The PLAYBOY Must Be Dated!

Chapter 1 - The Playboy

Chapter 1 - The Playboy

(One day before the confession)

TORI's POV

"You look happy," I said as I watched my best friend, Chloe, laugh over something she was reading on her iPhone.

We were seated at our usual table in our school's cafeteria, which was widely regarded as the most prestigious private school in New York City. Only the wealthy and famous could afford to send their children here. There was a social hierarchy here, as was typical of all high schools. Socialites, elites, low-key bullies, backstabbers, popular kids, you know, your typical high school setting, minus the drama of Gossip Girl.

Charlotte "Chloe" Loise, the daughter of one of the world's most famous fashion designers, was at the center of it all. She was more than just an It Girl; she was the It Girl. Consider Daisy Buchanan as Daisy Buchanan with long blonde hair transplanted into the present and made way hotter. It was no surprise that every guy in our school wanted to date her, let alone the models and celebrities who didn't even go to our school but competed for her attention.

Chloe has been watching out for me since the last semester of ninth grade, when kids at school made fun of me for being a huge nerd. She defended me, and we've been inseparable since. I owed her a great deal. No one had dared to be mean to me since the day she took my side. She taught me to be strong, to fight back when necessary, and to be a total hottie, even if I never quite mastered the scene. I preferred books to boys, and there was only one guy with whom I could hold a long conversation.

What else can I say? I was different, even shy, and I was always hiding behind my books. I was a Miss Goody-Goody who followed the rules, even when it came to proper uniform wear.

All of the girls in our school wear our uniforms in the most fashionable ways. The majority of them shorten the skirt, change the bow tie to a necktie, and loosen the polo shirt. And, of course, they all copied Chloe.

Chloe was renowned as our school's trendsetter, and the truth was that I was her polar opposite, despite the fact that everyone wanted me to be like her. I wasn't as attractive, charismatic, or fascinating as she was. The only thing we had in common was that we were both wealthy. Chloe, on the other hand, was more than just my best friend. In every aspect that mattered, she was my sister, and I'd never been resentful or envious of her. I'd told myself a long time ago that I'd do everything I could to make her happy.

"It's Greg," she said, smiling. "We're having a date."

Greg Tailer, Chloe's boyfriend, is the newest Burberry model. They've been dating for three weeks. So far, she seemed to be content with him. I really prayed it wouldn't end up like her previous relationships. I despised it when males abandoned her for no apparent reason.

"Well, you're always going on dates, right?" I inquired, "not to mention skipping class with him all the time; I just don't comprehend the concept of skipping school merely to go on a date."

"Love can make you do things you never believed imaginable," she replied, her eyes twinkling.

"Did you get that from a song?" I laughed. "Come on, Chloe, students miss class for a variety of reasons, but... love? Please."

"Stop it, grouchy," she snapped back. "Love would be begging at your feet if you just did everything I've taught you," she grinned. "Speaking of love, your prince is here," I said as I turned around to see Nathan approaching us. I shushed Chloe as I felt myself blush.

Nathaniel Hemmington was the only guy who didn't make me feel weird. He was born into a family of doctors. His parents were well-known in their specialties, and his family ran a global hospital system.

"Good morning, ladies; mind if I join you?" Nathan asked politely.

"Of course, honey, but I'm about to depart, so please look after the hotel heiress if you don't mind," Chloe added, grinning. She then walked away with a big smile on her face. Wow, she's ecstatic to meet Greg.

Nathan drew a bow for me. "Good day, hotel heiress."

"Please don't call me that; I'm not happy with that title," I remarked, my tone mockingly annoyed.

"As you wish, dear lady," he replied with a smile. We both laughed.

Nathan is Chloe's childhood friend, and after the bullying episode, we became friends, close buddies. He's extraordinarily nice, thoughtful, talented, athletic, and popular with females and... I secretly have romantic feelings for him. I have no intention of ever revealing my affections to him because I could see he adored Chloe.

Isn't it true that childhood pals always end up together? He was looking after me because Chloe told him to. I hoped that one day she would view him as more than just a friend; even though it upset me, I wanted both of my friends to be happy.

"Chloe seems happy." Nathan said.

"Yeah, she's skipping class to see Greg," I unwittingly stated. Oh, poor guy, he was probably hurting on the inside watching the girl he loves in the arms of another man. What a stupid slip of the tongue!

"I just hope it doesn't end out like the others, and that no one interferes again."

