Preston Sterling didn’t want me, his "hillbilly" fiancée from the countryside. To get me to break off the engagement myself, he hired the school’s poorest scholarship student to impersonate him. "One nouveau riche, one guy so broke he can't afford lunch. A perfect match," Preston sneered to his friends. "I bet the gold digger won't last three days before she runs back to her daddy to cancel the wedding." The scholarship student was tall, aloof, and looked like he was holding the weight of the world on his shattered shoulders. I fell for the lie completely. I really thought the Sterling family had gone bankrupt and that he couldn’t even afford a meal. My dad’s advice rang in my ears: "Baby girl, so what if they went bust? We don't love people for their money. We have enough money to support him." So, when he was hungry, I fed him. When he worked part-time, I acted as his bodyguard. When his mom was hospitalized, I swiped my card. I took excellent care of my destitute "fiancé." Until that day. A gorgeous, preppy boy snatched the breakfast I had painstakingly prepared. Just as I was about to explode, he looked at me with a mix of frustration and desperation. "Lily, look closely. I am your fiancé..." 1. My dad told me I had a fiancé in the city. To let me decide whether I wanted him or not—and to get me into a better school—he transferred me to Preston Sterling’s high school for my junior year. I heard the Sterling family was old money, the richest in the state. My dad made sure I packed plenty of expensive gifts. But when I got off the train, not a single person from the Sterling family was there to pick me up. I was annoyed at first. But when I got to the school and saw "Preston"—wearing a t-shirt so washed out it was practically transparent—my anger vanished. A helpful student I met on the way had looked at the photo in my hand and guided me. "Junior AP History? You're looking for Preston? I know him. I'll take you." He pointed him out. I followed his finger. Sitting by the window was a boy with a straight back, thin and clean. The afternoon sun filtered through the blinds, hitting his profile. The breeze ruffled his hair, revealing a smooth forehead and a sharp brow bone. I looked at the photo, then at him. The helpful student whispered, his voice dripping with tragedy, "You don't know? The Sterling family went bankrupt two years ago. Preston is on financial aid now. He works part-time after school. Sometimes he’s so broke he can't even afford lunch." My family didn't have much contact with the Sterlings, and rich families don't exactly advertise bankruptcy to their country connections. I let out a soft "Oh," nodding like a bobblehead, promising not to spread the gossip. "Class, this is the new transfer student, Lily Vance," the teacher announced, pointing to an empty desk in the back. "You can sit there." I looked up. It was right next to him. From the moment I walked in, he never looked up. He was writing furiously on a piece of paper. As I squeezed past his chair to get to my seat, my backpack snagged on something. I tugged gently, and a metal water bottle fell out of his desk. It clattered on the floor, the lid popping off to reveal half a dry, stale bagel inside. It rolled into the dust. I saw his shoulders tremble slightly. He gripped his pen tighter, but didn't turn around. Stifled snickers erupted around us. I saw boys whispering, looking at his back with disdain. So it was true. The boy in the photo, once so full of life, really couldn't even afford a proper meal. I bit my lip, hugged my bag, and sat down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." He still didn't look at me. He just picked up the bottle and stuffed it back into his desk. "I'm Lily," I said, tilting my head to catch his eye. "Do you remember me?" We had met once when he was six. My mom and I are suckers for pretty faces, and little Preston was exquisite. I had dragged him to chase chickens, and he got pecked on the butt. He never spoke to me again. But he hadn't grown up ugly. He was still beautiful. He jumped slightly at my closeness, leaning back to look at me. His eyes were gorgeous—like obsidian. His lashes were long and dark, softening the coldness in his gaze. He didn't speak. I scratched my head. "I'm your fiancée. Remember?" He was taking a sip of water and choked, coughing violently. I quickly patted his back. When he recovered, he looked at me with a complicated expression, a flush spreading across his pale cheeks. Maybe he forgot. Or maybe bankruptcy changed him. Whatever. I decided we’d just start over as friends. I extended my hand, smiling. "Well, we're desk mates now. I'm Lily. Nice to meet you. By the way, can you do me a favor?" I thought he would ignore me, but he spoke. His voice was cold. "I don't have time." 2. Meanwhile, the "helpful" student who guided me had run to the stairwell to meet a group of rich kids. Gavin laughed, high-fiving the center of the group—a handsome, preppy boy. "Preston, it's done. That girl is not the brightest bulb." "She believed everything I said. I pointed at Jax and told her the Sterlings went bust and he couldn't afford food. Her jaw hit the floor." "She even saw Jax’s stale bagel. Who lives like that in this day and age? Is she planning to run a charity?" "I bet you anything, she'll call her dad to cancel the engagement within three days." Preston looked impatient but checked, "Are you sure? Three days? She really bought it?" "I saw the photo she had. It was just a side profile of you. You and Jax have a similar build. Nobody would question it." "I told her that after the bankruptcy, you changed your name to Jax to hide from debt collectors. She bought it hook, line, and sinker." "If you run into her, just say you have the same name. She won't cling to you." Preston shoved his hands in his pockets, relaxing. "Nouveau riche country bumpkin. What century is this? Who does arranged marriages anymore?" "Exactly. The Sterling family has a hundred years of history. Even if you marry, it should be to an heiress, not some village girl." "My mom has been on a hunger strike trying to force my dad to cancel it. But Dad listens to Grandpa, and Grandpa is all about 'honor' and 'promises to old war buddies.'" "But hey," Gavin added, "I actually think your fiancée..." Preston shot him a cold look. Gavin corrected himself. "The little village girl is actually pretty cute. I took a picture. Want to see? Maybe you'll like her." Preston scoffed. "Are you sick? Since when do I have low standards? I don't do country girls." Gavin scratched his head, muttering, "She really is pretty though. Prettier than the prom queen." 