Chapter 1
There were two hundred and seventeen people at the party.
I counted them because I had nothing else to do.
My friends were laughing three feet away from me, surrounded by boys, cameras, and champagne they weren’t even old enough to drink.
Nobody noticed I had disappeared.
I wasn’t surprised.
I was good at disappearing.
“Aria, come on! Come have a drink with us!” Bree called, her high-pitched voice somehow competing with the loud party music.
“Y-Yeah, sure.”
I put on a fake smile and joined my friends.
They were already drinking and dancing, their boyfriends practically glued to their sides. I laughed along with them, taking another sip from my glass as I moved to the music.
This was what most of my Fridays and Saturdays looked like.
Parties.
Drinking.
Dancing.
Pretending I was having the time of my life until I drank enough to pass out.
Not that anyone would care.
My mom was probably in another continent right now. I hadn’t seen her in... what? Two months?
But honestly, I didn’t care.
At least, that’s what I told myself.
I had more money than I could ever spend, a closet bigger than some people’s apartments, and I was always surrounded by people.
So why would I feel lonely?
“Aria, look!”
Shanya gave me a teasing nudge, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“Jace Hord is literally looking at you.”
She laughed as the rest of the girls immediately turned in his direction.
“Oh my God, Aria.” Deeja grabbed my arm. “You should literally go talk to him.”
I let out a nervous laugh.
“I don’t know, guys.”
The truth was, I hated Jace.
He was cocky, arrogant, and completely convinced that every girl wanted him.
He was just like my friends.
But I wasn’t exactly in a position to judge.
I needed them.
Because if I lost them...
I’d be alone.
“He’s coming, Aria!” Bree whispered dramatically. “Hurry! Strike a pose!”
I stared at her.
“Really, Bree? Strike a pose?”
Deeja rolled her eyes.
“She’s hopeless.”
Before I could say anything else, a shadow fell across us.
“Hey, Aria.”
Shit.
He was here.
“Hey, Jace,” my friends said almost simultaneously, their voices suddenly sweeter than they had been five seconds ago.
“Hey, girls.”
He flashed them that smile.
The one that made almost every girl in school weak at the knees.
Almost.
“Well, I guess it’s our cue to leave.” Shanya winked at me. “Come on, boys.”
They immediately started walking away.
I stared at them in disbelief.
“Guys—”
They ignored me.
Traitors.
I turned back to Jace.
He was still smiling.
“You look beautiful tonight.”
I forced a smile.
“Thanks.”
“Want to dance?”
I glanced toward my friends, but they were already too far away to save me.
I sighed.
“Sure.”
His smile widened as he took my hand.
The music swallowed us as he pulled me into the crowd.
I tried to enjoy myself.
I really did.
But something felt wrong.
Maybe it was the way he kept his hand on my waist.
Maybe it was the way he leaned closer every time I tried to create some distance.
Or maybe it was the fact that, despite being surrounded by hundreds of people, I suddenly felt more alone than I had when I was sitting by myself.
Jace pulled me closer as the music changed, his hands settling around my waist.
“Relax,” he murmured.
“I’m relaxed.”
“You don’t look relaxed.”
I laughed nervously.
“Maybe because you’re stepping on my shoes.”
He laughed and spun me around.
For a few minutes, I let myself forget everything.
The music was loud. The lights were flashing. Everyone around me was laughing, dancing, and drinking like there wasn’t a single problem in the world.
Then Jace appeared in front of me with two shot glasses.
“Drink.”
I stared at them.
“Absolutely not.”
“Come on, Aria.”
“I’m already drinking.”
“One more.”
He pushed one toward me.
I shook my head.
“No.”
“You’re too uptight.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’m not uptight.”
“Prove it.”
The girls nearby started laughing.
I looked at them.
Then at the shot.
Then back at Jace.
Fine.
I grabbed it.
“Cheers.”
I swallowed it.
The alcohol burned all the way down.
Jace immediately handed me another.
I laughed.
“Jace!”
“What?”
“I said one.”
“You said you weren’t uptight.”
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“You are so annoying.”
“And yet you’re still here.”
I took the second shot.
Then another.
And another.
At some point, the room started spinning.
I couldn’t remember when exactly I’d stopped counting.
My cheeks felt hot, my legs felt strangely light, and every time I tried to stand still, the floor seemed to move underneath me.
“Okay,” I laughed, grabbing Jace’s arm. “I think I’m done.”
He grinned.
“You’re fine.”
