The Only Rule

Chapter 6b: The Ugly Truth

You screamed, your whole body shook with fury.

“I know!” Ray’s voice cracked, his frustration evident. “I want to move on too! You know how I avoided you! But every time I see you on campus—I just—” he choked, frustration painted his face—but then resolute washed over as he wished, “But I really hope this would end—”

”You’re so full of bullshit! You’ve said this before—you’ve said it over and over! I begged you to—please—Ray, help me would you? Please cease contacting me—and every time. Every. time you feel like you have too much time in the world—you call me! You showed up at my door—it was all good! Okay?! You were gone. Good! You have someone new—good! But again—a girl almost killed me—I don’t know why you couldn’t just—do you—do you actually have a problem with her?! f**k! Or are you just using me to fulfill your high libido—”

“If only you could dress better!”

He blurted—and the second the words left his mouth, he froze. It was too late. Your heart stopped. The air seemed to vanish from the room. Your voice was so quiet it was almost a breath. “What..?”

Ray looked away, hurt flooding his expression, but he didn’t take it back. “If only you’d get rid of those baggy jeans—that—ugly Birkenstocks—be more presentable?! I wouldn’t be embarrassed to be seen with you in front of my friends! And your hair—God! I could—I would've taken you home—introduce you to my parents without being afraid of feeling judged by them!”

You tried to garner the courage to speak, but you stood still. Those hurtful—aggressive words echoed in your mind. Was that just his defense mechanism or—so—

So.. all this time.. it’s been bothering him? Did—did this—did you bother anyone either—? Talia—and.. that—that damn Dominic..

So what he said is all true..?

You gulped, eyebrows knitting. Reluctantly, you lowered your head to check on yourself—but you rapidly looked away, not even daring to look at yourself now. Ray turned away with pain in his eyes, his trembling hand went to his forehead but he briskly lowered it—not knowing what to do now. After everything he said. After every.. hurtful thing he said about you. There’s no going back. There’s no taking back the hurt he could feel lingering in your eyes.

“I love you, Ray..”

The moment you spoke, his eyes widened. “You were my best friend.. if only you knew how I missed the way we were before we—before all of this happened..” you paused, the hole in your chest seemingly getting larger and larger, “the only thing I ever wished for is for everything to go back to the way it used to, but after—” you choked, your face scrunched as you held the burning fire of shame on your throat.

“I love you—” you gasped again, and Ray took a sharp inhale before deciding to take a step closer—but you recoiled, making him stop in his tracks. And as your eyes finally found the courage to meet his—as supposed to be the last time.. the last words rolled in your tongue as bitter as it tasted.

“But I guess you didn’t deserve it anyway.”

Val and Dan seemed to be playing with their toys as the music thumped through the house, lights flickering in sync with the bass. The Mediterranean-style decor was the perfect setting, its sprawling spaces filled with laughter, conversations, and the occasional clink of drinks. Across the room, Tyler and Liam were talking when Tyler’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen, and a bashful smile spread across his face, couldn’t be contained.

Liam raised an eyebrow, groaning playfully. “Ugh stop—it’s gross,”

Tyler just grinned, ignoring him as he typed a message. Dom only stole a glance before letting out a slight smirk. Until Tyler finally looked around the building and beamed, “Em would love this.”

“Right. She’s got a thing for Mediterranean houses, huh?” Liam chuckled.

“Well, your house,” Tyler added.

Before Wyatt could respond, a voice called out from behind, “Hi guys!”

Dominic froze mid-sip. He’d know that voice anywhere. Slowly, he turned around.. and there she was—Emilym looking effortlessly stunning, her smile too bright to be true. Her hair was pulled up into a casual bun, and she seemed lighter, happier. Much happier than before.

Tyler and Liam were caught off guard, but Tyler quickly beamed and rushed to her, wrapping her in a hug. “What are you doing here?!”

“Surprising you,” she laughed softly, leaning in for a kiss which was responded eagerly by the love of her life.

Liam made a face, “Oh God, get a room!”

“You’re not happy to see me Wyatt?!” Emily laughed, playfully swatting Liam’s arm before her eyes landed on Dominic, who was sipping from a red cup. And it certainly brought out a few memories. Her smile faltered slightly, but she quickly regained her composure. “Hi, Dom.”

Dominic raised his cup with a detached smile, “Welcome to Stanford,” he muttered before downing the rest of his drink in one go. The tension was palpable, cutting through the noise of the party.

