Harper hated parties.

The sweaty bodies, the drunk people screaming, couples making out in the corners, the scent of alcohol and sex—it was all too much. She wasn't supposed to be here. She should have been in her dorm, studying for the internship interview her father had set up.

She didn't belong here. But her best friend, Tyla, had other plans.

"You need to loosen up, babe. Trust me," Tyla said over the loud music, dragging Harper through the crowd.

Harper rolled her eyes dramatically.

She couldn't believe she had let Tyla talk her into coming to this stupid Welcome Party meant to kick off the new semester. Of course, Tyla had a way of getting what she wanted. And now, here she was, claiming Harper needed a break.

"I don't care. Plus, I've already loosened up. And I think I should leave," Harper said, folding her arms as a deep frown settled on her face.

"Come on, just one drink wouldn't hurt," Tyla coaxed.

"Yeah... that's what they say. And the next minute, they wake up in jail," Harper shot back, her voice firm.

Tyla rolled her eyes. "Guess what?" she said excitedly.

Harper didn't even bother responding. She just rolled her eyes again.

Tyla, unfazed, continued. "Logan Hayes is here too!"

She stared at her friend, expecting her to smile or look surprised like most girls would. But instead, Harper just looked bored.

Harper blinked.

"Yay," she deadpanned, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"Wow, Harper, you're so excited," Tyla teased.

Logan.

The tattooed, motorcycle-riding jerk who had the whole world wrapped around his finger. Guys cheered him on like he owned the campus, and girls drooled over him like he was some hot celebrity.

Something about him just annoyed her.

She didn't know why, but she just knew he was trouble.

Dangerous.

And her number one rule was to stay away from trouble like it was a plague.

"Yes, I am, Ty. You can see the unseeable," Harper said sarcastically, making Tyla shake her head in amusement.

They stopped at the drink table. As Tyla poured their drinks, she glanced at Harper, who stood stiffly with her arms wrapped around herself, as if she needed protection from something unseen.

Tyla smirked and turned to Harper, holding out the cup. "Drink up. You need this."

Harper hesitated, staring at the cup like it held poison. But after a few seconds, she sighed and snatched it from Tyla's hand.

One gulp. Then another.

The bitterness burned down her throat, making her cough slightly, but warmth spread through her chest.

"Yeah! That's the spirit, Harp!" Tyla cheered, finishing her own drink.

Before Harper could think twice, another cup was in her hand. Then another.

And just like that, the tension in her shoulders eased. The loud music wasn't as annoying. The flashing lights weren't as harsh.

Maybe Tyla was right.

It had been so long since she let loose. Maybe, for just one night, she could forget everything.

But then, a wave of dizziness hit her. Regret settled deep in her chest.

Why had she let Tyla talk her into this?

Why had she allowed herself to—

"I need to leave, Ty," she whispered, her voice soft, head spinning.

She clutched her chest.

Tyla, on the other hand, was still hyped up and didn't even glance her way.

Sighing, Harper decided to leave on her own.

Her head ached.

But she wasn't drunk... at least, she didn't think she was.

One moment, she hated the music. The next, she liked it. And then, suddenly, it was too loud again.

She needed air.

Harper pushed through the crowd, her steps unsteady and wobbly.

Somehow, she stumbled into the dorm hallway.

She pressed a hand against the wall, trying to steady herself.

She needed to find the exit.

Which way? Left? Right?

Everything looked the same.

She saw a door open and thought it was the lounge.

Finally, a place to sit and rest.

She stepped inside.

Huge mistake.

This was no lounge. It was a room—a messy room, faintly scented with cologne.

And on the bed?

Logan Hayes was leaning back against the headboard—shirtless.

Wearing nothing but blue sweatpants, tattoos decorating his muscular skin, he stared at her with an intensity that made her stomach flip. Like she was the climax of his favorite film.

Harper froze.

Oh no. Oh no.

"You lost, princess?" he drawled, his voice lazy, wearing a faint smile like this was a normal thing to happen.

