Chapter 1 the first crack
Chapter One Lola’s POV I walked into campus the way I always did—slow, poised, deliberate. Heads turned, eyes lingered, and whispers chased behind me like shadows. Girls watched me with that quiet mix of awe and envy. I was the girl everyone wanted to be. Free dinners. Designer handbags. Jewelry handed over like offerings. I lived the life most only dreamed of. And yet… sometimes it didn’t feel like mine. As I stepped into the lecture hall, I felt the usual pull of eyes. Jamal—today’s highlight—grinned from his seat like he was waiting for me. Rich, stylish, and always performing. One of the most admired guys on campus. “Hey, babe,” he called, patting the seat beside him like he owned it—and me. I walked over, slow and calculated, and sat beside him. “You look beautiful today,” he said. I tilted my head. “So I didn’t look beautiful yesterday?” He laughed, leaning closer. “You look beautiful every day.” I smiled, the practiced kind. Polite. Hollow. Because I’d heard it all before. These words never held weight anymore—they were currency for attention, not affection. My gaze drifted across the lecture hall. Guys stared, half of them probably rehearsing how to ask me out. It was all routine—except for one. He sat at the far corner, hood up, glasses tilted slightly, scribbling in his notebook like the world outside didn’t exist. Ethan. He wasn’t rich, loud, or trying to impress. He was... different. He never looked at me. Never tried. And somehow, that made me notice him even more. There was something about the way he carried himself—uninterested, unaffected. Like he didn’t care about me. And for reasons I couldn’t explain, that made my stomach twist. “Who are you staring at?” Jamal asked, nudging me. I blinked, then forced a smile. “No one.” But my gaze had already drifted. Not toward the ones who chased me—but toward the one who never even tried. Ethan’s POV As I scribbled notes into my book, I felt that familiar heat at the back of my neck—someone was watching me again. I glanced up briefly. Lola. The girl everyone watched, wanted, talked about. But not me. I’d never understood the obsession. Sure, she was pretty. But I didn’t care for shiny distractions or designer bags. I wasn’t into campus love—especially not the loud, public, showy kind. And if I ever fell for someone, it’d be someone quieter. Grounded. Like me. But still… her eyes were on me. Again. And that made me wonder. She sat beside Jamal. Of all the guys on campus, she’d picked him this week. They always came and went—guys who competed for her like a trophy. I didn’t care. I told myself that. The lecture started, but my focus was thin. My pen moved, but my mind wandered. I hated that one look from her had gotten under my skin. After class, I was almost out of the hall when Marcus, my only real friend, grabbed my arm. “Let’s say hi to Lola,” he said, already steering me toward her. “I don’t think—” I started, but it was too late. Marcus was friends with everyone. Confident, easy-going, the opposite of me. He waved as we approached. “Hey, Lola!” She turned to him with a soft smile, eyes flicking first to Marcus—then slowly to me. Our eyes met. I should’ve looked away. I usually did. But something in her stare held me there—curious, searching. It wasn’t shallow. It wasn’t empty. It was... intense. And it rattled me. I wasn’t supposed to feel anything. I didn’t even like her, not really. So why did it feel like she saw something in me? I looked away, heart thudding louder than it should’ve. This wasn’t me. I didn’t get caught up in people like her. Before I could escape, Lola turned back to Marcus and asked, “You’re coming to the party, right?” Marcus grinned. “Of course.” Then her eyes moved to me again. She smiled—soft this time, like it meant something. “Ethan, are you coming too?” I froze. She knows my name? I hadn’t expected that. Not from her. Marcus clapped my back. “He will.” “I never said—” I started, confused. She cut in with a playful smile. “Okay then. See you later.” And just like that, she walked away with Jamal. I watched her until she disappeared through the door, the echo of her voice still ringing in my chest. I hated how shaken I felt. I hated that I was wondering how she knew me. I hated that, for a split second, I wanted to say yes. But I snapped out of it. This wasn’t me. Even if I wanted a campus love, it wouldn’t be someone like that. Not someone who walked in heels with a hundred eyes on her. Not someone who always had a new guy at her side. No, if I ever let someone in—it’d be someone like me. Low-key. Quiet. Real. Not Lola. At least, that’s what I kept telling myself.
