But somehow, somewhere in between everything I thought… I thought that maybe he was falling for me, too.
Hepromisedhe wouldn’t get with anyone while we were doing this thing. He promised not to cheat, though it wouldn’t have been cheating since we weren’t actually dating.
It still felt like the biggest betrayal I’d ever countered.
The lecture hall door opened, and my head snapped up.There he was.
Eden walked out, bag over his shoulder, hair messy, looking tired but… happy. Like the weight of the world had finally slid off his shoulders. His eyes landed on me and lit up instantly, like I was the thing he wanted to see most.
But I couldn’t even smile back.
I was still holding my phone. Still holding my breath. My heart was somewhere on the floor, probably shattered.
He saw my face, and his smile disappeared just like that.
“Alana?” he asked, his voice soft, like he already knew something was wrong.
I stood up, but I didn’t go to him. I couldn’t. I just stared at him through the tears in my eyes, my chest aching so bad it felt like it might crack open.
He stepped closer. “What happened?”
I shook my head. I couldn’t speak. I didn’t trust myself not to break in front of him.
I turned around.
And I left.
Not because I wanted to. Not because I didn’t care.
But because I didn’t know what was real anymore.
And I couldn’t risk hearing the truth… if it turned out he’d never actually picked me at all.
49
EDEN
CAMPUS EXCLUSIVE
“Golden Boy Eden King Caught Cheating—Inside His Secret Affair.”
Written by Tori Caldwell | April 28, 2044
You didn’t hear it from me—oh wait, yes you did.
Looks like the University’s golden boy isn’t so golden after all.
Eden Desrosiers-King, star athlete, campus heartthrob, and recent headline for his totally fake relationship with Alana DeVille (yes, we all saw through that PR stunt), has been caught with his pants down—figuratively… or maybe notjustfiguratively.
Over the last several weeks, multiple students have spotted Eden sneaking around with none other than yours truly. That’s right, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt (and a shot at being honest), but it’s time everyone found out how horrible the guy truly is.
Let’s break it down:
Photo Evidence #1: Eden and I leaving an off-campus party on March 30th. While most people were still taking shots in the kitchen, Eden and I slipped out the back. Wonder what his fake girlfriend thought he was doing that night
Photo Evidence #2: Caught gettingveryclose in the quad last Thursday. My hand on his arm? Sure. Him leaning in to whisper something in my ear that made me blush? Absolutely. You can practically see the chemistry.
Message Screenshot: From Eden’s personal number:
