COURTNEY's POV

"Hello, love. Missed me?"

What did he want from me?

"Troy?"

I stuttered. I couldn't believe my eyes. Didn't I make it clear to him that we were over?

"What are you doing here?" I asked irately.

But Troy, being Troy, ignored my question and went in without invitation.

He had a smug look on his face as he paced the room, as if he expected me to be pleased to see him. My face was flushed with anger. But I didn't let it show. I knew I had to keep my composure.

"Are we having a welcome party?" He asked with a wide grin.

Oh god, I can't stand him and his cockiness!

"Troy, I said--"

"I know your secret." He blurted out of nowhere, interrupting whatever I was about to say to him.

I was surprised at first, and his expression told me he had caught me off guard.

Oh god! I want to wipe that annoying triumphant grin off his face right now.

But I didn't falter a bit because I don't know what this jerk's talking about. I'm not hiding anything.

"Stop wasting your time, Troy. I'm an open book. Whatever secret you have against me, I don't care." I told him in a bored tone.

I looked him dead in the eyes, ready to throw him out. I had other things to do and I didn't have time for his silly games. I had bigger plans to focus on and Troy wasn't even part of them.

My friends are coming anytime now, so this needs to be over and done with.

I walked past him, got my phone and I quickly sent the message to Terry and the girls where they were and put my phone back in my pocket.

If this was solved now, I could be with Chad sooner. I smiled at the idea of us having lunch and walking the halls together.

"Mirror mirror on the wall. Who is the most cunning of them all?"

I rolled my eyes at this and before I had a chance to tell him that I didn't have the time for his childish antics, Troy grabbed my shoulders and forced me to face a large mirror in our living room.

He was behind me, with that smirk on his face. He held me in place. His grip was so strong that I couldn't even move.

"Do you remember Jeremy?" He asked. I furrowed my brows in confusion.

"Troy, seriously I don't have-"

"The boy you ruined." He added. "You promised him you'd be his girlfriend in exchange for the exam papers? "

I felt my face pale and my stomach drop.

Yes, I remember him. But how did he know?

I tried my very best not to show anything that would give away my expression, but Troy was slick. He picked it up right away, making him grin triumphantly.

"Yes!" He exclaimed. "It was so funny. You see, I saw him at camp. He was one of their boy or something. Oh and did you know that I had food poisoning because of him?"

Troy's voice was laced with disdain, he sounded annoyed as he retold the story. He walked over to the sofa and sat down while he picked up a mini-burger that I had prepared for the girls. He slumped his body there even more as he ate it.

The girls.

I sent them a message saying I had to cancel our meeting. I didn't want them to come here and see Troy, for sure they wont be pleased.

Besides, I have a feeling that whatever Troy has right now has something to do with Chad as well. And I was determined to find out to make sure Chad wouldn't be in trouble because of him.

I needed to confront Troy and ask him what he was up to. I had to be careful though. If I handled this situation the wrong way, it could make things worse for Chad.

I swear, if Troy...

"At first I didn't have any idea why that loser poisoned me. I missed some games because of him."

"What did you do?" I asked, panicky.

"Oh, look at you. Acting as if you actually have a heart and care for that loser." He mocked.

This guy really think of me as a heartless bitch!

Well, can I blame him? I was a heartless bitch back then anyway.

I tried not to let him get to me. My composure remained intact. I was determined to stand my ground and not be affected by his words. Instead, I stared at him and asked, "That's not what I asked. Answer the question."

"Let's just say I gave him a taste of his own medicine." He wiggled his brows in amusement. This made me sick. I could imagine the most awful thing he did to that poor guy.

I was about to lash out, but he already interrupted me.

"The reason why he did that to me was because of you. He took his revenge on me!" This time, his expression was harsh. He was annoyed.

I was speechless. I didn't know what to say or how to respond.

"That stupid boy risked everything for you, Court. In exchange for your promise to be his girlfriend? He said his scholarship was revoked because of you. And he ended up in that camp because his life was, how did he put it, completely ruined by you." He air quoted the last words.

I couldn't believe what I heard. I had no idea that my actions had such dire consequences.

"Someone discovered what he had done to the exam papers he got for you. He got expelled immediately, and it's on his permanent record. Of course you weren't reprimanded because daddy just gave the school an upgraded library, right? The loser kept insisting that you made him do it. But it wasn't proven. He didn't even get a chance to redeem himself."

