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*Max's P.O.V*

As soon we reached NYU's main campus, Lily jumped from the car and went straight to the Head office. You know why? Because all the participants were required to report there at 10 a.m and it was now 12 p.m . . . So it was understandable that she was afraid of being kicked off the show.

Of course, it was entirely her fault. We were all ready on time, but at the last moment, her car broke down. It was also her decision that we all travel together in her car. Now, because of her stubbornness, we were all going to suffer. Well, except me and Jessica.

Nina went inside the office, too, and when she didn't return after ten minutes, Jessica shot me a pleading look.

"It’s their fault only, let them suffer." I shrugged and leaned against the wall.

"Max," Jessica scolded me and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine."

I twisted the doorknob and opened the door. I noticed both Nina and Lily were pleading and begging, but the Dean only gave them apologetic looks.

"Excuse me, sir?" I cleared my throat.

The Dean finally noticed my presence and smiled widely. "Max Hasington. You’re finally here. It's good to see you." He extended his hand and I stepped forward, shaking it.

"Sorry for being late sir, but my car broke down," I replied, shooting glances at both girls from the corner of my eye.

"Oh, it's okay, son. Nevermind, we still have two hours to start the show." He laughed and I rolled my eyes.

Typical greedy Dean! Well, I know it was rude of me to use such words, but if it wasn't for my Dad's reputation, I would be standing in the corner with Nina and Lily, a pleading look on my face. Phew!

"Thanks and, sir, meet my friends, Nina and Lily. They’re late because of me, so I hope you will allow them to participate," I said, making an apologetic face, but inside, I was hella enjoying it.

The Dean's expression changed and he cleared his throat. "Well, the registration process is already completed and--"

I cut him off, "My father will be so disappointed, sir. He is looking forward for their show," I lied perfectly, making him uncomfortable.

"Y . . .yeah, we will not disqualify them," he stammered. "Just give me some time, let me check what can I do for you."

I nodded and we walked outside.

"Oh, thank you so much, Max. You’re so nice. The look on his face was priceless." Lily jumped excitedly and hugged me.

"Yeah, thanks Max." Nina joined her.

I chuckled. "Well, Jessica asked me to do this. So, thank her."

Lily smiled and hugged her. "Thanks babe, I really owe you."

"Friends never owe each other." Jessica smiled and looked at me, making my heart flutter.

*****

After some time, we all were seated in the hallway. Luckily, the Dean managed something and our group was participating in the show. I felt happy noticing the good change in me. And the credit goes to my girl, Jessica.

Jessica, Nina, and Travis sat in a circle, discussing their slot and position.

I, on the other hand, was much too busy scrolling the Facebook feed on my phone to join the conversation. Suddenly, I noticed someone's intense gaze on me. I looked around and froze, spotting a certain brunette with emerald eyes watching me with a smirk on her face. My blood started boiling and I clenched my fist, recognizing her.

Veronica.

I spent the following ten minutes having a glare-off with my ex-girlfriend, wondering why I’d chosen to date someone like her, someone who would willingly have sex with another guy. Yes, she was hot with her long brown hair, the emerald eyes caught attention of many, and the confidence with which she carried herself, but she was such a bitch.

She cheated on me with my best friend. With Kyle. And that was what hurt the most. The most shocking part was that bastard Cole did this to me. It was their plan. They wanted to see me broken and vulnerable. That's why they targeted Kyle and spiked his drink. It was so hard for me to forgive him even if he was innocent.

I dumped her immediately when I found her with Kyle, but the thing that bothered me the most was that she never looked sorry. She didn't look guilty for cheating on me, and I guess that was the most disgusting part.

"Hey." A soft elbow nudging me in the ribs tore me from my thoughts.

Jessica stared at me suspiciously then flicked her eyes over to where I was glaring. She met Veronica's gaze, and I stiffened when she waved with her fingers, her smirk growing wider.

"Who's that?" Jessica asked, confused.

"Nobody," I replied in sharp tone, but Jessica looked unconvinced.

After throwing me another suspicious look, she turned to Nina who was finalizing the details.

"Well, here’s our folder. We are going to perform third." Lily stepped into the hallway and handed a black folder to Nina.

"Just tell me about our model," Nina said, waving at the folder.

"Let me check." Lily opened the folder. "Well, her name is Veronica Mathew."

My eyes widened and I cursed mentally.

Damn! What could be worse than them selecting my ex-girlfriend?

"Which one is Veronica?" Jessica asked, looking at the models.

"Hold your panties, girl. I'm here."

