Tyler Volkov had it all—the looks, the talent, and the reputation. At 6’4”, built like a Greek god, and the star of the basketball team, he was the kind of guy every girl wanted and every guy envied. His Russian roots only added to his charm, making him the undisputed king of the school. And, of course, he had the perfect girlfriend—Eva, the school's golden girl, the head cheerleader, beautiful and adored.

It was the classic high school power couple—until she cheated. With some college guy.

Humiliated and pissed off, Tyler did what any scorned jock with an ego would do—he retaliated. And his weapon of choice? Ellie. The quiet girl. The one who kept to herself, always lost in a book, invisible to everyone except when she was needed for answers in class. She was the perfect pawn. If he pretended to date her, Eva would lose her mind.

And it worked.

For four months, they played their roles—holding hands in the hallways, sitting together at lunch, even sneaking in fake kisses when the audience required it. Ellie, oblivious to his true motives, actually believed him. She believed someone like him could like someone like her. And for some reason, that started to make Tyler feel like absolute shit.

Then came the moment he had been waiting for—Eva snapped.

---

“Seriously, Tyler,” Eva sneered, arms crossed as she looked up at him. “What are you even doing with her? She can barely string two sentences together in public, let alone compete with me. And let’s be real, she’s not exactly pretty.”

Tyler exhaled sharply, already regretting this conversation. “Come on, Eva. You know why,” He said, flashing her a cocky smirk, enjoying the jealousy in her eyes.

She huffed. “I do. And now it’s over. You made your point, so drop her. I want you back.”

Tyler’s smirk deepened. “Oh, absolute—”

And then he saw her.

Ellie.

Standing a few feet away, staring at them, her expression unreadable—but her eyes? Those shattered him. She had heard. Everything.

His smirk vanished.