Wrong Girl, Right Price

[ Whoever finds this, a guy gets ten grand in cold hard cash. A girl instantly becomes Julian's official girlfriend. ]

Julian lost his custom sterling silver lighter engraved with his family crest. His frat brothers casually posted a bounty online. Just my luck, I was the one who picked it up.

But when I flicked the flint wheel open, I saw the cheer captain Chanel's initials engraved directly into the inner casing.

Chapter 1

Only at this exact moment did the truth hit me. Julian was into Chanel. My fingers dug into the cold silver of the lighter, and a sudden numbness washed over me.

Two minutes ago, I was still delusional enough to think my three-year secret crush might actually materialize into something real.

Now, that naive little fantasy was dead.

Right on cue, Chanel burst through the classroom door. She chewed on her lower lip, frantically turning to her friend. "It's been all morning and no one's found it. What am I supposed to do?"

"If some other girl takes that lighter to Julian, I'm literally going to lose my mind."

Her friend rubbed her shoulder. "Breathe. It's fine."

"Girls throw themselves at him constantly, and he turns them all down. This whole bounty thing is probably just a stupid joke anyway."

Julian was gorgeous. And filthy rich. His grades were flawless, too. Ever since I first laid eyes on him, he had been constantly swarmed by girls desperate for his attention.

Chanel was just one of the crowd. And Julian had always treated her like she didn't exist.

But weirdly enough, about two weeks ago, the ice around him started to thaw whenever she was around. People even started placing bets. That Julian, the untamable apex predator, would eventually be put on a leash by Chanel.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chanel bite her lip in frustration. Her perfect blonde hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her fresh French manicure tapped out a grating rhythm against the lockers.

The pen in my hand snapped to a halt. A sudden realization clicked into place. I had picked up that lighter right next to Chanel's desk this morning.

Oh. So that was how it worked.

Julian did it on purpose. He purposefully dropped it right by Chanel's seat, then had his boys post that massive bounty. It was all a calculated play to make her his.

But neither of them factored in me grabbing it first.

For the rest of the day, the lectures dissolved into white noise. The second the final bell rang, I grabbed my backpack and practically fled the campus. Once I locked my bedroom door behind me, I pulled out my phone and stared at the pinned iMessage conversation at the top of my screen. Julian.

Two minutes ago, he sent me an audio message.

"Still playing games with your name? Tsk. Doesn't matter. I actually found you."

Three years ago, we randomly bumped into each other on an underground indie rock forum and swapped contact info. But back then, I didn't know who he really was. I had been scammed online before, so my guard was practically cemented up. I never gave him my real name.

I just gave him a vague backstorytold him I used to live in a tiny Texas town and was currently going to school in New York. He, on the other hand, laid his cards right on the table.

[ What a coincidence. I'm in New York too. I'm Julian. Based on how you talk, we're probably the same age. ]

I didn't think much of it. Until the first day of freshman year. When I heard the name Julian echoing down the hallways for real.

He was infinitely more untouchable than the pixelated version in my head. In reality, I was practically invisible. I kept my head down and barely had any friends.

That massive gap between us made me bury my secret identity even deeper. Now, him claiming he 'found me' was probably just him trying to mess with my head.

Besides, he already had his eyes locked on someone else. To him, I was nothing but a faceless screenname.

A heavy breath shuddered out of my lungs as I typed a reply.

[ Sorry, I'm ditching this account. Let's just pretend we never met. ]

The second it sent, I permanently deleted the burner account.

Then I buried my face into my faded pillow, biting down hard on my lip to stop any sound from escaping, staying like that until the pillowcase was soaked through with tears.

What else was I supposed to do?

Drifting between sleep and waking up, a vicious thought crossed my mind. If only I were some random guy. Even if I couldn't get him to look at me twice, at least that ten grand in cash would be enough to cover my AP tuition for the rest of the semester!

The next morning, I wrestled with myself for hours. Finally, I made the call to put the silver lighter exactly back where I found it. At least that way, it would find its way to its intended owner.