“I’m literally not.”
He laughed and pulled me closer.
I tried to push him away when he leaned in.
“Jace...”
He kissed me anyway.
I turned my face away.
“Stop.”
He laughed like I was joking.
Another kiss landed against my cheek.
I pushed against his chest.
“Jace, seriously.”
He finally backed off, raising his hands.
“Okay, okay.”
I exhaled.
My eyes wandered across the room.
Shanya was practically sitting on her boyfriend’s lap, kissing him like they were the only two people at the party.
Deeja wasn’t any better.
I watched them for a second.
This was normal.
This was what everyone did.
Maybe I was the weird one.
“Come on,” Jace said.
I looked at him.
“Where?”
“I’ll take you home.”
“No.”
He frowned.
“Aria, you’re drunk.”
“I know.”
“Exactly.”
“I’m going with the girls.”
“They’re drunk too.”
I pointed toward them.
“They can barely walk.”
He laughed.
“That’s your solution?”
“Yes.”
I grabbed my purse.
“I’m fine.”
I wasn’t.
Not even close.
But admitting that would mean admitting I needed someone.
And I hated that.
***
The next morning
My head was pounding.
That was the first thing I noticed.
The second was the sunlight.
It was aggressively bright.
I groaned and pulled my blanket over my head.
My mouth tasted horrible.
My stomach turned.
And there was a pounding behind my eyes that made me seriously question every decision I’d made the night before.
My phone buzzed.
I ignored it.
It buzzed again.
Then again.
I finally reached for it.
Bree: ARE YOU ALIVE???
Shanya: Girl last night was INSANE 😂
Deeja: You should’ve seen your face when Jace kissed you 😭
I stared at the screen.
I remembered enough.
Unfortunately.
I dropped the phone beside me and closed my eyes.
I needed water.
Badly.
I forced myself out of bed and immediately regretted it.
“Ugh.”
I stumbled toward the bathroom.
My reflection looked like I’d been hit by a truck.
My hair was a mess.
My makeup was halfway gone.
My eyes were swollen.
Perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
After a shower, painkillers, water, and what felt like an entire bottle of orange juice, I finally felt human again.
And then Monday arrived.
***
MONDAY MORNING
“Miss Vale, your car is ready.”
I stepped out of the mansion wearing my school uniform, sunglasses covering my eyes.
“Thank you.”
The black SUV was waiting at the front.
I climbed inside.
Bree was already there.
She took one look at me and burst out laughing.
“Oh my God.”
“Don’t.”
“You look dead.”
“I feel dead.”
Shanya laughed from the other side.
“At least you survived.”
“Barely.”
Deeja handed me a bottle of water.
“Drink.”
I took it gratefully.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
The car pulled away from the gates of my house.
I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.
I could already feel the headache coming back.
Monday mornings at our school were always the same.
Luxury cars lined the entrance.
Students stepped out in perfectly pressed uniforms.
Security guards opened doors.
Drivers carried bags.
And somehow, everyone always seemed to know who was arriving.
Especially us.
The moment our car pulled through the school gates, heads turned.
Bree waved through the tinted window.
“Look at them.”
I opened one eye.
Students were already gathering near the entrance.
Some smiled.
Some waved.
A few girls immediately started whispering.
Shanya laughed.
“They’re obsessed with us.”
I smiled.
Maybe she was right.
Our driver stopped near the entrance.
The moment the door opened, several students greeted us.
“Morning, Aria!”
“Hey, Aria!”
“Love your shoes!”
“Did you see the game Saturday?”
I smiled and waved as I walked toward the school.
This was my life.
People knew me.
People wanted to be around me.
People wanted what I had.
I had everything.
Didn’t I?
I adjusted my bag on my shoulder and walked through the entrance with my friends.
Then the principal’s voice suddenly came through the school’s announcement system.
“Good morning, students. Before classes begin, I have an important announcement concerning a new student joining our school today...”
I barely paid attention.
Bree was already whispering something about a party that weekend.
I rolled my eyes.
Then the principal continued.
“...who has been awarded a full academic scholarship.”
I stopped walking.
Not because I cared.
Not yet.
But because the hallway suddenly became strangely quiet.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
“Scholarship?”
“Here?”
“Seriously?”
“Who is he?”
I looked at Bree.
She raised an eyebrow.
Then she smiled.
“I heard he’s from—”
The bell rang.
She didn’t finish.
And somehow, I had a feeling I was going to find out soon enough.
*
