Chapter 1

I was a relentless chatter.

After I saved Mauricio Jarvis, the so-called "mute boy", he decided I was annoying. He always told me to shut up.

"Mauricio, about lunch today..." I had just begun.

"Shut up!" he snapped.

That was the fiftieth time he had snapped at me today.

After evening class, the school beauty, Macey Whitaker, pulled him aside and talked for two whole hours.

With only five minutes left before dorm curfew, he still leaned closer, listening gently. "It's fine," he said softly. "I'll wait until you finish."

In that moment, I finally understood that maybe he should find someone else to brighten his day.

*****

As curfew approached, I walked past Mauricio. He was still standing there, listening patiently as the campus queen complained endlessly about how insane the professor was.

The moment he noticed me, his brows knit together, and he snapped sharply, "Amanda, shut up!"

I was Amanda Burke.

The sudden reprimand made my heart skip violently.

Mauricio hated how much I talked.

Every time I opened my mouth, he would tell me to be quiet. Once, during lunch, he even stuffed a crumpled tissue straight into my mouth to shut me up.

That day, I, normally the loudest person in the room, didn't utter a single word.

I hid the doughnut behind my back, forcing myself to speak calmly. "I… I brought you something for a late-night snack."

A faint blush crept onto his pale face. He avoided my eyes and muttered, "Just give it to me next time. You don't need to explain so much."

It stung. I hadn't even said anything yet.

The frustration that had been building all day finally spilled over.

I turned and flung the doughnut toward a red-haired guy who was walking past.

Despite his dyed hair, he didn't look like some try-hard delinquent. He carried himself with an effortless, dangerous charm.

My throw was terrible. It almost hit him square in the face.

He raised an eyebrow, snatched it out of the air just in time, and said, "Thanks!"

For reasons I couldn't explain, the warmth in Mauricio's eyes, reserved only for the campus queen, instantly vanished. His gaze darkened, irritation and gloom swirling together.

I hurried back to the dorm before curfew.

Later, after getting ready for bed, I opened Instagram and saw Macey's new post: "My little mute puppy listened to me vent until midnight, and now the dorm supervisor won't let us back in. Guess we'll have to switch locations."

Attached was a selfie taken inside a hotel room.

My eyes burned as tears welled up. Anger and heartbreak twisted together in my chest.

He was my boyfriend. How could he treat me like this?

I messaged Mauricio: [Let's break up.]

His reply came quickly and coldly: [Calm down. It's a twin room. Nothing happened.]

I didn't hesitate and said: [We're done. You're not my boyfriend anymore.]

That finally broke him. Dropping his usual quiet act, he fired back: [She's the campus queen. If she really wanted me, I wouldn't even be with you.]

[You talk nonstop. What guy wouldn't get annoyed?]

[Go add Jaydon Dillard. He's famous for his temper and spoiled rich-kid attitude, and he hates people who never shut up. Let's see how long he tolerates you.]

[Honestly, he probably won't even accept your request.]

Then he sent me Jaydon Dillard's Instagram handle.

Only then did I realize Jaydon was the same red-haired guy from earlier.

And he had already sent me a friend request.

That night, Jaydon stayed online, listening to me ramble until one in the morning. Before logging off, he asked casually, "You got a boyfriend?"

I bit my lip. "Not anymore."

The next day, when I stepped into the classroom, the usual whispers and insults were waiting.

"So fake. Is she seriously trying to steal Mauricio with that act? What a slut."

"Lower your voice. Don't make her cry again."

"I don't care! She stole the campus queen's man. Shameless bitch."

I clenched my bag strap tightly.

That wasn't how it happened at all.

Back in freshman year, Mauricio had been the one to confess first.

I had even gone to Macey and asked directly, "Do you like Mauricio? If you do, I won't be with him."

At the time, Mauricio was voted campus heartthrob, and everyone was pairing him with Macey.

She'd frowned impatiently. "He barely talks to anyone. Seriously, you could knock him over and he wouldn't make a sound. I don't like him at all."

So Mauricio and I got together.

But on the day we made it official, Macey went out drinking and cried all night. Soon after, insults started appearing all over the campus walls.

They called me the other woman. They said I stole the campus queen's dream guy.

They called me filthy, shameless, and worse.

The words spread everywhere.