2026-09-18 19:20:05Jake sat at his small wooden desk in the dorm room, books stacked high around him. The clock on the wall said it was already past 8 at night. His eyes felt tired, but he kept reading. He had a big test coming up, and his scholarship depended on good grades. If he failed, he would lose everything.
The door flew open. Sam rushed in, holding his phone up high. His face was red with excitement.
“Jake! Dude, you have to see this!” Sam almost shouted.
Jake looked up slowly. “What is it now?”
“Ryan Blake is throwing the biggest pool party ever. It’s all over LiveFeed. People are watching from everywhere!” Sam waved the phone in Jake’s face.
Jake sighed and turned back to his notebook. “That’s nice for him. I’m busy.”
Sam frowned and sat on the edge of his bed. “Come on, man. Don’t you want to watch even a little?”
“I can’t. These grades matter more than some rich guy’s party.” Jake kept his voice calm, but inside he felt the usual weight. Money was always tight. One bad semester and he would be done.
Sam shrugged and scrolled on his phone. A few seconds later he sat up straight. “Whoa. You’re not going to believe this.”
Jake didn’t look up. “What?”
“Word is Ryan is going to ask Lily out tonight. You know, Lily from Econ class? The pretty one?”
Jake’s pen stopped moving. His heart jumped hard in his chest. He forced his voice to stay normal. “Lily? No way. She wouldn’t go for someone like Ryan.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “How do you know?”
Jake thought fast. He could not tell the truth. No one knew he and Lily had been together for three months. She had asked him to keep it secret. She said her parents were strict and she needed to focus on school first. Jake had agreed because he liked her so much.
“Just a feeling,” he said. “She’s serious about studying. She’s probably not even at that party.”
Sam laughed. “If you say so.” He went back to watching the livestream.
The room grew quiet except for the low sound of music and voices coming from Sam’s phone. Jake tried to read the same page three times. His mind would not stay still. Lily had told him she was going to the library tonight. She had even turned down his idea of a quiet walk because she needed to study. He trusted her. He always did.
Then Sam yelled so loud Jake almost dropped his pen. “Jake! Lily is there!”
Jake’s stomach dropped. “What?”
He grabbed his own phone with shaking hands and opened LiveFeed. The camera moved across a big pool full of laughing students. Lights sparkled on the water. Then it stopped on a girl standing near the edge.
It was Lily.
She wore a dark dress that fit her perfectly. Her hair was down. She looked beautiful, and that made Jake’s chest hurt even more.
Sam grinned. “See? I told you she showed up.”
Jake tried to smile, but it felt fake. “Maybe she’s just there to say no to Ryan.”
On the screen Ryan Blake walked up to her. He had that easy rich-kid smile. “Glad you came,” he said, his voice almost lost under the music. “Want to swim?”
The crowd around them started chanting. “Say yes! Say yes!”
Jake held his breath. “She’ll say no. She hates loud parties.”
But Lily smiled. A real, bright smile. “Why not?” she answered, loud and clear.
Jake felt like someone had punched him.
Ryan pointed at her dress. “Don’t you need to change?”
Lily reached for the zipper without waiting. “I came ready,” she said, and winked.
Jake watched, frozen, as she pulled the dress down. Underneath she wore a tiny swimsuit that left almost nothing covered. The crowd went crazy. Phones pointed at her from every side. Ryan looked like he had won a prize.
Sam whistled. “Dude. Lily is on fire tonight.”
Jake could not speak. His throat felt tight. His hands shook so hard he almost dropped the phone.
“You okay?” Sam asked, noticing his face.
Jake stood up fast. He grabbed his old jacket. “I need air.”
“Now? The party is just getting good!” Sam called after him.
Jake was already out the door. He ran down the stairs and into the cool night. His bike was locked outside the dorm. He unlocked it with clumsy fingers and climbed on. His legs pushed hard on the pedals. The campus paths blurred past him.
Anger mixed with the hurt. He had kept their secret like she asked. He had stayed quiet when friends talked about her. He had believed every word when she said she was studying. And now she was at Ryan Blake’s party, smiling for the cameras, taking her dress off in front of everyone.
The pool building came into view, glowing with string lights. Music thumped through the air. Jake slowed down and stopped near the side gate. He could hear laughing and shouting. He could see the blue water from where he stood.
He got off the bike and walked closer, staying in the shadows. His heart hammered. Part of him hoped he had imagined it all. Part of him hoped Lily would see him and run over and explain.
But another part already knew the truth.
He pushed the gate open and stepped inside.
