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My phone wouldn't stop ringing.

Half-asleep, I reached across the bed and grabbed it from the nightstand. The screen was filled with missed calls. I blinked at the name. Sarah. My best friend had called me seven times.

"What the hell?" I muttered, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. Before I could call her back, my phone started ringing again. Sarah. I answered immediately.

"Sarah?"

"Jessica!" Sarah's voice came through the phone so loudly that I pulled it away from my ear.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Have you seen it?"

I frowned. "Seen what?"

"The pictures!"She shouted.

"What pictures?"

"The pictures of you and Jeremy!"

My sleep disappeared instantly. "What?"

"Jessica, have you been on your phone at all?"

"No. I literally just woke up."

"Then open I*******m," Sarah ordered.

"Why?"

"Just open it!"

I unlocked my phone. "Okay. I'm opening it."

"Go to the university page first," she instructed.

I searched for the official Blackwood University page. The moment it loaded, I stopped breathing.

"Oh my God," I whispered.

"What?" Sarah demanded.

I couldn't answer. There was a new post at the top of the page.

BLACKWOOD UNIVERSITY'S MYSTERY COUPLE: WHO IS JEREMY BLACKWOOD'S NEW GIRLFRIEND?

My eyes widened. "Sarah…"

"Keep scrolling," she urged.

I opened the post. There were pictures, so many pictures. The first showed Jeremy standing beside me in the courtyard. The second showed him holding my wrist when he stopped Valerie from slapping me. The third showed us walking away together. Then I saw another photograph, one I hadn't even realized anyone had taken. Jeremy was looking directly at me, and the angle made it look as though he was staring at me affectionately.

I swallowed. "Who took these pictures?"

"I don't know," Sarah replied. "But there are more."

I scrolled down. Another picture appeared, this one showing Jeremy holding my hand. It had been taken from behind us, making the moment look surprisingly intimate. My mouth fell open.

"We weren't even dating yesterday!"

"I know!" Sarah exclaimed. "That's why everyone is going crazy."

I kept scrolling. The comments were multiplying by the second.

Who is she?

Is this actually Jeremy's girlfriend?

Since when does Jeremy date?

She's that designer girl, right? The one Michael dumped yesterday?

My face burned. Then I saw another comment. Maybe Jeremy stole her from Michael. I rolled my eyes. "People are insane," I muttered.

"Wait," Sarah said.

"What?"

"Look at the school blog."

I opened another tab. The latest article was already trending. JEREMY BLACKWOOD'S SECRET GIRLFRIEND FINALLY REVEALED? I stared at the headline. "What the…"

I opened the article. It contained several photographs from yesterday, but one made my stomach twist. It showed Jeremy standing beside me right after he had called me his girlfriend. The caption underneath read that the Blackwood heir appeared to have finally gone public with his relationship, and asked who the mysterious girl beside him was.

I scrolled further. There were comments speculating about my family, my financial situation, my relationship with Michael, and even my designs. Someone had called me a gold digger. Another claimed I had deliberately targeted Jeremy. Someone else had written that I'd probably seduced him after getting dumped.

My fingers tightened around my phone. "Sarah?"

"I'm still here."

"Why are people saying I'm dating Jeremy?"

There was a brief silence. Then Sarah answered carefully. "Because apparently, you are."

I closed my eyes. "No, I'm not."

"You're telling me," she said.

I stared at the screen. Yesterday I had been publicly dumped. Today the entire university believed I was dating the most powerful boy on campus, and somehow the photographs made it look completely believable. I scrolled back to the picture of Jeremy holding my hand. Something about it bothered me. Not the photograph itself, but the fact that I couldn't remember anyone taking it.

"Sarah?"

"Yeah?"

"Who took these pictures?"

"I honestly don't know." She paused before adding, "But Jessica…"

"What?"

"You're trending."

I sighed. "Fantastic."

"I'm serious," she insisted. "You're everywhere."

I looked at the time. I still had classes. I still had designs to finish. And apparently, I now had a fake boyfriend.

My phone buzzed again. I glanced at the screen. A message from Jeremy.

Be ready by six.

I frowned and typed back. For what?

His reply came almost immediately. My family's gala.

