The fluorescent lights of the university library cast a sterile glow over our study group. Equations for advanced calculus sprawled across whiteboards, and the low murmur of whispered explanations filled the air. My current focus was on a particularly stubborn differential equation, my pen scratching furiously against the page. Around me, Sarah, Mark, and Ben, my colleagues were all similarly engrossed, a quiet symphony of frustrated sighs and occasional breakthroughs.Then, a ripple.Sarah’s phone, propped against a stack of textbooks, buzzed. Her eyes, previously glued to a textbook, flicked down. A moment later, they shot up, wide and disbelieving, straight to me. I caught the glance but didn't think too much of it. For all I knew, she was looking at me for help that I couldn't offer. I kept my eyes glued to my textbook.Mark’s phone chimed next, and he too looked down, then up, a slow frown spreading across his face as his gaze landed on my bewildered expression. ''Yo, what th
I hummed a lovely tune as I pulled up to Keke Jones's apartment building. Unlike the majority of us, Keke had chosen to stay off campus for reasons best known to her.Keke's apartment was one of those aggressively modern, glass-fronted structures that screamed "new money," just like Keke herself.But I was not here because I wanted to admire her living quarters. I was here for something that would benefit us both. Her blog, "Heldon Hearsay," was the campus equivalent of a tabloid, famous for its lightning-fast gossip and utter lack of discretion. Perfect for what I needed it for.I was practically buzzing with a mix of anticipation and malicious glee. This was it. The moment I got to press the big, red button. After Caleb's call, I'd spent the afternoon savoring the photos, imagining Tristan’s smug face crumbling, Alex’s arrogant smirk vanishing. Now, it was time to make it a reality.I wondered what Julius was going to think of his oh-so-perfect Alex now. Bet he would regret leaving
"Lou, darling, be a gem and fetch me another mimosa, would you?" I waved a dismissive hand in the general direction of the patio doors, not bothering to look up from my phone. Lou, bless his simple heart, mumbled an "of course, babe. I got you''And dutifully shuffled off. He was good for that, always agreeable, always at my beck and call. Frankly, that's all I really needed him for. He wasn't exactly intellectually stimulating and he was no Julius but on the bright side, at least he was handsome and utterly devoted to me.As he should be of course and for now that was enough.I was lounging by the pool at my family's summer house. One of them at least. After I had that argument with my sister I needed to cool off.I lay down in a five thousand dollar blue bikini, soaking up the sun, my latest designer sunglasses perched on my nose. My phone, however, was demanding more attention than the rays. I was idly scrolling through some fashion blogs, mentally cataloging new pieces to acqui
The drive home from Heldon was a blur of smug satisfaction. Sophia Burgundy. What a delightful little viper. She was exactly the kind of entitled, self-serving rich kid I needed: easily manipulated, driven by petty grievances, and with enough social clout on campus to make some real noise. The more she spoke the more I wanted to kiss her from pure joy. Here I thought getting to Tristan and Alex would be a lot harder. Sophia, God bless her heart pratically handed me her animosity toward Tristan and Alex on a silver platter. All I had to do was nudge her in the right direction and she gladly followed with no questions asked.Back in the quiet solitude of my apartment, I poured myself a generous measure of expensive whiskey. The amber liquid swirled in the glass, while I smiled at the utter chaos that I was about to unleash. This was it. The moment I’d been meticulously planning, obsessing over, for months. The first domino was about to fall.I almost felt bad for Tristan. He was
Heldon University. The name itself screamed old money and prestige but it was nothing compared to the school grounds itself. It looked like a whole town. A beautiful, upgraded town.As I drove onto the sprawling campus, I had to admit, it was impressive. Manicured lawns stretched out like emerald carpets, dotted with ancient, ivy-clad buildings that looked more like castles than lecture halls.Don't even get me started on the expensive cars that cost more than my first apartment. I didn't even want to think of how they paid to school here and that brat, Alex got in for free?And Tristan? He was wining and dining with the elite? enjoying his perfect, quiet, scholarly life? I clenched my fist as I thought more about this.He had this, and I had... what? A burning desire for revenge, apparently. But today, I was Caleb, the aspiring professional, here for a job interview in the administrative department. Just another cog looking to join the polished machinery of Heldon.I parked my deci
The name Tristan Walker still curdled in my gut. My ex-boyfriend. The man who had walked out of our life together, leaving behind a bitter residue of hurt.Yes, I had hurt him and went off with a richer man, but that had been so long ago, and he had promised me that he loved me. What was the point of loving someone if you could not forgive their wrongdoings?Not only had Tristan refused to forgive me, but he had replaced me with that stupid brat, Alex. I instinctively rubbed my face as I remembered when Darling, that bitch, had slapped me.And what had Alex done? Laughed.How dare he?!For months, I’d been trying to move back to Tristan, to show him that I loved him and I was the only person that he needed in his life, but time after time he had pushed me aside.The result of that? Pure, unbridled resentment. The feeling of resentment was a constant, heavy thrum beneath the surface.Tristan had treated me like garbage, and for that I wanted him to pay. Not with money, but with somethin