Chapter 2

Reed's face stiffened.

"That picture was meant for a girl I'm talking to. Sent it to you by mistake," he said, casually shrugging.

"My bad, don't be mad. Unblock me on Instagram, yeah?"

I kept my face cold.

He leaned in, visibly amused. "Wren, that look on your face is so cute. I can barely stop myself from kissing you right now."

In a flash, Reed snatched my phone right out of my pocket.

"Your passcode really is Brody's birthday. When are you gonna change it to mine?" he teased.

He held the phone high above my head, completely out of my reach, and quickly unblocked his own Instagram account.

"Reed!"

He patted my head, flashing a dangerously playful smile. "Don't be mad, shortie. Block me again, and I'll kiss you right here in front of everyone."

"You know I'd do it."

My breath trembled. Students around the dormitory entrance started whispering. People were actually stopping to stare at us.

Reed dropped his laid-back act and snapped at the onlookers. "What? Never seen a guy tease his girlfriend before?"

"Reed! Stop talking nonsense!" Furious, I swung my hand to slap him, but he caught my wrist mid-air with ease.

He shoved my phone right against my chest.

Before walking away, his eyes dropped briefly, and he smirked. "Not a bad view, either."

I was a nervous wreck the rest of the day.

I needed answers.

So, I booked an early morning flight to the East Coast to see Brody at Hale University.

Right before boarding, Reed sent me an Instagram DM. It was a close-up selfie. I couldn't deny the guy had a face sculpted by the gods.

Too bad his personality was trash. No, way worse than trash.

His message read: "You didn't drink that light sugar warm oat latte, so I did. Now I'm breaking out. Don't you think you owe me?"

Giving a guy like him attention only makes him worse. I just turned my phone completely off.

It was late afternoon by the time I finally reached Brody's campus.

We were in his hotel room, and he was taking a shower.

Suddenly, his phone screen lit up with a notification.

It was from his fraternity group chat—a massive group with hundreds of guys.

Someone asked: "Reed, it's almost been a month since you made that bet with Brody to bag Wren Collins. You gonna pull it off or what?"

My hands shook wildly as I opened the app and scrolled up the chat history.

A month ago, a frat brother had asked Brody a question. "How's it feel dating Westbrook's hottest girl after chasing her for a year?"

Brody replied: "Heh. Once you get it, it's whatever. She has way too many rules. Boring as hell. If any of you have the skills to take her, be my guest. I wouldn't even blink."

Reed chimed in: "Wren Collins is top-tier. You bored of her that fast?"

"Boring. Won't let me touch her," Brody answered.

They mocked him: "Maybe you're just losing your touch? In the year it took you to get Wren, Reed already hooked up with half the cheer squad."

Reed added: "Brody, if you can't handle it, pass her to me. I like the innocent ones. A blank canvas is always fun to paint on."

Brody replied: "She's obsessed with me. I couldn't shake her if I tried. Keep dreaming, man."

"Let's make a bet," Reed challenged. "What happens if I bag her in under a month?"

Brody answered almost instantly: "Then you can have your fun with her. I'm over it anyway."

They even started a poll in the chat.

Most of the guys bet that Reed would lose.

"Give it a rest, Reed. You're a hookup god, not a romance guru. Brody chased her for a whole year. You think you can get her in a month? No way."

"Plus, Wren is clearly a good girl. She's not gonna fall for your smooth talk."

Brody also bet against Reed. He bragged: "My good girl wouldn't even look twice at a guy like you."

A sudden crack of thunder echoed outside the hotel window.

My heart trembled.

And then, it shattered.