Chapter 005—APOLOGIZE TO HIM. NOW!

Chloe’s POV.

I’m still on the floor, staring up at Sebastian Ryder, who is currently pointing at me like I’m a particularly offensive piece of evidence.

“You!” He takes another step toward me, and the disbelief on his face quickly gives way to anger. “Chloe Caldwell, I thought I told you never to cross paths with me again!”

I look at him. Then at the hundreds of students watching us like this is the best free entertainment Northbridge has ever offered.

Wonderful.

Absolutely fantastic.

"I'm not following you!" I yell, struggling to get to my feet as I get the words out without sounding completely defensive.

“In case you hadn’t noticed," I say quietly, "I was here first. You’re the one who transferred into my university.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrow. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I don’t particularly care what you believe.” I push myself up a little more, still keeping most of my weight off the bad ankle. “You’re standing in my department’s welcome ceremony. I didn’t ask the administration to import four hockey players and drop them into my life.”

He looks at me like I’m deliberately testing the last remaining shred of his patience. Considering what happened yesterday and approximately three minutes ago, I probably am.

“You slapped me,” he says, as if I might have forgotten.

“You grabbed me first.”

“You were pretending to be crazy.”

I give him my most innocent look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

"Wait," one of his friends, the red-haired one who looked like he was fighting a smile earlier, steps forward, laughing. "You mean this is the girl who slapped you? The Sebastian Ryder?"

I turn toward him, not impressed in the slightest. “And you must be the friend who thinks asking obvious questions is a personality.”

The redhead bursts out laughing.

Sebastian shoots him an irritated look. "This isn’t funny, Jeremy."

Jeremy raises both hands in mock surrender, but he’s clearly enjoying himself far too much. “Sorry. Continue. This is fascinating.”

Meanwhile, the other two friends step forward. One—the quieter one, the only one who seems to have a functioning brain—notices I’m still sitting awkwardly on the floor.

“You hurt?” he asks as he stoops down toward me and examines my ankle.

I try to stand before answering, because nothing says “I’m fine” like ignoring actual pain. My ankle immediately protests. I wince and grab the edge of the stage for support.

The friend straightens and offers his hand without making a big production of it, unlike some— I shoot Sebastian a glare, but he only responds with an irritated frown—douchebags.

I happily take the friend's hand. He helps me up carefully, making sure I don’t put too much weight on the injured side.

Anita, who has been standing nearby this whole time, suddenly rushes forward the exact moment she notices the friend helping me.

Her eyes linger a little too long. The public confrontation involving her roommate seems to have temporarily left her brain.

The friend catches her staring and gives her a small, amused smile. “You her friend?”

Anita nods, suddenly more conscious of her posture and her words. “Yeah. I’m… Anita.”

“Logan.”

“I know.”

The second the words leave her mouth, she realizes how that sounded. Color creeps into her cheeks.

“I mean, obviously. You’re… well, you’re Logan.”

He smiles, finding her awkwardness clearly entertaining. “Nice to meet you, Anita.”

I watch the entire exchange and internally wonder whether my roommate has forgotten that I just nearly broke my ankle.

Jeremy steps closer and looks between Sebastian and me with the expression of someone who has already decided this situation is exhausting.

“You planning to spend the entire welcome ceremony arguing with one girl?”

Sebastian doesn’t even glance at him. “Mind your business.”

Jeremy gestures vaguely at the packed auditorium. “The entire room is already minding our business for us.”

"Yeah," the last friend, Chase, I think, adds, folding his arms. “Maybe he’s finally found someone who can match his attitude. Rare find.”

Jeremy bursts into another fit of laughter, and Chase joins him. Sebastian turns toward them, his jaw tightening.

“Both of you. Shut up.”

Jeremy immediately presses his lips together, though his shoulders continue shaking.

I all but roll my eyes.

Just then, Anita steps closer, finally remembering that her roommate is still standing on an injured ankle after an unfortunate encounter with the floor.

She looks down at my ankle, then at my face, and asks quietly, “Chloe, are you alright?”

Oh, wonderful. She's finally remembered I exist. I was beginning to think Logan had permanently erased me from her memory.

I am about to open my mouth to answer when—

“Well, well, well,” a familiar voice cuts through the conversation before I can. “Look what we have here.”

I turn toward the sound. Amber Hale approaches with a couple of girls trailing behind her like well-dressed accessories.

She’s dressed perfectly, looking every bit like the campus Barbie I remember from last night. Hair, makeup, expression—all calculated.

My mood drops several degrees.

She stops in front of us and looks me up and down, taking in my messy hair, the clothes that clearly lost a fight with gravity earlier, and my injured ankle.

“Still can’t stay out of trouble, can you, Chloe?”

I keep my voice dry, swallowing as I step back.

Amber's lips curl into a smile as she watches me retreat but her attention soon shifts to Sebastian. Her entire expression changes instantly and she gives him a sweet little smile that makes me want to check whether I've accidentally stepped into another universe.

“You really shouldn’t bother with her,” she tells him. “Chloe’s trouble. Always has been. Same way she was when we were in eighth grade, Same wat she was when her mother worked as a cleaner in our mansion."

She pauses, deliberately turning her eyes toward me before adding, "You don't want to know how low she and her mother could go for money."

My fingers tighten around my bag as I take another step back. The familiar shame creeps up my neck, bringing memories I'd rather leave buried. I remember the whispers at school, the way Amber's friends laughed whenever I walked past, and the day my mother came home with red eyes after losing her job at the Hale mansion.

Nobody ever told me exactly what happened that day. My mother only said we needed to move on. But I knew Amber's family had something to do with it, and whatever happened between our mothers was enough to make my childhood miserable.

Sebastian looks between the two of us, clearly trying to figure out what Amber’s problem is. He doesn’t immediately take her side, which is… interesting.

Anita steps forward, clearly irritated as she glares at Amber. “There’s no reason to speak to her like that, Amber."

Amber turns toward Anita, looking almost surprised that anyone is defending me. “You shouldn’t defend her without knowing what kind of person she is.”

Anita doesn’t back down. “She hasn’t done anything to you.”

Amber laughs, dismissive. “Don’t defend a backstabber.”

Sebastian watches the exchange with something close to curiosity. Chase looks between Amber and me, sensing there's more to this than a simple disagreement between two girls.

Jeremy tilts his head, glancing at Amber before gesturing toward the stage.

"So, are you here to welcome us or audition for the role of campus bully?" he asks, his voice dry.

Amber ignores him.

Instead, she slowly turns her attention back to me and takes a step closer. Her heels click against the floor as she approaches, a smug smile spreading across her face.

“You’ve already embarrassed yourself enough in front of him,” she says, looking me straight in the eyes. “You should know when to stop.”

WHIM!

Before I can even process what she's saying, she raises her hand and brings her palm down sharply against my cheek.

The slap echoes through the auditorium.

My head snaps to the side, and for a moment, I simply stand there, stunned. My cheek burns where her hand connected, and I slowly turn back toward her, struggling to believe she actually just slapped me in front of everyone.

Amber glares down at me, her eyes cold as she grits out.

“Apologize to him. Now."