3. I knew none of this. Right now, my world revolved around Jax. Yes, he said his name was Jax. The Sterlings really did change his name to hide from debt. I spent the whole day trying to talk to him. He rarely responded. But I’m chatty. I got my dad’s genes—he could talk to a cow for a whole day. Plus, I’ve never met a stranger. "Hey, what's good to eat in this city? I'm new." "Do you live on campus or commute?" "Wait, why is this formula different from what I learned back home?" "Where's the water fountain? I'm parched." Finally, Jax couldn't take it anymore. He whispered, "Listen to the teacher." Then, after a pause: "Water fountain is by Room 4. Go after class." By the time the bell rang, I forgot about the water. I called my dad immediately and told him about the Sterling bankruptcy. Dad was shocked. "What? Oh well. It's okay, baby. If they're broke, they're broke. We aren't snobs. True character shows in hard times. If you like the kid, we'll just support him." I nodded. I didn't love him yet. But Jax was just so pitiful. I didn't have much, but I had money. And right now, that was exactly what he needed. My family got rich the year I was born. My dad invested in real estate when our town expanded, then got lucky with tech stocks. He didn't know anything about the internet, but he knew how to write a check. Compared to the generational wealth of the Sterlings, we were definitely "new money." But the benefit of being new money is that my dad hands me credit cards like they are playing cards. I could have bought the karaoke bar where Jax worked, but I didn't want to hurt his pride. I followed him for days before finding out where he moonlighted. Jax looked different at night. More casual, hair a bit messy. I had sneaked in, so when he saw me, his eyebrows knotted together. "Who told you to come to a place like this?" He dragged me to the stairwell. "Go home." Now he was talking. I pulled a club sandwich out of my bag and shoved it into his hand. Jax froze. "Eat it," I pushed it toward him. "I bought too much. The shop owner said it expires tonight. I can't eat it, and wasting food is bad. Help me out?" I knew Jax worked three jobs after school. Flyer distribution, running a taco stand, then cleaning at this karaoke bar. He sold tacos for $7 but never ate one himself. He survived on stale bagels or leftovers from the karaoke fruit platters. I had made friends with other classmates. They warned me to stay away from Jax. They said he was weird, gloomy, and anti-social. They said he had a mom on dialysis and a disabled sister. Strange. Mrs. Sterling was that sick? I couldn't ask him. I didn't want to break his heart. "Why?" Jax held the sandwich, looking down at me. I widened my eyes. "Why what? We're desk mates. And you helped me with that math problem today." I nodded firmly. "Yes! My dad said if I don't get into a good college, he'll break my legs. Jax, I am bribing you. This sandwich isn't free. You have to tutor me tomorrow." I saw his test scores. Perfect 1600 on the SATs. He pursed his lips. "You don't think I'm... dirty?" I gasped. "How could I?" I leaned in and sniffed him exaggeratedly. "You smell like soap. Your clothes are cleaner than mine! Look at my sleeve—" I showed him a smudge. "Are you going to say I'm dirty?" In the dim light of the stairwell, Jax looked up. His eyes shone like stars. He shook his head. I lifted my chin proudly. "That's right. I am your fian—" I stopped myself just in time. 4. Jax clocked out ten minutes early to walk me home. He stuffed a notebook of study guides into my bag. My dad bought me a house in the ritzy gated community, Clearview Estates, before I arrived. Since my mom passed, he treats me like a fragile treasure. He hired a live-in nanny to cook for me. As we approached the gates of the rich neighborhood, I swerved and walked toward the regular apartments down the street. His family went bankrupt. Seeing villas might make him sad. "This is me!" I pointed at a random building. "You go home now." Jax looked at the building, then suddenly reached out and patted my head. "See you tomorrow, desk mate." If anyone from school had seen him, they wouldn't have recognized him. The paper-thin, lifeless Jax seemed to have inflated with a little bit of hope. Once he was gone, I sprinted toward the gated community. I ran fast, rounding a corner, and almost slammed into someone. The person reacted quickly, grabbing my arm to steady me. I looked up. A very handsome, preppy face. Huh. He looked familiar. Kind of like Jax. But why did he look so dumbfounded? I waved my hand in front of his face. "Hey, I'm fine. You can let go." He startled and dropped his hand. "Sorry." I didn't care. I nodded and kept walking. "Wait, do you go to Central High...?" he called out from behind. But just then, my golden retriever burst out the front door to greet me. I squealed and ran to my dog, forgetting the boy entirely. Preston stood there, watching the girl hug her dog and disappear around the corner. By the time he reacted and chased after her, she was gone. He opened his group chat: "Does our school have a girl with long hair, big round eyes, and a beauty mark on her nose? Has anyone seen her?" Someone replied: "What's the situation? Love at first sight?" "No way. Preston has high standards. He wouldn't even date the cheer captain." Preston kicked his feet up on the coffee table, staring at the words "love at first sight." "Shut up. Just tell me if you've seen her." "I've seen long hair. I've seen big eyes. But that specific combo? I can scout for you tomorrow. If she goes to Central, she can't hide." Preston smirked. He was rich, handsome, and confident. There was no girl he couldn't get.
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