Chapter 2 You Won

Dawn’s Point of View 

Felix would never betray me; our relationship was beyond dating. He was more than ‘just’ my boyfriend; he was my childhood friend. 

We shared more than just a dying passion to be with each other; we shared our dreams, our goals—we supported each other in taking the scholarship exam. I wanted to join the committee, and Felix had a passion to play hockey. 

In just six months after I joined, I became the group leader, and last year I was made president of the sport planning committee due to my hard work, but unlike me, things didn’t really go well for Felix. 

He kept getting kicked out from the team; he was so depressed by his failure that he almost gave up. I made sure to make a difference when I became president; I found a spot for him, and the sole reason I shifted the competition further was to make sure he had enough time to practice before the games began. 

My shaky fingers forwarded the video to him, then I typed. “Explain this.” 

I waited, but he didn’t respond even though he had seen the message. Impatiently, I called him. 

“Felix, I know you saw that!” I snapped but froze when I heard the familiar chuckle that belonged to the witch.  

Dorothy. 

Why was she with his phone? If she was with him, does this mean the video wasn’t AI-generated and it’s real? 

“Where is Felix?” I asked instead. 

“Oh, he is having the time of his life.” She giggled. “Logan is hosting a cocktail party in his house, and everyone else is invited except you.” 

“Just give Felix the phone," I muttered. 

“Don’t wanna.” She teased. “If you want to talk to him so bad, you can come get him.” 

“You stole Felix's phone, didn’t you?” I asked curiously. “I used to think you have class, but I guess you haven’t outgrown petty tricks.”

“What?” She snorted. 

“I know Felix is not there, and you’re only trying to set him up, the way you did to me.” 

“You’re even more delusional than I thought.” She giggled again, and then I heard a low chuckle just beneath the noise. 

My heart seized. No, it can’t be. 

“You think I’m lying? Then I dare you to come and see for yourself.” The phone went blank, my breathing ragged as I scampered across the room for something decent to wear.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Mom asked as I shoved past her.  

“I’ll be late.” I grumbled underneath my breath. 

“I’m making dinner," Luther announced. “Won’t you even stay to have some?” 

I didn’t even spare him a glance as I bolted out the front door.

"This is just another prank.” I climbed up the steps leading out to the yard. “Felix is in his part-time job, or he is at home with his mom—there is no way he is here, kissing—” 

I trailed off, the truth glaring cruelly at me. Felix was in shorts, screaming, laughing, and gulping down drinks just like the rest of the people who were by the pool. 

The loud music, the swaying lights—everything was strong enough to make me stagger, but I still needed to speak to Felix. 

Maybe this was a mistake. 

Maybe he was lured out here. 

I was certain he would look at me and tell me everything is fine. 

I wobbled towards the pool, shoving past guests as I proceeded… “I don’t think I've had this much fun in my life.” He chuckled. 

“Felix!” I yelled, my vocal cord strained, and the music died out dramatically. 

All heads reeled in my direction, but I didn’t care; I couldn’t even see anyone; the only one in front of me was Felix. Surprise flashed through his face, and then it was replaced by distress. 

“Dawn, what are you doing here?” He walked up to me, his eyes searching around. “Were you invited to the party?”

“The question is, what the hell are you doing here?” I asked instead. “What’s all this?” 

“I’m having fun.” 

“Fun?” I questioned.

“Yes,” he snapped, his tone changing. “Or am I not allowed to have a little fun outside of you?”

“That’s why you are kissing Dorothy behind my back? Is that fun too?” I accused, and he blinked back hard. He wasn’t saying anything—he wasn’t denying it. “Cat got your fucking tongue? Say something! Tell me it’s not true.”

Tears blurred my vision once more. 

“It’s true.” He confessed. 

“Why… How…” I stepped back. “How could you do this to me? You’re supposed to be my best friend—you're my boyfriend!”

“The truth is I don’t love you anymore.” The word sounded like a bomb. “But you're so obsessed with the idea of being together as the perfect hockey team couple. I just couldn’t ruin your fantasy—besides, you promised to help me get on the team.”

