Beneath the bet

- Prologue -

There was a time when Noah Perez and I were inseparable, back when the world was simpler and life wasn't so complicated. We used to spend summer afternoons biking through the neighborhood, laughing until our sides ached. But that was before high school. Before the popularity, the football games, and the endless whispers in the hallways.

Now, Noah doesn't even look at me the same way. He's the golden boy, captain of the football team, surrounded by people who think tormenting me is a sport. I'm Charlotte Thompson, the girl no one notices—or worse, the one they love to tear down. It's funny how quickly things can change, how easily someone can go from being your closest friend to the reason you dread waking up in the morning.

But it wasn't always like this. We had a history, a connection that still lingers in the spaces between us. And even now, even after all the hurt, I sometimes wonder if he remembers the way things used to be. Or if I'm just fooling myself.

The night of the charity ball was supposed to be different. A chance to forget, even just for a few hours. But that night set off a chain of events I never could've predicted, dragging me into something far more complicated than I ever imagined. Noah's sudden attention, the whispers, the rumors—they've all become impossible to escape.

And now, as I stand on the edge of something I can't quite understand, I know one thing for sure: nothing will ever be the same again.

Not for me. Not for Noah. Not for anyone.