Cathy Carter
Tonight, ought to have gone perfectly.
The air was clean and smelled like expensive perfume mixed with fresh pine. The grand hall's golden chandeliers reflected off the crystal glasses filled with champagne, bathing the space in cosy light. Laughing and music surrounded me; the sound of clinking glasses and hushed rumours permeated the room.
eighteenth birthday. The evening where everything ought to have come together.
Rather, my heart hammering like a caged animal, I froze at the door leading to the upstairs lounge.
Given their presence.
Jake: my partner.
Kayl. my closest friend.
Their lips locked in a passionate kiss, her immaculate nails gripping his shirt, his hands slung down her waist.
The sight hit like a blade to my stomach, twisting with each passing second.
For a minute, my brain failed to catch up. This had to be some cruel prank. Some twisted misunderstanding. But the way Jake's fingers pushed into Kayla's hips, the way she gave out that breathy, delighted sigh—it was genuine.
The worst element is also They had not even seen me standing there.
With nails biting into my palms, I closed my fists. More than the betrayal itself, the humiliation tormented burned. The room blurred at the edges, my pulse thundering in my ears.
I had spent years being the good girl—the doting girlfriend, the devoted best friend, the girl who played by the rules. And what did it gain me?
This.
I could have stormed in. Screamed. Slapped them both across their arrogant, ignorant faces. But something in me broke—not just a little, hairline fracture but a shattering, permanent break.
Tonight I was not going to be the brokenhearted girl.
No, I would play to win if they wanted to play dirty.
I was not intended to be at this celebration.
It was the usual rich-kid garbage I had avoided all year—overdressed trust fund kids flinging father's money about while posing as they had actual difficulties. I would much rather be at the rink, feeling the ice under my skates and listening for the puck smack against my stick.
But here I was.
Leaning on the railing, I looked down on the space below. Girls in costly gowns spun their hair, casting not-so- faint looks in my direction. My fingers sliding a whisky glass between them, I disregarded them.
Then I observed her.
Charlotte Carter.
Frozen at the top of the steps, her face changed from astonishment to something colder, darker. I had only seen her like this once. Usually, she was all gentle smiles and naive laughter—the sort of girl-next-door that didn't fit my life.
Still today, though?
She now seemed as if she may burn down this whole place.
And I had to say—I wanted to see it happen.
Nina :
I turned on my heel, my chest tight with rage, marching back down the stairway with a single goal in mind—I wasn't going to cry.
I had not intended to yell.
I intended to do something that would cause Jake to regret every moment of that kiss.
I looked around the gathering, looking for the one individual who may enable me to bring it about.
I then came upon him.
enzo knight.
Lean against the bar, his jet-black hair dishevelled like he couldn't be bothered to make an attempt, his keen blue eyes surveying the crowd like a predator selecting his next victim. He was difficult to miss.
The hockey team's captain is The one man on school who never let anybody get too near and never engaged in relationships. Enzo was untouchable, unbothered, and just the type of careless error I needed tonight.
I crossed the room, my heels clicking on the marble floor, before I could second guess. I stopped only when I was directly in front of him, near enough to detect the subtle smells of whisky and perfume.
He laughed and raised an eyebrow. 'Carter'. Thought this was not your type of scene.
"It isn't. till now.
His lips closed at the margins, as if whatever tempest was building inside of me were entertaining him. "interesting."
I hunched over. "Do you want to make tonight somewhat more interesting?"
He smiled. "I listen."
I inhaled and felt my pulse pound. This was heedless. Mindless. But I was going to fall hard if I fell at all.
And would Jake prefer to behave as I may be replaced?
I then wanted to make sure he witnessed me kiss the one man he never considered having to contend with.
Jake.
I sensed something was strange the moment I turned back into the main hall.
People were looking at one other.
Following their looks, I found Nina there. Getting too near to Enzo Knight.
She then committed the unimaginable.
She snatched his shirt, dragged him down, and planted a kiss on him front of everybody.
My hands gripping at my sides, a heated, possessive wrath raced through me.
What the devil she was doing?
I stormed forward, my heart slamming against my ribs, but before I could reach them, Enzo pulled away. He glanced at me, then back to Nina, his lips quirking up in enjoyment.
That was unexpected, he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.
Nina only grinned. a slow, deliberate grin. the kind that clearly and dangerously conveyed.
Playing game.
The room burst with activity.
Whispers. References. Camera flashes surge in front of us.
Kayla gasped, Jake's face contorted in wrath, and Enzo—well, he just seemed clearly amused.
And me?
I had just declared war.
Because this wasn't just about getting retribution.
This was about making sure I was no longer the girl people could betray and forget.
And do I have to play Enzo Knight's game to bring it about?
Still so be it.