Chapter 001
Chapter 1
Wren
Washing my face after cheerleading practice, I was exhausted. It was already five in the evening. After saying goodbye to the girls, I headed straight to check on Axel. He must be done with hockey practice by now.
I walked toward the field, and my brows furrowed when I saw that no one was there.
Had they already left?
Did the game end early?
Why hadn't Axel informed me about it?
I checked my phone as I began leaving campus.
Hey babe, had to leave early. Got some work at home. Don't stop by.
His text made me smile. At least he had the decency to let me know.
Axel and I had been dating for the last six months. The night he became captain of the hockey team and asked me out, we became the golden couple of the school, me on the cheerleading squad and him as the team captain.
Well... former captain now.
His captaincy and our relationship had their glorious moments, but they didn't last long. Two months ago, he lost his title after the team suffered two back-to-back defeats. It hit him hard, and maybe our relationship too, because our honeymoon phase ended shortly after.
He changed.
He was still the school's golden boy and star forward. In public, he was the perfect boyfriend. But when we were alone, I could feel his growing negligence and the way he got annoyed whenever I didn't give him what he wanted exactly when he wanted it.
Still, every relationship has its ups and downs.
Lately, he'd been in a better mood. He wanted his captaincy back, and as his understanding girlfriend, I gave him space.
He'll come around.
He had been a good boyfriend throughout most of our relationship. As long as he didn't do anything that crossed the line, we were doing fine.
As I was about to leave campus, I remembered I needed to return a book to the library. I had nothing else to do, so I might as well get it done.
I entered the nearly empty library and returned the book to the librarian, but I lingered to browse for another one.
The library was quiet, with only a few people scattered around. I wandered between the aisles, searching for my next read when I suddenly heard heavy breathing.
Then came the unmistakable sounds of kissing.
Smooching. Soft moans. Someone was making out in the library.
“Let's go to my place.”
It was a very familiar, breathy voice that made me freeze in place.
“I can't, Axel. I have projects and deadlines to fulfill,” another familiar feminine voice replied.
A voice that belonged to my best friend, Poppy Bennett.
I took a peek into the next aisle, and sure enough, they were on the floor. Axel was pinning her beneath him, devouring her lips, while my shameless best friend moaned into his mouth.
“Come on. One night won't make you fall behind. I need you, Pop. Last time, you made me feel so good, we won the game. You're my luck f**k. Now be a good girl and don't make me beg for it,” he said before pressing kisses along her neck.
She giggled.
She f*****g giggled.
My best friend f*****g giggled while my boyfriend was cheating on me with her.
“I loved it too, Axel. I know how it started—”
“Shhh. No time for this conversation. We've already had it before. Don't kill my mood. Let's just get out of here.”
He brushed her off, and she sighed.
“Alright, but drop me home before ten, okay?”
“What you say, baby girl,” he laughed as he helped her to her feet.
And she smiled at him.
Tears welled in my eyes, not because Axel meant that much to me, but because it was Poppy who broke my heart.
Poppy.
The girl who was like a sister to me. But sisters don't sleep with their sister's boyfriend.
I hid behind the shelves as they gathered their things, preparing to leave so they could continue whatever they had planned at his house.
I watched them walk out together. The moment they disappeared from the library, I broke down completely.
