Chapter 4

After a particularly grueling practice SAT, where Sarah scored significantly higher than her previous best, Ethan walked her to the library exit.

"You're really smart, Sarah," he said, his voice softer than usual. "You pick things up so fast."

They stood under the dim evening light filtering through the library's arched windows.

He looked at her, a complicated expression in his eyes. "Look, Sarah," he began, then hesitated. "This might sound crazy, given we've just been studying, but... I think I' m falling for you."

Sarah feigned surprise. Her heart rate didn't change. This was part of the script.

"Ethan, I... I don' t know what to say," she stammered, playing the flustered girl. "I really need to focus on my scholarships. A relationship right now..."

He moved a step closer. "I get that. But I can help you. We can study together, I can introduce you to my dad' s SAT tutor. We can make this work. I really like you, Sarah."

His plea sounded genuine enough to fool anyone who didn't know the game. Sarah observed the slight tension in his jaw, the way his eyes flickered, searching for her reaction. He was a good actor. But so was she.

She let a beat of silence hang in the air, then looked up at him, a carefully crafted expression of dawning hope on her face.

"Okay, Ethan," she whispered. "Okay."

They became Northwood' s most talked-about, and unlikely, couple. Sarah felt the stares, heard the whispers. She used Ethan' s access without shame. His family' s private tutors reviewed her college essays. She used his father's extensive library for research. His large, quiet home became her preferred study space, a stark contrast to her noisy, cramped apartment.

Her grades soared into the stratosphere. She was now consistently outperforming almost everyone, even Ethan in some subjects.

She endured the Legacy Crew' s thinly veiled smirks and Tiffany' s possessive, furious glares whenever she saw Sarah and Ethan together. Tiffany had wanted Ethan to pursue Sarah, but she hadn' t counted on him looking... happy about it.

One afternoon, Sarah was in Ethan's kitchen, supposedly getting a glass of water, when she heard Tiffany confront him in the living room.

"What do you think you' re doing, Ethan?" Tiffany' s voice was sharp, laced with jealousy. "You' re spending way too much time with her. You' re actually... smiling with her."

"We' re studying, Tiff. That' s the plan, remember?"

"The plan is to break her, not to become her study buddy! You belong with me, Ethan. We both know that. This whole thing is just a game. Don' t forget it."

Sarah held her breath, listening.

Ethan sighed. "It' s just a game, Tiff. She' s not in our league. It' ll be over soon."

Sarah' s hand tightened on the glass. "Not in our league." The casual cruelty, the dismissive tone. It wasn't anger she felt, but a cold, clarifying certainty. He was predictable. They all were. Their arrogance was their weakness. And she would use it.