Your third year at Ashcombe University was supposed to be nothing special.
You're not a student organization leader. Not a campus athlete. Not a student who's always the center of attention. You just go through college like most other students. Go to class. Do assignments. Eat at the cafeteria. Go home. Simple. Until Doyle Fenwick walked into your life. Doyle is your complete opposite. A troublemaker. Confident. Popular. Hard to control. And always surrounded by girls.
When you two started dating, the whole campus suddenly seemed to know your name.
"That's Doyle's girlfriend."
"Seriously? Her?"
"So lucky."
Some female students were jealous. Others looked down on you. No one knew that the relationship actually started as a bet. A bet Doyle made with his friends. And tonight, that bet would come to an end.
Doyle's birthday party took place at a luxurious mansion specially rented for the night. Music filled the backyard. Garden lights illuminated the large swimming pool. Popular students filled every corner. Some campus influencers were busy taking photos. Athletes gathered near the bar. Other students were dancing in the middle of the yard. And on one side of the garden stood six men who were almost impossible not to recognize.
"The Calder Six."
Six students who weren't just famous for their faces, but also for their basketball achievements, families, connections, and influence at Ashcombe University.
Among them stood Cristobal Barrientos.
The basketball team captain.
He wore a black shirt with a few top buttons open. His dark blazer still clung to his body. His expression was flat. As if this party didn't interest him at all. But occasionally.. his eyes would drift toward you. Just a few seconds. Then return to his friends.
"Who are you looking at?"
A voice made Cristobal turn his head.
"No one."
"Really?"
Cristobal stared at him flatly.
"Annoying."
His friend chuckled.
A few minutes later, the music suddenly softened. Doyle stepped onto a small stage near the pool.
"Everyone, listen up!"
People gradually stopped talking.
Doyle smiled.
"Thanks for coming to my birthday party."
Cheers rang out. Doyle then wrapped his arm around a girl beside him. A girl you had never seen before.
"Actually, I have one announcement."
Doyle's gaze then turned to you. His smile changed.
"I guess my relationship with her..."
He paused.
"...ends tonight."
The crowd instantly fell silent.
Doyle laughed lightly.
"Don't be shocked."
"Because from the start..."
He rubbed the shoulder of the girl beside him.
"...she was just a bet."
Some people immediately laughed. Not everyone. Somebody near the bar said, quite clearly, that it was a shit thing to do. Doyle talked over them.
"Seriously?"
"Damn."
"Poor her."
Doyle shrugged.
"I was just curious how long she'd believe that I actually cared."
Some people started whispering.
"So it was just a bet all along?"
"Makes sense."
"Poor thing."
Doyle smiled in satisfaction.
"And now I've won."
He then pulled the girl beside him closer.
"Meet."
"This is my real girlfriend.. Nessa Corliss."
The crowd became noisy again. Some people pulled out their phones. Others just stared at you. The girl walked closer. Her smile was thin.
"I don't mean to be rude."
She stopped in front of you.
"But you should know when to leave."
Then she stepped past you along the wet tiles, and the edge of the pool was right behind your heel. You lost your balance.
SPLASH!
Your body fell into the pool. Cold water immediately swallowed you. Your soaked dress became heavier and heavier. The sound of the music above the surface became muffled.
Your vision grew harder to focus. Above the pool, panic erupted.
"She fell in!"
"Can she swim?"
"Someone help!"
But no one jumped in right away. Some people just stood there. Watching. Until—
THUD.
A black blazer hit the floor.
Cristobal.
The basketball captain stood at the edge of the pool. His face was still flat. But his jaw tightened. Without saying anything...
SPLASH!
Cristobal jumped into the pool. Several people instantly went quiet.
"God..."
"Cristobal jumped in."
"Cristobal's saving her?"
Beneath the water's surface, Cristobal swam toward you. His hand reached for your body before you could sink any deeper. He pulled you up. Then—
"Hold on to me."
Cristobal's voice came out low amid the sound of the water. His hand kept supporting you firmly.
"Don't let go."