Like she wasn't standing in his room, half-drunk.

Harper opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

His lips tilted up into a smirk. "Is that a yes?" he asked, walking toward her.

"I—" Harper turned to leave, but her heel caught on the rug, and she stumbled forward.

Logan moved in a swift motion. One moment, she was toppling forward; the next, a strong arm wrapped around her waist before she could fall face-first.

Harper's breath hitched.

Her hand pressed against his chest for support as her amber eyes scanned his features.

She had never seen him this close. Never realized how beautiful his green eyes were.

He had the kind of face that looked sculpted—sharp jawline, firm lips that seemed made for kissing. His blonde hair was messy, a strand falling over one eye.

Time seemed to slow.

And then—

He chuckled.

"You done staring, princess?"

His words jolted her back to reality.

She scrambled out of his arms, her face burning. "I was just leaving," she muttered.

But before Harper could take another step, the dizziness hit her full force.

The room spun.

Logan let out a low curse as Harper's body went limp against him.

"Shit," he muttered, steadying her. "You're not gonna make it back to the dorm, are you?"

Harper made a sound of protest, but her eyelids were dropping.

"Yep. Didn't think so."

She felt strong arms lifting her onto the bed before everything faded to black.

Her eyelids fluttered open.

A sharp pulse hit her head as she opened her amber eyes, scanning the room she was in.

No.

This wasn't her dorm.

Her heartbeat quickened as she took in the environment—messy, cluttered, and faintly scented with cologne.

She placed a hand on her head, trying to soothe the ache.

What happened yesterday?

Harper tried hard to remember, but nothing seemed to slip into her memory. Her memories felt like static—blurry and incomplete.

She looked around.

At least she hadn't done anything with a stranger since her clothes were intact.Relief washed over her.

With her head pounding, Harper got up from the bed and dipped her hand into the back pockets of her baggy jeans to find her phone—but it wasn't there.

She frowned.

Thanks to Tyla for this mess. She'd skin her alive when she returned to her dorm—literally!

"Little princess is awake."

A voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Harper turned to see Logan Hayes leaning against the cardboard, staring at her.

She rolled her eyes.

Wait—

Logan. Hayes.

She was in his dorm!

Her pulse quickened as she suddenly remembered accidentally stumbling into his room.

Harper's eyes widened in shock.

"I—you—" Harper was speechless and quickly averted her gaze.

This was so embarrassing.

Really.

"I'm fine," she said quietly.

That's nice," Logan said, pushing off the doorframe. "Since you're fine, you can leave now, princess."

Harper scowled at the nickname. Princess. She didn't know why, but everything about him irritated her—his voice, his smirk, his whole existence.

"Don't call me princess."she snapped ,"And where's my phone?" Harper asked.

Logan raised his hand in surrender. "You never gave me your phone, did you?"

"How would I know? I was—" She bit her tongue before she could admit she was drunk. That would make her look irresponsible, and she refused to give him any ammunition.

"Drunk?" Logan finished for her, his smirk deepening. "Yeah, I figured. You even puked."

Harper's eyes widened in horror.

Did he just say she vomited in his room?

She was so embarrassed that she denied it. "No, I didn't!"

She felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment .

Logan chuckled, clearly enjoying her reaction.

She glared at him, mortified. She had never been this reckless before, and the fact that Logan of all people had witnessed it made it ten times worse.

Logan observed the girl who frowned before him.

Her long dark hair was tied up in a bun, slightly messy. She had the most beautiful amber eyes he'd ever seen, and her thick eyelashes framed them perfectly.

She had full lips—he'd say were kissable—and a slender body with slight curves he could see because of her crop top and baggy jeans.

She was cute.

That was undeniable.

"Aight, aight. If you say so," Logan said in surrender, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm leaving," she said.

"Yeah, you were supposed to be gone long ago, you know," Logan teased.

"Yeah, right," she said sarcastically. Logan just shook his head, amusement visible.

Harper began walking away.

