My Childhood Crush Tricked Me Out of My College SpotChapter 1

Ashford High had only one early-admission recommendation spot for Halloway University.

Ms. Halloran, the college counselor, slid the confirmation form across the desk to me, the top-ranked student in our grade.

“Verity, the deadline is in three days. Keep an eye on the time.”

My classmate Elowen shot to her feet. “Ms. Halloran, who’s the alternate?”

“You are.”

Elowen immediately went looking for Cassian, my next-door neighbor and childhood friend.

“There’s no way I can get into Halloway on my own. You promised you’d help me.”

“What’s the rush?” Cassian replied. “Getting that idiot Verity, who only ever thinks about me, to give up her spot will take one sentence.”

Later, Cassian really did take my Halloway recommendation spot from me with a single sentence.

It wasn’t until six years later that he realized the price of that spot was something he could never afford.

...

I was carrying a letter when I reached the stairwell and saw Elowen coming down with her arm looped through Cassian’s. The moment she saw me, she let go.

“Verity, are you looking for Cassian?”

I nodded and held out the letter. “Cassian, I like you.”

The students coming downstairs slowed to watch.

Cassian took the letter and raised an eyebrow at Elowen. “What did I tell you? There’s our chance.”

Elowen covered her mouth with a soft laugh, though her eyes never left the letter.

“So this really is why you came to see him. Should I make myself scarce, then?”

She asked the question, but didn’t move an inch.

Cassian folded the letter and slipped it into his pocket. “I’ll give you an answer before the deadline.”

He smiled. “You’ve waited all these years. Three more days shouldn’t make a difference, right?”

Elowen smiled too. “Verity, you should consider yourself lucky Cassian’s even willing to think about it.”

Then she followed him downstairs. As she passed me, she added under her breath, “Hope you get what you want.”

Three days later, just before the confirmation deadline, Cassian appeared outside my classroom and jerked his head toward the hall.

“Come out.”

The moment I stepped into the hallway, he took my hand and fastened a woven bracelet around my wrist.

Whistles erupted from the classroom.

“Well, look at that. Our campus heartthrob actually said yes?”

“Not like he has anything to lose by having some fun.”

Cassian handed me two brochures from our state university.

“Verity, we can give this a shot, but I don’t do long-distance.”

He tapped the brochures. “Give up the Halloway recommendation and apply through regular admissions with me. After graduation, we’ll officially be together.”

The teasing stopped instantly.

The student sitting beside me squeezed into the doorway and stared at him. “You’re trading a relationship for her recommendation spot?”

Cassian’s face darkened. “This is between me and her.”

Then he turned back to me, his voice softening.

“Verity, we’ve known each other our whole lives. This is the first real thing I’ve ever asked of you. You’re not going to say no, are you?”

I looked at him quietly as memories flooded back.

When we were fifteen, he’d pinned a silver oak-leaf brooch to my collar beside the school field and promised we would never part. Whenever I had a fever, he climbed over the wall to buy medicine for me and stayed until dawn.

The year I lost a major competition, he stuffed a stack of letters into my desk. Every single one contained the same sentence:

Cassian will never lie to Verity.

So all those kindnesses had been deposits paid in advance. The better he treated me, the harder it became for me to refuse him.

I couldn’t understand when he had become this person.

Someone in the classroom sucked in a breath. The girl beside me gave an incredulous laugh.

“You seriously think you’re some kind of prize?”

Cassian ignored her and tightened the bracelet around my wrist.

“Verity, do you trust me?”

“Are you saying yes because you actually like me?”

“I’m standing right here. How could this be fake?”

Just then, Cassian’s phone rang, and Elowen’s tearful voice came through the speaker.

“Cassian, my chest hurts. I can’t find my medicine either.”

Cassian immediately let go of me. “Where are you?”

“The nurse’s office.”

He turned and hurried away. After a few steps, he looked back.

“Sign the withdrawal form today. Don’t keep me waiting.”

A key slipped from his pocket and landed beside the wall.

I picked it up and chased him downstairs, but he was already gone.

I went to Cassian’s house alone. After unlocking the door, I was about to leave the key in the entryway when a notification chimed from the computer in the living room.

The chat window was still open.

Elowen had just sent him a message.

“She still hasn’t signed?”

Cassian had replied earlier.

“Almost. But I already said yes to her, just like we planned.”

“She believed you?”

“She’s wearing the bracelet. What do you think?”

Elowen sent a smiling emoji.

“How long are you planning to keep pretending?”

“Until the list is finalized. Then I’ll slowly start icing her out.”

“What if she makes a scene?”

“I’ll sweet-talk her a little. When has she ever really been able to stay mad at me?”

I took out my phone and photographed the chat.

Another message popped up on the screen.

“Once the recommendation spot is mine, make her give up the graduation speech too.”

“She writes well. I can just change the name on her draft.”

Then another message appeared.

“Verity already has everything. What’s wrong with making her give me one more thing?”

I stared at those words and suddenly wanted to laugh.

All those years we’d spent growing up together had been fake. They had gone to extraordinary lengths just to take what belonged to me.

The next second, I heard the front door unlocking.

Cassian was back.