CHAPTER 1

Theodora's POV

"What the hell am I doing?" I whispered as I stared at the number plaque above the door, dread crawling up my spine.

Room 102. 

It was the same number as the one I'd gotten in the text. 

God! This wasn't how I planned to spend my eighteenth birthday, but of course, Nate fucking Henderson had decided that tormenting me was his life's mission.

It was like my very existence was a thorn in his flesh.

It all started after I had gotten a scholarship to attend Princeton High after dad's death. Just like every other person in Canada, I believed it was the best school.

But I soon learnt the truth— it was the playground for wealthy and spoiled snubs.

And from day one, I was doomed when Nate bumped into me, making my coffee splash all over his designer outfit.

No matter how much I tried to apologize to him, Nate just couldn't forgive the embarrassment.

From that day on, he made sure my life was a living hell with his endless bullying. 

And now here I was, suspecting my own boyfriend at 10pm in the night because of the stupid-ass text Nate sent.

[Guess who I saw at Skyhigh Hotel with another girl? Your fuck-face boyfriend, Ashton. Room 102, if you really want to find out.— yours sincerely, Nate.]

On a normal day, I would have ignored his text and discarded it like trash.

But my relationship with Ashton was a secret. No one in the school knew— in fact, mom didn't even know I had a boyfriend.

Only my best friend, Ava knew. And since Ava and I had a mutual hatred for Nate, I was sure she didn't tell him.

So, how did he find out? 

The thought had been so unnerving that I had just panicked and rushed down here in nothing but shorts and a hoodie.

My hand trembled on the doorknob.

Nah. This was a bad idea. It felt like I was betraying Ashton by doing this. I should trust him and not doubt him.

I turned to leave, but that same second, voices drifted out, laughing. 

And my heart just... stopped. 

One of the voices was undoubtedly Ashton's. And the other was a female voice that i didn't recognise.

I barely registered my hands moving on the doorknob as I pushed the door open.

But the moment I stepped inside the room, I wished, immediately and completely, that I hadn't.

Because right there on the bed was Ashton, locked in a passionate kiss with a redhead, straddling him and running her perfectly manicured fingers over his bare chest.

My stomach dropped.

I couldn't process the scene.

I couldn't move. Hell, I couldn't even breathe. It was as though I was stuck in the middle of a sickening nightmare.

I just don't get it. Why would Ashton cheat on me? 

Just last night, he was kissing me like his life depended on it, promising me heaven and earth that he was going to make our relationship public.

How could all that change in mere hours?

What went wrong? I pushed past the lumps in my throat, willing myself not to cry.

"Ash— Ashton?" My voice was barely above a whisper, roughly laced with agony.

But it was loud enough to draw Ashton's attention. He whipped his head towards me, locking his gaze with mine that second.

I held my breath, waiting for his reaction.

I waited for shock. For guilt and remorse. For his face to do something — anything — that told me this wasn't what it looked like.

But he merely just eased the girl off his laps, whispering something into her ears.

The girl on the other hand chuckled sleazily before turning to glare at me. 

"Babe, who the hell is this bitch?" She snapped.

And that was when I saw her face clearly— Eliane Danbury, the untouchable cheerleading queen of Princeton high.

Long red hair, flawless face, not a single freckles or pimple— she was absolutely gorgeous.

All the boys at school groveled for her attention, but never... and I mean not even once had Ashton shower interest in her 

If anything, he hated her. At least he acted like it.

He'd always complained about how she was wayward and wild. How she wore skimpy skirts that barely covered her ass.

Had it all been a lie?

A shaky breath escaped my lips.

"Ashton, how could you—" 

"Leave!" Ashton snarled, his voice final and totally unbothered.

The hostility of his voice burnt through my entire body. Emotions gnawed at me, threatening to pull me apart but I pushed them back.

No! I wouldn't cry now. Not here. Not yet.

If he thought he could just discard me like trash without so much as the decency of an explanation, then oh God, he was so wrong.

How could he hurt me his way? And he still act like an insufferable asshole about it?

"Ashton, I need a fucking explanation!" I could barely recognize my voice with the ice that cracked through it.

And it worked. Ashton's head whipped towards me, his eyes the size of saucers like I had suddenly developed two heads.

Good.

"When did this start?" I bellowed again.

"When? Wait! Hold on!" Elaine shot in, cackling with laughter.

"Babe, don't tell me this is the clingy leech you were talking about?" She sneered, giving me a once-over. 

"Ugh, she looks worse than you described." 

To my utmost horror, Ashton joined in on her laughter.

"Babe, that was cruel " he cooed into her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist. 

Then he slanted me a glare.

"Oh, God, Theodora, just leave and stop being pathetic. You seriously didn't think what we had was something serious, right?" 

"I was embarrassed to be seen with you in public. You should have known I was only with you because the sex was good. The one I love is Elaine." 

My heart didn't just break that instant— it exploded, shredding everything within me into pieces.

How could he say that so blatantly? So maliciously?

Pain reared through me and I gritted my teeth so hard they could break.

Clingy leech. That was all I was to him?

He'd been playing me all along. And I had fallen for him like a fool. I glanced between him and Elaine.

Hell! They looked good together. It hurt to admit, but yeah, they did. Ashton was one of the most handsome guys in school.

Basketball captain, wealthy parent. He was everything every girl wanted in a guy. And for five good months, I believed I had hit it big.

I thought he had chosen me over every other girl. It didn't matter that our relationship was a secret. 

I felt special. I thought he truly loved me as much as I did him.

But I should have known better. He was only using me to pass time.

After all I was just plain Dora, the four eyed nerd always dressed in baggy jeans and hoodie.

To simply put, a nobody.

Of course, he would choose Elaine over me. Who was I kidding?

But God! It still hurt like a bitch!

Tears stung my eyes, stabbing a spasm of pain at my head. I couldn't hold it in any longer, but I refused to give them the satisfaction of watching me break.

Plus, I'd be damned if I didn't break things off on my own terms.

An evil smile curled up my lips as I closed the space between us. And before both of them could see through my next action, I delivered a brain resetting punch to Ashton's face.