CHAPTER 1 EYE OPENER

The clock on the dorm room wall ticked past 8 PM. Max hunched over his desk, surrounded by textbooks and notes, when Peter burst through the door, his phone clutched tightly in his hand.

"Max, dude! You gotta check this out!" Peter exclaimed, his voice filled with excitement.

Max glanced up from his studies, his expression weary. "What's going on?"

"Johnson Kingsley's throwing this insane pool party. It's all over FTF," Peter explained, waving his phone. "The livestream's blowing up!"

"That's great, Pete," Max replied, his tone lackluster. He turned back to his books, his scholarship weighing heavily on his mind.

Peter frowned, stepping closer. "Come on, man. Don't you want to see what's happening?"

Max shook his head. "Can't afford to waste time. These grades won't keep themselves up."

"Fair enough," Peter shrugged, flopping onto his bed. He scrolled through his phone for a moment before sitting bolt upright. "Holy crap! Max, you're not gonna believe this!"

Despite himself, Max's curiosity was piqued. "What now?"

Peter's eyes gleamed with gossip. "Word is, Johnson's planning to confess to Amanda tonight. You know, that smoking hot girl from Econ?"

Max's pen froze mid-sentence. He fought to keep his voice steady as he replied, "Amanda? No way. She'd never go for a guy like Johnson."

"How do you know?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.

Max scrambled for an excuse, careful not to reveal his secret relationship. "Just a hunch. Besides, Amanda's serious about her studies. She probably isn't even there."

"If you say so," Peter shrugged, turning back to his phone.

As silence fell over the room, broken only by the muffled sounds from Peter's livestream, Max's mind raced. He knew Amanda was supposed to be studying at the library tonight. She'd even turned down his invitation for a quiet date, citing her need to focus on her coursework.

There was no way she'd abandon her studies for some flashy party... right? As doubt crept in, Max found it increasingly difficult to concentrate on the textbook in front of him.

Suddenly, Peter's eyes widened. He let out a shout that made Max jump. "Dude! Amanda's here!"

Max's heart skipped a beat. "What? Let me see that."

He grabbed his own phone, fingers trembling as he pulled up the livestream. The camera panned across the crowded pool area, finally settling on a familiar figure. Amanda stood at the edge of the party, looking stunning in a sleek black dress.

"See? Told you she showed up," Peter said triumphantly.

Max forced a smile, trying to hide his unease. "Yeah, but look at how she's dressed. She's probably just there to tell Johnson off."

On screen, Johnson approached Amanda, flashing his trademark grin. "Glad you could make it," his voice barely audible over the music. "Care for a swim?"

The crowd around them started chanting, "Say yes! Say yes!"

Max held his breath. "She'll definitely refuse," he muttered. "Amanda hates noisy parties."

But to Max's horror, Amanda smiled brightly. "Why not?" she replied, her voice clear and excited.

Max felt like he'd been punched in the gut. This couldn't be happening.

"Don't you need to change?" Johnson asked, gesturing to Amanda's dress.

Without hesitation, Amanda reached for the zipper. "I came prepared," she said with a wink.

Max watched in disbelief as his girlfriend - the girl he'd trusted completely - stripped down to reveal a barely-there bikini. The crowd went wild, and Johnson looked like he'd won the lottery.

"Holy crap!" Peter exclaimed. "Did you see that? Amanda's smoking hot!"

Max couldn't respond. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"Hey, you okay?" Peter asked, noticing Max's pale face.

Max jumped to his feet, grabbing his jacket. "I... I need some air," he managed to say.

"What? Now? But the party's just getting good!" Peter called after him.

Max was already out the door, his mind reeling. He rushed down the stairs and out of the dorm, the cool night air doing little to calm his racing thoughts. Without really thinking, he hopped on his old bike and started pedaling furiously towards the campus pool.

As he rode, Max's hurt turned to anger. He'd trusted Amanda completely, kept their relationship a secret at her request, and this was how she repaid him?