Chapter 2: The First Breakup

I waited for Nolan at the park entrance. He came twenty minutes later with a bag. We settled by a small, frozen stream running through the park. No one except for a few joggers were out in the cold. I wondered why we didn't go to a cafe or somewhere warm.

Nolan opened his bag and pulled out an album of photos.

He handed it to me and said, "My first girlfriend: Megan Lierbern. A lunatic."

I looked over the photo of the smiling auburn haired girl next to Nolan. He had his arm around her and a bright smile on his face. I eyed his face now--a bitter, cold person. He seemed like the lunatic not her.

"What did she do?" I asked.

"We dated for a month last year." He coughed and continued, "She always needed everything perfect. Controlling, perfectionist, lunatic--defines her. Tolerable--all until she began criticizing every little mistake or imperfection related to me."

"You should be happy to get rid of her then." Sucks to be him still. He should've conducted research before making her his girlfriend.

"I really liked her." Not a reasonable excuse but I guess relationships made people crazy. "She broke up with me because I couldn't 'live up to her boyfriend standards' as she put it."

"Now, you're a heartbroken ex still trying to take revenge," I said sadly. He shot me a death glare. "Move on!" And let me off the hook with sabotaging relationships.

"She's dating another guy right now. I'm sure she's criticizing him too," he said. "We have to save him. You need to somehow bring them to the ball tonight."

"What ball?"

"The charity ball at my parents' hotel," he replied. I stiffened. His parents were rich and important people. They had contacts with Princeton.

"I'll go if you tell your parents to put in a good word for me for Princeton," I said trying to be subtle but failing.

"Yeah . . . no," he said. He began packing up his things. What a jerk. "Remember, I still have the photos."

"It's rude to blackmail people."

"You have exactly three and a half hours to have them show up to the ball," he said ignoring my comment.

Nolan stood up with his bag, leaving me hanging.

"Aren't you going to help?" I didn't even know this girl!

"Here's a help: she's a junior at our school." Oh, so she was a year younger than us.

"Great," I said unhappily.

"See you tonight. Don't be late."

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Nolan was an idiot. Nothing less than that. I didn't know how he aced at school, but in the real world, he was a broken piece of . . . heart. He blackmailed me into breaking up couples. He blackmailed me into finding and bringing those guys. He blackmailed me into showing up to the ball.

To add insult to injury, he didn't dare pick up any of my calls or reply back to any messages. He was the one who gave me his number. He ought to be considerate and responsive.

After talking to seven junior class girls (on social media where I used my sister's accounts), I found that Megan had a boyfriend named Eric and they were both in our school's Track team. Track practice ended at five. I quickly drove down to my school and entered the building from the back entrance where the gym was.

A couple of girls were sitting on the floor waiting for their rides. It took me two minutes to find Nolan's ex. She was cleaning her shoes which were already too clean.

I hurried to her and sat down. "Hi."

She looked at me confused and replied, "Hi."

"I'm Levi." Never tell your real name when doing this stuff. "A senior. I've been volunteering and I'm looking for teen couples." I had this messed up lie planned out. If it didn't work, Nolan was going to be disappointed tonight.

"Okay."

"Do you have a boyfriend?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said, proud. What an accomplishment for her. And Nolan calls me a snob.

"Would you two be interested in attending the Charity Ball hosted by the Milesblue family tonight?"

"No, thanks," she said as expected. I couldn't help but notice how she sat with a straight up posture. Lazy, I sat leaning against the wall.

"Okay. There will be notable people coming though. People with connections to top colleges like Harvard, Princeton, Yale . . . offering scholarships to students who stand out to them."

That got her attention. Someone mentioned her trying to get an athletic scholarship. I had to pull out that card.

"I'll talk to my boyfriend about it," she said.

I grinned in triumph and nodded. She was already pulling out her phone.

¤》¤《¤

My sister, Hestia, decided to come to the ball with me. She was surprised by me finally going out somewhere. Little did she know I was being forced. Since it wasn't my choice to attend this event, I wore a pair of jeans and white blouse with a black blazer. No one could force me to wear a dress.

We arrived at the ball venue on time. Nolan wasn't to be seen anywhere. That son of . . . rich parents! Hestia went to people she already knew or were friends with. She was a social butterfly while I was the awkward kid. I stood in a corner, my eyes focused on the front door.

"Your name doesn't suit you," I heard someone whisper next to me. Nolan walked around from behind me. I was taken by surprise.

"Not the first time I've been told," I said nonchalantly. I've always hated my name. People always made fun of it. I wasn't the Helen of Troy.

"Great self confidence," he remarked. He wasn't looking at me but at the main entrance. "I was expecting Hel-en to be dressed or act as Helen." What a typical guy. He would notice that about a historical, made up woman.

Nolan himself wore black pants and a white button down. Just because he dressed up didn't mean I had to too.

"Helen of Troy probably dressed up to impress men," I argued. "I don't. I need Princeton not Paris!"

"You should try it being that Helen sometimes. It'll work magic against the snob slash annoying personality." He walked away not even sparing a glance my way. How was I a snob?