"Hey,"

She turned.

"You forgot something," Logan said.

"What? My phone?" Harper asked, eyes searching for it.

"No," Logan corrected. "My thank you."

She blinked. "Excuse me?"

"I kept you here because I knew you wouldn't make it back to your dorm. So I deserve a big thank you, and you know it."

Harper stared at him blankly, blinking a few times.

She often found it easy to thank people, but why was it so hard to just say thanks to Logan?

Oh, she knew.

Because Logan was... Logan!

The trouble she should stay away from.

The person who hadn't harmed her but was still her nemesis for no reason.

How was she supposed to thank him when even his voice annoyed her?

The fact that she even had to consider thanking him made her want to scream!

"Yep, I'm waiting, princess," Logan teased, moving towards her, his gaze unchanging—locked onto hers.

"When will you stop calling me that?" she asked in frustration as he stopped in front of her, towering over her.

"When you thank me," he replied smoothly.

She stared at him, her eyes daring him, but inside, she shivered under his unwavering gaze. Harper swallowed, willing herself not to be affected by his presence.

Logan just smirked, a glint of amusement dancing in his eyes.

Harper forced a smile.

Then, she exhaled deeply and looked at him.

Thank you," she muttered through clenched teeth. "For keeping me safe," she added begrudgingly. Then, under her breath, she mumbled, "…even though I never asked you to."

Logan's smirk deepened.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," she said and turned swiftly.

"Goodbye, princess," he teased.

Harper shit him a dull look.

He was still going to call her princess.

It was inevitable.

Harper exited his room, leaving Logan smiling.

He enjoyed disturbing her, although yesterday was his first time speaking to her.

He had seen Harper around campus before. The dean's daughter, the girl who always had her nose buried in books, the girl who stayed out of trouble.

And yet, here she was, stumbling into his room, giving him a reason to bother her.

He had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time.

His phone buzzed.

Logan grabbed his phone from his pocket.

50+ messages.

Kennedy: Bro, have you heard?

Logan: About?

His eyes widedned when he scanned the next message.

He smirked.

Oh, this was about to get interesting.

As Harper walked back to her dorm, she realized people were staring at her, and it was awkward.

She was the dean's daughter, but that never made her the center of attention. No one ever paid much attention to her.

Harper opened the door to her room and was immediately met with Tyla running toward her. Abruptly, Tyla embraced her.

"Where have you been?!" Tyla demanded, her voice soft yet filled with concern.

"You're the one to ask?" Harper rolled her eyes as they pulled away.

"I'm so sorry, Harp. How are you feeling?" Tyla asked.

"Terrible," Harper muttered.

"Did you grab my purse yesterday?" Harper asked, her amber eyes searching their room.

"Yes. I'm charging your phone," Tyla said with a soft smile, gesturing toward the phone, which was on charge. "Okay, hurry and get ready. You're late for class," she added.

"Thanks to you, Ty," Harper grumbled, heading to the washroom.

***

As Harper and Tyla walked through the hallway, they could feel it—every eye in the corridor was locked on them.

What was going on?

"Ty?" Harper called out, her voice a mere whisper. "What did you do?"

Harper and Tyla were different.

Harper lived by the rules, buried herself in books, and avoided drama at all costs. Tyla, on the other hand, broke the rules without a second thought. She didn't care about academics and loved stirring up trouble.

So, if people were staring, it had to be because of Tyla.

"What? Nothing!" Tyla insisted, pulling out her phone to check what was trending.

Tyla's eyes widened. Horrified!

'HARPER REED CAUGHT IN LOGAN HAYES' BED?!'

"WHAT?!" she shrieked, causing Harper to jump slightly.

Without speaking, she handed the phone to Harper, who snatched it while maintaining eye contact with Tyla.

HARPER REED CAUGHT IN LOGAN HAYES' BED:

"Harper Reed, the daughter of the dean, was caught in the bed of campus heartthrob Logan Hayes after a welcome party..."

Harper's breath hitched as she read the headline.

