I've seen plenty of pretty faces before, but this girl? She's dangerous. Different. The kind of beauty that makes you want to look twice, then hate yourself for it because you still can't look away.
"Who is she?" I ask, tipping my chin toward her without even meaning to.
"Oh, that's Taylor Lewis," Lucy supplies, casual like she just dropped a name everyone should already know. "Pretty, right?"
"Pretty?" I huff out a laugh, still staring. "Pretty is an understatement. I think I just had my first ever girl crush."
The girls laugh with me, but Katie leans forward, lowering her voice like she's sharing classified intel. "You're not alone. Half the campus is obsessed with her. But... she's got a reputation."
I glance back at Taylor, brows arched. "Reputation?"
"Yeah," Katie says, swirling her straw in her glass. "Word is she hooks up with guys all the time. Different guy, different week. She's... kind of notorious for it."
Tammy nods eagerly, adding, "She doesn't even hide it either. Guys brag about her like a trophy. Some say she's slept her way across half the hockey team and football team. And honestly? No one's shocked. Look at her."
I take her in again—her body, her laugh, the way she knows she's magnetic and leans into it.
And I can't help but think—why shouldn't she?
She's beautiful. She's got the kind of body that turns heads. If she wants to flaunt it, if she wants to hook up with whoever she wants, why the hell not? Men do it all the time and nobody bats an eye.
So why can't she?
Katie leans in, voice dropping like she's about to leak national secrets. "Rumor has it she's slowed down. No more random hook-ups. Supposedly, she's only been with one guy since last December."
Tammy snaps her fingers. "Right! Zach. Zach Westbrook. The hockey team's alternate captain."
And just like that, my stomach bottoms out.
Then I see him.
Zach.
The way Taylor shifts on his lap, leaning in close. The way his grin stretches wide—like whatever she whispered was the funniest thing in the world.
A knot twists so sharp in my gut it nearly doubles me. My chest cinches tight, like someone just yanked a cord around my ribs.
Stop. No. Why am I reacting like this? He's not important. Not anymore. I already moved past him. This is just... shock. Caught off guard. That's it.
I don't care. I don't.
I don't care about that grin—that irritatingly familiar grin he used to save only for me.
And now he's flashing it at someone else.
Whatever.
Tammy keeps right on talking, oblivious to the way my pulse is detonating in my ears. "You know Zach's whole thing—never the same girl twice, one-and-done. He's practically famous for it. But I guess Taylor was the exception. And why wouldn't she be? Look at them."
She waves her hand toward the pair like she's presenting royalty. "They're both stupid attractive. It's like they were genetically designed for each other. Total sex appeal overload."
"Yeah," Katie agrees with a sigh, propping her chin in her hand. "Other women are just... blessed to even breathe the same air."
"Maybe they're dating already," Tammy shrugs. "Who knows?"
I swallow hard, forcing my gaze away, pretending my throat isn't tight, pretending this isn't some cruel joke from the universe.
Dating. Zach and Taylor.