Chapter 2

You can't force something that was never yours to begin with. But before I even had the chance to slip it back, I made a fatal errorI took a detour to the hallway vending machine for a Diet Coke.

That was all the time Chanel needed. She stormed over, grabbed the collar of my hoodie in a death grip, and shoved the sterling silver lighter in my face, her eyes red with furious tears.

"I've been looking everywhere for this, and you had it the whole time? If I hadn't been organizing the locker next to yours and seen it, I never would've known."

Her grip tightened. "Cleo, are you into Julian too? Is this your pathetic attempt to hook up with him?"

She was already aggressively gorgeous on a normal day. Seeing her tear up and interrogate me like this? Every varsity football player in a ten-foot radius looked ready to rip their own hearts out and hand them to her on a silver platter.

The entire hallway froze. Every single pair of eyes zeroed in on me.

Since freshman year, the only time people looked at me was when a teacher forced me to answer a question. I had never been the center of this much attention. My pulse hammered against my throat.

Yeah, I liked Julian. But I was a coward. I didn't have the guts to admit it.

I opened my mouth to deny it, but the words died on my tongue. Julian was leaning against the classroom doorframe. His gaze swept over me, blank, devoid of any recognition.

But a second later, his eyes shifted to Chanel. The hard lines of his jaw softened, his expression morphing into something dangerously close to tender.

People always talk about feeling your heart turn to ash. I never understood it until that exact second, when a cold, hollow vacuum sucked all the oxygen out of my lungs. Then, my own voice echoed, sounding like it belonged to a stranger.

"I found this lighter by accident. What does it have to do with this Julian guy? And no, I'm not into him."

Three massive lies crammed into two sentences.

Right then, a cold sweat broke over my spine, realizing I had never agreed to a voice call during our three years on that underground forum. If I had, he would've instantly recognized my voice.

A ripple of laughter moved through the lockers. "Right. Cleo is literally just a nerd."

"She lives under a rock. She probably doesn't even know who Julian is, let alone the bounty post."

"Makes sense. Total misunderstanding."

Someone tapped Chanel's shoulder. "Chanel, turn around. Look who's here."

Chanel froze, dropping my collar as she spun around to face Julian. "You're here."

Julian pushed off the doorframe and walked over, his voice a low, smooth drawl. "Yeah."

He shoved a brown paper bag directly into her arms. "You skipped breakfast. Hot Americano and an artisan whole-wheat bagel."

A brilliant smile finally broke through Chanel's tears. "What about the lighter? Are you going to keep your promise and hook up with Cleo?"

Julian let out a low, amused huff. He sighed, shaking his head. "I literally dropped that lighter right under your desk. You really are blind, letting someone else grab it first."

The silence shattered. It didn't take a genius to connect the dots. The whole hallway erupted into teasing whistles and catcalls.

"Man, Julian really has zero experience chasing girls. What kind of convoluted flex is this?"

"Well, backfired now, didn't it? Someone else found it, and you made Chanel cry for nothing."

I stood frozen against the cold metal of the lockers. In their perfect little rom-com moment, I was nothing but the ugly villain who almost ruined the plot.

While I was mentally burying myself alive, Julian closed the distance between us. He spoke, his tone casual.

"Hey. The lighter is mine. Thanks for picking it up."

"I'll wire you the ten grand like I promised, but can I get it back now?"

I bit the inside of my cheek until I tasted copper, my voice barely a whisper. "Okay."

The warning bell for first period screamed through the hallway, saving my life. I shoved the lighter into his hand, didn't dare look him in the eye, and bolted straight back to my desk.

Who would have thought? The very first time I ever spoke to the boy I was in love with. And it was the most humiliating moment of my entire existence.

Chapter 3

They were like the natural-born Homecoming King and Queen, a match made in heaven. I was the punchline.

I had to ask myself. Cleo, your obsession is pathetic. Are you seriously going to keep this up?

