Home / My Devotion Became Everyone's Party Joke / Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

All Chapters of My Devotion Became Everyone's Party Joke: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Xavier Burnham's expression darkened. He grabbed my wrist and demanded, "Who is he?"I narrowed my eyes at him and slowly leaned toward his ear, unaware of how intimate we looked. "Who is he? He's—"Yvonne Scott pulled me away before I could finish speaking. She glanced at Xavier's hand gripping my wrist. "Riley, Xavier just doesn't like you. You don't have to make up an excuse to insult him. That's a low blow."Everyone else snapped out of it and started mocking me too."That story just cemented her place as the biggest simp in all of Jenton. No wonder she's so pissed.""Listen to this. This is epic. She stood outside Xavier's place all night in freezing temperatures just to see him. How come she didn't freeze to death there?""Also, she knows Xavier likes skinny girls, so she got liposuction and even ended up in the hospital after taking too many diet pills.""He likes to drink, so she drank so much trying to build up her tolerance that she ended up with internal bleeding. Dam

Chapter 2

That man was walking fast.He wore a black jacket and had a slim build. Even the way he turned his face slightly to look at his phone resembled Zayn.I caught up to him at the elevator and grabbed the hem of his jacket, but when he turned around, it was a stranger's face."I think you've got the wrong person."I let go awkwardly and mumbled an apology. The elevator door closed, and I saw my own miserable face staring back at me.Zayn was the son of the driver who used to work for my family.When I was fifteen, he came to my house with his father, Mitch Manning, to borrow money for tuition after coming in first in the city academically.I hid behind the stairs and stared at him. Zayn wore black and had a small black stud in his ear. His handsome face was cold and distant, but for some reason, I felt drawn to him.He often came over to tutor me, and I'd deliberately get the last question wrong just to keep him around longer.But my mom, Anne Barnes, saw through me immediately. "

Chapter 3

I stared at Zayn's message, tears streaming down my face.Mom accidentally brushed against my wound and quickly softened her touch. "Does it hurt? I'll be gentler."I shook my head, but the tears wouldn't stop.Zayn texted, "Are you free tomorrow?"I replied, "Yes."Just then, Xavier's message popped up. "Meet me at the usual spot at 2:00 pm tomorrow. Don't be late."We'd planned to go rock climbing the day before yesterday. I was always the quickest to agree and the first to arrive.I'd buy Xavier his coffee, get his helmet ready, and wait around holding his jacket, sometimes for the whole afternoon.But this time, I replied, "I'm not going."He called me almost right away. "Are you still upset about what happened earlier?""No, I've got something to do."He didn't ask what. He just said, "What about the stuff I left at your place? I need it tomorrow."I looked at the corner, where Xavier's climbing gear sat. After our last climbing session the week before, he'd left me at

Chapter 4

Xavier gripped my wrist tightly, right over the spot he'd grabbed so hard last night that it had turned red.I flinched in pain. "Xavier, let go of me first."Yvonne came over. "Riley, Xavier's already giving you a way out. You called him a stand-in last night, and he didn't hold it against you. Now you're having another man pick you up. Is that really necessary?"I felt exhausted as I listened to her ramble. I said patiently, "Xavier, since you said we would never work out, let's stop wasting each other's time. Isn't that what you wanted too?"Xavier paused and averted his gaze. "I was just curious who was coming to pick you up."I pried his fingers off my wrist.He'd never stopped me from leaving before.After gatherings, whenever I asked for a ride, he'd hand his keys to someone else. "Who's going that way? Give her a ride home."I'd sit in a stranger's car, listening to the loud music, and watch Xavier speed past me with Yvonne in his car.He never stayed for me, either.

Chapter 5

Zayn was taller than I remembered. His expression was still cool, his black jacket draped over his arm, the black stud still in his earlobe.I looked at him and slowly called his name. "Zayn."With that, tears rolled down my face.His faint smile faded. He lowered his eyes to Xavier's hand gripping my wrist. "Let her go first."Xavier didn't move. Instead, he looked at me. "Is he the guy you were talking about?"I didn't answer or meet Xavier's eyes. I just kept staring at Zayn.Xavier seemed to realize something and scoffed, "No wonder. Riley, you really found a man who looked like me to save your dignity. Do you really have to do this? I already told you that our relationship will never change."He sounded calm, but he unconsciously tightened his fingers around my wrist, and I winced in pain.Zayn's eyes narrowed, and he grabbed Xavier's wrist, his voice cold. "You're hurting her."Xavier noticed the pain in my eyes and immediately let go.I walked over to Zayn, moving so q

