The Campus Heartthrob Dumped His Sweetheart for Me

Chapter 2

The comments scrolled at a steady pace.

I had a good memory, and it didn't take long to piece together what they meant.

The "male lead" they kept mentioning was the campus heartthrob, Julian Cole. The "female lead" was his childhood best friend, Selene Hart.

The two have had a crush on each other for years. Selene was too afraid of rejection to confess, so she called Julian her "bro" and quietly guarded him from a distance, scaring off every girl who got close.

At tonight's club dinner, Selene's group was playing Truth or Dare. To push Selene's buttons, Julian picked Dare.

And I got dragged into it.

My looks made Selene feel threatened. From there, the two of them went through rounds of breaking up and making up before finally getting their happily-ever-after.

As for me? My ending was far less pretty. I'd be stabbed to death by someone Selene sent after me—an accident, they'd call it. And in the end, the lovely little couple would graciously forgive me for everything.

Excuse me?

I tried to process all of this.

While I stood there in silence, Selene had already moved on to flirting with Julian.

She laced her fingers through his and put on a stern face.

"Where's the ring I bought you? Don't tell me you lost it again! Honestly, you'd lose your own head if it wasn't attached. What would you even do without me?"

When she noticed me looking, Selene made a show of flashing her own ring.

Then, as if she'd said something she shouldn't have, she quickly covered her mouth and gave me an apologetic smile.

"Oh, don't get the wrong idea. Julian and I aren't like that. These aren't couple rings or anything. It's just—girls used to confess to him all the time, and he's kind of clueless, you know? He thought they were distracting him from studying. So we just pretended to be a couple to keep them away."

Julian's gaze drifted toward me for some reason.

The comments started scrolling again.

A: [Haha, his little scheme is written all over his face! He totally dropped that ring in front of her on purpose and played dumb. He just wants to see the main girl get jealous. We all see right through you, buddy.]

B: [If the main girl would just stop denying their relationship, he wouldn't have to pull stunts like this—'losing' the ring, bribing his buddies to rig the dare. All just to get her to admit her feelings. God, the early stages of love are exhausting.]

C: [Once the second lead pulls out the ring and the guy doesn't explain—plus he already added her on socials—the main girl's going to get drunk from heartbreak. And then the wall slam! I can't wait!]

D: [What is the second lead doing? Pull out the ring already! I'm losing my mind!]

I looked down.

The silver ring sat in my palm, gleaming under the lights. I'd been gripping it for so long that it had already absorbed my body heat.

But my heart had gone cold.

The pattern on it matched the one on Selene's finger perfectly. They were a pair.

And the worst part was—just moments ago, I'd genuinely wanted to return it to Julian.

I'd arrived late. Before I walked in, Julian had been leaning against the doorframe.

Smoke curled around his face, half-hiding his features. I couldn't tell what was bothering him, but there was no denying it—he was strikingly handsome, even with that brooding, restless look.

Emily had nudged me, trying to get me to go ask for his number on her behalf.

But before I could make a move, he walked toward me.

In the split second we passed each other, I heard something hit the floor. I looked down. A ring.

I picked it up, thinking I'd return it if I saw him again.

According to the comments, what was supposed to happen next was this: I'd show him the ring and ask about it. Julian, wanting to provoke Selene, wouldn't explain. Instead, he'd give the ring to me.

That's how Selene would come to believe there was something between Julian and me.

And in the end, for the sake of some grand confession scene, they'd use me, deceive me, and get me killed in the process.

I smiled, opened my hand, and let the ring drop. It clinked against the floor, and I ground it under my heel.

You want me to follow the script?

Not a chance.

I'm rewriting this story.

Ignoring Selene's little performance, ignoring the expectant look in Julian's eyes, I pulled up my QR code and held out my phone.

"Weren't you going to add me?"

My friend smacked my arm in exasperation. "Have you completely lost your mind over a pretty face?!"

I didn't explain. I just smiled as Julian's friend request popped up on my screen.

Selene's expression cracked for a split second.

"Well, since you both said you're just friends, I've got nothing to worry about then."

I pretended not to notice the venom behind Selene's smile.

"Actually, I should thank you for clearing that up. I wouldn't have dared to add him otherwise—wouldn't want anyone calling me a homewrecker. Oh, and you don't mind if my friend and I join your table, right? You did say the more the merrier."

Julian's jaw tightened slightly.

"Of course not."

Selene's face went white, but she forced a smile.

"Hey, let's be friends too! Having a gorgeous girl like you on my i********:? That's a flex."

"Sure."

I accepted without hesitation.