Julian and Chanel made their relationship painfully public. And I got that money.

But Julian didn't hand it over himself. He had a frat brother named Hunter. The guy was exactly as arrogant and unhinged as his reputation suggested.

Algebra class had just ended. The room hadn't cleared out yet when he kicked the front door open, stalked straight to my desk, planted his heavy boot on the crossbar of my chair, and rapped his knuckles against the wood, staring down at me. "Hey. Give me your CashApp handle."

I froze.

He pulled his brows together. "Cleo, right? Not a bad name."

I tilted my head up. His gaze locked onto my face. Something shifted in his eyes, a microscopic pause, before he cleared his throat.

"CashApp. Give me the handle. I'm wiring you the cash right now."

I grabbed a pen and scribbled my username on a scrap of notebook paper. "Here."

He snatched the paper, shot me one last intense look, and walked out.

The second his boots cleared the doorway, a crowd swarmed my desk.

"Holy shit. I thought the bounty was a joke. He actually paid up."

"It's Julian. He's literal old money. Ten grand to him is like finding a quarter in the couch cushions."

"I'm so jealous! But ten grand is nothing compared to Chanel's luck. Hooking up with Julian? If she actually gets a ring out of this"

"Honestly, Cleo, you owe Chanel a massive thank you. If it wasn't for her, there's no way you'd score a payday like this."

I practically lived in the shadows. I wasn't built for this kind of spotlight. The back of my neck burned. I forced a stiff, polite smile, keeping my mouth shut.

In my peripheral vision, Chanel was adjusting her hair. She let out a light laugh. "Stop it, you guys are being ridiculous." She threw her bag over her shoulder and walked out.

She wore a silver bracelet around her wrist, dangling a delicate sapphire star charm. It looked sickeningly perfect on her. Funny thing was, I owned the exact same one.

Julian actually picked it out. Too bad the mere thought of drawing attention tied my stomach in cold knots, so it stayed buried in the bottom of my drawer.

That night, I locked myself in my bedroom and checked my phone. A follow request from Hunter sat waiting on my screen.

Ever since I found out Julian went to my school, I registered a burner Instagram account to follow the people I met at prep school. I was terrified he would connect the dots through mutuals and figure out his online girl was actually me. The invisible, plain-looking Cleo hiding in the back of the class.

But after all this time, I realized I was just being paranoid. My social circle was practically nonexistent. I never even crossed into his orbit. And Hunter was the first person on this list who had any connection to Julian.

I hit accept. A second later, the transfer notification popped up. I counted the zeros on the screen. Not a cent less, a clean ten thousand dollars.

My thumb hovered over the glowing screen for a long time. Then I tapped receive.

[ Thanks. ]

I tossed the phone onto my mattress and walked straight into the shower.

Chapter 4

I stared at the screen. Nothing.

Just as I was about to lock the phone, a new notification suddenly popped up.

[ Sorry for being a dick in class today. Blame Julian, that arrogant prick. Too lazy to move his own ass, so he kicked me out of my dorm bed to do his errands. ]

Reading that, I pictured Hunter's obnoxiously rebellious face, and a laugh actually escaped my throat. I typed back.

[ It's fine. ]

Honestly, ten grand was a massive amount of money for me. I didn't dare touch a single cent of it. I stashed it straight into my savings.

After that night, for a long time, Hunter and I started bumping into each other multiple times a day. In line at the convenience store buying slushies. We'd end up standing right behind each other. Walking down the halls between periods, we'd cross paths.

But we barely spoke. Until one day, colliding face-to-face at the corner of the hallway, the iced coffee in my hand slipped, splashing directly onto his ridiculously expensive custom varsity jacket.

He just raised an eyebrow, casually wiping the dark stain with a napkin without giving a damn. "What a coincidence, Cleo. Seems like we can't get away from each other."

After that, we started talking a lot more. His grades were actually flawless. Just like Julian's. They were the kind of guys who were born to succeed without ever breaking a sweat.