I could feel my stomach churning at this, guilt consumed me. It made me feel sick and I wanted to cry. I knew I was responsible. I had manipulated him into doing it.

And the fact that I got away with it because of my dad's bribery? This is out of hand!

"Look at you, acting like you're guilty or something." Troy laughed loudly.

I thought Jeremy was just too heartbroken that's why he transferred to another school. I didn't know he was kicked out for what I made him do. I felt a heavy guilt weighing me down.

I ruined him. I ruined his future.

So that's why Chad became the new Student Assistant?

Chad.

And then it hit me.

This conversation is not just about Jeremy, is it? Chad has a role in it.

"What do you want? Why are you really here? Sure it's not just for this petty drama. It was a long time ago. Plus, nothing has been proven that it was me. For all I know, maybe he was just making up stuff and blaming everything on me." I tried my best to appear bored and unbothered by this.

But deep down, it was eating me. I don't know how I will make things right for Jeremy. I literally ruined his future. Because of me, he lost his dreams.

This is too much.

The guilt I felt was almost unbearable; I had to find a way to make things right, no matter the cost.

"Oh, love. When he told his side of the story, there was no doubt that it was true. The design was very Courtney Collins. Threatening, bargaining, and demanding. You would do everything to get what you wanted. No need to hide it love, it was damn hot! You just made me like you even more, my evil queen."

I couldn't help but flinch at his words. Even though I knew this was the old me, I was still surprised at how accurately he could describe me.

I was really evil.

"I was too invested in the story that's why I investigated further. You see, you broke up with me out of the blue, remember? Just few weeks before prom! That was cruel. So I dug some things just to see what was really going on. And I found something interesting."

I felt my chest tightening as I heard those words. I knew I had made a mistake, and I was scared of what he had found out. I had an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I knew I was in trouble.

"You're doing the same thing you did last year." His tone was harsh, and it sent chills down my spine. "You are seducing the current errand boy just to get the exam papers, correct?" His tone was cold, and his face was devious.

I stepped back, feeling dread in the pit of my stomach. He was right. I couldn't deny it. That was the original plan. That was the reason I came to Chad, and yes, I tried to do the same thing.

But it's different now.

I had never expected to fall for him, and now that I have, I can't go through with my original plan. I love him too much to hurt him like that.

"Of course you succeeded. Otherwise you wouldn't start improving your grades! I heard you got an A?" He mocked me, as if he couldn't believe I could actually get an A without cheating or something.

This imbecile think little of me!

I couldn't believe I let those vile lips touch mine!

I was so angry that I wanted to slap him. But, I kept my cool. I knew I had achieved this success without those papers. I studied hard. And I didn't need his validation for this.

"It was the same geek you asked us to torture, right? You shifted from violence to seduction. And you even tried to break up with me just to get what you wanted. Maybe he didn't believe you that's why you actually broke up with me." He grinned confidently. That wasn't a question, for him, it was a fact.

He actually thought I wouldn't break up with him because of his attitude? What a narcissistic jerk! I broke up with him because I finally realized that what we had wasn't love. It was superficial. And his real character showed me that he didn't really care about me. He only wanted what he wanted and didn't care about my feelings!

Why was I so blinded by looks and social status before?

"So, will you share those exam papers with me? Sharing is caring. Imagine what would happen to that geek after all this? If someone rats on him, I bet you will ruin him, too. Does he have a scholarship or something? Maybe he will end up in that camp, too. Oh god, Court. You're such an evil genius! I can't believe I can like you even more." While Troy sounded so impressed, I was already trembling inside.

The reason my grades improved wasn't because of cheating, but because of my own efforts! He never thought I could do it myself, did he?

Who am I kidding? With my background and all, and this kind of past, who would actually believe I did it on my own?

Chad.

Yes, even in my cruel days, Chad never stopped believing in me.

Chad knew my capabilities and helped me reach my potential.

He taught me many things. He never gave up on tutoring me.

I'm not just an empty can.

I'm not just a queen bee.

I am Courtney.

He did all this for me.

What should I do to save him from the old me?

To save him from my past?

-END OF CHAPTER 44-

A/N: I hope you're enjoying this so far. We don't want to ignore what she did to Jeremy, right? >.< Let me know what you think!

I enjoyed reading all your comments. It gives me inspiration.

You can read the advance chapters on my Patreon Page: notjustarandomgirl (on Chapter  52 now!)