Chapter 3

The air from outside blew through the opened windows and the hanging curtains, heightening Ava's tension. Shaking, she slowly walked to the table to pick up her phone, which had stopped vibrating for a moment. She paused, feeling the cold air passing through the window and giving her goosebumps. As the phone started vibrating again, she mustered the courage to answer the call, curious to know who the caller might be.

"The first thing the caller said was 'Ava,'" and she replied, "Yes, this is her." Suspense filled the air as she awaited the caller's identity. The caller introduced himself, "I am Ethan..." Ava softly repeated his name, trying to remember where she had heard it before. "The lifeguard who helped you out of the pool earlier today," he explained. There was no response from Ava.

Ethan continued, trying to break the awkward silence, "Err... how are you feeling now?" Again, Ava remained silent, still processing the situation. Ethan then revealed, "Actually, errm... Kylie gave me your contact because I wanted to check up on how you were feeling after the incident at the pool." Still, there was no response from Ava, leaving Ethan uncertain.

Apologizing for bothering her, he said he would call later, but Ava finally broke the silence, realizing the importance of the moment. "You saved my life," she expressed, deeply grateful for his timely intervention at the pool.

"Of course, I couldn't just let you drown. Every swimmer's safety is my priority," Ethan replied with a smile. Ava giggled, and before anyone could tell, their conversation became a long one. Unconsciously comfortable with him, Ava found herself laying on her bed while talking to him.

From that moment on, Ava and Ethan became close friends. They would talk about everything and anything, and Ava couldn't help but feel drawn to him. She eagerly looked forward to their conversations, and soon enough, they became inseparable. They would call each other to check up and discuss their interests and preferences. Ava started to feel a deep connection with Ethan, believing he was a dream come true and everything she could ever ask for.

She remembered the moment when Kylie assured her that she was next, and when she finally understood what Kylie meant, she smiled and confidently said to herself, "Yes, I'm next." This memory resurfaced as she found herself at a family friend's wedding with her mom. As the vows were said and exchanged, the bride threw the wedding bouquet, and to everyone's surprise, it fell right at Ava's feet, catching everyone's attention as she was only seventeen years old at the time.Freya was beaming with pride and smiled at Ava while people were talking about her catching the wedding bouquet. She softly held Ava's chin and said, "You are a blessing," giving her a peck on the cheek before going to congratulate the newlywed couples. Ava felt hopeful about her connection with Ethan, as he was the first person she had ever caught feelings for, breaking her sense of loneliness.

On another day, during Literature class, a new student was introduced by the school's principal. Ava, however, was preoccupied with jotting down a note and didn't pay much attention. The principal left, leaving the professor to handle the introduction. The new student, surprisingly named Ethan Clark, introduced himself and mentioned being a lucky student on a scholarship. Ava raised her head, astonished by the coincidence of the name, but softly joined in, saying, "On a scholarship," and smiled.

The class applauded Ethan's introduction, welcoming him warmly. As lunchtime approached, Ava was putting her belongings into her locker when Ethan approached her, saying, "Surprise!" Ava was taken aback as she hadn't expected him to transfer to her school. She replied, "You never tried to mention you were transferring to Miller’s high." Ethan tried to convince her, "I didn't want to spoil the fun. It was a planned surprise."

Ava, feeling a mix of emotions, tried to ignore him, but he followed her, uncertain of her reaction.Ava playfully teased Ethan, saying, "I could have gotten you a present since it's our first time meeting each other and your first day here at Miller's High. Anyways, your loss." Ethan smiled and regretted, "My bad. There's still another time, right?" Ava scoffed, and he jokingly mimicked her words. They both laughed, and he gave up the playful banter.

After school, the two of them walked together, hand in hand, discussing various things. Ethan complimented Ava, gently shifting her hair backward and saying, "You look even prettier in person." Ava blushed and returned the compliment. As they approached the exit, they found Jasmine waiting in the car. Jasmine avoided questioning Ava, as she was still upset with her and held Ava responsible for not being able to study abroad anymore.

Time passed slowly, and Ava celebrated her birthday with a party at her dad's other house in Boston. Many of her friends attended, but she was hoping for someone else to show up, though she was eventually disappointed. Later in the evening, there was a knock at the door, and Chloe, Ava's personal maid, let the visitor in. Ethan stood there with a cake in his hands, and as soon as Ava saw him, she smiled gently and said, "Come with me."

She led him to a spacious lounge and Ethan wasted no time in apologizing for not showing up at her party. He then presented the cake to her, placed a candle on it, lit it, and said with a smile, "Happy birthday, Ava. Make a wish."Ava returned the smile and closed her eyes to make a wish. When she opened her eyes, she surprised Ethan by leaving a light kiss on his lips. He smiled and held her hands, but before he realized it, Ava had already snuggled into his arms. They were both excited to be able to spend more time together by being in the same school and seeing each other every day. Ava's friends were happy for her, embracing her new relationship, and they all loved Ethan too.

However, not everyone at school was supportive. Ava had some people who didn't like her and labeled her the "naïve dreamer" because she grew up with certain privileges, leading them to believe she didn't grasp the realities of life. Despite this, Ava and Ethan remained happy and spent quality time together both in and outside of school.

Two years ago:

As their relationship progressed, Ava and Ethan celebrated their first anniversary, enjoying each other's company on the beach. "I can't believe it's been a year since we started dating," Ava expressed.

"I know, time flies when you're having fun. Happy Eighteen," Ethan replied with a grin.

Ava and Ethan's love for each other had only grown stronger throughout the year, despite the fact that Ethan was a part time worker and the lifeguard who saved her at the pool .She never cared ,although he was also from a family who faced financial struggles unlike hers. Meanwhile, Ava hadn't yet revealed their relationship to her family and was nervous about how they would react if they found out. Despite the uncertainty, Ava was determined to enjoy Lily's birthday party with Ethan by her side.

As the night went on, Ava's family started to question who Ethan was, and her nerves intensified.

"Who is this young man?" Ava's father asked.

"This is Ethan. He's my friend from school," Ava nervously replied. However, her dad sensed something more and decided to take Ava aside for further questioning.

Meanwhile, Ava's mother raised an eyebrow and asked, "Just a friend?"

"Yes, just a friend," Ava replied, hoping to keep their relationship a secret from her parents.

Despite her fears, the party turned out to be a success, and Ava's family grew to love Ethan. She felt relieved that they had accepted him, and she was convinced that keeping their relationship a secret was the right decision.

During the party, Ava mustered the courage to tell Ethan, "I love you."

"I love you too," Ethan assured her, hugging her tightly, as if it was his last.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until one noon at school when Ava received a text message from an unknown number, stating, "Ethan is not who he seems to be." Fear gripped her, as she was deeply infatuated with him. Suspicion clouded her mind, and she started feeling uncomfortable around Ethan. She decided to block the number for a while, hoping to silence the unsettling messages.

However, her peace didn't last long, as she received another strange text from an unknown number while drying her hair after returning from the shower. The situation became more puzzling, leaving Ava perplexed and anxious about what was going on with Ethan.Ava recognized the address mentioned in the text by the stalker as her boyfriend’s workplace,and sarcastically replied, "What do you want? Stop texting me and mind your business. Get a grip and go earn a living, stalker!." After a while, the number wrote again ,suggesting she check on Ethan at work if she really loved him. Surprised by the stalker's knowledge of her relationship, Ava wondered how they knew about her, Ethan, and their connection since only close people were aware. In frustration , she grabbed her car keys and drove off to visit Ethan. To her utter shock, she found Ethan in an intimate situation with another girl on a sofa. Silent and unnoticed, she stood there drenched in tears.