Caleb Astor didn't like me, his fiancée from out of town. To get me to break off our engagement, he had a scholarship kid from our school pretend to be him. "A new-money girl and a guy who can barely afford lunch," his friends joked. "It's a perfect match." "I'll bet you a grand she won't last three days. She'll call the whole thing off for sure." The scholarship kid was tall and quiet, with a kind of beautiful, broken-down stillness to him. I actually believed the story—that the Astors had gone bankrupt and he was starving. I could almost hear my dad’s voice in my ear: "Sweetheart, so what if they're broke? We're not snobs who chase money. We've got enough to take care of him." So, when he was hungry, I brought him food. When he worked his part-time jobs, I played bodyguard. When his mom was hospitalized, I paid the bills. I took very good care of my dirt-poor fiancé. Until one day, a handsome, preppy-looking guy snatched the breakfast I had carefully made. I was about to blow a fuse when he looked at me, a frustrated pout on his face. "Maya, open your eyes. I'm your fiancé." 1 My dad told me I had a fiancé in the city. To give me a choice in the matter, and to make sure I got into a good college, he enrolled me at Northwood High for my junior year, right in Caleb Astor's class. I’d heard the Astors were practically royalty in Cedar Creek, old money with deep roots. My dad even made me pack a bunch of nice things to make a good impression. But when I got off the train, no one from the Astor family was there to pick me up. I was a little annoyed, but all of that vanished the second I got to school and saw him—thin, dressed in a faded t-shirt that had been washed a hundred times. A friendly student I’d met on the way to the office had looked at the photo on my phone and offered to show me the way. "Room 203? You're looking for Caleb Astor? Oh, yeah, I know him. C'mon, I'll show you." He pointed through the classroom window. I followed his finger. There, sitting by the window, was a boy with a ramrod-straight back, looking clean but worn. Afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, casting stripes across his profile. A stray breeze ruffled his hair, revealing a sharp brow bone and a smooth forehead. I glanced down at the photo, then back at him. The friendly student’s voice echoed in my head, filled with pity. "You didn't know? The Astor family went bankrupt a couple of years back. Caleb's on financial aid now. He works a bunch of jobs after school. Sometimes, he can't even afford to buy lunch." Our families hadn't been in close contact, and I guess a proud family like the Astors wouldn't exactly advertise their bankruptcy to my dad out in Austin. I let out a soft "Oh," and nodded like a bobblehead, promising the student I wouldn't spread it around. "This is our new transfer student, Maya Lin. Let's give her a warm welcome," the teacher announced, pointing to an empty desk in the back. "You can sit there for now." I looked up. It was right next to Caleb. From the moment I walked in until I sat down, he never once looked up. He was completely focused on whatever he was writing. I had to squeeze behind his chair to get to my seat. As I passed, my backpack snagged on something. I gave it a gentle tug, and an old metal thermos clattered out of his desk. It rolled on the floor with a loud clang, and the lid popped off. Half of a dry-looking sandwich tumbled out, picking up a layer of dust. I saw his shoulders tense, just for a second. His knuckles went white around his pen, but he didn't turn around. A few muffled snickers came from nearby. I saw a couple of guys whispering behind his back, their eyes full of scorn. So, it was true. He was really struggling. The vibrant, confident boy in the old photos was gone, replaced by someone who couldn't even afford a decent meal. I bit my lip, clutched my backpack, and sat down. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "I didn't mean to." He still didn't look at me. He just picked up the dusty sandwich half, put it back in the thermos, and shoved the whole thing back into his desk. "I'm Maya Lin," I tried again, leaning closer. "Do you remember me?" When he was six, we met once. Like my mom, I’ve always been a sucker for a pretty face, and little Caleb was adorable. I followed him around everywhere. Of course, that was before I convinced him to help me "catch" a rooster at a petting zoo and he got pecked for his trouble. He didn't speak to me for the rest of the day. Good to know he grew up just as handsome. My sudden closeness seemed to startle him. He leaned back slightly, his eyes finally lifting to meet mine. They were beautiful, like polished obsidian. His lashes were so long and dark that when he looked down, they veiled his gaze, making him seem less distant. But after the initial surprise, he went back to being silent. I scratched my head. "I'm your fiancée, remember?" He was taking a sip of water and choked, coughing into his fist. I reflexively patted his back. When he recovered, he gave me a strange look, a faint blush creeping up his neck. Maybe he didn't remember. Or maybe losing everything had changed him. Whatever it was, I got the message. We’d just start over. I smiled and