I shook my head and then realized that the people I had been waiting for were here already. I caught up with Nolan, who getting himself a glass of punch.

"They're here," I whispered and grabbed a glass for myself. Nolan looked over his shoulder and turned back after spotting his ex. "What now?"

"She hated imperfections and liked to be in charge," he said. "Work it against her. Show her boyfriend, her bad qualities. I'll distract her. Make sure he sees us together."

I wanted to slap him for saying this and making me do such a bad task. He was using me for his revenge.

"I despise boyfriends and people like you," I told him before heading to the soon-to-be-broken couple.

Eric and Megan were chatting amongst themselves. I again introduced myself as Levi to the couple.

We talked for a little bit until I told Megan, "Hey, some college guy wanted to talk to you over there." I pointed in Nolan's direction. His back was towards us.

Eric frowned but Megan excitedly bid goodbye and left. Not a great move. Eric watched her leave and offered me a simple smile.

"She's very . . . perfect," I commented.

"My girlfriend after all," he boasted.

"Funny, she told me the exact opposite." Or well Nolan did. "I'm not trying to meddle in your business, but she said it was because of her you two look great. She keeps you under control and keep everything perfect."

Men hated being under control. It challenged their masculinity. I almost laughed when I saw Eric's scowl. Nice hit to the ego.

"She said that?"

"I wouldn't just make it up," I lied and pretended to be innocent. "She said how her boyfriends have been under her control all the time. This way she can find and fix all faults in the other person. Make the relationship . . . perfect."

I was such a liar. But a very convincing one. My psychology teacher had told us how to be good liars: believe in the lie yourself.

"Of course." Eric was now staring at Nolan and Megan who were busy in a conversation. "She is always so perfect, huh." I could see anger building.

"She said you were a good boyfriend. Always listens to her. Fixes everything. A good boy." It was all mock praise.

Right on cue, Megan reached out and fixed a hair out of place on Nolan's forehead. Not something to do in front of your boyfriend.

She was so done for.

"Please don't tell anyone I told you this. It just all slipped out," I said half in desperation.

"I won't." Soon, his anger came bursting through when Megan giggled with Nolan. "Perfectionist, she says. She's a nightmare! Control freak!" he spat agitated. "Good boy? What the hell is wrong with her?!"

I put a consoling hand on his shoulder for effect. "Just let it out. Much better to realize it now than too late."

He tugged at his hair. "I'm so sick of her ways!" Maybe this relationship was doomed to not survive. He punched the table full of food next to us. "I wish I could retaliate for all the suffering she put me through!"

I smirked when I saw plates of pies, but then put on my sympathy face again.

"Hey, you can. This one time, my boyfriend tried to be controlling at a party." Who was I kidding? I never had time for a boyfriend nor did I want one after seeing this. "I broke up with him. But first, I threw the cake at his face," I lied.

Eric raised an eyebrow. I pointed to the pies and handed him one.

"This might be too--"

"What better way of getting back a perfectionist than throwing a pie on her face?"

He considered it and then smirked. "Let's see how well my aim is." He picked up the foil tray with the pie and aimed.

After counting to three, he chucked it at his girlfriend. It hit the side of her face leaving, white cream. Megan shocked face made us laugh.

"What was that for?!" she screamed. Everyone in the room silently watched the show.

"For all the times you criticized my faults!" Eric shouted back. "We're done, pieface!"

Not even three seconds later, a pie was flying our way, hitting Eric square in the face.

Laughter roared from people around us. I picked up a tray and gave it to Eric. He threw it at Megan but hit some random girl. Her boyfriend looked pissed off. He took revenge for his girlfriend, but with bad aim. I got hit in the face.

Disgusting. I wiped my face with my hands.

Soon, a whole food fight erupted. Because of Nolan I was in this mess.

I broke up a couple.

Picking a tray of pie, I gave it to Eric and pointed at Nolan. His aim was spot on, hitting Nolan in the face.

I grinned when I saw the heartbroken idiot's creamed face. Well deserved. Everyone was in a food fight ruining the venue. These people were Neanderthals.

I found someone tugging my arm.

Nolan.

"What?" I asked. He had wiped his face, but still had cream.

"Come on," he said and brought me out of the hotel. Handing me tissues, he said, "For cleaning your face." If he only knew I was responsible for getting his face pied. "Get out of here."

"What?"

"Get out so you won't get in trouble, snob."

"You don't want me to get in trouble?" I asked, surprised.

"Not until we get the last couple broken up. After that, I couldn't care less about you," he said.

Typical jerk.

"Is this really necessary?" I asked softly. "Nolan, don't you feel the guilt?" I know I did. It was wrong of me to break two people apart. Not my right.

His lost, dull green eyes met mine.

"No. I don't feel any guilt."

Nolan left to go back inside, leaving me to ponder over why he was doing this.

Couldn't he move on? Relationships can end on their own. I needed to focus more on my education than helping his broken heart.

Only one thing had to be done.

I needed to get those photos from Nolan.

By any means.

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So, how was it? The first couple wasn't a hard one to break but as it progresses, it will worsen.

Do you support Nolan?

What did you think of the chapter?

The story (hopefully) won't be long.

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