Brady Colvin, eighteen years old, had a reputation to maintain.
Popular. Arrogant. Devastatingly charming. The kind of guy who could walk into a room and instantly become the center of attention. He was the college's golden boy, the star quarterback, the guy every girl seemed to want and every guy wanted to be.
And Brady Colvin had one very important rule.
Never let anyone know when something actually mattered to him.
Especially when that something was you.
You weren't part of his usual crowd. You were a little nerdy, always carrying books, getting good grades, and generally staying away from the drama that trailed Brady and his friends everywhere.
But you weren't unattractive. Far from it.
Brady had noticed your smile, your laugh, the way your eyes lit up whenever you talked about something you loved. He noticed things about you that he would rather die than admit to his friends.
And somewhere along the way, he'd developed feelings for you.
Real feelings.
That terrified him.
His father had raised him to believe that emotions were weaknesses, that love made people vulnerable, and that vulnerability made them pathetic. Brady had spent years turning himself into someone nobody could hurt.
And then you came along.
He'd started being kind to you. Genuinely kind. He'd walked you to class, helped you carry your books, made jokes just to hear you laugh, and now and then found excuses to sit beside you.
He'd even stood up for you once when someone made a stupid comment about your interests.
But his friends had noticed.
And they hadn't stopped teasing him.
"Dude, don't tell me you're actually into that nerd."
"Seriously, Colvin? You could have practically anyone."
"Imagine the quarterback dating someone like that. Your reputation would be fucking destroyed."
Brady had laughed along, pretending their comments didn't bother him.
But they did.
Not because he agreed with them.
Because he was terrified of being exposed.
And today, his worst nightmare had come true.
He was standing by the team lockers with his usual group of friends—Trent, Mason, and Blake—when you approached him.
Brady had smiled at first when he saw you.
A genuine smile.
One that disappeared the moment you confessed your feelings and asked him out on a date.
For one brief, beautiful second, his heart practically stopped.
You liked him.
You actually fucking liked him.
He could have said yes.
God, he wanted to say yes.
But then Trent snorted beside him.
"Hold up. Did the nerd seriously just ask Brady Colvin out?"
Mason burst into laughter.
"No fucking way! Bro, this is embarrassing."
Blake grinned, folding his arms.
"Well, Brady? Don't keep your little girlfriend waiting."
Brady's stomach twisted.
He could feel their eyes on him. Waiting. Judging. Expecting him to prove that he was still the same arrogant bastard they'd always known.
And instead of doing the one decent thing, Brady chose the cruelest option available.
He laughed.
Not a nervous chuckle.
A loud, mocking laugh that immediately drew attention from nearby students.
"Are you actually fucking serious?"
His lips twisted into a nasty smirk as he looked you up and down with deliberate contempt.
"Don't flatter yourself, sweetheart. You're not nearly as beautiful as you apparently think you are."
Trent let out a whistle.
"Jesus, Brady!"
But Brady wasn't finished.
Because the moment he'd started, he felt trapped by his own performance.
"You're plain. Boring. Completely fucking forgettable. What exactly made you think someone like me would ever want someone like you?"
Mason doubled over laughing.
"Damn, bro! You're brutal!"
Brady stepped closer, his blue eyes narrowing.
"Seriously, have you ever looked at yourself in the fucking mirror?"
He scoffed, shaking his head in theatrical disgust.
"You're so fucking ugly I need a trash can just looking at you. Makes me wanna throw up."
Blake burst into laughter.
"Someone call an ambulance! Brady just murdered somebody!"
But Brady kept going, his voice growing colder.
"And all those times I was nice to you? What, you thought that meant something?"
He laughed again, even though something behind his ribs was beginning to ache.
"Jesus Christ, you're even more pathetic than I thought. I was being polite, not proposing marriage."
Trent grinned.
"Guess somebody got the wrong idea."
"Clearly,"
Brady sneered.
"I mean, seriously? Me? Dating you? I'd rather be single for the rest of my fucking life."
He shoved his hands into his pockets.
"Do yourself a favor. Next time you develop some pathetic little crush, keep it to yourself. Nobody wants to hear about it."
His friends were practically shrieking with laughter now.
But Brady wasn't laughing anymore.
Not really.
Because somewhere beneath the arrogance, beneath the cruelty and the desperate need to impress his friends, a horrible realization was starting to settle in.
He had just humiliated the one person he'd secretly wanted to ask out himself.
And the worst part?
He'd done it willingly.
Trent slapped him on the shoulder.
"Holy shit, Colvin! Remind me never to piss you off!"
Brady forced another smirk.
"Whatever, man. Someone had to give the nerd a reality check."
But his jaw tightened.
His fists curled inside his pockets.
And when Mason started laughing again, Brady suddenly snapped.
"Alright, shut the fuck up already!"
The laughter died.
Trent raised an eyebrow.
"Damn, dude. What's your problem?"
"Nothing,"
Brady muttered sharply.
"Just getting tired of hearing your fucking voices."
He glanced in your direction again.
For the briefest moment, the smug expression slid off his face.
Fuck.
What the fuck did I just do?
But his friends were still watching.
So Brady swallowed the guilt, hardened his expression, and delivered one final blow.
"Seriously. Get lost. You're embarrassing yourself."
And just like that, Brady Colvin had become the very person he'd always promised himself he would never be.
Someone who deliberately hurt a person who trusted him.
Someone who chose his reputation over his feelings.
Someone who was so terrified of being rejected that he'd wrecked his own chance at being loved before anyone could take it from him.