<b>Chapter </b>1


    Harper


    :


    “Marry him! Marry him!”


    <b>78 </b>


    55 vouchers


    I had dreamt of such scenes countless times: My childhood best friend, Grayson Ford on one knee, his love for me shining in his eyes as he held a ring in his hand, and friends cheering all around us. The dream had finallye true, but the one in front of him was Tiffany, the girl who had turned my entire high school life into a nightmare.


    I didn’t expect to see him again in that way after being away for four years. We had barely spoken when I left San Francisco to go to college. But the moment his name shed on my phone screen a few days ago with an invite to his party, I felt sixteen again and wanted to go as soon as possible.


    And at that moment, I deeply regretted it. I had no idea they were still together as I hadn’t checked his social media profiles in a long time.


    “I love you,” he said to her as he waited.


    His words made me peek from behind the wall where I’d been hiding since my arrival. They were surrounded by guests in the living room.


    “I love you too, Babe,” she said in that voice that I still found annoying. “Yes!”


    Her giggle, his smile and their passionate kiss all cut deeper than I expected. My fingers curled around the strap of my handbag so tightly that I thought it might snap, but I didn’t care. I was already fighting back my


    tears<b>. </b>


    Even though he was the only one I had loved for more than ten years and my heart was breaking, I wasn’t going to cry there. It was his engagement party and I wasn’t about to behave like the clumsy Harper of high school. Not anymore.


    Right as the apuse began to fade, I held my head high and stepped forward into the living room, the sound of my heels making heads turn. I hadn’t seen any of those people in years, but I never forgot how they mocked my baggy dressing and unappealing presence in school.


    Now, all eyes were on me and the room fell silent for a few seconds, everyone trying to study me. One of the girls leaned over to whisper something to her friend, mentioning my name in the process to find out it was really Harper Moore.


    Being the center of attention was the one thing I never wanted for as long as I could remember, but it just couldn’t be helped. I also expected this to happen. I wasn’t the girl I used to be. Even the guys looked at me differently.


    I yed it cool, my lips curving into a smile, and then, my gazended on Grayson.


    His eyes widened as he pulled his hand away from Tiffany, taking a few steps towards me before he could stop himself. He parted his lips, but no words came out immediately. He looked at me from head to toe a few times, like he couldn’t believe it was me.


    7:19 <b>Tue</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b>16


    “Harp?” he said, pushing past a few people in his way as he pushed back his jet ck hair.


    I swallowed hard, trying not to get too excited just by how he called my name.


    “Yup, that’s me!” I forced a chuckle.


    He slowly lifted the corners of his mouth<b>, </b>stunned. “Wow….you look….”


    “Different?<b>” </b>


    78


    55 vouchers


    “Beautiful.” He said it too quickly and thatpliment left my heart racing. I was now twenty two years old, but felt sixteen again.


    Right before I could respond, Tiffany rushed to his side, holding onto his arm. She had this look of amusement on her face, but there was nothing friendly about it.


    With an exaggerated gasp, she said, “Oh, it’s really you.”


    She looked at me from head to toe with the same fake smile that was always stered across her face.


    There was a time when Grayson and I were very close but when he became popr in junior high school and she showed interest in him, everything changed. She was rich and beautiful, everything I wasn’t back then. I felt invisible and it was because she was in the picture that he and I grew distant even before I left for college.


    “It’s so good to see you too,” I said to her with a forced smile.


    “You’re really back in town after graduation, huh? It looks like college did wonders. Just look at you. You’re almost unrecognizable in this short emerald green dress, but hey, some things never change. You still have that bookworm vibe despite the makeover.”


    “Okay, that’s enough,” Grayson cut in, his tone sharp as he shook his head with disapproval.


    She feigned innocence, running the palm of her hand along his jacket. “What? I’m just saying hi.”


    He said nothing more, but only gave me an apologetic and soft look, then gently pulled her to the side. He whispered something in her ear, then held her hand as he led her down the hallway.


    She looked back at me with a triumphant smile, like she was right where she wanted to be and had been waiting for this exact moment. She was the same old Tiffany.


    He wrapped his arm around her waist as he said something to her and she paid attention to him. I didn’t even care what they were talking about, but that arm around her waist shattered something inside of me.


    I even wished that time machines existed so I could rewind thest few minutes and stop myself from ever showing up that night.


    For as long as I could remember, she always came first and he never noticed me the way I wished he would.


    Every step that I took, all eyes were on me and I just wanted to be alone, so I came to the backyard, my arms wrapped around myself as I faced the ground. I wanted to leave, but how could I just walk out when I had only arrived<b>? </b>


    <b>7:19 Tue</b><b>, </b><b>Sep </b><b>16 </b>


    :


    <b>78 </b>


    55 vouchers


    When I turned around in a hurry so I could go to the bathroom and hide my face, I ran into a broad and solid chest. I stumbled back, constantly blinking as I looked up and froze at the sight before me. He was tall, dressed in all ck with his sleeves rolled halfway. His cor was open enough to show just the right amount of muscle. With his honey blond hair brushed back, that only entuated his facial features, especially his sharp jawline. His presence was nothing but a dangerous vibe.


    Something about him felt familiar, but I couldn’t figure it out.


    With a slow grin that only added to his charm, he said. “Maybe if you kept your head up, you’d see where you’re going.”


    There was an immediate arrogance in his tone, one which also felt familiar.


    Maybe I was just imagining it, so I stepped to the side to leave and be alone again, but he got in the way.


    “Leaving so soon when we’re finally seeing each other after so many years?”


    I sighed with irritation as I looked up at his gorgeous face. “Do I know you?”


    He scoffed. “What’s this? Clingy Harper doesn’t remember me?”


    Clingy Harper? I narrowed my eyes. Only one person had ever called me that and I hated it. At that moment, it all came back to me. I just hadn’t realised it sooner as so much had changed about him. At twenty three, he was way more attractive than he was at seventeen. Not only was he the wealthy yboy that the girls wished they could have a chance with, he was also Tiffany’s annoying half–brother. They shared the same father.


    “Maddox<b>?</b><b>” </b>


    “There you go,” he said. “You know, I still remember how you used to follow Grayson around like a lost puppy.”


    I hated how obvious that had always been, but Iughed at his description of me. “I didn’t think I’d run into you here, but hey, at least I got to see with my own eyes that you’re still an ass.”


    His grin twitched a little. “I guess college changed so much about you. You’re quite feisty now. The party inside, but why would you be there when you’re upset?”


    My heart skipped <i>to </i>beat<b>, </b>and I looked to the side. “I’m fine.”


    He scoffed. “Oh, Harper, I saw you when you arrived. You were glowing the moment you walked in, but hearing that your childhood crush was engaged to my younger sister got to you, hmm?”