disclaimer: i own nothing but the plot!


LOVE MAKES A FOOL OF US ALL. And Jason Grace was determined to be more foolish than most. He prided himself on his level-headedness, but even he had to admit that right now, he was being pretty stupid. The plan he'd concocted had a very very strong likelihood of failing, mostly because it hinged on the agreement of one person.

Piper McLean. In one word: cold. When she arrived in freshman year, Jason remembered her as a timid, bright girl. Yet a couple of rumors later, she had blossomed into every conservative mother's nightmare. She was intimidating. The number of declarations she'd gotten from past lovers truly was a sight to behold, and it made the name Piper McLean one to be wary of. People claimed the girl never fell in love, she was either a legendary badass or an emotionless cunt, and when she ended a relationship, it was always the other party that got hurt, not her. She didn't care for the old money tastes of Laureate, so their paths never intersected. It was kind of perfect. Her skill set was what he needed.

"Piper?" The girl glanced up from the table at the restaurant they'd agreed to meet at. Piper had decided to come mostly out of curiosity.

Jason Grace was part of the upper echelons of Laureate Prep, the elite social circle that consisted of future conglomerates in the making. The Graces, the Jacksons, the Ramirez-Arellanos, the Castellans, all-powerful families that came from old money. Not the fresh green bills associated with her Hollywood-famous parents, no, these people had roots from before the American Revolution. They flaunted their wealth in brand names no one had even heard of, above the Chanel's and Louis Vuitton's of the world. They were the ones in the back rooms making decisions that affected the fate of billions of dollars and millions of people. They didn't merely book a suite at the Ritz-Carlton, they bought the whole property out so they could have their Sunday brunches where Dom Perignon, truffle, and caviar flowed whether it was in season or not. Futures were made based on discussions over centuries-old whiskey, relationships forged over summers in Saint Tropez. And Jason Grace was emblematic of all of it, embodied by the fact that when she'd arrived early to his reservation at a Michelin Star restaurant, she'd been seated in one of the private rooms. He was Laureate's golden child, a future Kennedy in the making, and someone who had never looked twice in her direction. Yet here he was, tracking down her number, and placating her with expensive wine and private rooms. He was everything she despised, and yet, for some reason, Piper was curious. Isn't everyone, when they see something they can't touch?

Jason tried not to wrinkle his nose in distaste as he watched the girl remove the cigarette that was dangling loosely from her mouth. Reyna hates smokers, he thought to himself, but then again, that was the whole point of this meeting.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Jason Grace. I hope you don't think that your cute little text was going to make me open up my legs?" Piper drawled. If he was here thinking he could get in her pants because she was 'easy', she was going to shoot something, possibly and probably him.

He flushed at her brash language, "No, it's nothing like that, I would never," Piper smirked at his flustered state. It was too easy to mess with the posh and preppy snobs at this school. Had she not known he was taken by Ramirez, she would have thought he was a virgin from the way he blushed scarlet.

"Relax, Grace. Everyone knows you're not that type," she rolled her eyes before signaling the server for a refill, "But I didn't come here to tease. As much as I love La Vache, why am I here?" As Jason met her self-assured stare, he noticed that her eyes never seemed to decide on one color, but a myriad of them. It was alluring, yet alarming at the same time, a decisive contrast from Reyna's dependable honey-brown. Her beauty was unconventional in that way, eyes that never decided on a color, hair that never chose a length. She dressed eclectically, mixing things that were off Zara's sale rack with the latest Celine couture pilfered from Aphrodite's closet. And she pulled it off with the timeless grace that money couldn't buy. Though Jason had never paid her much attention before, he could see why jealousy tended to follow her.

"Hello? Are you done staring?" she joked to shake some of the tension, but Jason sobered immediately. Frankly, Piper was used to the attention. Being Tristan McLean and Aphrodite's daughter, the media seemed to follow her, photographing the rare times she attended Aphrodite's shows or went to one of her father's red carpet screenings. At least Grace was respectful enough to keep his eyes on her face, and not somewhere farther down.

"I wasn't staring, I, uh, I came here to ask you a favor," he stuttered. Jason didn't know why, but this girl who was a good five inches shorter than him made him lose his edge. He shifted in his chair under her unfaltering gaze. Perhaps it was the aura of the mystique she brought with her, or how he couldn't for the life of him read her eyes.

"A favor," Piper deadpanned, sipping the red Bordeaux they'd brought her, not taking her gaze off of him. She enjoyed the way she seemed to make him squirm. Piper didn't even know Jason Grace could squirm, and she relished the heady feeling of power colliding with the wine in her bloodstream.

"Reyna broke up with me," he blurted, "I think I still love her. You can't tell anyone, obviously."

Surprise plays onto her features, and for once, it's a genuine reaction. Of all the things he could have said, this would have been the last thing she would have guessed. Reyna and Jason were thick as thieves, "As sad as that is for you, I still don't understand why you're asking me."
"She might be in love with someone else," he added.

The brunette sucked in a breath, "I'm sorry," she softened. Cold as she could be, heartbreak was the worst, that's why she didn't dabble in it anymore.

"That's why I need your help. I want to make her regret it. And I know you never let your heart get broken. I want you to teach me how to never fall in love again," Jason sounded more forceful now, as if he truly believed in his decisions.

Piper's heart went out to Jason. As far as she knew, Reyna was his first love, and now his first heartbreak. Most condemned love right after, like Jason, but after a few months, they'd move on. Her self-imposed exile of the heart was for different reasons. Making an ex regret leaving was always bad business, "Are you sure you want to do this Grace? It's easier to just let go and move on," she warned, "Maybe give it some time to think it over?" He didn't seem like the type to put up walls, but then again, people as entitled as him often were obstinate in their ways.

"No, I want to do this," Jason was resolved to put up these walls. And he wasn't used to people saying no. Piper knew his type, forceful change-the-world goodies who had never once experienced what the real world was like. If anything, this break-up would probably be good for him, but people like him never liked being out of control.

"What's in it for me?" she grinned, showing her milky white teeth.

"Those rumors. I know that they've prevented you from plenty of opportunities, even though they probably aren't true. I can help make them stop," It was a glittering prize, a promise dangling in front of her eyes. She thought back to all the condescending looks teachers and club leaders had given her when she had asked to join more 'academic' clubs. She'd been effectively barred from every reputable club out there, with one student going so far as to tell her to go back to shaking her ass with the cheer team. No one ever expected her to take anything seriously, so she was always given the back burner roles, the insignificant ones that would include her, but never allow her to rise.

Piper was intrigued. The wealthy did trade in favors, and she supposed Jason had learned from the best – Zeus."How would you do that?"

"Date me. You're the exact opposite of Reyna, she would throw a fit. And it would give you time to teach me. If you're with me, no one will question you," Jason knew that Piper would never fall in love with him, so there was no chance for them to actually get attached. It was a win-win situation in his strategic mind.

"Wow, aren't you the romantic?" she joked. It was a good plan, the rumors would slowly fade away, now that she was with someone 'respectable', and Jason would achieve what he wanted. Piper knew he wasn't her type, she wouldn't fall in love with someone like him. She couldn't. As she observed his hardened gaze, she realized that the politician blood really did run thick in him.

"So, what do you say, McLean," he challenged, holding out a hand to her.

She downed the rest of her wine and grabbed his hand. Piper knew that the likes of Jason Grace would never last long in her world, and that is the only reason why she says, "Let's do it."


a/n: the first couple chapters are gonna be a lil short until we get the real ball rolling, but! first jasper meeting! yay! as always fav, follow, review etc. ty guys :)