Chapter 4

The summer crawled by. Chloe and Maya, emboldened by my feigned support, grew more audacious. The culmination was the annual summer party at my family' s exclusive country club.

And who did they bring as their guests? Jake.

They paraded him around like a trophy, introducing him to my parents' influential friends, people who could potentially open doors for him. They acted as if they owned the place, Jake looking uncomfortable but trying to play the part of a rising star.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out discreetly.

`ALERT: Chloe and Maya are trying to leverage your family's social capital for Jake. They expect you to play along or be embarrassed.`

I watched them across the lawn, Chloe laughing too loudly at something Jake said, Maya hanging on his arm. They were pointedly ignoring me, making a show of their new allegiance.

Enough was enough. I walked over to them.

"Chloe, Maya," I said, my voice cool. "A word?"

They turned, surprised. Jake looked from them to me, a flicker of something unreadable in his eyes.

"What is it, Ethan?" Chloe asked, an edge to her voice.

"This is a private club, and these are my family' s guests. Your behavior, bringing Jake here and trying to solicit support for him, is inappropriate."

Jake immediately stepped forward, hands up in a placating gesture. "Hey, sorry, Ethan, man. I just came 'cause they invited me. I know I don' t belong in places like this." He played the victim card perfectly.

Chloe' s eyes flashed. She shoved me, not hard, but enough to make me stumble a step.

"How dare you talk to Jake like that!" she hissed. "He' s under a lot of pressure for his applications! He needs support!"

Maya glared, stepping closer. "Yeah, you' re already set for Princeton. You' ve got everything. Stop being so selfish and apologize to Jake! He didn' t do anything wrong."