Chapter 2Is It My Turn Now?

I wanted a clean break, but the official transfer paperwork was still being processed. That meant I was stuck attending the freshman orientation for my old major.

I sat in the back of the lecture hall and watched as Nate led Sera onto the stage by the hand. He gave a brief, charming introduction for himself, then tightened his grip on her hand as she pressed herself against his side.

“This is Seraphina,” he announced to the crowded room. “She’ll be transferring into our program soon. She’s a little shy, so I’ll be speaking for her.”

The hall erupted in a chorus of whistles and suggestive catcalls.

“Damn, of course the hot guys show up with girlfriends already.”

“They look so perfect together! They must be totally in love.”

They did look perfect. The girl, blushing and hiding in the boy’s arms. The boy, head held high, looking proud and possessive. From a distance, it was a fairytale.

Only I saw the truth. I watched, my blood turning to ice, as Nate let the assumption hang in the air, a silent confirmation.

So this is what it felt like to have him publicly claim someone.

A memory flashed in my mind. The first week of high school, before we were officially a couple. Someone had put a love letter in my locker. Nate found it, read it aloud in front of the whole class, and then scoffed, “Ava’s been looking at this face for over a decade. If you want to compete, you’ll have to do better than me.”

He was handsome, confident, and radiant. I used to love that about him. Now, the sight of his arrogance was blinding.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I stood up and slipped out the back door.

I’d only made it a few feet down the hall when a hand clamped around my wrist, yanking me back.

Nate stood there, panting, a flicker of panic in his eyes. “Ava, let me explain. I was put on the spot. If I had denied it, Sera would have been completely humiliated. You know how sensitive she is.”

I stared at the red marks already forming on my skin where his fingers dug in. A humorless smile touched my lips. “You don’t have to explain anything to me. We’re broken up, remember?”

He visibly relaxed, a cocky grin spreading across his face as he slung an arm around my shoulders, his tone shifting to a playful, condescending purr. “Alright, alright. We’re broken up, if you say so. We’ll get back together after you’ve had your little fit. You’re so cute when you’re jealous.”

He flicked my nose with his finger, a gesture so familiar and practiced it made me want to gag. We had been together for so long he genuinely believed I was incapable of leaving him.

Just as I was about to shove him off, his expression turned serious. “Ava, listen. There’s a major national debate tournament coming up. It’s a huge deal for anyone wanting to get into a top-tier grad school. I know you can easily get one of the university’s sponsorship slots.” He paused, his eyes pleading. “Can you… can you give your spot to Sera?”

I stared at him, my ears ringing with disbelief. A low growl rumbled in my chest. “On what grounds? Nate, do you seriously think that even if I handed her my spot, Seraphina, a girl who can’t even introduce herself to a room full of people, could actually win?”

His voice dropped, laced with a pleading tone I had never heard before. “That’s why… I want you to compete, but put her name on the registration. Her grades aren’t as good as yours. If she wants to get into the same graduate program as me, this is her only shot…”

I couldn’t stop the manic, incredulous laugh that bubbled up from my throat. I laughed until my eyes burned and tears started to stream down my face.

It was the first day of college, and he had already mapped out his entire future with her, right down to her graduate school applications.

“And what about me?” The question was a raw whisper. “Did you ever think about me?”

Nate flinched. He looked away, his jaw tight. “It’s different. You have your family’s connections. You’ll be successful no matter what you do. Sera… she only has me.”

He looked back at me, his eyes wide with earnest expectation. “Ava, I’ve always known you were a kind person. You’ll help her, won’t you?”

I met his hopeful gaze and smiled, a sharp, cruel thing.

“Of course. As long as she comes and begs me herself. If she impresses me, maybe I’ll throw her a bone.”