They Bet on Me, I Took the Prize

Chapter 3

"Riven, how long until you've won Darya over?" Solenne asked, leaning closer with a smirk.

"Don't worry. I always keep my word." Riven clinked his glass gently against hers.

Solenne Marlow and I never got along, not since high school.

When I hit puberty early, she cornered me in the girls' restroom and poured scalding water over my head.

"Darya, you're barely sixteen and already built like that. Bet some guys have already had their way with you!"

The water stung, turning bright red patches across my skin, and revealing the dark bra I wore under my uniform shirt.

She tugged at my strap and laughed. "Someone's eager! Wearing black lace under your button-down. Who exactly are you trying to catch?"

Like Riven, Solenne came from old money. Her family and his had funded the campus library and sports field together.

I knew there was no point fighting back. So I cut my hair short, wore baggy clothes every day, and faded into the background.

I studied relentlessly for scholarships, always topping every exam.

But Solenne hated being second.

One afternoon, she brought her friends to the classroom, pressed a hot curling iron straight to my thigh, then shoved me to the floor and ground her expensive sneaker into my writing hand.

"Who gave you permission to take my spot at the top? You think my dad won't cut my allowance if I don't stay first?" she snapped.

I lay on the floor, thigh blistered and hand broken, and learned to hold back.

From then on, I never scored full marks again.

Eventually, Solenne grew bored of picking on me and turned her attention to others.

When final exams came, I knew I could finally stop hiding.

Closing my pen felt like setting down a heavy weight I'd carried for years.

When the results came out, I was named top of the state.

I landed a spot at Northwood University, and I could finally leave that place behind.

Lost in my joy, I wandered over to the old terrace.

From behind the graffiti wall, I heard a girl crying.

"It's all Darya's fault. She just waltzed in and stole first place. Now I can't get into Northwood, can't even go to the same school as you…"

Satisfaction surged through me.

Then I saw him.

Sunset gilded Riven's hair, and his face was so sharp and fine it made my chest ache.

But he belonged to the person I hated most, and I could never reach him.

He patted Solenne's shoulder and wiped her tears away. "Don't worry. Once Darya gets here, I'll make sure she regrets it."

"Good," Solenne said, smiling as she kissed his cheek. "Sleep with her, leak every private photo and video to the forum, then throw her out for everyone to mock. Won't that be perfect?"

Riven paused, glancing at her with a faint frown. "You won't mind?"

Solenne laughed softly, curling her fingers around his sleeve. "I'll never mind. You're mine, always."

Standing in shadow, I looked up at the rising moon and smiled.

'What a gift.'