held out my hand. "Well, we're desk partners now. I'm Maya. It's nice to meet you. Hey, could I ask you for a favor?" I expected him to ignore me again, but this time he spoke, his voice cool and distant. "I don't have time." 2 Meanwhile, that "friendly" student who showed me the way? The second I was in the classroom, he ducked into the stairwell where a few other preppy kids were waiting. Gavin rushed over to the handsome boy at the center of the group. "Cal, it's done. That girl's not the brightest bulb." "She believed every word. I pointed out Liam Jiang, told her the Astors were broke and that you couldn't afford lunch. Her jaw just about hit the floor." "She even saw his sad little sandwich. Who in their right mind would want to stick around for that kind of charity case?" "I bet you a thousand bucks, in three days, she'll be begging her dad to call the whole thing off." Caleb Astor looked bored, but he double-checked. "You're sure? Three days? She really bought it?" "I saw the picture she had. It was just a side profile of you. Honestly, it could've been Liam. Close enough." "I even told her that after the 'bankruptcy,' you changed your name to avoid creditors. She totally fell for it." "And if you ever do run into her, just say you have the same name. Easy. She won't be able to latch onto you." Caleb leaned back against the wall, a smirk playing on his lips. "A new-money girl from out of town. Who even does arranged marriages anymore? It's not the dark ages." "Seriously," another friend chimed in. "The Astors have a hundred-year legacy. You should be marrying someone from a family like the Prescotts, like your brother did. Not some… country bumpkin." "Tell me about it. My mom's been on a hunger strike trying to get my dad to cancel this thing." "But you know my dad. He does whatever Grandpa says, and Grandpa is all about 'honor' and 'keeping promises' to his old army buddies." "By the way," Gavin said, a little hesitantly, "that fiancée of yours..." Caleb shot him a cold look. Gavin corrected himself. "That girl… she's actually pretty hot. I snapped a pic. You wanna see? Maybe you'll change your mind." Caleb scoffed. "Are you kidding? You think I have a thing for girls from the sticks?" Gavin mumbled to himself, "For real, though. She's way prettier than your girl, the 'queen bee' of Northwood." 3 I didn't know any of that. At that moment, my world revolved around Liam Jiang. That's the name he told me, and that's what everyone called him. The Astors really must have gone to great lengths to hide, even changing his name. I spent the whole day trying to talk to him. He rarely answered, sometimes pretending not to hear me at all. But I'm a chatterbox, just like my dad. My dad can talk to a herd of cattle for an entire day and not get bored. Plus, I've never been shy. I can basically have a full conversation by myself. "So, what's good to eat around here? It's my first day, I'm totally lost." "Do you live on campus or off?" "Hey, why is this math formula different from what I learned back home?" "Where's the water fountain? I'm dying of thirst." Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. "Just try to pay attention in class," he muttered. After a beat, he added, "The fountain is outside room 207. You can go after the bell." By the time the bell rang, I'd forgotten all about being thirsty. I immediately called my dad and told him about the Astor family going bankrupt. He sounded surprised. "What? Really? Well, shoot. It's okay, sweetheart. If they're broke, they're broke. We're not the kind of people who kick someone when they're down. This is when you see a person's true character. If you really like the kid, what's the big deal? We'll support him." I nodded. It wasn't that I liked him liked him. Not yet. It was just that… Liam seemed so pathetic. I don't have a lot of things, but I do have a lot of money. And right now, money was what he needed most. Our family got rich the year I was born. My dad saw a tiny article about real estate reform in the corner of a newspaper and immediately bought up an old, abandoned grain depot on the edge of town. Later, when the city expanded, he cashed in big. Then came the tech boom. He didn't understand any of it, but he understood how to invest in people who did. We were "new money," for sure. Compared to a family with generations of wealth like the Astors, I was definitely what people online would call nouveau riche. But being new money has its perks. For one, my dad hands me credit cards like they're playing cards, without blinking an eye. I could probably buy the diner where Liam works his night shift, but I didn't want to be that obvious. It took me a few days of pestering, but I finally figured out where he worked. Liam at his night job was different from the Liam at school. His clothes were more casual, his hair a little messy. I had followed him there, so when he saw me, his brow furrowed into a deep V. "What are you doing in a place like this?" He pulled me into the stairwell. "You shouldn't be here." Well, at least he was talking more now. I pulled a sandwich out of my backpack and stuffed it into his hand. Liam froze, his hand hovering in mid-air. "Eat it," I urged. "I, uh, bought too