All Chapters of Leaving the Belmont Boys: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I walked back into the empty cheer room. The loneliness washed over me.Inside my locker, the hot chocolate Harrison had left for me was still steaming.I took a sip, and it immediately burned my tongue. I gasped in pain.My old instincts took over. I turned around, my eyes red with tears, waiting for someone to pull me into their arms, kiss the top of my head, and make it all better.Brooks, Carter, Harrison, any of them would do.However, there was no one around.My body was trembling nonstop, and my chest hurt so much it felt like it was being ripped open.Then I stood up abruptly and bolted out.I rushed out the door of the cheer room and plunged into the storm outside.Splashing through the puddles and bracing against the freezing wind, I tripped and fell several times along the way.But I didn't stop. I just kept running.By the time I reached the student council room, I was completely soaked and looked like a mess.I practically smashed my fist against the door, but the person w

Carter's betrayal was the most humiliating of all.The day after I broke down crying in front of my brother, the principal almost suspended Nova.And the very next morning, Carter stormed into the principal's office. He threatened that if the punishment wasn't dropped, he would quit the team right before the state championship.Everyone knew what that meant.It was an act of sabotaging his own future just to stand up for Nova. He almost lost his Ivy League acceptance over that fight.Before he was suspended, which was also the last time I saw him, he looked at me like I was a piece of trash."I was such an idiot," he said, his tone freezing. "The dumbest decision of my life was ever putting you first."I didn't understand.It was clearly his own choice. He was the one who tore up all his promises first.Clearly, I was the one who had been bullied first.How could he stand there so righteously and accuse me with that tone, as if I were the villain?And right now, his hand was gripping m

The plane broke through the clouds, leaving the city far behind.I leaned against the window, watching the buildings grow smaller and smaller below. Calmly, I popped the SIM card out of my phone, snapped it in half, and tossed it into the trash bag.I left cleanly, leaving absolutely nothing behind at Belmont Academy.Early the next morning, a strange tension hung over the school hallways.Brooks, Carter, and Harrison were braced for a fight. The three of them hadn't slept at all. They were waiting by the front office before the sun came up.Carter clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He kicked the trash can next to him. "Even if Oliver buys the whole school, I won't let Nova lose!"For once, Harrison didn't try to stop Carter's outburst.His brows were tightly knitted. He yanked at his tie. That usually calm face of his looked tense today. "Oliver is notoriously overprotective of her. With the way Ivy was acting last night, she's absolutely capable of forcing her brother t

When winter arrived, Belmont Academy grew colder and colder.The usually bustling school cafeteria was dead quiet.Nova stood shivering in the middle of the room, her face pale. She was wearing a green and gold cheerleading uniform.She thought that if she wore this outfit, she could make those three boys nostalgic.However, the response she got was the sound of a table crashing to the floor.Carter kicked over the lunch table in front of him, sending plates and food flying everywhere.His eyes were bloodshot. He glared at Nova, advancing step by step."Who gave you the nerve to touch her things?" Carter's roar rattled the cafeteria windows.Nova stumbled backward in terror, tears spilling from her eyes. "I... I just wanted to join the cheer squad.""The coach said I had the right figure and let me try on this old uniform...""The right figure?" Carter closed the distance. "Do you really think you deserve to wear that?"Carter's voice cut through the dead silence."Take it off. Now."N

My complete indifference shattered their defenses.I didn't look at them for another second. After nodding politely to the French investor, I turned around, lifted the hem of my velvet gown, and walked calmly toward the terrace outside.The night wind was cool, blowing away the heavy perfume and the fake small talk of the hall.Leaning against the railing, I pulled my phone out of my clutch.The screen lit up; my academic advisor at Callinger had just sent an email. It was the final confirmation for our new conservation project in Kenya.With my head down, I typed out a reply.Right now, these things were my comfort zone.Suddenly, the sound of frantic footsteps echoed behind me. Dress shoes clicked against the floor, stumbling like they were drunk."Ivy!"The voice was one I used to know so well.The three guys pushed through the crowd and stumbled onto the terrace.I didn't stop typing. I just looked up over my screen.Standing before me were three men I barely recognized.Carter's e