Seducing Liam

chapter 3

"If it’s about what happened that night, I didn’t destroy your reputation," Liam said, his voice dripping with that annoying, effortless confidence. "If anything, I made you popular. You should be thanking me, Angel."

I glared at him, clutching my books to my chest. "I never said I needed popularity, Liam. I’m not one of your fans. Just go away. Go find one of the girls from your party to tutor you."

"Come on, Aria," he groaned, leaning against the bleacher railing. "None of those girls are as smart as you. Besides... I actually want to be friends with you."

"It’s Angel. For the hundredth time, my name is Angel!" I snapped. "And I don't want to be your friend. I don't even want to be in the same zip code as you."

Liam sighed, looking down at his expensive sneakers. For a second, the cocky mask slipped. "I think 'Aria' fits a pretty girl like you. And what do you want me to do? Kneel? Because I’ll do it. If I had anyone else to ask, I wouldn't be here. If you don't help me, I won't play in the hockey finals. I won't even graduate."

I felt a spark of anger. He thought his life was hard because he couldn't play a game?

"I would love to see you kneel and beg," I said, my voice cold. "But it wouldn't change anything. Do you think every girl in this school is like the ones you party with? Not everyone is obsessed with you, Liam. Accept reality."

I stepped closer, poking a finger at his chest. "If I fail my exams because you're a distraction, I lose my financial aid. My aunt only supports me because of my grades. Unlike you, I don't have 'Daddy’s money' to throw away on parties. Some of us have to actually work for a future."

Liam went quiet. The teasing look in his eyes vanished, replaced by something that looked like genuine regret.

"I’m sorry," he whispered. "I didn't know it was like that for you."

"Now you know," I said, turning my back on him. "Leave. Now."

I heard his footsteps fade away as he walked off in silence. Part of me felt a tiny sting of guilt, but I pushed it down. Liam Neche was a storm, and I was just trying to keep my umbrella from breaking. I needed someone stable. Someone like my secret crush—Patrick Wilder.

Patrick was the second-best player on the hockey team. He wasn't loud or arrogant like Liam. He was gorgeous, with muscles that looked like they were carved from marble and a calm energy that I adored. But to a guy like Patrick, I was a ghost.

I was so lost in my thoughts about Patrick that I didn't see the person standing right in front of me. Oof! I slammed right into a broad, firm back.

"Oh! Patrick!" I stammered, my heart leaping into my throat as he turned around.

He looked at me with a confused, serious expression. "Do I know you?"

My face turned a deep shade of red. "No... I mean, yes. I’m Angel. I’m in my third year. My class is right next to yours. We were actually partners in the chemistry lab last year? I helped you with all the calculations?"

Patrick adjusted his gym bag on his shoulder, his eyes scanning me like I was a stranger on the street. "Wow. That’s nice. I don't actually remember that, but you must be really smart."

He gave me a polite, empty smile and walked right past me toward a group of "cool" guys waiting for him. He didn't even look back. He had forgotten me completely.

I stood there, feeling like the smallest person in the world. But the humiliation wasn't over.

"Wow, that was pathetic," a voice hissed.

I turned to see Mia and her two followers. They had been watching the whole thing. Mia was laughing, her eyes full of malice.

"Did you really just try to shoot your shot with Patrick Wilder?" Mia mocked, stepping into my personal space. "You’re even more desperate than I thought. You think a guy like him would ever notice a boring little mouse like you?"

"I don't have time for this, Mia," I said, trying to push past her.

"Well, I have plenty of time," Mia snapped.

Before I could react, she reached out and snatched my heavy pile of textbooks and my private notebook right out of my arms. She ran to the edge of the school pond nearby and, with a wicked grin, tossed them all into the murky water.

Splash.

"There," Mia smirked, crossing her arms as she watched my textbooks sink. "Now you have nothing to study. What are you going to do now, you pathetic loser? Cry?"

"You're looking for trouble, Mia," I said, my voice trembling with a mix of rage and fear. "I'm going to the Principal. I'm going to report you for this."

Mia threw her head back and laughed, a cold, sharp sound that echoed off the school walls. "Go ahead. Tell him. But remember, my dad is the Principal’s biggest donor. Who do you think he’s going to believe? A girl with a trust fund, or a girl who is clearly poor and depressed?"

She stepped closer, her eyes scanning me with disgust. "Even your bag shows how pathetic you are. It’s practically falling apart."

Before I could pull away, Mia’s friend, Dera, reached out and snatched the strap of my backpack right off my shoulder.

"Give me back my bag!" I screamed, lunging forward.

Dera shoved me back with a hard hand to my chest, tossing the bag over to Mia. "Catch!"

Mia caught it and ripped the zipper open, dumping the contents onto the muddy grass. "Let’s see what the nerd is hiding. Hmm, Chemistry assignment... Biology notes... Physics lab report. Is this all you do? Assignments?"

She leafed through the pages I had spent hours perfecting. "You’re always trying so hard to impress the teachers. You think if you get good grades, people won't notice what a weirdo you actually are."

"Please," I whispered, my heart breaking as she crinkled the papers. "Please put my Chemistry assignment back. I’ve spent a week working on that. It’s worth forty percent of my grade. I’m pleading with you, Mia."

Mia looked at the assignment, then back at me. A cruel light sparked in her eyes.

"Well," she said, a fake pout on her lips. "I guess you’ll just have to work on it again."

With a sudden, violent motion, she tossed my backpack—along with my laptop, my notebooks, and my precious Chemistry assignment—straight into the middle of the pond.

Splash.

The water swallowed everything. One week of sleepless nights. My entire future. Gone.

Something inside me snapped. The fear disappeared, replaced by a white-hot wall of anger. I crashed out. The tears started falling, but they weren't from sadness anymore—they were from pure, unadulterated rage.

"Yes! I do my assignments!" I screamed, stepping into Mia’s space. "I focus on my studies because I actually want to be someone! I’m not like you, Mia. All you do is party and hook up with every boy who glances at you because you’re insecure. You’re just jealous because you realize that no matter how much money you have, I will always be better than you!"

The silence that followed was deafening. Mia’s face turned a deep, ugly shade of red. Her nostrils flared, and for a second, I thought she might cry.

"Better than me?" Mia hissed, her voice low and dangerous. "You think you're better than me?"

Before I could move, Mia lunged. She placed both hands on my shoulders and gave me a violent, powerful shove.

I lost my balance. My feet slipped on the muddy bank, and I went flying backward. The cold, dirty water of the pond rose up to meet me, soaking my clothes and filling my lungs with a chill.

I gasped as I broke the surface, shivering and covered in pond scum.

Mia leaned over the edge, looking down at me with a triumphant sneer. "So, bitch... who's better now?"