3. Surprise

Don't forget we're having dinner at home, and wear something nice. We have guests! Love you always! ? -Mom

Guests? I rolled my eyes at her message. For parents who claimed to love both of us, they weren't really doing a good way of showing it. All those two cared about was Maison and his so called career.

"I like your painting, Myah!" Mrs. Oak pointed out. "Keep up the good work!"

"Thanks!"

With a proud smile, I looked at the painting in front of me. We had to express one of our biggest regrets in life, and while the first thought went to my ex, who was right beside me—I had a change of mind and decided Jayden would be my next victim.

Whatever happened between us was clearly a mistake, so the idea was simple. I drew an image of two individuals with their backs turned against each other.

"Is that us?" Noah Blake asked. Annoyed, I glared at the guy beside me and shook my head. Noah Blake was my first love, and not surprisingly, also the first one to break my heart.

Noah, who was once part of the football team, as well as my brother's former best friend, had made my freshman year a living hell. I had decided to break things off because he was cheating on me, but he couldn't take it and threatened to release my nudes.

In complete panic, I told the truth to my brother, Maison, who had given him a well-deserved beating, but it didn't end there. Noah only got removed from the football squad and switched his major to art—which he sucked at by the way, while Maison had to pay a fine. It was all just a way to get to me.

I don't regret a thing, and I would do it again. Those were my brother's words. He didn't always show it, but he was an overprotective brother, and anyone who was against me could get punched.

Hence the reason why I could not let him find out about Jayden.

"I thought we had an agreement that you wouldn't bother me anymore."

Noah chuckled. "I'm not bothering you." He believed his lies. "But if you think I am." He pulled away. "Then I won't talk to you anymore, fine."

I didn't know how fast to leave the room after class had ended, but I had somehow managed to do it. Being in a room with Noah made me feel uncomfortable, but I didn't want to show it because he had already done more than enough damage. I could not risk my brother or my dad losing their careers over him.

Shocked, I glued myself to the wall as a dozen girls ran through the hallway to make their way to the campus yards. "What are you doing? JR Cruz is on campus!" One of the girls ran past me.

JR Cruz? As far as I could remember—that was Jayden's dad. After our eventful night, I stalked him on social media, and I did not regret it. Boy, he was hot—and given the opportunity, I would do him again.

Stop Myah. You can't.

I waited until the large crowd made their way past me before heading towards the campus yard. I did not care for that man, but I had to get to my dorm.

Just as expected, the yard was filled with a thousandth of screaming girls, a bunch of fanboys, and even the media who were present. I didn't want to look, but it was a scene that I couldn't ignore. I only regretted my decision when Jayden's eyes stared straight into mine.

Of course, he would be with his dad.

Not in the mood to walk past Jayden, I turned on my heel and took a detour to the dormitory. It didn't matter how hot he was. I still could not believe that he had kicked me out, just like that.

The dorm was empty as Mitsuki still had gymnastics. I decided to send her a message, saying I wouldn't be home tonight before I took a long shower. My parents pretending to care about me remained a funny concept.

The only reason why they invited me was because of these so-called guests. This was the game they played, and I was used to it. I wasn't an athlete. I wasn't like Maison—so they didn't pay much attention to me, but that did not mean that we didn't had to come across as the perfect family.

Dad had this weird obsession with making everyone believe that the Goodwin's were a healthy and stable family, while we clearly weren't.

I looked through my closet to find the perfect dress but gave up not long after as I ended up wearing a tank top, a denim jacket and a pair of ripped jeans with my sneakers underneath. If I couldn't get their attention with my art, I would do it by rebelling.

After several hours had passed, I was already on my way to my parents' place. All I could think of were these so-called guests, which wasn't too crazy for my household. Due to my dad's job, they always had important people of status around. Who would it be this time? The mayor? The principal?

I looked at the large house in front of me and the expensive looking sports car in the driveway. Our guests had already arrived, which made everything so much more awkward.

With a pit in my stomach, I took a breath before entering the house and could already hear the laughter from the dining room. "Oh, I think that's my princess!" I heard my dad's voice. Yes, the princess he was so embarrassed of.

"Hey guys—I'm not late, am I?" I entered the dining room with my eyes glued to the floor. I felt dad's cold hand on my shoulder. "Of course not, princess!" He pulled me into a bone-cracking hug.

"Could you not find anything better to wear?" He hissed into my ear right before he pulled away with the same fake smile on his lips. Jacob Goodwin, or coach G as many liked to call him, was a hard man to please—which was why I was done trying.

We didn't have a good relationship, and him finding out I had sent nudes to my ex made him dislike me even more. "Come on, great, our guests." He spoke.

My eyes went to the table and traveled from my mom and Maison to the familiar man and woman who sat on the opposite side.

"H-hi." I choked on my words. What the hell were JR Cruz and his wife doing in my house? I hadn't expected to see Jayden's dad.

JR shot me a slight smile while his wife did the same. From my research, I had found out that Katie Cruz was Jayden's new stepmom. His parents got divorced at a young age, and this was his dad's fifth marriage.

"What's up, ugly." Maison raised his brows. I ignored my brother and smiled at mom, who patted the empty seat beside her. "Hey, mom." I kissed her cheek.

"Honey, I like this edgy look you're going for. I heard it's hot nowadays!" She praised my outfit, side-eyeing Katie. "I wondered where that jacket went after I got it handmade for you in Paris!"

Of course, all this woman cared for was status. Aaliyah Goodwin was a woman who was lucky enough to find someone as rich as dad, and if she weren't my mother—I would've called her a gold digger. Even then, she wasn't your usual gold digger, no. She stood behind my dad and was just as football-obsessed as him and Maison.

"It is really nice to meet you, Myah," JR spoke. "I've heard a lot about you."

Well, since people loved to have my name in their mouths, it could not mean any good.

"You have a nice house, coach!"

My body froze at the familiar voice, and I turned around as fast as I could. It was Jayden. What was he doing here? Think Myah, if his dad and his stepmom were here, so was he.

"Thanks, son," Dad replied, but Jayden's eyes could only stare into mine. Just like me, he seemed troubled, worried, and confused. I bet he didn't expect to see me at my own house.

"Uh, this is my daughter—Myah!" Dad introduced me. I got up from my seat and fixed my outfit. "H-hi, nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand, sending him a message.

The best would be to make everyone believe that this was our first meeting. I was not allowed to interact with dad's boys, and Maison did not want me around his friends. Not after what had happened with Noah.

"Nice to meet you…Myah." Jayden accepted my hand, but this time he carried a cocky smirk on his lips. It took me a good minute to remember that this was the same guy who had kicked me out of his apartment.

Jayden and I both sat down, and as things couldn't get worse—he sat on the opposite side of me.

He raised his eyebrows to grab my attention and smiled at me with his million-dollar dimples. The most challenging thing about Jayden was his confidence. It was almost as if he had challenged me. How long until Myah crumbles?

Was this really the same guy who was smooth-talking me at the party?

It wasn't that difficult to see that he was a player, and that he saw me as his little game, but there was one thing he didn't know yet.

I loved games.