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chapter 4

Chapter 4: Cynthia

​I didn't sleep at all on Thursday night. Every time I closed my eyes, I either saw Julian kissing Chloe behind the sports shed or Marcus’s dark eyes flashing with pure rage after I slapped him. By Friday morning, my head was pounding, and my stomach was in a hard knot as I walked through the front gates of Kingswood Academy.

​I kept my head down, dragging my feet toward my locker. I just needed to survive the day, avoid Marcus, and figure out how to keep my scholarship without him.

​"Hey, scholarship girl."

​I froze. That rough, arrogant voice was unmistakable.

​I turned around slowly. Marcus was leaning against the locker right next to mine. He looked immaculate as always in his black varsity jacket, but his left cheek was still slightly bruised from my slap. His dark eyes were sharp and fixed right on me.

​"What do you want, Marcus?" I asked, keeping my voice as flat as possible. "I told you yesterday, the deal is over. Get away from me."

​Marcus didn't move. He stepped closer, his broad shoulders completely blocking the hallway traffic so nobody could see us. "The deal isn't over until I say it's over, Cynthia."

​"I slapped you," I reminded him, staring straight into his eyes. "You tried to force me to drink at your house like a spoiled brat. I am not playing your stupid girlfriend anymore."

​Marcus let out a short, cold laugh. "You think you have a choice? Let me tell you how this is going to go. I just came from the principal's office. I took the quiz this morning, and guess what? I failed it."

​My heart dropped into my stomach. "You failed?"

​"Completely," Marcus said, a cruel smirk touching his lips. "And Principal Higgins was ready to bench me for the big game tonight. But I told him that my official student tutor—you—missed our scheduled session yesterday afternoon. I told him you walked out on me."

​"You lying psychopath!" I snapped, my voice rising before I quickly forced it back down into a whisper. "You were the one drinking with your friends!"

​"Who is Higgins going to believe, Cynthia?" Marcus asked, leaning down until I could smell his expensive cologne. "The star basketball captain whose family practically funds the new science wing, or the lower-class scholarship girl who failed to show up for her mandatory peer-tutoring hours? If I tell him you walked out on me, he will cancel your financial aid by lunchtime. You'll be packing your bags before the weekend even starts."

​I stared at him, pure hatred burning in my chest. He was blackmailing me. He was using the exact same wealthy leverage Julian used, trapping me in his game. "You are disgusting."

​"I'm smart," Marcus corrected me, his eyes dropping to my lips before looking back up. "We have a game tonight against Julian’s school rival. You are going to be sitting in the front row of the bleachers, wearing my black varsity jacket. You are going to cheer for me, and when the game is over, you are going to walk out on my arm right in front of Julian."

​"And if I say no?" I whispered, my fists clenching at my sides.

​Marcus reached out, his fingers brushing against the strap of my backpack, mimicking the threat from the library. "Then you can go tell your parents why you got kicked out of Kingswood. Do we have a deal, Cynthia?"

​I swallowed the bitter taste of defeat. I had no choice. My education was the only thing I had, and he knew it.

​"Fine," I spit out. "I'll be at the game."

​"Good girl," Marcus said, tapping the locker next to my head before turning around and walking down the hallway without looking back.

​By the time the final bell rang, the anxiety was choking me. I walked out toward the main lockers to head to the gym, but my path was suddenly blocked.

​Julian and Chloe were standing by the water fountain. Chloe was leaning against Julian’s chest, giggling, but her smile dropped the second she saw me walking down the hall.

​"Look, Julian, it’s the charity case," Chloe said loudly, crossing her arms and smirking. "I guess the basketball team lets anyone hang around their lockers now."

​Julian stepped forward, blocking my path entirely. He looked down at me with a mean, satisfied smirk. "You really thought you did something yesterday, didn't you? You think Marcus actually likes you? He’s just using you to get under my skin, Cynthia. You’re a lower-class nobody, and the second he passes his exams, he’s going to dump you back in the dirt where you belong."

​I stopped right in front of him. I looked at his smug face, then at Chloe. The fear I had felt all day suddenly turned into a hard, defensive armor.

​"At least he isn't hiding behind sports sheds to get what he wants, Julian," I said, my voice cutting through the hallway quiet. "And Chloe, you can have him. He’s all yours. Just make sure he doesn't cheat on you next week too."

​Chloe’s face went completely purple with embarrassment. Julian opened his mouth to shout at me, his eyes flashing with rage, but I pushed right past his shoulder and walked straight toward the gymnasium.

​The gym was already packed, the noise of the crowd deafening. I walked down to the front row of the bleachers, where Marcus’s black varsity jacket was waiting on the seat for me. I pulled it over my shoulders, the heavy leather swallowing my small frame.

​I sat down, my hands trembling in my lap. I had survived Julian, but now I was sitting in the front row of a stadium, forced to be the prize puppet for a completely different monster.

​Suddenly, a sharp tap on my shoulder made me turn around.

​Sandra, Marcus’s wealthy ex-girlfriend, was standing over me. She was dressed in head-to-toe designer clothes, her long acrylic nails digging into the metal railing behind my head. Her eyes locked onto me like a hawk, filled with pure venom.

​"Listen to me very carefully, you little scholarship rat," Sandra hissed, leaning down so close her expensive perfume made me gag. "I don't know what kind of game you and Marcus are playing to mess with Julian, but stay in your lane. Marcus belongs to me. We are just on a break."

​I tried to turn back around, but Sandra grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at her.

​"If I catch you anywhere near his house or his locker after tonight, I will make sure Principal Higgins hears all about how you are trading 'tutoring services' for favors," Sandra threatened, her voice a sharp whisper. "I will destroy your scholarship before the weekend even starts. You're a nobody, Cynthia. Remember that."

​She let go of my face, leaving my skin stinging as she marched up to the VIP section.

​I sat frozen in the front row, the cold stadium air hitting my face. I looked out at the court as the buzzer sounded. I had no boyfriend, a fake boyfriend who blackmailed me, and now, two of the most powerful families at Kingswood Academy wanted to destroy me.