Chapter Five - Aiden’s POV

The pool glowed turquoise under strings of fairy lights, casting shimmering reflections across the water and the marble patio. Music pulsed from hidden speakers, not too loud yet, but enough to promise the kind of night that usually left me numb by morning. Dozens of seniors from Westbridge had already shown up, laughing, flirting, and drinking from red cups. My house was alive for once.

Yet I felt nothing.

I lounged on a cushioned chair near the deep end, legs stretched out, watching the chaos around me. Marcus and Tyler were in their element  holding court, telling exaggerated stories about the fight I’d been in last week. Girls kept glancing my way, some bold enough to wave or send drinks over. I barely acknowledged them.

My mind was elsewhere. On her.

Emily Kane.

The way she had looked at me in that hallway, no fear, no fake adoration, just raw defiance. The spark when our fingers brushed. The steel in her voice when she threatened to report me. No one had spoken to me like that in years.

“Earth to Aiden.” Marcus dropped into the chair beside me, water dripping from his swim trunks. He grabbed a towel and grinned. “You’ve been zoned out since we got back from school. Still thinking about the scholarship girl who roasted you?”

Tyler appeared on my other side, carrying three drinks. He handed me one and smirked. “She’s different, man. Didn’t even blink when you bumped into her. And then she turned me down cold after school. Polite but ice-cold.”

Marcus laughed. “Exactly. That’s why this is perfect.” He leaned forward, eyes gleaming with mischief. “I bet you can’t make her fall for you. One month. Not just hook up — make her actually like you. Publicly. Dates, notes, the whole romance act. The entire school has to believe it’s real.”

I raised an eyebrow, swirling the drink in my hand. “Why would I waste my time on that?”

“Because you’re bored,” Marcus shot back. “Because she bruised your precious ego today. And because it’ll be fun watching the untouchable Aiden Voss chase a girl who doesn’t want him.”

Tyler whistled. “Loser pays for spring break in Santorini. Full crew, all expenses. Private villa, yacht, the works. That’s serious money if you fail.”

The party noise faded into the background as I stared at the rippling water. Part of me wanted to laugh it off. It was stupid. Childish. Another game in a life full of empty games.

But another part, the louder, darker part  kept replaying Emily’s face. The way she saw through the money and the reputation. The way she carried herself like she had something real to fight for. Unlike everyone else here, she wasn’t impressed by me. And that… intrigued me more than I wanted to admit.

“You in or what?” Marcus pressed, nudging my arm. “Or are you scared the scholarship girl might actually reject the great Aiden Voss for a full month?”

Pride stung. I hated losing. I hated being mocked even more.

I took a slow sip of my drink, letting the burn settle in my chest. “Fine. One month. She falls for me. Publicly. Whole school sees it.”

Marcus grinned like he’d won the lottery. “Rules: No half-assing it. Flowers, texts, dates, make it look real. And no falling for her yourself, obviously. We both know you don’t do real feelings.”

Tyler laughed. “Yeah, Mr. Heartless. This is just entertainment.”

I forced a smirk, the one they expected. “Obviously.”

But inside, something twisted uncomfortably. The emptiness I’d felt earlier in the empty mansion was still there, gnawing at me. For once, this didn’t feel like just another game. Emily wasn’t like the others. She had fire. Purpose. She brought something real into a life that felt fake as hell.

What if I actually enjoyed chasing her?

What if she saw the real me, the lonely kid still waiting for his parents to come home  and still walked away?

“Deal,” I said out loud, sealing it with a handshake.

Marcus and Tyler cheered, already planning how they’d spend the Santorini money when I supposedly failed. I leaned back in my chair, letting the party noise wash over me again.

Tomorrow, the game would begin.

I’d start small. A rose at her locker. A cocky smile in the hallway. Classic Aiden Voss moves. But deep down, I already knew this was different. Because for the first time in years, someone had made me feel something.

And I wasn’t sure if that terrified me or excited me.

Later that night, after most people had left and the mansion had returned to its usual hollow silence, I stood at the same window as the night before. The city lights glittered below, cold and distant.

I pulled out my phone and stared at the blank screen. No missed calls from my parents. No texts asking how my day went. Just the usual emptiness.

I thought about Emily again, the determination in her eyes, the way she protected her future like it was precious. She had something worth fighting for.

Maybe that’s what I wanted.

Not to win a bet.

But to feel, even for a moment, like someone actually saw me.

I set the phone down and whispered into the quiet room, “This better not blow up in my face.”

But I already knew it probably would