Once we got more comfortable with each other, I started asking him about the AP questions I couldn't figure out. He was surprisingly willing to help.

Except for this one time. I shot him a math problem while he was in the middle of a gaming raid. He just called me on audio.

"I'm buried in this raid right now. Julian's right next to me, want him to walk you through it?"

Hearing that name. My grip tightened around the phone, my pulse suddenly redlining against my throat. My mouth went bone dry.

"No, you don't have to"

But before I could even finish the sentence, another voice drifted through the speaker. His tone was icy and crisp.

"Look at the problem. There's a given variable"

His logic was ruthlessly clear. In under a minute, he broke the whole thing down. Once he finished, he paused. "Did that make sense?"

I bit down on my lower lip. "Yeah. Thanks."

Dead silence on his end. He probably already tossed the phone back onto the desk.

I was just about to hang up when Hunter's voice bled through again. "Still remember her? The girl who picked up your lighter."

Julian let out a low hum. "I remember."

"Since when did you two get so close?"

Hunter clicked his tongue. "Top secret."

Julian went quiet for a second. "That desk in the picture she sent looked familiar. Looked like Chanel's."

My stomach dropped like a lead weight.

I jammed my thumb against the end-call button. I had sent Julian a picture of that exact same desk before. But he just said Chanel had one identical to it.

I sat there, my pulse drumming a chaotic rhythm against my temples.

Then the pieces snapped together like a steel trap. The night I permanently deleted my burner account.

He sent me a message saying he found me. Was it possible he mistook Chanel for the girl he was talking to on the underground forum? Worse. Was that the only reason he got together with her in the first place?

That terrifying possibility dug its claws into my brain. I tossed and turned all night, staring at the ceiling. A sick knot formed in my stomach as I debated whether to log back into that dead account. Just to drag the truth out of him.

Chapter 5

I debated with myself for days. Just as I finally made up my mind, I saw them on the way out of school. Chanel stood on her tiptoes. She pressed a kiss to the corner of Julian's mouth.

The quad was dead quiet. I shrank back into the shadows of the brick wall. I heard her sweet, teasing voice.

"My family wants me to spend a gap year in Paris, will you come with me?"

The wind ripped through the quad, rustling the oak leaves. Julian let out a low laugh.

"You gave the order. How could I say no?"

I bit the inside of my cheek until the copper taste flooded my tongue. A hot drop of moisture slipped down my jaw. There was no point in asking anymore.

So what if he got the wrong girl? If I threw myself out there and confessed I was his forum girl, would he magically fall for me?

No. He would just be disgusted. Disgusted that the girl on the other side of the screen wasn't Chanel.

But just me. An invisible nobody.

I made my decision right there. Julian was dead to me.

When I got home, I threw that silver sapphire bracelet straight into the trash. Having a crush at this age was a dangerous game. But at the end of the day, my survival came first.

I buried myself in my textbooks and shut the rest of the world out. Hunter was the first to notice. He sent me an iMessage.

[ Haven't seen you step foot out of the classroom lately. ]

Naturally, that meant I hadn't seen him or Julian around either. I typed back.

[ Ivy League application season is coming up, I want to rack up a few more A's. ]

It took a long time for his bubble to pop up again.

[ Got it. ]

I locked my screen, assuming that was the end of it. But the next day, after the AP Calculus study group wrapped up, Julian walked right up to my desk. He dropped a heavy stack of prep books and spiral notebooks onto my table.

"Hunter told me to drop these off for you."

I froze, the words slipping out automatically. "Where is he?"

Julian stared at me for a beat, his expression unreadable. "Dragged me out to ride dirt bikes in the middle of the night, had a little accident and wrecked his leg. He's at the hospital."

I shot up from my chair. "Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He'll be back in a couple of days."

But when I asked which hospital, Julian just shoved his hands in his pockets and refused to answer.

I had no choice but to pull out my phone and text Hunter. Hours passed before my screen finally lit up