Chapter 1
The moment I slapped the transfer student, Vivian White, across the face, the whole class went dead silent.
She'd just accused me of being someone's sugar baby in front of everyone, and my childhood friend, Ethan Lewis, immediately stepped in to shield her.
Without missing a beat, I slapped him, too.
They probably thought they were acting out some tragic love triangle drama, but honestly, I just wanted to know how these two could be so clueless.
*****
"Emma, don't go too far!" Ethan yelled, clutching his cheek. His handsome face was twisted in shock and anger, and his eyes widened with disbelief.
I shook my hand, still tingling from the slap, and sneered. "Too far? Ethan, why don't you ask Vivian what 'too far' really means?"
Everyone in the class was staring at us, their eyes bouncing back and forth between the three of us like searchlights.
The room was so quiet that we could almost hear each other's heartbeats.
Right in the middle of it all was Vivian, the transfer student I'd slapped. She was leaning weakly against Ethan, her shoulders shaking as tears poured down her face.
She put on the ultimate pitiful act, looking like she could break at any moment. "Ethan, I didn't mean it. I just... I happened to overhear... I was just worried Emma might make a mistake..."
Wow, listen to that fake innocent talk. So classic.
Just ten minutes ago, our homeroom teacher announced that Vivian was officially joining our class.
As soon as the teacher left, Vivian, the ultimate fake innocent girl, sashayed over to me, putting on her most fake-concerned face.
Right in front of everyone, she dropped this bombshell. "Emma, I know I just transferred here, but I've already heard some things about you.
"I get that your family's not doing great, but letting creepy old guys keep you is wrong. Girls need to have some self-respect."
At that moment, the whole classroom went dead silent.
I could even hear the guy in the back who'd been copying my homework drop his pen.
I was working on my test prep workbook when I heard her, and I slowly looked up.
I looked at Vivian, her face full of fake innocence and worry, and asked her seriously, "What did you just say?"
She seemed a little thrown by how calm I was, but quickly squared her shoulders, acting like she was trying to help me out.
She said, "I said you should have some self-respect. Yesterday, I saw you getting out of a black Maybach, and the driver was some balding middle-aged guy. People notice everything around here."
Oh, I got it. How classic. Spreading rumors was easy, but clearing one's name was a nightmare.
Before I could even say anything, Ethan, my best friend for 20 years, darted over.
I honestly thought he was coming to stand up for me.
After all, our families went way back, and we'd known each other since we were kids. That Maybach yesterday was his family's car, picking me up for dinner at their place.
And that "balding guy" was his dad, Stark Lewis.
Stark was only forty-five, rocking thick hair and looking seriously handsome.
The wind messed up his hair a bit yesterday.
But instead of backing me up, Ethan rushed over and immediately shielded Vivian, who looked like she might burst into tears any second, shooting me a disapproving look.
He said, "Come on, Emma, don't make a scene. Vivian's just worried about you. She's new here, so she probably misunderstood something."
I couldn't help but laugh out of anger.
Seriously? A misunderstanding? She straight-up accused me of being a sugar baby in front of everyone, and he called that "worried about me"?
When I saw that look on his face, like I was being unreasonable, my anger flared up instantly.
I was a top student, an ace in kickboxing, and I could talk trash, throw punches, and still ace my exams.
Never in my life had anyone dared to humiliate me right to my face like that.
And my so-called best friend's first reaction? He jumped to defend the rumor-spreader.
Wonderful.
And that was how the whole mess kicked off.
My slap landed with a crisp smack, leaving Vivian totally dazed.
She probably never expected that someone who looked all quiet and bookish like me would slap her without a second thought.
And what really blew her mind was that when Ethan jumped in to protect her, I slapped him, too.
"Ethan, let me ask you one more time. Are you out of your mind?" I jabbed my finger at him, making sure to emphasize every single word.
Ethan's face went from red to pale, and he clearly felt embarrassed in front of everyone. "Emma, seriously, can you stop being so unreasonable? Vivian's crying. Girls aren't supposed to hit people like that."
"So just because she's crying, she's automatically right?" I laughed at his ridiculous logic. "Should I go to court tomorrow and cry at everyone? Does that mean I own the whole courtroom?"
"You... You're just being unreasonable!"
"Unreasonable?" I stepped right up to Ethan, staring him down. "Wasn't that Maybach your family's car? Wasn't your dad driving? Didn't your mom invite me over for dinner yesterday and help me study?"
Ethan's lips moved, but he couldn't say a single word. His eyes kept avoiding mine.
He knew I was telling the truth, but he dared not admit it.
I watched Ethan shielding Vivian behind him. Her face was pale, but her eyes flickered with both panic and a hint of triumph. In that instant, I got it.
This jerk was obviously crushing on Vivian.
He was so caught up in playing hero for the damsel in distress that he'd toss twenty years of friendship aside.