I stared at him with my mouth hanging open; more tears slid down my cheeks.

“But now, I don’t need you anymore—Dorothy is the one who will help me get to my dreams.” My eyes landed on Dorothy; she stood only a few inches away from him, a smug look on her perfect face. 

I spotted Logan in the back; his arms folded across his chest as he studied me. I could hear people sneering, mocking me. 

Without thinking, I slapped Felix—hard—across the face and ripped off the silver bracelet wrapped around my left wrist, the one he got me last Valentine's. 

“Here! Give your new girl a Valentine's gift.” My voice was strangled in my throat. 

“I don’t need such a cheap thing," Dorothy scoffed, stalking towards Felix. “You clung onto something so valueless for a whole year? Only to be dramatic now?” 

The pool area roared with laughter. 

Felix tossed back the bracelet to me, discomfort evident on his face. “A homeless kid in the park gave it to me. I felt bad for forgetting to get you a gift, so I just handed it to you. I don't know why you still have that.” 

The laugh intensified. Now he joined them to make fun of me? I stormed out, throwing the bracelet in the pool. 

I wiped the tears aggressively with the back of my hands.

“Hey—” The security personnel held a baton against me. “You can’t leave.” 

“Why?” I raised my tear-filled eyes.  

“For the safety of our guest, the host has requested that no one leaves until dawn.” The man answered. 

“No, I’m not a guest.” More tears rolled down my cheeks. “Just open the gates and I’ll be gone.”

“I’m sorry, miss; I’m just following orders.”

Nothing I said made him open the gate, and I didn’t want to cause more ruckus than had already happened, so I limped towards a lonely corner, where no one would notice someone as insignificant as me. 

My chest throbbed painfully, and my throat was parched. I nestled on the ground, hugging my jacket tightly. I could feel sleep treading in. 

“You can’t sleep there.” A deep voice suddenly pulled me out of my slumber, and my eyes snapped up to see the icy blue eyes staring down at me.  

At first, my brain went, "Logan!" And all the cells in my body began to panic, so hard that my soul nearly jumped out of my body. 

“Calm the fuck down.” He pushed me back when I jumped up, then he shoved a glass of drink in my face. “Drink this.” 

“Why?” I asked, refusing his drink. “So, you can drug me again?” 

He snickered. “I kind of feel bad for you—all that yelling and crying; your throat must be raw.” 

I unconsciously rubbed my neck because he wasn’t wrong. 

“Leave me alone.”

“You can stay in one of my guest rooms instead of the floor like a fucking dog.” His voice was sharp and unkind. 

“I’m not your guest; where I stay is none of your fucking business.” I retorted sharply. 

“You made yourself a guest by coming to my party, uninvited.” He stressed the last part of his statement, and I glared at him. 

“You did this, right?” I asked, sitting up properly. “All this is because of the competition, right?” 

He said nothing, and so I nodded. 

“You’ve made your point clear. I fucking understand. You won.” Fresh tears are biting at my eyes. “I’ll change the competition date; you can get lost now.” 

“Good girl." He reached for my face, tucking a single strand of my hair behind it. “I’ll respond kindly as well and delete those photos we took.” 

I didn’t give a shit what he did anymore; I just wanted him to be out of my fucking hair. In my furious silence, he gently placed the glass of cocktail beside me and then threw a blanket at me. 

“Don’t freeze to death while you’re on my property.” 

His back turned to me as he walked away. 

“What makes this particular competition special?” I asked curiously, and he stopped in his tracks. “You’re the best player in the game; you’ve won countless medals; you have so many honors to your name—so what makes this game so special that you’re unable to wait just a few months?” 

He sucked in a noisy breath, glancing at me. 

“Do you think this is just about the game?” I didn’t expect him to answer me, but he did. “The competition is a perfect excuse for me to not attend my father’s wedding or be involved in any bullshit he is planning with the gold digger he found.”