I stared at the message. I never agreed to that.

The three dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again. Finally his response came. You agreed to be my girlfriend.

I rolled my eyes and typed back. Fake girlfriend.

His reply came almost instantly. The distinction doesn't matter tonight.

I stared at the screen, hating how easily Jeremy managed to annoy me. Still, the gala was apparently part of the arrangement, and ten thousand dollars was a lot of money. So I agreed.

By six that evening, I was standing outside the largest hotel I'd ever seen. The Blackwood family had rented the entire top floor for the event. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, expensive cars lined the entrance, and women walked past wearing dresses that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe. I looked down at my own dress. It was simple, elegant, and completely my design. I'd sewn it myself.

Jeremy approached me. For a second he said nothing, his eyes moving over my dress.

"You made that?"

"Yes."

He nodded slowly. "It suits you."

A small smile touched my lips. "Thank you."

Then I remembered the arrangement. "Remember, you're paying me for this," I reminded him.

A faint smile appeared on his face. "I remember."

He offered his arm. I hesitated before placing my hand on it, and we walked inside together. Immediately people began staring, whispers following us through the room.

"That's her."

"Jeremy's girlfriend."

"She's the designer."

"Who is her family?"

"I heard she's from nowhere."

I ignored them, or at least I tried to. Jeremy leaned slightly toward me. "Stay beside me tonight."

I looked at him. "I can take care of myself."

"I know," he replied.

His answer surprised me. I studied his face. "Then why do you keep telling me to stay close?"

His expression tightened. "Just stay close."

Something about his voice made me stop arguing. We moved deeper into the ballroom, where a group of people approached us. One of the older men in the group looked at me, his expression changing immediately. He stared at me for several seconds, then his eyes widened.

"Impossible," he whispered.

I frowned. "Excuse me?"

The man looked at Jeremy. "Where did you find her?"

Jeremy's expression turned cold. "That isn't your concern."

The man looked back at me, suddenly seeming nervous, then quickly excused himself and walked away. I watched him leave, then turned toward Jeremy.

"Who was that?"

"No one."

I sighed. "You really need to find a new answer."

Jeremy didn't smile. Instead he scanned the room. "Stay close," he repeated. Something about the way he said it made the hairs on my arms rise, though I didn't understand why.

The evening continued. I tried to enjoy myself, speaking with a few designers and admiring the artwork displayed around the ballroom. For a few minutes I actually forgot that everyone was watching me.

Then a waiter walked past us carrying a large tray of champagne glasses. Someone bumped into him. The tray tilted, and several glasses slid toward the edge. I reacted without thinking, reaching out my hand. The glasses stopped. For one impossible second they remained suspended in the air, then dropped neatly back onto the tray.

The waiter froze. I froze. The people around us went silent. Someone behind me whispered, "What just happened?"

I couldn't answer. My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. I slowly lowered my hand. "I didn't…"

My voice died in my throat. Jeremy suddenly grabbed my wrist. "Come with me."

I stared at him. "Why?"

"Just come with me, Jessica."

He pulled me away from the crowd before anyone could stop us. Once we reached a quiet corridor, Jeremy released my wrist. I immediately rubbed it. "What was that about?"

He looked at me with an expression I couldn't understand. "You need to tell me exactly what you just did."

I frowned. "I didn't do anything."

"You stopped the glasses."

"I didn't stop anything."

"I saw you."

I shook my head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jeremy stepped closer. "You reached out your hand, and they stopped."

"I don't know how that happened."

His expression changed. For the first time since I had met him, he looked genuinely shaken. "You really don't know?"

I shook my head slowly. "No."

Jeremy looked away. I watched him carefully. "What aren't you telling me?"

He remained silent.

"Jeremy," I pressed. "What is happening?"

He looked back at me. His eyes were filled with something I had never seen there before. Fear. But I couldn't understand why he was afraid.

Then Jeremy spoke quietly. "You're not supposed to have such power."

My heart stopped. I stared at him. "What power do I have?"

He said nothing.

"What power do I have?" I repeated.

He continued staring at me, and for the first time since I had met Jeremy Blackwood, I realized something terrifying. He knew something about me. Something I didn't know about myself.