Chapter 1

Ryan Shaw, who had been giving me the cold shoulder, posted on his Twitter: [A hundred likes and we break up.]

It didn't take long before ninety-nine likes stacked up.

I knew Ryan was waiting for me to coax him, admit I was wrong, apologize, and beg him not to leave, like the eight times before.

But this time, I felt exhausted. Quietly, I liked the post, making it an even hundred, and gave Ryan the breakup he wanted.

From that day forward, I quit keeping tabs on Ryan. I went out of my way to avoid any contact with him.

Ten days later, one of his friends messaged me: [Ryan's been waiting for you to swallow your pride. Tomorrow is his birthday. Buy him a gift, celebrate with him, and you'll patch things up like always.]

I replied with three flat words: [Got no time.]

I meant it. My flight to Garolina University was leaving tomorrow.

As Ryan wished, we would never see each other again.

*****

Ryan had let Yulia Foster, a student backed by the Shaw family, tamper with my college application. When I found out, I lost my temper.

But Ryan didn't think there was anything wrong with what he'd done. He figured I was making a big deal out of nothing.

He said, "Relax. It was a joke. It's not like you can't undo it. Yulia was down that day, so I tried to make her laugh. She's not upset anymore. You can change it back, and it's all good."

My voice trembled with anger, hurt by how Ryan couldn't care less about any of this.

"She gets to mess with my future just because she was in a bad mood? Do you even realize what she did is illegal? I could sue her," I shot back.

He corrected me, "I was the one who told her to do that, so blame me, not her. If you're determined to sue someone, go after me.

"It's not a big deal. Now that you know, change it back. You're overreacting. Juliet, if you keep making such a scene, I might have to rethink us."

Ryan knew I couldn't stand losing him, so he always used the threat of breaking up to get his way.

Before Yulia showed up, things between Ryan and me were smooth sailing.

But once Yulia entered our lives, we kept fighting because of her again and again.

This was the ninth blow-up we'd had because of Yulia, and every other time before, Ryan had pulled the breakup card on me.

I swallowed my pride and let it slide every single time without fail.

This time was no different. Ryan was sure I'd cave in because I loved him.

After dropping that ultimatum, he sat there, waiting for me to give him an out and say sorry.

But I didn't. I didn't back down like I had the last eight times.

I watched Ryan snap at me, barely bothering to hide his impatience, while his attention drifted to his phone, and he grinned as he texted Yulia.

Suddenly, it all felt so meaningless.

I didn't feel like apologizing. I kept a straight face and didn't say a word.

Ryan waited for a while, but when he realized I wasn't going to cave or admit I was wrong, he clicked his tongue.

Then he snatched up his phone, got up, and left.

Left alone, I sat there in silence, zoning out at my computer screen.

I don't know how long I sat there zoning out at my screen before my phone buzzed with a couple of voice notes.

I played one, and Yulia's babyish voice floated through. "Is Juliet mad at you because of that prank? Maybe you should call her and get her to come over. I can say sorry to her face."

Annoyed, Ryan chimed in, "Forget it. If she wants to sulk, let her. I'm not her babysitter, and I'm not going to keep spoiling her."

"Ryan, you shouldn't talk like that. You have to treat girls gently. Act this way and Juliet will get the wrong idea, and you'll drive her further away," Yulia said.

Ryan added, "Well, I'm not gonna waste time babysitting her. She can do whatever she wants. She thinks she's all that. If my grandpa hadn't kept nagging me, I'd have dumped her ages ago.

"She's so clingy and cries at the drop of a hat. She's been driving me insane these past years."

"Totally. Juliet is a total tear machine. She can cry over anything. I've never seen a girl act up as much as she does," Chris Miller, one of Ryan's friends, chimed in.

Ryan spat, "For real. She's clingy and dramatic, but hopeless at everything. Every time I mention breaking up, she starts crying and apologizing, trying to get me to take her back.

"I'm so sick of it. If she had any guts, she'd leave me alone already. Then I could finally ditch her."

Chris chuckled and said, "Forget it. You'll never shake Juliet off. She's like glue. I bet if you don't go home tonight, tomorrow she'll come to you crying and apologizing, begging for another chance."

"Alright, let's make a bet. The loser buys dinner," Ryan agreed.