Playing the Predator
Daisy Swift · Completed · 7.2k Words
Introduction
She paraded me through her elite world and even generously shoved me at her ultimate crush—Aston, the ruthless son of the school board director.
But when Aston and I actually got together, the princess bared her fangs.
She staged a severe fall to drain my meager savings, then framed me for stealing her family's heirloom necklace. And Aston? He dumped me immediately, sneering that I was just a cheap prop desperate to climb the social ladder.
Ostracized and cyberbullied by the entire school, I was locked on the rooftop during the Winter Formal and left to freeze to death in the snow.
But when I opened my eyes...
I was back at that deafening party. Right at the moment Chloe first introduced me to Aston.
Chapter 1
I was a broke scholarship student. Chloe was an old-money heiress and the untouchable cheer captain.
She paraded me through her elite world and even generously shoved me at her ultimate crush—Aston, the ruthless son of the school board director.
But when Aston and I actually got together, the princess bared her fangs.
She staged a severe fall to drain my meager savings, then framed me for stealing her family's heirloom necklace. And Aston? He dumped me immediately, sneering that I was just a cheap prop desperate to climb the social ladder.
Ostracized and cyberbullied by the entire school, I was locked on the rooftop during the Winter Formal and left to freeze to death in the snow.
But when I opened my eyes...
I was back at that deafening party. Right at the moment Chloe first introduced me to Aston.
......
"Aston, this is Eve, my best friend."
Chloe's voice sliced through the deafening bass of the party. She grabbed my shoulder tight. "She's on a full scholarship. Isn't she adorable?"
Standing before us, casually leaning against the bar, was Aston.
This was where it all began. The night Chloe dragged me out to meet the untouchable son of the school board director. The night that kicked off a year-long nightmare of humiliation, bullying, and ultimately, my death.
"Well?" Chloe nudged me with her elbow, her smile dripping with fake sweetness. "Say hi, Eve. Aston's family practically owns half the school."
"I... need to use the restroom," I muttered, keeping my voice low and timid.
Chloe clearly wanted him for herself, yet she loved playing the "generous best friend" by practically shoving me at him. Aston was just as rotten to the core—playing along with his condescending mockery, even though I was nothing but dirt to him.
In my past life, I was nothing but a disposable prop in their twisted little game from start to finish.
In the bathroom, I dug my fingers into the edge of the sink, cranked the faucet, and splashed water hard against my face before looking up at the mirror.
I looked exactly like the pathetic sidekick I used to be: wearing a cheap, ill-fitting dress, my hair flat and pinned back with a tacky rhinestone clip Chloe had "generously" lent me. It might as well have been a dog tag.
I dug out a tube of lipstick and swiped it over my lips. Then I ripped out that tacky clip, gathered my hair up, and tied it into a sharp, sleek knot.
I wasn't going to hide anymore.
But I couldn't bare my fangs just yet. Chloe was a viper; the second she sensed I was no longer under her absolute control, she'd strangle me before I even had the chance to strike back.
And Aston... Aston was a psychopath wrapped in the skin of a rich heir.
I had to turn Aston into the blade in my hand. And I knew exactly where to start.
Tonight was his birthday, and also the anniversary of his sister's suicide.
In my past life, he got blackout drunk, and I made a fatal mistake—I tried to approach him in public. He smashed his glass against the wall and humiliated me right then and there, sneering that I was just trying to climb the social ladder.
I walked out of the restroom and immediately spotted Aston standing alone by the slightly ajar side door leading to the terrace.
He was pulling harshly on his cigarette, blowing out a thick cloud of smoke, his jaw locked tight.
I walked over.
I fished out a small silver tin of mints and held it out to him.
"Smoking is bad for you," I said.
Those dark, hollow eyes landed on me.
He let out a cold scoff and turned his whole body toward me. "You really think you have the right to tell me what to do? Get lost."
I didn't even bat an eyelash. "Take care of yourself, Aston. Your sister wouldn't want to see you like this."
The hostility in Aston's eyes instantly shattered.
For the first time tonight, he truly looked at me.
I pressed the tin of mints into his hand.
"Happy birthday, Aston," I threw the words over my shoulder and walked back into the noisy crowd without looking back.
My heart was practically beating out of my ribcage, but a cold smirk tugged at the corner of my mouth.
Chloe's worst nightmare—Aston paying attention to someone else—was about to begin.
Like Aston and Chloe, these entitled rich kids never truly saw me as human.
But in this life, I wasn't just going to make him develop an unshakable obsession with me; I was going to turn him into the very knife that destroyed Chloe.
Sure enough, Chloe instantly complained about me disappearing to the restroom for so long.
I kept my head down, playing the obedient pet and smoothing her over just like always. When she complained about her heels hurting, I ran to her car to fetch her backup flats; when she publicly mocked me, joking that I turned as red as a "cheap tomato" after one sip of alcohol, I just endured it silently.
It was the same in the days that followed.
The girls rolled their eyes behind my back, mocking me for being Chloe's pathetic doormat. "She kisses all that ass for what? It's not like Chloe is paying her tuition. She's just a loser working for free."
I let them whisper. I just kept my head down and perfected my role as Chloe's loyal shadow.
Aside from playing her unpaid maid every day, I had to absorb the entirety of her overflowing ego.
Right now, her biggest bragging right was Aston.
He started showing up at the cheer gym frequently, bringing expensive bouquets, custom hot drinks, and hard-to-get pastries, occasionally bringing a "spare" portion for me.
Under the guise of serving Chloe, I naturally took advantage of the situation; while running errands for her, I was also making myself a regular presence around Aston.
When Chloe commanded me to run to the café for her zero-calorie matcha latte, I would "conveniently" grab a black cold brew, take a detour to the ice rink, and hand it to Aston just as he finished practice.
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