Jessica winced at Veronica's abrupt sass of a response, her smile fading. "Um, Okay. I'm Jessica and-"

"I know." Veronica rolled her eyes and took a step in our direction, not breaking eye-contact with me.

I glared at her as I wrapped my hand around Jessica’s. She looked uncomfortable.

"So, shall we start?" Veronica stepped in front of Nina, but her eyes were still on me.

"Yeah, we’re getting started, so why don't you hold your own panties and calm the hell down," Lily snapped at her.

"Lily," Jessica whispered and shook her head.

"Hey, Veronica. I’m Nina, head of this group. Well, our dresses are almost ready so you can try them on and tell us if they need any kind of alteration," Nina said, shooting a glare in Lily's direction.

"Sure, I’ll be there in ten minutes. You guys go ahead and get the dress ready."

Nina took a breath and said, "Fine, but don't be late."

Jessica gave me a worried look and walked away with them.

As soon as they were out of sight, I turned to Veronica and hissed, "What the hell was that?"

"Oh, please!" She scoffed. "I know what you’re trying to do, so stop the drama."

"What do you mean?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"I know you’re just pretending to be in love with her and all. She is not your type, Max. What's gotten into you?" She rolled her eyes.

"I love her, Veronica," I spat out and froze, realising about the confession. It was the first time I actually admitted it. Ironically, I’d done it in front of the girl who broke my heart.

She chuckled and waved her hand in front of me. "C'mon Max. Stop lying. You know, I didn't expect you to hook up with a girl like her, not in a million years. I just can't believe you’re actually serious about being with her," she continued, chuckling as if my moving was most funniest thing.

"Well, she is the most amazing girl I’ve met, so believe it," I said through clenched teeth.

How dare she use such words against my Jessica, when she’s the only one who crossed the line and tried to destroyed my life.

"So." She leaned forward, placing her hand on my chest. "What makes you so interested in her? Are you doing some kind of experiment with different types of girls?

"Do you honestly think I’m going to explain myself to you?" I tilted my head, shoving her hand from my chest. "You're not worth it."

"You're not gonna last." Veronica shrugged.

"And why not?" I cocked my eyebrow.

Oh God! What's wrong with me? Why the hell I was discussing this with her? I should’ve walked away, right now, but instead, I was talking to her. Why? Maybe because I wanted her to realise her mistake, make her see how happy I was with Jessica.

"You'll get bored with her soon enough because I know she won't be able to keep you interested. Let's face it, she has nothing to offer but some random kisses. She can't satisfy you like I did."

My blood started boiling again, and I was about to answer back when I heard a gasp. I turned and noticed Jessica and Nina standing behind us, shock on their faces. Their eyes were wide and mouths hung open. Jessica's face was flushed red with embarrassment from Veronica’s words.

She looked furious and seemed ready to run away, but she stopped mid-turn to look at me when I said, "At least I can trust her not to open her legs for another man."

The smirk on Veronica’s face was quickly replaced by anger when she registered my words.

"Yeah, I said that," I challenged, meeting her heated glare. "And you made me to do that because you don't know a single thing about Jessica or how I really feel for her and you still say shit about my relationship with her. You don't have any right to say anything about it or any other relationship. You’re the one who went behind my back and fucked my best friend while I was celebrating and enjoying our first anniversary party." I finished. I threw her one last hateful glare and stormed outside, panting heavily.

It was so stupid of me to interact with her. It was like revisiting a part of my past I desperately wanted to forget, which I wanted to keep at the furthest corner of my mind. I fell for the wrong person; I put my trust in the wrong person.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice footsteps approaching me. A hand grabbed mine, making me stop pacing.

I turned and snapped, "What the hell?"

Jessica took a step back and gulped down nervously. I ran my hands through my hair and groaned loudly.

"I’m sorry." I sighed. "For what she said about you. I know you must be confused about what happened inside, but I'm not in the mood to talk about it right now."

Jessica nodded and squeezed my hand softly. I knew she must be hurt, but she masked it perfectly. After a few seconds, she smiled sweetly and kissed my cheek. Then she pulled me into a side hug in a comforting gesture.

"See you later," she whispered.

I gave her a weak smile. "Thank you. I will be in the auditorium. If you need anything, just give me a call, okay?"

"Okay, I'll see you for lunch?" she asked hopefully, and guilt wash over me for snapping at her.

"Come here." I opened my arms and she immediately took the invitation. "In an hour, meet me in the parking lot. We’re going out for lunch."

She pulled away, and said, "Max, it's okay. I know you have lots of work to do and I was just asking-"

"Stop blabbering." I pinched her nose and she smiled shyly. "I'm just looking for excuses to spend more time with you." I winked, making her blushed.

