Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Rising Tensions
Ethan's growing popularity on campus sparks envy and resentment.
Derek intensifies his bullying by spreading false rumors about Ethan and Tessa's relationship.
Tessa continues to stay close to Ethan, offering emotional support, making Ethan start to trust her.
Dylan cautions Ethan against relying on Tessa, but Ethan brushes him off, feeling he has finally found someone who understands him.
Cliffhanger: Ethan is invited to an exclusive party hosted by Derek, but Dylan warns him it's a trap.
" What do you want?" Ethan asked seeing Derek walking towards him. " What do I want? Is thavrwlly a question?" Derek looked back at his minions that were standing beside him. " I can't believe he just asked you that." Carlos who was has a Spanish accent grinned. " Do I need to teach you a lesson before you stay away from her?" Derek looked at Ethan with anger
" Stay away from who, Tessa?" He said with laughter. " If you have not noticed, we loved each other." Ethan said immediately trying to solidify his claim of love.
" Love? What does your love has to offer a woman like Tessa? She is not the lady for you. If you haven't noticed, she doesn't have anything to do with the less privileged inside the campus and my dear buddy, you are the number one on the list." Derek looked at into Ethan's eyes.
He could see he was begining to falter. " You haven't asked yourself why she chose you." Carlos said again. " She did because you loved me. Why else would she want to be with me?" Ethan asked getting walked up. He remembered Dylan's words but he had chosen to ignore them. He needs to trust Tessa if there relationship was going to work. Derek said nothing but simply glide towards where Ethan was seated. He grabbed the notebooks in front of him and burst into laughter.
" I can see she has finally find a jackie to do her assignments." Derek said looking back at Carlos and some of the male students who were his friends. " Have you even slept with her yet?" Derek looked at Ethan and he coughed loudly. " Virgin?" Carlos eyes met with Derek and they both burst into serious laughter.
" I doubt if you can even satisfy her in bed." Derek laughed wildly making Ethan clench his fist in anger.
" Ohhhhhh…..someone is angry. What are you going to do,Ethan?" Carlos asked, staring at him. " You have no right to talk to her that way! She is not like many of the girls around here. Tess is different!" Ethan snapped at Derek making him laugh the more
" Different how?" Derek asked, staring at him. " I wonder what a paper like you know about someone as high and mighty as Tessa. Well, she is using you and when she is done. She is going to come back to me." Derek said and walked away.
Ethan's eyes darted as he looked around to see faces of students staring at him. " I knew it!" One of the students snapped. " What do you know this time around, Maxwell?" The other said, adjusting his glasses. " Tessa would never stoop so low to date someone like Ethan. She must have been using him." Maxwell who was also an Elite on the campus said.
" Is that what you think or you are just assuming?" Maxwell's friend with laughter. " He is coming." Daniel said immediately and they stopped bickering. Ethan walked past them with anger as she continued walking towards his dorm. He flung the door open and jammed it landing on his ragged bed.
"Come to think of it. Tessa had never asked me to come visiting. All she has done is give me more assignments and homework that needs to be done. I think I need to clarify what all of this is." Ethan said with anger. But then his phone chimed.
"Don't listen to whatever they say,Ethan. You know I like you and I would do anything for you. I love you, Ethan. I just want you to know that. With love."
-TESSA
Ethan stared at the message and the rage in his heart subsided. He let out a small smile and immediately went online to check out Tessa's profile on facebook. He picked a few pictures as he kept scrolling but then his eyes caught something that made him frown.
Is that,Derek?
He looked at the picture, his eyes nearly popping out of them." They dated?" Ethan asked himself, staring at the phone he was holding. He wanted to call and ask Tessa but then why would he when he could ask her directly when they meet. He stopped looking at the picture and immediately went over to the table in front of him to assist her with the assignment she gave him
As he solved his arithmetics his mind went back to what Dylan had told him. " Is it possible that Derek and Tessa were still dating?" Ethan said without even knowing he was talking to himself. He felt hurt and wondered why Tessa was trying to make a mockery of him.
Ethan had wanted to face his studies but he got famous with him being the most popular student who made the highest cut for the scholarship in the school.
He wrapped up the assignment and decided to pay Tessa a visit. He decided not to call her but pay her a surprise visit. Ethan looked through his wardrobe and picked one of his best clothes. He needed to prove to her that he was capable of loving her and trying his best. Ethan smiled seeing his handsome face in the mirror before he came out of his dorm.
His heart beat slightly at the thought of going to see Tessa. He had never gone over to see her and this was going to be the first time he did. As he walked, he could hear faint rumours about him and Tessa. " He is going to dump his broke ass. Tess is only using him for his brain." Another female student said with disgust in her voice.
" I mean,look at him. Who will marry someone like Ethan. He is broke and I am sure he cannot even afford the like Tessa wants."
" Not that she is broke anyways." They said with laughter. Ethan clenched his hand in a ball fist as he walked past them. He needed to know what Tessa thought about all of this and also let her know they needed to make their dating official. He was about to get to the dorm when some kid ran over to him with a white envelope in his hand. " This is for you,Ethan." He said and walked away.
Ethan looked at the white envelope and back at the courier who delivered it wondering what was inside.