many. The guy at the deli said it'll be stale by tomorrow, and I'm full. It's a waste to throw it out, so you can have it." I'd done my research. Every day after school, Liam worked at least three jobs. First, handing out flyers downtown. Then, he'd run his own little noodle cart. After closing that down, he'd come here, to the diner, to work the late shift as a busboy. A bowl of noodles from his cart sold for seven bucks, but he never ate one himself. He'd either make do with the sad sandwich from the morning or wait for leftover food from the diner's kitchen. I'd gotten friendly with my classmates over the last few days. A few of them had warned me not to get too close to Liam. They said he was weird, gloomy, and never talked to anyone. They told me his mom had kidney failure and he had a disabled younger sister. Wait, Caleb Astor's mom was that sick? I didn't want to ask Liam about it. I was afraid it would just make him feel worse. "Why are you doing this?" Liam asked, his gaze fixed on the sandwich in his hand. I waved my hand dismissively, my eyes wide. "What do you mean 'why'? You're my desk partner. And you helped me with that math problem today." I nodded firmly. "That's right! My dad says if I don't get into a good college, he's gonna break my legs. So, consider this a bribe, Liam. That sandwich isn't free. You have to help me with my homework again tomorrow." I had peeked at his test scores. The guy got a 1590 on his SATs. He was a genius. He pressed his lips together. "Aren't you… grossed out by me?" My eyes went wide again. "Why would I be?" I leaned in and took a dramatic sniff around him. "Don't you know how clean your mom washes your clothes? I sit next to you all day, and the wind blows this nice, fresh laundry soap smell over to me. Look at my shirt…" I held up my own slightly grubby sleeve. "I'm way dirtier than you. Are you grossed out by me?" In the dim light of the stairwell, Liam looked up at me, his eyes shining like stars. He clutched the sandwich and slowly shook his head. I lifted my chin smugly. "That's more like it. I'm your fi—" I caught myself just in time. 4 Liam got off work ten minutes early and insisted on walking me home. He also tucked a notebook full of his study notes into my backpack. My dad had bought me a house in The Pines, an exclusive gated community, before I even moved here. Ever since my mom passed, he’s been super protective. He wanted to quit his job and move with me, but I managed to talk him out of it. Instead, he hired a lovely lady to be my live-in chaperone and cook. As we got close to the entrance of The Pines, I quickly steered Liam down a different street, one with more modest houses. His family was broke; seeing all these mansions would probably just make him feel bad. "This is me!" I said, pointing randomly at a house. "You should get home, too." Liam looked up at the house, then suddenly reached out and gently patted the top of my head. "See you tomorrow, desk partner." If any of our classmates had been there, they would have seen a different Liam. It was like a black-and-white photo that had suddenly been colorized. The heavy, world-weary look was gone, replaced by something that looked a little like… hope. As soon as he was gone, I sprinted back towards The Pines. I was running fast, and as I rounded the corner to my street, I nearly crashed into someone. The person reacted instantly, shooting out an arm to steady me. I looked up and found myself staring into a handsome, finely chiseled face. Huh. I frowned. He looked familiar. Kind of like Liam, actually. But why was he just staring at me like that? I waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello? I'm fine. You can let go now." He blinked, then quickly dropped his hand. "Sorry." I shrugged it off, nodded, and started to walk away. "Hey, do you go to Northwood—" he called out from behind me. But just then, my little golden retriever, Sunny, came bounding out to greet me. "Sunny!" I cried, running to him and scooping him up, completely forgetting about the boy behind me. Caleb Astor stood frozen, watching the girl disappear around the corner, happily cuddling her dog. By the time he snapped out of it and ran after her, she was gone. He pulled out his phone and typed in his group chat: Any of you guys know a girl at our school with long hair, super tall, big round eyes, and a tiny mole by her nose? Ever seen her? Someone replied: What's up, Cal? Meet a new girl? Love at first sight? Another message popped up: No way, Caleb's standards are way too high. He wouldn't even look at the homecoming queen. Caleb propped his feet up on the coffee table, staring at the words "love at first sight" for a long moment. Cut the crap, he typed back. Just tell me if you've seen her or not. Long hair, check. Big eyes, check. Tall, check. But that specific combo? Never seen her. Don't worry, man. We'll be on the lookout tomorrow. If she goes to Northwood, she can't hide. Caleb typed back lazily: Find her, and there's a big reward in it for you. Caleb Astor came from a wealthy family and was blessed with good looks. He had a natural confidence that told him anything he wanted, he could get.
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