Chapter 4Unpinned: How I Stopped Chasing the Campus God and Tamed a Golden Retriever

For the weekend camping trip, everyone was from Weston's circle.

Avery shoved past me and claimed the passenger seat of Weston's SUV.

"Sorry, Harper. I'm just used to riding in Weston's car. I get carsick in anyone else's."

The back seats were already packed.

Weston looked at me. "Why don't you ride in Asher's car?"

"Yeah, you guys can chat," Avery winked at me from the window. "After all, you were desperate enough to add him in the middle of the night."

"You added him?"

Weston zeroed in on the keyword.

Mason, sitting in the back, laughed and looked at me. "What's wrong, did you change your target, freshman?"

Weston's expression subtly shifted.

But it only lasted a second. He quickly reverted to his usual untouchable, arrogant demeanor. He smirked and yelled toward the other car, "Asher, I'm leaving her in your hands!"

Then he slammed the passenger door shut for Avery, completely cutting off any chance of me riding with him.

"As a friend, don't say I never hooked you up," he muttered to me under his breath.

With that, he shoved me toward Asher's car.

But Asher, standing by his door, completely rejected the idea. "Sorry. My car doesn't take female strangers."

He gave me zero face. The entire group burst into laughter.

I was the outcast no one wanted to drive, left standing awkwardly in the middle of the parking lot.

Avery laughed the loudest.

"What are you laughing at?" Asher snapped at her. "You aren't allowed in either."

Avery's smile vanished. Flustered and embarrassed, she shot back, "Who said I wanted to ride in your car anyway?"

"Oh, just the fact that you practically sprinted to steal shotgun," he exposed her bluntly.

Mason stepped in to defuse the situation. He gave up his seat in the back of Weston's car for me and hopped into Asher's passenger seat.

On the highway, Avery and Weston were laughing and chatting in the front seats.

When the cars pulled over at a rest stop, the bro group chat started blowing up.

Mason: [Weston, stop bullying the freshman just because she's obsessed with you.]

Mason: [You know exactly what kind of guy she likes, why are you throwing her at Asher?]

Weston and Asher were polar opposites.

One was a seasoned playboy treating the world like his playground; the other was an arrogant, isolated cynic who shot straight from the hip.

No one in their right mind would ever pair me and Asher together.

DogTrainer: [Harper and Asher are literal soulmates.]

AntiSimpBro: [?]

Mason: [Who is this guy? When did he get added?]

DogTrainer was removed from the group by AntiSimpBro.

Asher immediately DM'd my burner account.

AntiSimpBro: [Try talking that garbage one more time.]

DogTrainer: [I still have the picture of you guys holding hands.]

I looked up toward the driver's seat of the other car.

Asher was staring at his phone, his face completely expressionless. His jawline was sharp, and the messy hair falling over his forehead couldn't hide the icy glare in his eyes.

Looking at him, you would never guess he was currently spamming my DMs with stickers of a cartoon dog crying on its knees begging for mercy.

AntiSimpBro: [Bro. My guy. Everyone makes mistakes.]

AntiSimpBro: [Give me some face here.]

AntiSimpBro invited DogTrainer to the group.

AntiSimpBro: [Lol, he's a nobody. Just some dude.]

AntiSimpBro: [He gets a kick out of stirring up drama between me and Weston.]

Mason: [Your usernames actually match pretty well.]

Mason: [Don't worry, literally no one would believe him.]

Mason: [Soulmates, lmaoooo. She'd fall for Avery before she'd fall for you, bro.]

AntiSimpBro: [...]

Weston walked out of the rest stop convenience store and handed a plastic bag of snacks to Avery.

"Omg, thank you Weston!"

She looked thrilled, digging through the bag and pulling out a mango juice.

"That one's for Harper."

Weston effortlessly snatched the mango juice out of her hand and tossed it directly into my lap. "It's the only flavor she drinks."

Avery's face froze. She forced a stiff, awkward smile. "Yeah, I was actually just grabbing it to hand to her."

She shot me a dirty look, then poked Weston's arm.

"Weston, look at the group chat, it's hilarious. Asher added some random comedian."

Weston raised an eyebrow, swiped through the messages on his phone, smirked, and dismissed it entirely.

As the car started moving again, Avery turned around and whispered to me, "It's such a shame you aren't in the chat. You have no idea what we're all laughing at."