Chapter 3 Cliché villain in romance

VIVIAN

The story was rather cliché, but if you'd love to hear me out, here it goes. Everything started to change four years ago with Annika's appearance. It was our first day in college, and Nathan and I had chosen the same program, finance. Well, I wasn't interested in finance at all; I just followed him.

After a long and tedious enrollment process, I was on my way to check the student accommodation building. Back then, I was eager to escape my father's control, and not living at home was the first step to independence. I accidentally bumped into a girl while I was fascinated by the quaint buildings around me.

She collapsed onto the ground.

"Oh god. I'm sorry!" I apologized hastily and offered her a hand.

She got up and said, "It's okay." Her head was lowered, and she looked timid.

"My name is Vivian Cunningham, a freshman here," I gave her a broad smile, "what's your name?"

She nervously clutched the books against her chest and forced a nerdy smile, "My name is Annika Summers."

Annika was pretty. I could see her beautiful emerald eyes behind her thick bangs and black-framed glasses. But she was the shyest person I'd ever met. She wasn't like any of my friends from wealthy families who were always obnoxiously pompous. She was also a freshman in the finance program, just like Nathan and me, so we soon became good friends.

I introduced her to my other friends at a swim party held at the Cunningham family mansion.

Annika wasn't comfortable with swimming, and she looked extremely awkward in her bikini. When she saw her reflection in the dressing mirror, she blushed furiously.

"I can't do that, Viv. It's showing way too much skin!" she protested.

"You look hot! I'd be falling for you if I were a man," I exclaimed. I encouraged her to turn around and appreciate her beauty, and she eventually agreed.

She was slim, but not too slim, with graceful curves. She hesitated as I reached out to help her take off her glasses, squinting a bit, looking a bit panicked.

"It's going to be alright. Come on! It's not a seminar. Unless you want to study guys' bodies," I teased.

"Viv!" Her face reddened, and we both giggled.

I have to admit that back then, I was meddling too much. I had been planning to set her up with Chad, a seemingly decent guy and a son of my father's business friend. I had never imagined Chad would be such a jerk.

When Chad and his friend laughed at Annika, I was indignant. I rushed over to cover his mouth, not realizing how pale Annika looked. She fumbled, desperately wanting to run, and eventually tripped and fell into the swimming pool.

Nathan saved her, and it became a classic tale of the prince saving the ordinary girl, just like in many romantic stories. People loved to read these kinds of stories.

As the couple's story gained popularity on campus, it became evident that it needed a villain, a malicious character who would bully Cinderella and try to steal her prince away. I was perfect for that role.

My undeniable love for Nathan became the source of my nightmare. Somehow, my friends started to isolate me. They never said anything negative to my face, nor did they bully me outright. Instead, they ignored me, treating me as if I were a contagious disease. Whenever I approached, they dispersed.

At first, I was okay with that, but it got worse as rumors about me began to spread across the campus. They said it was me who pushed Annika into the swimming pool. They said I was accepted into college only because my father made a huge donation.

But when it came to Annika, their faces changed completely. They were empathetic toward this poor girl. They praised her for being hardworking and brave, coming from a toxic family and earning a spot in a top program at this world-famous university. They could have written a book about her.

The only person who didn't like Annika was Jessica. Jessica was majoring in law and had only met Annika a few times. She once said to me that she believed Annika was hiding some dark secret.

"Believe me, Viv. She's sneaky," Jess whispered to me after her first meeting with Annika.

"Come on, Jess. She's nice. Stop being mean to her," I argued.

"You know I went on vacation in Asia this summer. I made some friends there. They taught me how to read people's character from their faces. I can tell you, Annika Summers has a bad character; she's just in disguise."

"Now, you believe in superstition," I rolled my eyes.

"Nah," Jess sipped her juice and shrugged, "That's called instinct."

I laughed. Back then, I was too confident. I believed that I understood my friend better than anyone else did. I was afraid of people saying that I was mean to Annika, and I was keen to be nice to this girl. I tried to clear my name, although my kindness was always misinterpreted.

Annika was quiet about all these gossips. We did our best to ignore the growing awkwardness between us. Since Jess had left the city for her internships, Annika had been my only confidant. She seldom made any comments on my grievances, but whenever I finished my complaints, she would sincerely stare at me and then give me a warm hug.

"I understand completely, Viv," she'd say.

I liked her so much that I even started to feel guilty for not contacting Jess often. Annika had assured me that there was nothing between her and Nathan. She believed Nathan and I would be a lovely couple.

I was so gullible. I was such a fool.

Imagine how furious I was when I found them together. Rage blazed in my veins as I saw them kiss under the mistletoe. I felt betrayed. I felt fooled.

I had made another mistake in my life.

I rushed over and slapped Annika like a madwoman.