MY TEENAGE YEARS

At seventeen, Allison Brooks had already learned that beauty could be both a blessing and a curse. She had skipped a grade and earned a scholarship to Crestwood College, one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Most freshmen were eighteen or nineteen. Allison was only seventeen, making her one of the youngest students on campus. The moment she walked through the ivy-covered gates, conversations stopped. It wasn’t only because she was beautiful. She had long chestnut hair that shimmered under sunlight, emerald-green eyes that seemed to hold secrets, and a smile so warm it made strangers smile back without realizing it. She wasn’t loud or arrogant. She simply had a presence that brightened every room she entered. Girls admired her. Some envied her. Boys fell in love with her almost instantly. Unfortunately, love had never been kind to Allison. Her first boyfriend cheated. Her second used her popularity to become famous on social media before disappearing with another girl. The third claimed he loved her but only wanted someone beautiful to stand beside. By the time she arrived at Crestwood, she had promised herself one thing. No more relationships. No more broken hearts. She was going to focus on studying. Fate, however, had a different plan. ⸻