Chapter 6

Zayn looked at Xavier, his gaze frosty. "What are you to her?"Xavier paused. In the past, he would have answered without hesitation that he was my friend. But now, that title felt inadequate, and he couldn't even bring himself to say it.After a long pause, he finally said, "I've been by her side all these years.""So? What exactly is your relationship?" Zayn sneered.Before Xavier could answer, Zayn continued, "It's been five years, and you're still nothing to each other. You're pretty useless."With that, Zayn shut the car door, walked around Xavier, and got into the driver's seat.I saw Yvonne running out of the club. She grabbed Xavier, unable to force a smile anymore. "Xavier, she's already made it clear. Why did you chase after her?"Xavier shook her off, his voice hoarse. "I don't know why, but I can't just let her leave."The car door shut out the voices behind me.Zayn started the car without asking about Xavier or what had happened over the past five years. He simpl

Chapter 7

There was a brief silence.Then Zayn said, "I have my reasons.""What kept you away for so long?""I'll explain it to her myself. You don't need to worry about it." Zayn's voice was calm but determined. "Yes, I was wrong to stay away for eight years. But that doesn't mean you have the right to be with her after hurting her for so long."The hallway fell silent.The doctor patched up my wound and told me a few things. When I walked out, Xavier and Zayn stood at opposite ends, ignoring each other.I walked over to Zayn. "When are you going to explain everything to me?"Zayn glanced at Xavier. "When he's gone."Xavier stiffened.I took a deep breath and turned toward him. "You should leave."Xavier looked at me in disbelief. "Riley, are you seriously sending me away for a coward who left without saying goodbye?"My words were calm but harsh. "Yes, Xavier, I don't need you anymore."His eyes turned red. "You don't need me anymore? Riley, what do you mean by that? You really hav

Chapter 8

Zayn paused with his hand on the elevator button for a long moment, then pulled it away. "What do you want to know?"I stared at the side of his face, my throat tightening. "Why did you leave? Why didn't you say goodbye?"Zayn's voice was low. "I did look for you."I froze.When we reached the underground parking garage, Zayn didn't take me to the car right away. He pulled a faded velvet box from the inside pocket of his suit instead.The corners of the box were worn white. Inside was a silver necklace with a tiny raindrop pendant."On your 18th birthday, I went to your study with this necklace. I'd bought it with the money I earned tutoring three students for four months. I was going to tuck it into one of your books along with a letter. I planned to ask if you'd be willing to wait for me after you read it."Zayn brushed his thumb along the edge of the box. "But your dad found it. That night, I received a message from you."He took out his phone and pulled up a screenshot he'd

Chapter 9

Zayn walked me to my door.I grabbed his arm. "Are we going to see each other again tomorrow?"Zayn's eyes reddened. He nodded solemnly. "Yes, whenever you want to see me, I'll come to you."I packed everything Xavier had left behind into a cardboard box, from his racing helmet and snowboard to the jackets he'd casually tossed aside and every ticket stub I'd saved for him over the past five years. Then I had the driver deliver it to Burnham Manor.The next morning, the box was returned untouched, with a note on top.It read, "I don't want them."I glanced at it, tossed it back into the box, and told the maid, "Throw it all in the trash."Over the next few days, Xavier started showing up more and more. He stopped asking me to go to bars with him. Instead, he came to my house every morning with breakfast.But he brought iced coffee and sandwiches.I'd always had a sensitive stomach, so I only ate oatmeal for breakfast.He even bought tickets to a concert I'd begged him to take

Chapter 10

There was another person who was ridden with anxiety, and that was Yvonne.Xavier no longer joined any of the gatherings she hosted or picked up her calls. He even returned the race car she'd sent for repairs without having anything fixed.So Yvonne went to Burnham Manor to confront him, her eyes red. "I thought you hated Riley pestering you. Now that she doesn't want you anymore, you fell for her?"Xavier leaned on the doorframe, closing his eyes tiredly. "I didn't know how I really felt for her back then. But now I do."Yvonne's face went pale. She reached out and hugged him. "What about me? Are you abandoning me? We belong together."Xavier just slowly pried her off him. "Yvonne, we're just friends."These words completely shattered the last of Yvonne's pride.A few days later, people found out that I was the one who'd written that story. The secretly taken photos and recordings spread all over the internet overnight.The person who leaked them claimed I was chasing Xavier w

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