"If he's such a saint, why don't you date him yourself?" Claire scoffed, completely immune to Macy's innocent victim routine.
The girl was a master manipulator.
In the past, Claire might have let it slide, but not anymore.
She was too exhausted to indulge in pointless verbal sparring.
"But Cyrus doesn't want me, he wants you. You shouldn't trample all over his feelings, Claire."
"He would be devastated if he heard you say that."
Claire's lips curved into a mockingly sweet smile. "Wow, you're just so incredibly thoughtful."
She turned her head toward Cyrus, who had desperately trailed her all the way to the cafeteria. "Get over here. This girl is practically bleeding out trying to defend your honor. Don't you want to say a few words?"
In truth, Cyrus was absolutely terrified by Claire's sheer aggression.
Macy had merely gossiped, and Claire had instantly dumped a tray of food on her head. Wasn't that a terrible waste of a good meal?
If he actually managed to date her, wouldn't she smash a plate over his skull the second he annoyed her?
The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine.
He was seriously starting to doubt the viability of his master plan.
What if Dane actually preferred this kind of feral, unpredictable energy over Latonia's refined elegance?
If he somehow managed to pry Claire away, what if Dane just found another aggressive girl?
Panic gripped Cyrus's chest. What the hell was he supposed to do?
He couldn't handle this.
However, he was equally disgusted by Macy's little clique.
What kind of garbage were they spewing?
Their moral compasses were completely skewed.
So, when Claire ordered him over, Cyrus hesitated for a split second before marching up to the table.
With the implicit threat of Claire's empty tray looming over him, Cyrus didn't hold back. "Claire is absolutely right. Pursuing her is my choice alone. It's not an excuse for moral blackmail."
"I don't feel victimized in the slightest, so you three definitely don't need to play the victim on my behalf."
Macy's face drained of color. She stared at him like he was a complete lunatic.
They had stuck their necks out to defend him, and instead of being grateful, he was humiliating them in public.
Was that how a normal human being operated?
Before Macy could recover, the
always-vocal Tabitha exploded. "You
dese
be rejected, cyrus you're
Com blind!"
sw belongs
"We were fighting in your corner, and you have the nerve to attack us!"
"You're an ungrateful jerk, biting the very hand that feeds you!"
Lily quickly backed her up. "We did all this for your sake, Cyrus! How could you throw us under the bus?"
Lily was the most heartbroken of the bunch; she harbored a massive crush on him.
Whenever she looked at him, her heart fluttered.
She used to obsess over Ethan Monroe.
But she quickly realized Ethan didn't have half the wealth or status that Cyrus possessed.
She had even seen Cyrus chatting casually with Achilles, calling the esteemed professor his grandfather.
From that moment on, she had locked her sights firmly on Cyrus.
Given the severe lack of girls in their major, Lily had genuinely believed she had a shot.
Who could have predicted that Cyrus would suddenly become obsessed with Claire?
She was completely blindsided.
Why on earth would he want Claire?
And if he was going to humiliate himself chasing her, why did Claire have the audacity to reject him?
Was it just because Claire was a little smarter than everyone else?
Did a high GPA give her the right to play guys like fiddles?
Some people loved to project their insecurities onto others, rather than taking a long, hard look in the mirror.
Lily wasn't conventionally attractive, constantly tried to manipulate people, and had
a remarkably cruel tongue.
Just because there were more guys than girls in their class didn't mean the guys were legally obligated to date within their major.
What was the point of blaming the universe?
Out of all the men in their program, not a single one had ever shown interest in her.
Now, she aimed all her toxic
resentment at Claire, simultaneously
green with envy that Claire was
desired, and furious that she refused to settle down.