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Chapter 9
Jake barely slept. The dorm room stayed quiet, but his mind did not. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Lily on the bench, then Lily at the pool, then Lily in the hallway asking for five minutes. The three pictures kept mixing until he gave up and sat on the edge of the bed while it was still dark.Sam snored lightly on the other side of the room. Jake pulled on jeans and the same jacket from the day before. He left a short note on the desk so Sam would not worry and slipped out.Campus at early morning felt different. The paths were almost empty. Mist hung low near the grass. Jake walked without a real plan. His feet took him toward the old library again. The bench under the oak tree was empty. He did not sit. He just stood there for a minute, then kept moving.By the time the first classes started, the air had changed. People looked at him longer. Phones came out more often. Someone in the hallway actually said his name and the word “Montgomery” in the same sentence. Jake pretende
Chapter 8
Jake walked away from the bench without looking back. The path under the old oak trees felt longer than usual. Students passed him in groups. Some stared. Some whispered. He kept his eyes forward.His phone stayed quiet for almost an hour. That almost felt worse than the constant messages.He went to the library and tried to study. The words on the page did not stick. Every few minutes his mind went back to Lily on the bench—her red eyes, the way her voice cracked, the way she said “what we had was real.” Part of him wanted to believe her. The bigger part still heard her telling the whole party she never knew him.Sam found him at a corner table two hours later.“You talked to her,” Sam said. It was not a question.Jake nodded once.“And?”“She said she panicked. Said she was scared of what people would think. Said it was real for her.”Sam dropped into the chair across from him. “Do you buy it?”“I don’t know.” Jake closed the book he had not been reading. “I told her I don’t trust h
Chapter 7
Jake woke up on his old dorm bed. The mattress was thin. The room smelled like laundry and cold coffee. For a few seconds he forgot everything. Then the night before came back all at once—Lily standing in the hallway, asking for five minutes, and him saying no.Sam was already awake, sitting on his bed with his phone. He looked over when Jake sat up.“You slept?” Sam asked.“A little.”“She texted me too, you know. Lily. Asked if you were really here. I didn’t answer.”Jake rubbed his face. “Thanks.”Sam set the phone down. “People are talking already. Someone posted a blurry video of you walking into Brightwood yesterday. Comments are going crazy. Half of them say it’s fake. The other half are trying to figure out who the rich guy is that picked you up from the police station.”Jake stood and pulled on the same jacket from yesterday. It still felt too new. “Let them talk.”“You going to class?”“Yeah. Normal day. As normal as it can be.”Sam watched him for a second. “You sure you’re
Chapter 6
Jake rode back to the estate in silence. The car was quiet. The driver never spoke. Outside the windows the city turned into trees and long private roads. Jake kept his old phone in his hand, screen still dark. Lily’s last messages sat there like open wounds.I need time.He had sent those three words and meant them. But the words kept looping in his head anyway.When the car stopped under the covered entrance, Harrison was already waiting. He opened the door without a word. Jake stepped out. The clean clothes from that morning still felt like they belonged to someone else.“Your grandfather is in the study,” Harrison said. “He asked to see you when you returned.”Jake nodded and walked inside. The big hall still made him feel small. He climbed the stairs slowly. His side hurt less today, but the memory of the pool and the bottle still sat under his skin.Richard looked up from his desk when Jake entered. The old man set his papers aside.“You went to Brightwood,” Richard said. It was
Chapter 5
Jake kept walking through Brightwood Shopping Center. The floors were shiny. The air smelled clean and expensive. People in nice clothes moved past him without looking twice. No one knew who he was yet. That felt strange.His new jacket still felt stiff. The black card sat in the inside pocket. He had not used it. He did not even take it out. Part of him still expected someone to stop him and ask what a kid like him was doing there.Near the main entrance a security guard stepped in front of him. The man looked Jake up and down—old sneakers, plain pants, no fancy watch.“Whoa. Where do you think you’re going?” the guard asked. His voice was already bored and mean.“Inside,” Jake said. “I’m here for lunch.”The guard laughed. “Lunch? Here? Look, this isn’t the place for people like you.” He pulled a crumpled ten-dollar bill from his pocket and held it out. “Take this. Go find a burger place down the road. That should cover a meal.”Jake’s face got hot. He did not take the money. “I don
Chapter 4
Jake barely slept that night. The bed was huge and soft, but every time he closed his eyes he saw the pool lights again. He saw Lily’s face when she said she didn’t know him. He saw Ryan’s smirk. The black card Richard had given him sat on the nightstand like it might disappear if he looked away too long.His old phone buzzed under the pillow. He pulled it out.Sam: Dude where are you?? Police said some guy in a suit took you. Call me.Sam: Jake I’m serious. People are saying you got arrested or worse.Sam: Please just tell me you’re alive.Jake sat up slowly. His side still hurt. He typed back with one hand.I’m okay. Long story. Don’t tell anyone you heard from me yet.Sam answered almost right away.What the hell does that mean? Are you safe?Safe. Just different. I’ll explain when I can.Jake turned the phone off before more messages came.Across the room the new phone from the estate glowed softly. He walked over and picked it up. One message waited.Young Master, your grandfathe