Tyler, feeling the awkwardness settle in, exhaled sharply. His face tightened for just a moment, but he forced a smile, determined not to let this ruin the night. The others in the group noticed the tension but brushed it off, just the usual.

Emily smiled politely before Tyler led her away, their backs disappearing into the crowd. But Hunt’s lingering gaze fixed on her back as his memory flooded with memories. Sucks that it’s mostly the good ones—while it lasted, though.

Liam noticed, and so as soon as their bestfriends were out of earshot, Liam approached him, clapping him on the shoulder, “Bro, you can't still be looking at her like that.”

Dominic let out a fake chuckle, though his eyes gave him away. “You know—I’ll—” he jerked his thumb toward the door, his face scrunching in annoyance. And without waiting for a response, he walked out of the house. Leaving Liam exhaled a heavy sigh, now to be the one chugging his drink till it's empty.

At the party, it finally dawned on you. How no one had looked at you, how every guy seemed to ignore you—brushing past as though you were invisible. There was even that one guy who’d given you a quick glance, looking you up and down—before turning away like you weren’t worth a second thought. You usually don't care, but—it stung even more now. Thoughts raced as you frantically scanned the room, and that’s when you saw him.

Dominic.

He was standing alone on the balcony, his back leaning against the railing, eyes scanning the party unfold through the open doors of the sorority house. His posture was relaxed, cigarette hanging from his lips as he took in smoke.. and exhaled. The smoke blurred his line of sight, but after a moment, you’re there.. right on his gaze. And his lips curled up.

Something snapped inside you. Adrenaline surged through your veins, heart pounding in your ears. Without much thought, your legs moved, and you found herself walking—no, marching—straight toward him. Your eyes fixed, sharp with purpose. You didn’t even blink as you closed the distance between you and him. Dominic’s gaze never wavered, his smirk widening as he took a drag from his cigarette, blowing the smoke lazily into the air as you pushed open the door to the balcony.

As soon as you stepped out, Hunt exhaled the smoke right in your face. Normally your instinct was to brush it away—waving the cloud aside, but that wasn’t why you came. The smoke didn’t f*****g matter. What mattered was the burning question that had taken root inside your chest, a question you needed an answer to.

“Are you such an asshole to me because you think I look like s**t?”

Dominic knitted his eyebrows—for it looked like he was confused—but then his smirk deepened, eyes glinting with that usual cocky arrogance. And as he slightly put away his cigarette from his mouth, he leaned forward slightly.. before with a voice dripping with amusement, he professed,

“Why, of course I am.”

And it hit you like a punch in the gut. You had expected them, though. You didn’t know why the hell you’re hurting yourself further like this. Maybe you just needed another asshole—an overly honest one—to K.O. you to the filthy ground. Ray—Anderson, Hunt—you just couldn’t take it anymore. After a moment of shock and inevitable despair, you nodded, your lips pursing in a thin line as you finally looked up.

That’s when Dominic noticed the glassy eyes. His light faltered, the smirk slowly fading from his face as he straightened up, lowering the cigarette from his lips. His expression turned serious, concerned, almost like he regretted saying it.

“Of course,” you muttered under your breath, voice thick with resignation before you exhaled a trembling breath. You rapidly turned around, your back to him, walking away as though the conversation had never happened.

Dominic stood there, frozen, watching your retreating figure. His hand gripping the cigarette so hard the ash crumbled to the floor. Turning away, blinking, he tried to shake off the lingering guilt gnawing at him as he put the cigarette between his lips—but your face suddenly surfaced in front of him. The way your expression changed playing over in his mind like a bad reel of a horror film, again and again—

“Fuck.”

He cursed under his breath, dropping the cigarette to the railing—which unfortunately landed on someone’s head. But the scream didn’t bother him. Without hesitating, he spun on his heel and rushed after you.

You had already reached the doors when he caught up, hand grabbing your wrist and pulling you back with enough force that you almost stumbled. Facing him with your limp body, he noticed your void emotion. Gone was the fire that had driven you to usually confront him. Gone was the anger—the frustration. What stood before him now was someone.. cold.

Numb.

Dominic stared at you, unsure of what to say, of what to do—his mind raced for an apology—an.. explanation. But before he could speak, your voice cut through the silence. Your numb face now turned steely, and your cold eyes bored to him as you asked,

“Sleep with me.”