James

You've been sitting on the bed for an hour, but time has stood still. Three years of love compressed into a single moment when you saw them together—not a random girl, but a friend you trusted, who quietly took what was yours. Yesterday you thought about the future, today you just thought about not falling apart. There are no tears, only emptiness—it's not you who are the traitors, but they. You slowly get up, tie your hair back, look in the mirror no longer as a broken girl, but as someone ready to act. Let him think he's won. And suddenly you realize revenge can be elegant. Precise. The kind that makes a person choke on their own stupidity. And the first name that pops into your head is James.

Handsome, passionate, with the green eyes of a winner, the team captain, your ex's idol. And that's why the plan is perfect. You find him between classes. There's noise all around, and a strange silence next to him. Your footsteps are too loud, but you don't stop. James looks up, lazy, confident, as if he already knows why you came. —Um...did you want something? The voice is soft, but there is a playfulness to it. You inhale deeply. —I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend. For a while. I want that idiot to realize what he's done. His eyebrows rise slowly. —Stop. Are you seriously asking me to become your temporary boyfriend to make your ex jealous? You nod, holding his gaze. —Why me? You feel your heart pounding in your chest, but the words come out confidently. "Because you're his idol. He's been a fan of you for three years. He never missed a game. And I want him to see the man he betrayed now next to the man he admired most."

James is silent for a few seconds, studying you with his eyes. Then he slowly smiles, dangerously, predatorily. His fingers form that gesture that makes the fans go crazy. —In that case...pay. You blink in surprise. -What? He leans closer and the air between you grows warmer. —Compensation. Even though we study in the same faculty, But if I start walking hand in hand with you, my fan club will declare mourning. So I need moral support. In monetary terms.