Page 22 of Heartstruck

I’m halfway to my car when I spot a familiar face among the crowd.

My heart sinks as I recognize Ariel, one of the girls who caused a lot of trouble for me back at Clemson.

Ariel and her sorority sisters made my social life unbearable, to the point where I stopped going to bars and experiencing student life because they wouldn’t stop showing up like a new pimple.

She hangs around the perimeter of the lot, her eyes scanning the crowd like she’s searching for someone. As soon as she spots me, her face lights up with a smile that’s anything but friendly.

“Jared!” she calls out, waving enthusiastically as she starts making her way toward me.

I stop in my tracks, dread and irritation tightening my chest. This isn’t the first time Ariel’s shown up uninvited. She’s been relentless; hell, she followed the team bus for away games.

I mentally slap sense into myself and quicken my pace, heading towards my car with a sense of urgency. The last thing I need right now is another confrontation, especially when I’m already grappling with my mess. I hear her calling after me, her voice growing more insistent.

“Jared, wait up! I just wanted to congratulate you on the game!”

I don’t turn around. Instead, I keep my eyes fixed on the car ahead, fumbling for my keys. As I reach the driver’s side, I hear her footsteps drawing closer. It’s hard to ignore the way my skin crawls at the thought of her intrusion.

“Please, just leave me alone,” I say, finally turning to face her with a forced calm. “I’m not in the mood for this.”

Ariel’s smile falters, but she doesn’t back down. “Come on, Jared. I’m just trying to be friendly. We had some good times, didn’t we?”

“Not really,” I reply coldly, still looking for my keys.

She lingers around me, her expression shifting from cheerful to hurt. “Is this how you treat old friends?”

“We were never friends, Ariel.”

“Why would you say that? We’ve known each other since—”

“Ariel,” I cut her off, my patience running thin.

“You came up to me at the bar after our first game to congratulate me. I said thank you, and that should have been the end of it, but you followed me around the entire night. And after that, you followed me to my dorm. More than once. It wasn’t ‘good times.’ It was creepy. ”

“There you are, babe!” Alli’s voice cuts through the pressure like a lifeline. I whip around, surprised to see her walking toward us with a bright, confident smile. Relief floods through me at the sight of her, but also confusion.

She steps right up beside me, slipping her arm through mine like it’s the most natural thing in the world.

Her touch is light but grounding, and it sends a jolt through me.

“I was wondering where you went,” she chirps, leaning up to brush a kiss against my cheek, her tone carrying an undercurrent of steel.

Ariel stiffens, her gaze darting between us. “I didn’t realize you had a girlfriend.”

“Oh, absolutely. I’m Alli.” Alli replies, her tone effortlessly casual as she tilts her head like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “We’ve been keeping it lowkey for a while now.”

Ariel’s eyes narrow in disbelief. “Really? I don’t believe that. You never dated anyone back at Clemson nor tried to. Not even me. And look at me.” She says cockily.

I’m frozen, my brain short-circuiting as I try to process what’s happening. Alli, on the other hand, is a picture of confidence. Without missing a beat, she turns to me, her eyes meeting mine briefly in a silent signal.

And then her lips are on mine.

It’s not just a quick peck or some half-hearted display for show. It’s a full-on kiss, her lips pressing against mine with a deliberate firmness that leaves no room for doubt. My brain shuts down as the kiss deepens, and for a moment, everything around us fades—Ariel, the crowd, the cold night air.

When she finally pulls back, her eyes lock onto mine for a heartbeat, and I catch something there that turns the temperature up by a thousand degrees. A spark.

Ariel’s face contorts into a face I’d never seen before, her bravado cracking beneath Alli’s stance. “Whatever,” she sneers. “This isn’t over.”

Before either of us can react, she moves like she’s going to shove Alli aside. Instinct kicks in, and I step between them, placing myself between Ariel and Alli, holding Alli behind my back, tight against me. My body tenses, trying to block out the threat.

“You need to leave,” I say, my voice low.

“Do I? Make me. Let her make me.” She smiles through me at Alli.

“Everything okay out there?” a mature man’s voice calls from the distance, and Ariel looks back at it.

“Leave. Now.” I say dryly. She doesn’t move an inch.

“We got a problem here!” Alli yells out, earning a death glare from Ariel. “She won’t leave us!”

The man begins to step closer, apparently enough to scare Ariel off. “Whatever!” She snaps, then stomps off. The man reaches us and checks on both with hands on our shoulders.

“Get home, kiddos.”

Alli nods and thanks him while I stand there, staring after Ariel’s retreating figure, trying to wrap my head around what just happened.

My heart is still racing, but it’s not just from the confrontation.

It’s from the kiss. From the way Alli looked at me.

From the sudden, overwhelming realization that this whole fake relationship thing might be spiraling into something I’m not ready to confront.

I glance at Alli, casually fixing her hair like it’s no big deal, but her teasing smile doesn’t quite mask the intensity lurking behind it.

“You okay?” she asks, her voice light but her eyes searching mine.

I nod, still too stunned to form words. Yeah, I’m screwed.