After my boyfriend tricked me into transferring , I promised to transfer schools with my bullied boyfriend , but the day before we were supposed to finalize the papers , he backed out . His friend joked , " Seriously , dude ? All that fake bullying just to get Aria Blackwood to leave ? " " But you're her boyfriend . Are you really going to let her go to a new school all alone ? " Liam Thorne shrugged , his voice indifferent . " It's just another school in the same city . How far could it be ? " " I'm tired of her clinging to me all the time . This works out perfectly ." I stood outside that door for a long time that day , eventually choosing to turn and leave . But on my transfer application , I secretly changed the name of the local high school to the international boarding school my parents had always pushed me towards . Everyone seemed to forget , he and I were always worlds apart . 1 The moment I heard the truth , my heart violently shuddered . For the past month , Liam had been ganged up on and falsely accused too many times to count . I tried my best to protect him from harm , but there were always slip - ups . Finally fed up , I suggested he transfer schools . Liam had just been drenched in ice water , his handsome face pale and pitiful . He helplessly clutched my hand . " Aria , I'm scared to go to a new environment alone ." < 10.13 wed , i Uct W " Aria , I'm scared to go to a new environment alone . " Liam and I had practically grown up together . We'd been walking to and from school together since kindergarten , a routine that hadn't changed in over a decade . Besides , I secretly had a crush on him . 21 % So , in a rush of emotion , I promised him , " Don't be afraid . Wherever you go , I'll go with you ." But only now did I realize that everything he'd done was an elaborate charade just to get rid of me . I couldn't help but wonder , did Liam Thorne really hate me * that * much ? The voices in the private room continued , " Aria Blackwood is completely devoted to you , you know . " " Aren't you afraid she'll fall for someone else if you send her to another school ? " " Her ? " Liam scoffed , as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world . " She dared to break up a group beating for me . She got beaten black and blue , didn't back down an inch , and you think she'd change her mind about me ? " Someone whispered , " But what if she does ? Aria Blackwood isn't the type to be pushed around . " Liam's voice was lazy . " There's no ' what if .' There are plenty of rich guys at this school . When have you ever seen her even look at anyone else ? " His voice couldn't help but be tinged with contempt . " All she does is follow me around . Even a lapdog isn't as clingy as she is ." Harsh laughter filled the room , feeling like a slap across my face . I wanted to leave MA you know . " " Aren't you afraid she'll fall for someone else if you send her to another school ? " " Her ? " 27 % Liam scoffed , as if he'd just heard the funniest joke in the world . " She dared to break up a group beating for me . She got beaten black and blue , didn't back down an inch , and you think she'd change her mind about me ? " Someone whispered , " But what if she does ? Aria Blackwood isn't the type to be pushed around . " Liam's voice was lazy . " There's no ' what if . There are plenty of rich guys at this school . When have you ever seen her even look at anyone else ? " His voice couldn't help but be tinged with contempt . " All she does is follow me around . Even a lapdog isn't as clingy as she is ." Harsh laughter filled the room , feeling like a slap across my face . I wanted to leave , but my feet felt rooted to the spot , making me listen , and making me ache . Someone clicked their tongue in surprise . " First time I've seen someone actively push away a girl who's head over heels for them . I gotta hand it to you , man . " " But if you don't like Aria Blackwood being so clingy , why don't you just tell her ? Aria doesn't seem like the type to beg or chase you ." Liam ' tsk'ed , growing impatient . " Aria Blackwood's too ... assertive . If I just told her directly , it wouldn't be easy to get her to leave . " He changed the subject . " Besides , Chloe gets so insecure and sad whenever she sees her . She only feels better when I'm around ." W L ~ an L110 = I wanted to leave , but my feet felt rooted to the spot , making me listen , and making me ache . Someone clicked their tongue in surprise . " First time I've seen someone actively push away a girl who's head over heels for them . I gotta hand it to you , man . " " But if you don't like Aria Blackwood being so clingy , why don't you just tell her ? Aria doesn't seem like the type to beg or chase you . " Liam ' tsk'ed , growing impatient . " Aria Blackwood's too ... assertive . If I just told her directly , it wouldn't be easy to get her to leave ." He changed the subject . " Besides , Chloe gets so insecure and sad whenever she sees her . She only feels better when I'm around . " " For Chloe's sake , I had no choice but to do this . Aria will just have to be inconvenienced for a while ." At that , everyone instantly understood . Doing the math , Liam decided to fake being bullied exactly one week after Chloe Davis transferred to our school . Someone laughed and cursed Liam . " You sly dog , you fell for the sweet , innocent act the second she showed up ? " " But Chloe really is genuinely delicate and charming , with a fragile personality . It's only natural for a man to be attracted to her . " " Not like Aria Blackwood . Her personality is so stern , always wearing a cold face and keeping everyone at arm's length . Doesn't matter how pretty she is ." The unrestrained comments about me surged like waves , one after another , in the private room . And Liam Thorne , who I'd secretly liked for years , didn't stop them , didn't refute them , and even agreed with them now and then . 10:13 Wed , 1 Oct WP < At that , everyone instantly understood . 2010 Doing the math , Liam decided to fake being bullied exactly one week after Chloe Davis transferred to our school . Someone laughed and cursed Liam . " You sly dog , you fell for the sweet , innocent act the second she showed up ? " " But Chloe really is genuinely delicate and charming , with a fragile personality . It's only natural for a man to be attracted to her . " " Not like Aria Blackwood . Her personality is so stern , always wearing a cold face and keeping everyone at arm's length . Doesn't matter how pretty she is . " The unrestrained comments about me surged like waves , one after another , in the private room . And Liam Thorne , who I'd secretly liked for years , didn't stop them , didn't refute them , and even agreed with them now and then . Standing outside the door , my heart sank heavily into an abyss , feeling empty and numb , yet aching with a dull pain . For a moment , I wanted to open the door and loudly confront Liam . Ask him why he lied to me . Ask him if he ever felt a flicker of guilt or compassion , watching me get beaten for protecting him . Ask him if he ever thought about our decade - plus friendship when he did all of this . But then my mother's words echoed in my ears : * Don't do anything unnecessary . * People don't just rot overnight . I turned and left that private room .