Novels by Ava Lee

Janessa's POVMy first actual day at Berkeley did not start the way I had envisioned it over the last six months.Instead of waking up in a cute dorm room and casually walking to class with a coffee, I woke up in the modern, freezing guest room of a hockey captain who looked like he could snap me in half. And to top it all off, he was currently driving me to campus.This was kinda surprising because I honestly expected him to leave me on the curb or tell me to call an Uber. When I dragged myself into the kitchen, he was already standing by the door, keys jingling, looking completely impatient. He didn't even ask if I was ready; he just walked out, expecting me to follow.Now, I was sitting in the passenger seat of his massive, blacked-out SUV, staring out the window as the campus buildings appeared. The silence inside the car was suffocating. Brayden had his hands gripped tightly on the steering wheel, his jaw set, completely ignoring me.I shifted in my seat, turning slightly toward

Brayden's POVI stood at the floor-to-ceiling window of my living room, staring out at the hazy skyline of Berkeley. The city was finally quiet at three in the morning, but my head was buzzing with pure irritation.I took a slow sip of water, listening to the silence coming from the guest bedroom. Janessa, my brother’s precious little girlfriend, was sleeping under my roof, and the irony of it was almost funny.Everyone in my family thought Trevor was a saint, the perfect twin who always did what my parents wanted. I had spent my entire life being compared to him and labeled as the black sheep. But I saw right through Trevor’s golden boy act. He wasn't a saint; he was just boring and terrified of his own shadow.And Janessa had wasted her best years on him.It actually disgusted me. Two years together, and he treated her like she was made of sugar, completely refusing to touch her. He had her locked away in this pathetic bubble of purity, and she was just taking it, thinking it was ro

Janessa's POV Walking into Brayden’s private condo was like stepping into an entirely different world.I thought the campus area only had rowdy frat houses and cramped apartments like Caleb’s, but this place was super expensive. It was a massive loft with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over the city lights. The condo had sleek matte-black counters and polished concrete floors, and it was spotless, smelling faintly of expensive cologne and laundry detergent.On the far wall, a huge glass case held his hockey jersey, a sleek black stick, and a captain’s letter on the chest. Brayden wasn't just some college student getting by; he was the university's hockey captain, and clearly, he lived by different rules than his brothers.He tossed my suitcase onto the floor near the entryway without any gentleness. "Rule number one," he started, leaning against the kitchen island with his arms crossed. "Don't touch my stuff. Rule number two, don't bring any of Caleb's trashy friends over here.

Janessa's POVIt was officially two in the morning, and I was sitting on my suitcase on the curb, freezing my butt off.The California air was nothing like the warm paradise they show you in the movies. It was freezing, damp, and smelled like car exhaust and disappointment. I pulled my knees up to my chest, burying my face in my oversized hoodie, and just let the tears fall.Berkeley was supposed to be my fresh start and my dream. I was supposed to move here, start classes, and finally feel like I was making something of my life.Instead, I had been here for less than three hours, and I was already homeless, exhausted, and overwhelmed. I couldn't go back up to that apartment because my boyfriend’s brother couldn't even stop hooking up with a random girl to acknowledge me. The image of Caleb against that wall was burned into my brain, and humiliation washed over me every time I thought about it.I took out my phone, my fingers shaking as I opened my texts with Trevor."Trevor, please c

Janessa's POV"Trevor… I got in.""Got in… where?" He asked, his attention buried in whatever game he was playing on his phone."Berkeley. I just got the email."I stood there, holding my phone so tightly my knuckles were turning white. My heart was pounding against my ribs, and I could feel this huge smile spreading across my face.Berkeley was my dream school, the place I had been obsessing over forever. I actually did it.Trevor finally looked up from his screen and blinked like he was trying to figure out what I said. Then his eyes went wide, and he tossed his phone onto the couch."Wait, seriously? Babe, that's insane!" He stood up and pulled me into a huge hug. He even lifted me off my feet a little and spun me around."I knew you could do it," he said. "I told you you were worrying for nothing.""I can't believe it," I breathed, burying my face in his shoulder. For a second, everything felt perfect, like nothing could touch me now that my hard work paid off.But then, the bank