Something about what he said piqued my interest. "Again, what do you mean?"

He shifted his weight and murmured. "Someone is responsible for all of Chloe's breakups."

"What! Who?" I shrieked which caught attention from everyone in the cafeteria.

Nathan seemed astonished at my abrupt outburst, then hushed me, saying, "Keep it low. No one knows about this. I'll tell you but promise me one thing, you can't tell anyone about this, especially Chloe." I gulped and agreed with a nod. This seemed quite serious.

"I know you're wondering why all the guys Chloe dated were the ones that broke up with her," he began. "Well, there's been foul play in every relationship she's had, and I've finally located the solution after a long investigation."

He was very worried about Chloe. I was, too, but Nathan couldn't bear it when Chloe kept crying about it. I was hoping she'd end up with Nathan. They'd be fantastic together.

Damn it! That hurt feeling again.

"Who is it? Is he a stalker? A psycho? Who is that douche?" I eagerly asked.

He air-quoted, "He is no ordinary guy; he is the most 'popular' guy in this school." I didn't have to guess because everyone in this school knew who the most popular and powerful guy was.

He could only mean Zachary Anderson, son of one of the world's most powerful men and heir to one of the state's largest banks, multiple shopping malls, and the hotel chain that was my father's archrival. Although my family beat his in that category—not that I'd brag about it.

Zach was also regarded as the most attractive student at school. He was gifted, athletic, gregarious, personable, and hip, but he was a hulking playboy.

But... I don't understand. Why was he doing this to Chloe?

"It's definitely Zachary Anderson," I grumbled, gritting my teeth. "But why would he do that?" I inquired.

"Well, you're correct. It's Zach. But... we may have withheld this information from you. What you don't know is that Zach, Chloe, and I were childhood friends." My jaw fell at this astonishing revelation. I simply couldn't believe it. Were they friends with that type of guy? Nathan's concern and Chloe's sweetness with sour-faced Zach? Unbelievable!

"Zach and I were very protective of Chloe; she was like our little sister. But Zach was too much; he treated Chloe as one of his possessions. When we were in eighth grade, he found out that Chloe was going out with some celebrity's kid. They were in love. But Zach wasn't happy to hear that. He threatened the kid that if he didn't break up with Chloe, he'd make sure that his dad would lose his career. The kid was so afraid, he did what Zach asked him to do. Chloe found out and despised Zach from that day on. That was the sole reason why we don't hang out with him anymore. You didn't know anything about this because we met you in ninth grade, and Chloe didn't want to mention this to anyone anymore."

"But it's been years; do you mean he's always doing that?" I questioned, surprised.

"Basically, that's where I came up with this discovery. As I mentioned, I investigated on this. At first, I didn't want to believe that Zach was behind all of these fiascos, because I thought that the moment Chloe hated him, he'd leave her alone. Maybe he just loved her so much that he'd still doing this. Remember Jeremy?"

"Yes, Chloe's boyfriend last year; they dated for two months and seemed happy," I responded immediately.

"Yes. You see, I ran into him two weeks ago and asked him his side of the breakup. It took a lot of threatening and assaults before he finally cracked, telling me that if he didn't break up with Chloe, the Anderson Enterprise would pull out all of their shares in their business, leaving them with nothing."

"That dumb jerk! How could he do that when they were so happy? Who the hell does he think he is? He's no God!" I screamed.

"Calm down, Tori. Remember, no one knew about this. Please don't tell Chloe or confront Zach. It'll be a disaster for sure. Let me talk to him about it, understood?" he urged.

Nathan's words were hardly audible to me. I was staring at Zachary Anderson, the renowned manipulator, who was sitting across from us.

What a self-centered jerk. He has no right to tamper with other people's lives. Chloe is one of my best friends. She once protected me; now I must save her from this guy.

My gaze was fixed on Zach. He was holding court in front of a slew of girls. I'm giggling, laughing, and flirting with him.

Why bother chasing Chloe when you have all the girls in the world? I was perplexed. He also happened to laugh. Every cell in my body was irritated by his laugh.

You selfish dweeb, you should burn in hell! How could you possibly do this to Chloe? Stop acting like a god, you terrible jerk! Leave her alone if you truly love her.

I was furious and wanted to pull his head off. I couldn't believe such a person existed. I was so focused on cursing him that I didn't notice his arrogant sneer on his face. Out of rage, I cast him another lethal glance before fleeing the cafeteria without saying anything to Nathan.

---END OF CHAPTER ONE---