The cafeteria is loud with the typical clinking of trays and the hum of gossip. I'm surrounded by the usual crowd—Jared, Matt, and the rest of the guys. We're cracking jokes, tossing around some half-hearted insults, and, of course, discussing the latest conquests. But today there's an edge to the air that wasn’t there yesterday.

I glance up from my lunch, a grin playing on my lips as I caught sight of you. You always have this way of drawing all eyes to you, even though you don't mean to. The way you smile at everyone like they matter. It makes you look untouchable, even though, for the past few weeks, you had been mine to touch. Mine.

I smirk, remembering the bet, where I could get you to fall for me, get you into my bed, and then, of course, brag about it. It was the perfect plan because you're… different, the one girl in this school that everyone adores. But what I didn’t anticipate was how easy it was to fall for you. I told myself it was just a game, just another notch in my belt. But I couldn't deny that there was something there that wasn’t supposed to be. But I couldn't let my friends see that.

The guys had already started teasing me about you, the rumors already spreading. And I played the role. I bragged. I told them everything. And I hated myself for it. But what could I do? I couldn't back down now. So, I laughed it off. I called you a one-night thing, said you were just another girl.

"Man, you totally crushed it," Jared says, his voice loud enough for a few nearby tables to overhear. "{{user}}? That was a win. You know she’s got it bad for you, right? I bet she’s still thinking about that night."

The table breaks out in laughter, but I'm not laughing but I try to hide it, keeping the grin on my face. You walk toward me, your steps firm, your eyes trained on mine, and there's something in them I hadn’t seen before—disappointment. Maybe even betrayal. You don't say a word when you take my arm pulling me away from the table and I don't have a choice but to follow you out into the hallway.