Watching Sean and Ava together has been torture for him. He must be starvi- ng. And speaking of starving…)]
The comments grew more and more outrageous. I walked over to the other table, half-believing, half-skepti-
cal.
“Hi, sorry to bother you,” I began, my voice trembling slightly. “Can I… try some of your food?”
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19.21
Adrian looked up, and for a split second, his dark eyes seemed to glitter. I was taken aback. I’d never notice before, but he was breathtakingly handsome.
His friend started to run interference. “Adrian, another fan. Try not to be too harsh this time, you might make this one cry too. Hey,” he said to me, “you probably don’t know, but he’s a total germaphobe. He really doesn like people touching his…”
“It’s fine,” Adrian cut in suddenly, his voice smooth and deep. He shot his friend a look. “I’m not a monster This young lady is so thin. What’s wrong with her having a little of my food?”
Before I could say anything, he pulled out the chair next to him. “Don’t listen to him. Sit. What else do you like? I saw you staring at the sweet and sour pork earlier. We can order some more.”
So much for the cold, unapproachable genius. I’d been worried it would be awkward, but he was making i
easy.
Adrian pushed a plate of peeled shrimp in front of me and effortlessly kept the conversation going. “You’r amazing at English, right? I heard you got the highest score in the city on the mock exam.”
I nodded, still a little dazed.
He looked up, a warm smile gracing his lips. “That’s great, because my essays always lose points. I was wondering if you could help me with them. In exchange, I can help you with your other subjects. As you know, I get perfect scores in everything but English and History. It wouldn’t be a bad deal for you.” He paus ed. “Here, let’s trade numbers. It’ll be easier to coordinate.”
The comment-feed was losing its mind.
【Look at him! The villain is fanning his tail feathers like a proud peacock!)
【This is perfect. Sean was just trying to force Ava into apologizing, and instead, he sent her straight into the villain’s arms.】
[LMAO, Sean thought she was going to get publicly humiliated. Now he’s so mad he’s about to bite his fork
in half.]
[Nooo, I don’t want angst! Ava, just go back and apologize. If you just give in a little, he’ll totally make up with you tonight!)
