Chapter 3The Billionaire Bully and His Valedictorian For Hire

Jax swaggered past our classroom, poking his head in.

His little minions behind him waved excitedly.

"Sister-in-law! Hey, Sister-in-law!"

I thought for a second. According to the contract, I should respond.

So I nodded and smiled at his crew.

To get out, I had to step over Liam.

He was writing an essay.

"Excuse me."

Jax said this was all about suppressing Liam.

So I added thoughtfully, "My boyfriend is here to see me."

Liam's hand paused. He moved silently to let me pass.

On the surface, Jax was delivering milk to his girlfriend. In reality, he lowered his voice and whispered urgently.

"Can you keep first place this time? I heard Liam's parents got him some insane private tutor. Like, Ivy League level. If you aren't confident, I can get you one too."

"Grades aren't about tutors," I said, taking the milk. "Talent can't be tutored."

Jax gave me a thumbs up.

"Badass."

We didn't say much else, but to maintain the "lovey-dovey" atmosphere, we stood outside the door for five minutes, pretending to have a moment.

Plenty of people saw it. Jax's "official announcement" became undeniable fact.

The school forum was refreshing like crazy.

[WTF? Chloe Vance and Jax Thorne? Do they even know each other?]

[I see Jax lurking outside her class every other period. He's hot, but that's scary.]

[It's real. Confirmed. Jax's boys said Chloe got mugged and Jax saved her. Love at first sight!]

I clicked on that comment and read it carefully.

I turned to Jax, confused.

"Mugged? Saved me?"

"It's to romanticize the meeting. Add some flavor to the story."

"If a mugger met me, would he steal my backpack full of practice tests or my coat with the frayed cuffs?"

"We'll add more lore next time."

He was certainly confident in his storytelling skills.