"Perv," she mumbled, still smiling. "See you in an hour."

"Yeah, see ya," I replied and walked away.

*****

"So, she was your girlfriend?" Jessica asked, taking a sip from her coffee.

We were sitting in the small cafe near the college building, having lunch. The cafe was packed, but I still managed to find a table for us.

"Yes." I avoided her gaze.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked, and I looked at her.

"No, why would I be?"

"Then why are you behaving like this? We’ve been here for 20 minutes and the only thing we’ve talked about is our order."

I sighed. "Well, since you were there, I think you’ve pretty much guessed what she did to me." I stared at her. "Do you want me to confirm that she cheated on me? It was our party when she decided to make her last move and fuck another guy, and if you don't already know, then let me tell you that it was Kyle with whom she . . ." I trailed off.

"Kyle?" she asked stunned.

"It wasn't his fault. They spiked his drink." I shook my head.

"They?"

"Cole and Veronica. It was their plan," I said slowly and closed my eyes.

"That's horrible." I heard her mumbling.

I opened my eyes and stared at her when she asked, "Did you love her?"

"She was my first girlfriend. She wasn't serious about me, but still I loved her and that's why it hurt so much." I gulped down and noticed the discomfort on her face. "I was so stupid for trusting her so much. All the happiness and memories we created just went away once I saw her with Kyle."

Jessica smiled sadly and said, "I can understand your pain. The memories of my past still haunt me. That's why I was afraid to accept you in my life. I thought you wouldn't understand my fears, but I think, I was wrong. Your case is worse then mine. It would hurt so badly to find your girlfriend and best friend together."

I smiled weakly. "Yeah. And the difficult part was to trust Kyle again, but he never gave up. We’re still friends and it’s his merit. He saved our friendship."

"What about Cole?" she asked.

"I punched him in the face when I found out the truth. My parents were very angry because of my reckless behaviour, but I didn't care. And from then, I stopped caring about anyone." I shrugged.

"You didn't tell them the truth?" She raised her eyebrows.

I shook my head. "No. I didn't want to hurt my mother. I know she is not my real mother, yet she loves me more than Cole, and after learning about his dirty stunt, she would’ve started disliking him."

Her eyes widened in surprise and her lips curved upwards in a proud smile. She touched my hand and said, "You really are an amazing person, Max Hasington. Thanks for coming into my life."

Her words touched my heart and I kissed the back of her palm.

Should I confess about my love?

I bit my tongue to say those magic words, and said, "Pleasure’s all mine."

*****

The next day, I was groaning and pressing the pillow on my head, trying to ignore the phone ringing on my table. I was so tired and I wanted to enjoy my peaceful sleep since there wasn't any show today.

I ignore the first four calls until the fifth one broke my patience and I reached out to grab the damn phone.

"What the hell?" I barked, laying down again. I hadn’t even bothered to check the caller ID. I was too sleepy for that.

"Hello?" A girl’s voice asked.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Nina?"

"Yeah, finally you’re awake." She giggled.

"What you want?" I groaned.

"Actually, Jessica and I are out shopping because she told me about the dinner with your parents and she wanted to make a good impression. So, I want to know if she should dress casual or formal? Because it's very important and I don't want her to screw this . . ."

"Nina," I hissed, ignoring her blabber. "Have you lost your mind? It's freaking 9 am. For God's sake, let me sleep and she can wear whatever she wants. It's not a big deal."

"Max, it's a big deal for her. It's a big step in a relationship." She chuckled.

"Are you kidding me? Put her on. I'm sure it’s your stupid brain behind this," I snapped at her.

"I was just helping." She probably stomped her feet.

"Just go and sleep, guys. They will surely love her." I sighed.

"Max, she also wants to look good for dinner," Nina said, quietly.

"What? Why?" My mouth fell open. Jessica wasn’t like that. She didn't care what others thought, so there must be something else. "Nina? Does this have anything to do with yesterday's events?" I asked cautiously.

"Maybe. She’s very nervous and a bit self-conscious, too," she mumbled. "I guess we’ll decide on our own. Bye."

"But-" Before I could say anything, she hung up on me.

What the hell? I wanted to call her back, but then I noticed the time and a yawn escaped my mouth.

I could talk to them later. With that last thought, I yanked the covers back over my body and drifted back to sleep.

******

Omg! Again Max POV? And I'm also like Max, don't like to wake up early :D

How was the chapter?

Finally we meet Veronica, so like it?

Now time for the dinner, excited?

Only 1 chapter left :D

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