INICIAR SESIÓNIt finally dawns on me: I have broken my promise. I let River Dawson get close to me again before I was healed. I have betrayed Cortney again.I push him away instantly, breathing hard. Our eyes lock, chests rising and falling in the same frantic rhythm.“Chan…” he starts, but all I can focus on is the smear of my lipstick on his lips.Oh God. What have I done? Cortney and the others will know. They will see the evidence the second we walk out.“I can’t do this,” I whisper, shaking my head. My voice cracks. “I can’t keep doing this.”“Doing what, Chan?” River takes a step forward. When I step back, he stops immediately. He sighs, placing both his hands on his hips. “I notice you’ve been avoiding me. Does it have anything to do with what you are feeling?”“We shouldn’t be doing this.”“Doing what, Chan?” he whispers. “We have done worse. We took a whole trip just so we could have sex without getting caught. We—”“This is not the same.” I cut him off sharply. “There are so many people o
The tension in the room is thick and suffocating. We sit in a tight circle, and every pair of eyes burns into me. The silence feels heavy, almost awkward enough to choke on. I can hear the grandfather clock ticking on the wall — tick-tock, tick-tock — syncing with the frantic thud of my heartbeat.“So, who is in for a game?” Sasha asks. She is the only one still standing, arms crossed, that cruel smirk fixed on her face.Earlier, the moment everyone realized the “mysterious college model” was actually me, chaos erupted. Sasha and Marcus quickly cleared the house, kicking everyone out except for me, Cortney, River, Ricky, Riley, and Marcus himself. Whatever Sasha is planning now does not look good.“I think we should go home,” Cortney says, her voice tight. “The party basically ended the second you sent everyone away.”“But the fun is just about to begin,” Sasha replies sweetly.“Oh, yeah?” Cortney challenges.“Yes, Cortney.”“So, what game do you suggest?” Riley asks, shifting uncomfo
Okay, I have attended parties before — a lot more than I care to admit — but none like the one Marcus is throwing. The last one left me with a phobia that still lingers. Mom has always forced me to go to birthday parties since I was a little girl. I’ve always loved hiding in corners. I was painfully shy until I was twelve. That was the last time I ever attended one. It was my little cousin Stella’s birthday. As usual, Mummy dragged me along to celebrate with the family. I was finally starting to come out of my shell, and she wanted me to have fun. “Chancé, you have to mingle with your cousins. Make friends. They think you are a creep,” she said. “Because I don’t dance or talk to them?” She nodded. “Just don’t chew your fingers and stare at them weirdly. You know what? You should dance. Learn some steps or something.” That was my biggest mistake. I wish I had never listened to her. At least being called a creep was better than getting humiliated by a six-year-old in front of every
Sasha Mackline is someone to fear. She has quite the temper, and that is exactly why I’ve always loved feeling invisible. I heard she despises scholarship students the most—because why are they poor and can’t afford tuition? Everyone knows how to avoid Sasha.She does have friends, though—people who are just as rich but secretly jealous of one another. They stay close because their parents are connected, and any tiny mistake from the kids could ruin those family friendships. Most of them only tolerate Sasha to gain more connections for their already powerful parents—to meet even higher-ups.But people like me? She already hates us.As she walks toward us, three of her followers trail behind, struggling with heavy shopping bags. For someone as rich as her, couldn’t she afford bodyguards to carry her stuff?Her presence alone brings pure darkness. Sasha is 5’6”—just two inches shorter than me—but she wears designer heels with her uniform: Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Louboutin, and the
“Now. Open your eyes, Beautiful,” Lawrence says.I feel a chill run down my spine. I don’t know what I will see—who I will see. I take a deep breath and slowly open my eyes. I stare at the creature before me. My eyes are widening. That isn’t me, is it?I can feel tears prickling in my eyes. My hands lift to touch my face. Mave? I call in my mind. But I am not Mave. I am Chancé.“What do you think?” Lawrence places his hands on my shoulders. “Because I think I did a good job turning a mess into something fabulous. Again! I am so good at my job.” He turns toward the others. “Gracie, Elliot, Hilary, let’s leave this goddess alone to get used to her transformation. The new her.”I am now alone in the room. I still can’t believe what has been done to me. I look like Mave when she was in high school and a cheerleader. She was this beautiful thing—still is—but…I swallow hard as I can’t look away from the mirror. He really transformed me. I feel brand new.My hair is now raven black, swept u
I stare at my reflection. Hot? Smashable? Does she mean I have to be more popular now?I turn to Cortney, shaking my head violently. “No. No. I don’t want any of that.” I’m already content that the boy I want desires me — even if it’s only in secret.“Chancé.”“Cortney, I’m serious. I don’t want to be popular or talked about in that school… or anywhere. Sasha Mackline won’t like it if I suddenly get more attention than her. Her and her stupid followers will hate me.”She tilts her head, studying me. “So you like being popular for the wrong reasons? People are already bullying you, Chancé. Do you really want more of that when you could prove them wrong?”I shake my head and quickly move away from her, sinking onto the edge of the bed. Cortney won’t get it. Popularity isn’t for girls like me. My sister Mave is a different breed — sometimes I wonder if I was adopted. She’s so much like Mom. They know how to dress up. They’re naturally pretty. They don’t need a makeover to become “Barbie.
***~~~ CHANCÉ~~~***Since the last time River and I had sex, I’ve been thinking about that moment nonstop. I feel like a drug addict in withdrawal — conflicted, restless, and completely obsessed. Am I an addict? I don’t know, but if you can’t stay away from something and you obsess over it every
I compose myself as I walk over and settle into my seat. My eyes meet hers for a brief moment before she quickly looks over at Ricky.“It’s nothing,” she says.“This isn’t nothing.” Ricky leans in, carefully tracing his fingers along her red cheek.I hate it. I hate that he gets to touch her like t
The sting lingers, sharp and hot, but it’s nothing compared to the confusion crashing through me. Hazel’s words echo in my head—“Are you in love with River? Is that why you’re trying to ruin my life?” After that slap, I went deaf. The world muffles. The question she asked doesn’t even sink in prope
Dead last but one. Just above some name nobody’s even heard of.The laughter around us suddenly makes perfect sense. The whispers. The stares. I was the joke.My face burns so hot I can feel it in my ears. I want to disappear. I want to rip the paper down. I want to scream. Instead, I just stand th







