Chapter 5

Ethan was exactly like his online persona. Despite being ridiculously handsome, he didn't have any of the typical arrogant "pretty boy" attitude.

He was incredibly sweet, gentle, and attentive the entire day.

I found out his real name was Ethan Brooks, and he was also an incoming freshman at our university. Although we had different majors, we were on the same campus.

He took me to an upscale restaurant, pulling out my chair and cutting my steak for me, blushing so hard he barely dared to look me in the eye.

He spent the whole afternoon taking me around the city, and when he finally dropped me off at the restaurant for the freshman pre-party, he looked at me reluctantly.

"Text me when it's over. I'll come pick you up."

...

The restaurant they chose was packed. As I approached the private dining room, I could hear voices echoing from inside.

"Is everyone here?"

"Not yet, Chloe Sterling hasn't shown up."

"Chloe? You mean the fat girl who catfished Carter?" someone sneered. "She's probably too chicken to show up."

"Duh! If she saw our queen Haley, she'd die of embarrassment. Girls like her only dare to catfish guys online. Nobody would look at her twice."

Haley joined in the laughter, leaning her head against Carter's shoulder.

"Don't be so mean, guys. Being ugly isn't her fault."

Just as I was about to walk in, a slightly plump girl beat me to it and stepped into the room.

The room went dead silent for a second, and then everyone started exchanging smirks.

"Well, if it isn't Chloe. You sure take your sweet time making an entrance."

"You look exactly like Carter described."

"Have a seat. Wait, do we need to pull up two chairs for you? Will one be enough?"

The room erupted into loud laughter.

Carter draped his arm around Haley's shoulders, a smug, mocking smirk playing on his lips.

The girl looked at them like they were crazy, then calmly started unloading dishes from the food cart outside onto the table. She was just a waitress.

The laughter in the room instantly died, replaced by awkward silence.

That was when I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

Every single eye locked onto me.

A guy with a buzz cut froze, his beer glass suspended in mid-air. The yellow liquid spilled over the rim, dripping onto his pants before he snapped out of it, frantically wiping himself.

The girl across from him, who had been laughing the loudest a moment ago, now had her mouth open in a perfect 'O' shape.

Haley, who had been lazily leaning on Carter's shoulder, sat up straight in an instant. Her smug smile vanished, and she unconsciously began fixing her hair.

And Carter? He was staring at me, completely paralyzed.

"Holy shit..." I heard someone whisper.

Someone finally broke the silence.

"Hey, gorgeous... are you in the wrong room? This is a freshman pre-party."

The buzz-cut guy who had mocked me earlier quickly chimed in, "Even if she's in the wrong room, it's fine! She looks like a freshman too. She can eat with us!"

I smiled.

"Hi everyone. I'm Chloe Sterling."

The room practically exploded with shock.

The buzz-cut guy stuttered, his jaw dropping.

"You're Chloe? No way!"

"But Carter said you were..."

I smiled sweetly. "Said I was what?"

My eyes swept over Carter, whose face had turned completely pale and rigid.

He looked pretty much like I expected.

Objectively speaking, he was very handsome. But it was a flashy, player kind of handsome.

His bleached blonde hair was perfectly styled, and he had a pair of flirtatious eyes that made him look like a textbook playboy.

"Who's Carter? I don't think I know anyone named Carter," I said flatly.

Carter froze in his seat, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.

Unconsciously, his arm slipped off Haley's shoulder.

Haley bit her lower lip, her face darkening.

I found the whole scene hilarious.

I knew that look in Carter's eyes. I had seen it on countless faces over the past few months. It was pure awe.

But in Carter's eyes, there was also something else. Regret.

"Chloe?" he finally spoke, his voice hoarse.