Chapter 4Rebirth: Dropping the Bad Boy for the Valedictorian

From that day on, Hunter and I never spoke again.

I threw myself into my studies, determined to make it back to the Honors Program.

Once I was back in AP classes, I wouldn't have to see him every day. And when it came time for college, I wouldn't purposely tank my applications to stay in the same city as him.

I was going to move far away and never cross paths with him again.

But catching up on the AP curriculum was tough, so my mom hired a tutor for me.

Out of a pool of Ivy League prospects, I picked a guy from my school—the valedictorian of the Honors Program, Rowan Hayes.

During our first meeting, I was straightforward. "I need to boost my grades as fast as possible and get back into Honors."

He was just as concise. "Leave it to me."

I started spending a lot of time with Rowan. I'd go to his classroom during breaks to ask about practice problems, and after school, we'd sit at a cafe near campus to study.

Before long, new gossip circulated the school.

They said the "epic simp" had switched targets and was now harassing the untouchable academic god.

A group of Hunter's fangirls even cornered me behind the gym after school one day.

"Avery, stay away from Rowan! A remedial class loser like you doesn't deserve to breathe the same air as him."

The leader was a shot-put athlete, taller than me and aggressively glaring.

I looked at them calmly. "Rowan is my hired tutor. I pay him, he teaches me. We have a strict employer-employee relationship."

"A tutor? Isn't that just your excuse to hook up with him?" the girl sneered. "You couldn't get Hunter, so you switched targets. You're an embarrassment to girls everywhere!"

"Yeah, disgusting. Don't ruin Rowan's future!"

I was about to argue back when a long, slender hand suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind him.

Rowan, wearing a simple white button-down, stood in front of me. His broad, athletic shoulders looked incredibly dependable.

Seeing Rowan, the aggressive girls instantly dropped their act.

"Rowan, don't let her trick you. She's a manipulative bitch trying to use you..."

"She is my boss."

Rowan interrupted them coldly, his grip on my wrist tightening.

"She pays my salary. Anyone who messes with my paycheck, I mess with them."

Dead silence.

Rowan ignored them and pulled me away.

Once we were a safe distance away, he turned around and looked me over carefully. "Did they hurt you?"

I shook my head.

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good."

He looked down at me, suddenly nervous. "You... you're not going to fire me over this, are you? I promise no one will bother you again."

He paused, then added, "If you're not mad, I'll do your classroom chores for you. How about it, Avery?"

The clean, crisp scent of cedarwood on him made me space out for a second.

I thought he was pretty amusing, so I nodded.