06

06

Bella Reyes

“You wouldn't, Rhea.” I shook my head, feeling pathetically weak.

“Oh, I fucking would. Who do you think you are?”

“No, Rhea. You can't. Please. This is my future on the line.”

“Go fuck yourself and your future. I don't give a damn. You really thought you could have Tyler? That I was just going to let you?” She scoffed, letting out a cruel laugh. “Now look at your pathetic self.” She gestured toward me like I was a piece of trash. “Like I said, if you beg nicely, I'll leave your name out of it so people have to guess. Isn't that generous of me?” She smirked, turning her eyes toward Tyler. “Right, baby?”

Baby? I could barely process the insult before the sting of that word cut straight through me.

I watched in total disbelief as Tyler agreed. “Right.”

Rhea gave a confident giggle, locking her eyes back onto mine. “See? I'm so generous.”

There was no way I was going to beg her. I couldn't take the bait. I knew Rhea too well. She would pull out her phone, record me on camera, and use it as even more leverage against me. She would probably post the video right alongside her lies. I didn't trust her for a second.

Then again, I had given my complete trust to the wrong person all along. Trusting Tyler had turned out to be the biggest mistake of my life. How could I have been so blind?

My eyes dragged away from his, my hands curling into tight fists that threatened to snap my phone in two as my feet carried me toward the door.

“Oh, where are you going? Aren't you even going to beg?”

I froze in my tracks. Looking back at their cruel faces would only break me further, especially seeing that evil smile on Rhea's face that I wished someone bold enough would wipe off once and for all.

She sat there, glaring down at me with pure satisfaction, while Tyler didn't even bother to look up. I had been completely stupid. So fucking stupid.

“I won't beg you, Rhea.” My voice surprised even myself. My knuckles turned white, stopping the blood flow, and my throat burned as I swallowed hard.

“Oh? Look who's suddenly bold. Wow!”

“Yes,” I retorted, still desperately hoping Tyler would look at me and end this nightmare.

Just one word from him. If he defended me, Rhea would drop the threats, and maybe I could find it in my heart to forgive him. I knew I could. It wasn't like he had malicious intent, right? He needed money. That had to be why he did it, right?

“This bitch,” Rhea laughed, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“I'm not a bitch, Rhea. I didn't sleep with Aries, and I won't apologize for something I didn't do. Go ahead and spread your gossip to the whole world. I don't care.”

I marched out of the room so fast I nearly collided with a guy in the hallway, who sidestepped me effortlessly. The floodgates broke, a breathless sob ripping from my chest as I broke into a frantic run back toward my dorm room, tears completely blinding my vision.

Reaching my room, I slammed the door shut so hard the hinges rattled, then threw myself onto the bed, letting the tears fall freely.

God, this couldn't be real. This was a nightmare, and someone needed to wake me up right now.

I swiped at my phone screen, my tear-filled eyes barely able to focus as I dialed Angel's contact. My heart shattered into even smaller pieces when the call went straight to voicemail.

What was I supposed to do with my life now?

“God!” I sobbed, burying my face deep into my pillow.

A sudden knock sounded at the door.

I rushed toward it, a desperate spark of hope ignited inside me, convinced it was Tyler coming to apologize. I yanked the door open. “Tyler—”

The name died in my throat instantly, my eyes widening in shock. “Aries? What are you doing here?”

“You were crying,” he noted, a faint smirk playing on his lips.

I wiped frantically at my damp cheeks, feeling like an idiot. “No, I wasn't. Why would I be—”

Before I could finish, Aries leaned in and crashed his lips onto mine. A sharp, intoxicating mix of cologne and liquor filled my senses, dizzying me until I managed to plant my hands against his chest and shove him back. “Are you insane?”

He let out a low laugh, barely budging from the push. “Great to see you too, Tyler's girl. Can I come in?”

“Come in?” He had to be out of his mind. Before I could process his words, he brushed past me effortlessly. I stumbled to the side, barely catching my balance as he stepped deeper into my room.

I spun around quickly, unable to keep the anger out of my voice. “Who do you think you are to shove past me and barge into my room?”

“Shh.” He raised a lazy finger to his lips and dropped directly onto my bed. “No shouting.”

I let out a disbelieving laugh as he casually looked around the room. Thank goodness it wasn't messy, considering the movie night I had originally planned with Tyler. Everything smelled clean, with books and clothes neatly organized. It was tragic how quickly the evening had turned into the worst night of my life. And I wasn't in no mood for Aries nonsense.

"So you're not just a nerd, you're a total neat freak too?”

“Neat freak?” I raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah. Everything organized to the millimeter.” He tilted his chin toward my desk and shelves. “Books, clothes, pens, sheets, everything is so perfect. Is this how you cope?”

“Are you drunk?” the question slipped out.

“Drunk?” He laughed, a sound I didn't find amusing at all. “No.” He shook his head.

He was definitely drunk, and he absolutely shouldn't be here.

“You need to leave. Come on.” I marched over to him and reached for his arm to pull him up from the mattress.

I clearly hadn't thought that through. Aries took advantage of my grip and pulled me down with his weight. I tumbled directly onto his lap, the impact knocking the air right out of my lungs.

“Why were you crying?” he murmured directly against my ear, his breath warm and sending an unexpected shiver straight down my spine. “Don’t tell me you’re tearing up over that loser boyfriend.”