Chapter 1: Founders Night
The air in the Grand Ballroom tasted like expensive perfume, champagne, and betrayal.
I tugged at the lapels of my blazer. It was three sizes too big. Dark charcoal wool swallowed my hands. It hid my curves.
It was my armor against Halston University’s elite. Tonight, I felt like a fraud in an oversized corporate suit.
"Stop fidgeting, Ava," Blair Kensington whispered.
She didn’t look at me. She was staring at the stage. Blair looked perfect. Her blonde hair fell in flawless waves. Her silk dress cost more than my semester’s textbooks.
"Sorry," I mumbled.
"You're ruining the aesthetic of the front row," she snapped. Her voice was sharp. Sweet as honey, deadly as arsenic.
I stepped back into the shadows. I was used to it. As a scholarship student, my job was to be invisible. I did their errands, took the blame, I endured the whispers about my body.
But tonight was supposed to be different.
Tonight was Founders Night. The biggest gala of the year and somewhere in the crowd was Ethan Hayes.
My secret boyfriend.
For eleven months, we lived in the dark. We met in his off-campus apartment. We shared late-night takeout and whispered promises.
“Soon, Ava,” he would tell me. “Once my family’s standing is secure. Once the timing is right. Then I’ll show you off.”
I believed him. I thought love was something you had to earn. I thought if I was patient enough, I would be worth claiming.
Yesterday, he sent me a text. “Meet me at the gala. It’s time.” My heart had hammered against my ribs. Was this it? Was he finally going to hold my hand in the light?
The microphone crackled on stage. Dean Lila Harrow stepped up, smiling warmly. "Welcome, students and alumni, to our annual Founders Night," she announced into the mic.
The crowd cheered. The diamonds in the room caught the light.
"Tonight, we recognize leadership," Dean Harrow continued. "Please welcome the president of the Interfraternity Council, Ethan Hayes."
The applause exploded.
Ethan walked onto the stage. He looked incredibly handsome. His black tuxedo fitted him perfectly. He possessed that effortless, old-money charm. My breath caught,I felt a surge of pride. That was my man.
He adjusted the microphone. He smiled at the crowd.
"Thank you, Dean Harrow," Ethan said. His voice was smooth. "Halston is built on tradition. But leadership isn’t a solo journey. It’s about the people who stand by you when the lights are bright."
He looked down at the front row.
My heart stopped. He was looking right at me. I took a step forward. The oversized blazer felt a little lighter. I smiled, my lips trembling with anticipation.
"I want to invite someone very special up here," Ethan said into the microphone. "The woman who has been my rock this semester."
I took another step.
"Blair Kensington," Ethan announced clearly. "Come on up."
The world went completely silent.
The blood roared in my ears. I stopped dead in my tracks.
Blair gasped softly. It sounded completely rehearsed. She floated past me, her silk dress brushing against my oversized wool sleeve.
She climbed the stairs to the stage.
Ethan met her halfway. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close.
Then, he kissed her.
Right on the mouth. In front of the entire university, in front of the alumni, the cameras, and me.
"Thank you for always standing by me," Ethan murmured into the microphone, his arm still locked around her. "The woman I want everyone to know."
The ballroom erupted into cheers. Flashbulbs blinded me.
I felt like I was being skinned alive. Every eye in the room felt like a physical weight, pressing down on my chest. I couldn't breathe. My chest heaved. I backed away from the stage, stumbling over my own feet.
Nobody noticed. They were all watching the golden couple.I turned and ran.
The backstage hallway was cold and quiet. The distant roar of the party muffled through the heavy doors.
I stood near the exit, my body shaking violently. Tears blurred my vision. I blinked them away fiercely, I refused to cry here.
The door clicked open.
Ethan walked out, he was adjusting his cufflinks. He stopped when he saw me, his handsome face hardened instantly.
"Ava," he said, his voice flat. "What are you doing back here?"
"Eleven months," I whispered. My voice cracked.
"You lied to me for eleven months."
Ethan sighed heavily. He looked annoyed, not guilty. "Don't do this right now, Ava. Tonight is a big night for my family."
"You told me to meet you here! You said it was time!" I shouted, the pain ripping through my throat.
"You were using me. You kept me hidden because you were ashamed of me!"
Ethan walked closer, towering over me. The charm was completely gone, leaving something rotten underneath.
"Let's be realistic," he said coldly. He looked down at my oversized suit. "Look at yourself, Ava. You're a nice girl in private. You were fun but you are not the kind of girl a man shows off to the world."
The words hit me like a physical blow.
"Stop embarrassing yourself," he sneered, turning his back on me. "Go home."
A cruel laugh echoed from the doorway.
Blair stood there. Her friends were right behind her. They had heard everything, they were grinning, their eyes gleaming with malicious delight.
"Oh, Ethan," Blair cooed, walking over to slip her hand into his. "Don't be too hard on her. It’s not her fault she doesn't know her place."
Ethan didn't defend me. He just smiled at her and walked away, leaving me alone with the wolves.
Blair stepped into my personal space. She looked me up and down with utter disgust.
"You actually thought you could keep him?" Blair laughed softly. "Look at you. You're an ugly, fat scholarship loser."
"Leave me alone, Blair," I whispered, my voice sounding incredibly small.
"No, I don't think I will," she purred. Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "In fact, let’s see just how much confidence you really have. Let’s play a game."
She pulled out her phone and pointed it at my face.
"There's a hockey party happening right across the quad," Blair said, her voice dripping with malice. "Conor Edwards is there. The new transfer student. The hockey god."
The name sent a shiver through me. Conor Edwards was a celebrity on campus. He was tall, dangerous, and completely untouchable.
"Here is your dare," Blair smiled wickedly. "Go over there, seduce Conor Edwards. Make him kiss you, make him touch you and prove it to me with photos."
"I won't do that," I said, my voice shaking.
"If you succeed, I'll stop trying to kick you out of the sorority house," Blair threatened, her voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "I'll let you keep your room, but if you fail, or if you refuse... I will make sure you are branded a desperate liar. I will run you off this campus by morning."
She stepped back, her friends snickering behind her.
"You have one hour, Ava," Blair mocked, throwing my oversized suit back in my face.
"Let's see if the hockey god likes charity cases."
They turned and walked away, their laughter echoing down the hallway.
I stood frozen in the cold corridor. My hands were clenched into tight fists inside my oversized pockets.
I couldn't lose my housing. I had no money. My mother was gone, my little brother Daniel relied on me. If I lost my scholarship housing, I would lose everything.
I had been pushed, mocked, and hidden for a whole year.
Something shifted inside me. The sadness burned away, leaving a hot, reckless anger behind.
They wanted a show? I will give it to them.
I wiped my face with the back of my oversized sleeve. I straightened the collar of my massive jacket. I walked out of the ballroom and into the freezing night air, heading straight toward the hockey house.