She could hear the drumming of her own heartbeat. Her palms went clammy.

What was happening?!

Her spotless reputation—ruined.

"Is that true, Harper?" Tyla's voice snapped her back to reality.

"I—I—" Harper was speechless. She turned off airplane mode and checked her phone while Tyla read through the comments section.

Random User: So Harper Reed is a whore? She's been after Logan Hayes all along.

Random User: Prostitute!

Random User: Prostitute? More like a hypocrite! She walks around pretending to be innocent, but look what she's really up to.

Angered, Tyla switched off her phone.

How could people say this about her friend?!

Were the rumors even true?! Tyla needed answers.

"Is it true, Harper?!" she asked once more, and when Harper didn't reply, she knew it was. Harper was transfixed, her gaze remained on her screen.

Who could have done this?!

Her chest tightened as panic threatened to take over.

"Those stupid people! They were talking shit about you. I swear I'll whip their ass!" Tyla said with clenched fists, and Harper shot a look at her.

Realization hit her.

It was her fault.

If she hadn't forced Harper to go to that stupid party, none of this would have happened.

Tyla sighed, her voice soft with guilt. "Oh, Harp, I'm so sorry." She pulled Harper into another hug.

"It's okay," Harper whispered when they pulled away. "What do I do?" she asked.

Tyla and Harper started thinking. If they didn't do something fast, Harper's reputation would be ruined. As the dean's daughter, she had to lead by example, and she couldn't do that if people saw her as reckless.

Also, everyone knew Harper Reed hated Logan Hayes. So did this mean she had been lying all along?

They had to come up with something to restore Harper's reputation.

Harper turned to Tyla, her eyes filled with silent pleading. Tyla was the one with the wild ideas—the crazy yet brilliant solutions.

Tyla, however, was drawing a blank. She racked her brain, but nothing came to mind.

She couldn't believe this had just happened. Harper was popular now, but instead of it being about something good, it was about something bad.

Frustrated, she shook her head.

"Think, Ty, think!" Harper said in a high-pitched whisper.

"I am, Harper!" she shot back.

Harper was in deep trouble, and they both knew it.

Then—

A crazy idea popped into her mind.

"OH. MY. GOD. Harp!" she gasped, eyes sparkling. "I just had the craziest idea ever!"

Harper groaned. "Typical Tyla Gomez."

Tyla rolled her eyes. "Are you gonna listen or what?"

"Fine," Harper mumbled, her amber eyes dull with exhaustion.

Tyla grinned, practically bouncing in place. "Okay, hear me out. You know those 'good girl x bad boy' romance tropes? This—" she gestured around them, "—is exactly like one of those situations where the female lead and male lead—"

"No!" Harper shot back, her cheeks burning at the mere thought.

Fake date?

Oh no.

Oh hell no! No way!

"Harper, that's the only way. Your reputation is ruined. What else can you do? Trust me when I say there's no other way," Tyla explained.

Harper shook her head.

No, no, no, no.

There had to be another way.

"Look, Harp, I know this might be difficult for you to accept, but remember—you're the dean's daughter. If you want to clear your name, you have to make these idiots believe you and Logan were already in a relationship and that they were just poking their noses into your business."

Tyla's voice was firm, sincere.

Harper mulled over her words. She had a point—one she hated to admit. People had already started calling her names she knew her father, the dean, wouldn't want her associated with.

"But… what about Hazel?" Harper asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Isn't she dating Logan?"

Tyla blinked. "Hazel Freeman?"

Harper nodded.

Tyla scoffed. "Girl, you really don't follow the trends. They broke up two weeks ago."

Harper frowned. "Why?"

"No one knows. It's like Hazel just dumped him out of nowhere," Tyla explained. "They were the 'golden couple' last semester, but now? Over."

Harper went quiet.

So… was she really going to fake date Logan Hayes?!

Her pulse quickened.

"So, are you in, babe?" Tyla asked, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Maybe," Harper whispered before walking away.