CHAPTER 2 ~ DECISION

MEGAN’S POV

As soon as Caleb finished detailing his terrible plan to Vanessa and the other hockey players, my entire body began to tremble violently. 

I did not wait to retrieve my expensive accounting textbook, nor did I make a single sound as I backed away slowly from the tall metal bookshelf. 

Because the floorboards near the library reference section were very old, I carefully placed my feet on the carpeted areas to avoid making any noise. 

Once I successfully reached the main stairwell, I hurried down the steps and pushed through the heavy front doors of the building. 

The cold night air immediately hit my face, yet the freezing temperature did nothing to stop the warm tears from streaming down my cheeks. Since I felt completely humiliated by the things I had just heard, I pulled the thick collar of my oversized sweater up around my neck and began walking quickly toward my off-campus apartment. 

The sidewalks were mostly empty at this late hour, and the orange streetlights illuminated the concrete path ahead of me. 

While I walked, I thought rapidly about the cruel things Caleb had said regarding my appearance and my cheap clothing. I had spent months trying to be polite and supportive, but he had only viewed my kindness as pathetic desperation.

Before I could reach the halfway point of my journey home, the loud ringing of my cell phone broke the complete silence of the street. I reached into the deep pocket of my sweatpants, pulled out the device, and stared at the bright screen. 

Caleb Mercer’s name flashed across the display, and a sudden feeling of intense sickness entered my stomach. 

Even though every single instinct told me to ignore the call entirely, I pressed the green button and lifted the phone to my ear because I needed to know exactly what he would say to me.

"Hello, Megan," Caleb said, and his voice sounded completely fake and overly affectionate.

"Hello, Caleb," I replied, forcing my voice to remain very steady so he would not realize I was crying.

"I was just thinking about you, and I wanted to hear your voice before I went to sleep," he continued, lying with complete ease. "Are you still awake?"

"Yes, I am walking back to my apartment right now," I answered quietly.

"You should not be walking around the dark campus by yourself, because it is very dangerous," 

Caleb scolded playfully. "You need to be careful, Megan. I worry about you a lot."

Hearing him pretend to care about my personal safety made me feel physically ill, especially since I knew he was actively plotting to ruin my life and blackmail me.

"I am almost home, so you do not need to worry about me," I told him.

"That is good to hear," Caleb said happily. "I am actually calling because I want to finalize our plans for this weekend. I really want you to come over to my apartment on Saturday night so we can finally have some alone time. Does that still work for you?"

"Yes, Saturday night still works for me," I lied, gripping the plastic phone tightly in my hand.

"Perfect," Caleb replied quickly. "I promise we are going to have a very special night together. I cannot wait to see you."

"I have to go now, Caleb," I stated firmly, unable to listen to his deceitful voice for another second.

"Okay, sweet Megan. Have a good night," he said before disconnecting the call.

Once the phone screen went completely black, I shoved the device back into my pocket and started running the rest of the way down the quiet street. 

When I finally reached my small apartment building, I unlocked the heavy front door, rushed inside my living room, and locked the metal deadbolt securely. Before I went into the bathroom, I walked into the small kitchen and poured myself a tall glass of cold tap water. 

My hands were shaking so badly that the water spilled over the glass rim and splashed onto the counter, but I ignored the mess and drank the liquid quickly because my throat felt extremely dry. 

Because the apartment was completely dark, I stumbled slightly against the edge of the wooden coffee table before reaching the bathroom and flipping the bright light switch. I stood in front of the sink and stared at my reflection in the cloudy mirror for a very long time. 

My eyes were completely red and swollen from crying, while my thick glasses magnified the sad expression on my face. I looked at the baggy, oversized sweater hanging loosely off my shoulders and the faded gray sweatpants covering my legs. 

For the first time in my life, I truly understood why Vanessa and the other students bullied me constantly. I intentionally made myself look incredibly small and invisible, which unfortunately made me the perfect target for cruel people who wanted to feel powerful. 

I sank onto the cold tile floor of the bathroom, pulled my knees to my chest, and allowed myself to cry heavily. I cried because I had wasted hundreds of dollars on a silver bracelet for a boy who threw it in the trash, and I grieved because the person I thought Caleb was did not actually exist.

Several hours passed slowly while I sat on the hard floor. Eventually, the tears stopped falling, and the deep sadness inside my chest slowly vanished. As the sadness faded away, a very intense and focused anger took its place entirely. I realized that crying over Caleb was a complete waste of my time and my emotional energy. 

He had specifically targeted me because he assumed I was too weak and too submissive to ever fight back against his abuse. He truly believed he could record me without my consent and blackmail me into becoming his personal servant, and he was completely confident I would simply obey his demands out of fear. 

I stood up from the floor, turned on the cold water faucet, and splashed my face repeatedly until my skin felt completely numb. I grabbed a clean towel, dried my face thoroughly, and looked directly into my own eyes in the mirror. 

I was done hiding behind my thick glasses, and I was entirely finished wearing baggy clothes to avoid drawing attention to myself. Since my accounting midterm was not until Friday, I decided I would skip my morning classes on Thursday so I could go directly to the shopping mall when it opened. 

I had over four hundred dollars saved in my bank account from working long shifts at the diner, and I planned to spend every single penny on a completely new wardrobe that would show everyone exactly who I was.

As the sun finally began to rise outside my small bathroom window, the bright morning light filled the room. 

I felt completely energized by my newfound anger, so I walked into my bedroom and started getting ready for the day ahead. I removed my old clothes, threw them aggressively into the plastic trash can in the corner of the room, and put on a simple pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. 

I brushed my long hair but refused to tie it back into my usual messy ponytail. Even though I still needed to wear my thick glasses to see properly, I knew I would replace them with stylish half-rimmed frames as soon as I reached the shopping mall. 

I walked into the kitchen, turned on the small coffee maker, and toasted a single slice of plain bread. Even though my stomach felt empty, I forced myself to eat breakfast so I would have enough physical energy to confront him. 

However, before I could go shopping at the mall, I needed to handle one very specific task on campus. I grabbed my canvas backpack, left my apartment, and walked directly toward the main campus courtyard where I knew Caleb always waited before his morning classes. 

As I approached the large concrete fountain in the center of the square, I saw Caleb standing there with his hockey bag slung over his shoulder. He noticed me walking toward him, and a highly arrogant, completely fake smile appeared on his face.

"Good morning, Megan," Caleb said loudly, taking a step forward to block my path. "I have been thinking about our date for Saturday night. When exactly are we going to sleep together?"

I stopped walking, looked directly into his deceitful eyes, and felt absolutely no fear or sadness whatsoever.

"We are never going to sleep together, Caleb, because there is absolutely nothing between us anymore," I stated coldly, enjoying the look of pure shock that instantly replaced his arrogant smile.