49. Eden
EDEN
CAMPUS EXCLUSIVE
“Golden Boy Eden King Caught Cheating—Inside His Secret Affair.”
You didn’t hear it from me—oh wait, yes you did.
Looks like the University’s golden boy isn’t so golden after all.
Eden Desrosiers-King, star athlete, campus heartthrob, and recent headline for his totally fake relationship with Alana DeVille (yes, we all saw through that PR stunt), has been caught with his pants down—figuratively… or maybe not just figuratively.
Over the last several weeks, multiple students have spotted Eden sneaking around with none other than yours truly. That’s right, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt (and a shot at being honest), but it’s time everyone found out how horrible the guy truly is.
Let’s break it down:
Photo Evidence #1: Eden and I leaving an off-campus party on March 30th. While most people were still taking shots in the kitchen, Eden and I slipped out the back. Wonder what his fake girlfriend thought he was doing that night
Photo Evidence #2: Caught getting very close in the quad last Thursday. My hand on his arm? Sure. Him leaning in to whisper something in my ear that made me blush? Absolutely. You can practically see the chemistry.
Message Screenshot: From Eden’s personal number:
Eden Desrosiers-King
You know I can’t stay long. Alana’s waiting.
I mean… if that doesn’t scream side piece, I don’t know what does.
Now, before you come for me in the comments, let me be clear: I’m not trying to ruin Eden’s life. I liked him. I really did. But watching him parade around with Alana like they’re some fairy tale couple while he was with me behind closed doors? That’s not cute
That’s not noble.
That’s just cheating.
Especially when the girl he’s using is genuinely sweet. I’ve got no beef with Alana. Honestly, I feel bad for her. She deserves better than someone who’s only committed when people are watching.
So, Eden… if you’re reading this?
You played the wrong girl. And the truth always comes out.
xoxo,
Tori
What.
The.
Fuck.
“Fake relationship?” Kaan said the moment his head lifted as he finished reading the article.
“Hooooowww?” Sharma added quickly, taking a seat on my sofa. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his thighs, holding his head up with his hands as he let out a long sigh. “I mean… Eden, seriously. How was any of this fake? You guys were so in love. I was sure about that!”
I had two options. I could either come clean altogether and tell my best friends about the whole deal. Or I could at least try to salvage this in hopes it would prevent Alana from getting hurt any further than I was sure she already did.
It was real to me. Not at the beginning, but the more time we spent together, the more stuff we did together, our relationship turned into something so much more. It wasn’t just a fake relationship anymore.
I couldn’t have given any more fucks about Tori’s stupid article, had it only affected me.
She was straight up lying. But why?
Those pictures were so old, I couldn’t even remember the exact time. It was definitely freshman year of college, though. We’d gotten along one night. One evening that I thought she wasn’t the most horrible person I’d ever met.
I ran both hands through my hair and got up, pacing because sitting still felt like I might combust. I was so wired I couldn’t even feel the floor under my feet.
“I haven’t spoken to Tori in years,” I muttered. “I don’t even have her number anymore. That message? I swear to god, that’s not even real.”
Sharma looked up. “You think she faked it?”
“Yeah, dude, obviously. You think I’d be dumb enough to cheat on someone?”
Kaan whistled low under his breath and shook his head. “Damn, man. That’s messed up. She must’ve been saving that stuff. Just waiting.”
“I barely even remember that party,” I said, my voice sharper than I wanted it to be. “We talked. That’s it. Maybe flirted a little, I’m not sure. It was freshman year. I was an idiot. Alana was in high school at that time.”
“But she made it sound like you were still hooking up recently,” Sharma said quietly.
“I wasn’t. I wouldn’t.” I stopped pacing. “You guys know how I feel about Alana. You know. I’ve never looked at anyone the way I look at her.”
They both nodded, silent now.
“So… the fake part? Tori added that for dramatic effect, too?” Kaan asked carefully.
“There’s no way Tori could’ve known anything about it. It was a lucky guess.” A heavy sigh drew from my lungs. “I’m stupid, alright? I fell for Alana like a goddamn fool. It was real to me.”
I sat back down, elbows on my knees, head in my hands.
“Alana was waiting for me. After my exam. She looked like she’d been crying, and I didn’t know why.
I thought maybe something had happened, like—fuck, I don’t know—family stuff or whatever.
But then she just… looked at me like I was some stranger.
Like I broke something. And then she walked away. ”
I let out a dry laugh, except it didn’t feel funny at all. “I didn’t even get the chance to say hi. She didn’t say a single word.”
Kaan leaned forward. “You think she saw the post?”
“I know she did.” I sat back, my jaw tight. “I saw her holding her phone right before she looked at me like I murdered her entire family.”
“Maybe she read something else?” Sharma tried, but I could hear that he wasn’t convinced of his own words.
“Alana was already scared about getting too close. She kept saying we have to stop blurring whatever lines, and in theory, I knew that, too. You know, she was…” I sighed again, contemplating to tell them this. I couldn’t possibly tell my best friends about Alana’s fears. It wasn’t fair to her.
She trusted me with them.
Kaan frowned. “Do you think maybe part of her thinks the whole thing was fake to you the entire time?”
“I don’t know,” I said, then shook my head, harder this time.
“Actually, no. I do know. That’s exactly what she thinks right now.
And the worst part is, I get it. I fucking get it, man.
She gave me a piece of herself she doesn’t give to anyone.
She let me in. And now, she thinks I just used it like it meant nothing.
And I swear, I swear to God, if I lose her because of this…
because of Tori’s pathetic, attention-starved bullshit… ”
I stood up again, pacing fast, like maybe if I moved quick enough I’d shake the panic out of my body. But it wasn’t leaving. It was climbing up my throat like I was drowning.
“She doesn’t even know the half of it,” I said, voice breaking.
“She doesn’t know how hard I fell for her.
When we started all this, it wasn’t real—I mean, not romantically.
It was just a plan. But then she smiled at me that one night in the car, and I swear to God, I haven’t been the same since.
It terrified me. How much I wanted her. How fast it all got under my skin. ”
I turned back to them, eyes wide, desperate.
“You know what it feels like to find someone who sees all of you and doesn’t run?
Someone who couldn’t give two fucks about who my parents are.
Someone who doesn’t care how I grew up, or any of the shit that usually defines me?
She doesn’t care about any of it. She just… likes me.”
I let out a ragged breath. “And now she thinks I lied. She thinks I was playing her this whole time, like she was just some background prop in the Eden King Show.”
Neither of them said anything.
“She’s not a prop,” I whispered, hands in my hair. “She’s the whole fucking movie.”
Kaan blinked hard, looking like he wasn’t sure what to say.
“I was gonna tell her,” I went on. “I was gonna tell her everything. How it started, how I didn’t expect to fall for her, how every second with her made me feel like maybe I could be more than just… fake.”
Sharma rubbed his jaw. Kaan just looked like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to speak.
“She didn’t even let me talk,” I said again. “She looked at me like I was a stranger. Like I was a disappointment. And I swear, that look is gonna haunt me forever if I don’t fix this.”
Sharma finally sat forward. “Then go. Fix it. Be the guy you say you are. Tell her everything. Lay it all down, no ego, no excuses.”
Yeah.
I could do this.
I could tell her. Right now.
Yeah…