I’m supposed to be the school’s designated bad girl, the one with the big boobs and the empty head. The boy I’ve been chasing since kindergarten, Caleb, just slipped me a box of ultra-thin Trojans and told me to use them on the school’s untouchable golden boy. That’s when the comments started scrolling across my vision, like a spectral social media feed only I could see. [This dumbass side character has no idea, does she? The male lead, Caleb, just wants to get with the main girl, Ava, who’s crushing on the golden boy.] [So if the side character seduces the golden boy, the male lead gets his shot.] [Thing is, this girl’s a total siren. Liam, the golden boy, is a virgin. He might not stand a chance.] [Stand a chance? If she whispered his name just right, he’d probably hand over his soul.] I looked over at the boy sitting stiffly on the edge of the cheap motel bed, our school’s resident genius, Liam Carter. I decided to test the theory. “Hey, Liam,” I murmured, my voice a little shaky. 1 From the moment Liam Carter walked into this seedy motel room, he’d been a statue carved from ice. Cool, distant, unreadable. But when I called his name like that… His eyes, hidden behind a fringe of dark hair, widened almost imperceptibly. The comments flared to life. [I think I just heard the sound of a zipper straining.] [The idiot side character is about to get railed into another dimension and she doesn’t even know why.] [He thinks she lured him to this motel because she actually likes him. He has no idea she’s just doing it for Caleb, the guy she’s been obsessed with forever.] Before school let out, Caleb had cornered me in the stairwell. For the first time since I’d known him, the lazy, arrogant smirk was gone. He looked serious. “Listen, Chloe,” he’d said, his voice low. “You want me? Prove it. Take down Liam Carter. Wreck that perfect, straight-A reputation of his. If you can drag our golden boy into the mud, I’m all yours.” Liam Carter was a campus legend. Girls left notes in his locker, tried to catch his eye in the halls. He never gave any of them a second glance. Until I slipped him a note. Room 207, Sunset Motel, after school. And the boy who was out of everyone’s league showed up on time. I quickly pieced together the information from the phantom feed. This wasn’t my life; it was a cliché young adult novel, dripping with angst. I was the "dumb blonde" side character, the bad-girl trope. Caleb, my childhood crush, was the male lead, but he was in love with the main female character, Ava. And Ava? She only had eyes for Liam. So, Caleb’s plan was to use me to ruin Liam. Turn him into a burnout, a failure. That way, the sweet and innocent Ava would lose interest, and Caleb could swoop in. And me? The story had a different ending for the bad girl. An accidental pregnancy, a terrified teenager bleeding out alone in a bathroom stall. That was my final scene. I rested my forehead in my hand, a bitter laugh catching in my throat. A devoted male lead. A naive, girl-next-door heroine. And me, the girl who was going to die for their love story. 2 Liam had clearly never been in a situation like this before. Just hearing his name on my lips had sent a flush of crimson creeping up his neck. “...We don’t really know each other,” he said, his voice tight. The comments were merciless. [Oh, really? Who spent ten minutes fixing his hair in the reflection of the vending machine before knocking on the door?] [Who’s the star of his dreams every single night? It ain’t Ava.] [Who uses Chloe’s sophomore year picture for his, uh… ‘private study sessions’?] [Liam, my man, you are down BAD.] I leaned in closer, my body brushing against his. The keys in his pocket dug sharply into my thigh. My fingers, nails painted a dark, glossy red, traced a line up his chest. My hand found his phone. I slipped it from his pocket. The lock screen lit up. It was a photo of me from the first week of school, a candid shot of me taking cover from a sudden downpour under the school’s front awning. “So,” I purred, feeling a real, unfamiliar thrill. “It was love at first sight.” In the reflection of his dark eyes, I looked like a fox, sly and victorious. He quickly looked away. “You’re mistaken. It’s just a random picture I found online. I didn’t know it was you.” [You stare at her every single day in calculus, and you’re gonna say you didn’t recognize her? Please.] [Captain of the debate team, my ass. The lies!] [Can we get a wellness check on his pants right now? Things look critical.] Liam’s gaze accidentally flickered down to the V-neck of my shirt. He froze, his breath catching in his throat before he squeezed his eyes shut. His eyelashes, long and dark, rested against his cheekbones like tiny, sleeping wings. “...You should fix your shirt.” I glanced down and felt a hot blush of my own. The collar had fallen open, and from his angle… well, he was getting quite a show. I pulled the fabric together, then a wicked little idea popped into my head. “You saw way more than you were supposed to. You owe me.” In the halls of Northwood High, he was the Ice King, cool and unapproachable. But here, with me, he was surprisingly patient. “What kind of compensation did you have in mind?” I reached into my backpack, pulled out a mountain of homework, and dumped it all onto his lap. “This is all you, genius.” 3 I left Liam sitting amidst the chaos on the bed and slipped into the bathroom, planning to just wash my face and get out of there. But the reflection in the grimy mirror made me stop dead. My eyeliner had smudged into two black rings, giving me a distinct raccoon-chic vibe. My cream blush had melted in the humidity, leaving two clownish red circles on my cheeks. It was all thanks to that damned rainstorm I’d gotten caught in on the way here. This was the face I had been trying to seduce Liam Carter with. The horror was too much. A small shriek escaped my lips. Liam burst into the bathroom a second later, his eyes wide with panic. “What’s wrong? What happened?” I pointed a trembling finger at my reflection, my voice cracking. “My makeup! It’s a disaster! Why didn’t you tell me? I look hideous!” He stared at the tear welling in the corner of my eye. He hesitated for a long moment, then slowly, he raised his hand. His fingertips, cool against my skin, gently wiped the tear away. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice soft. “It’s… not that bad.” Tch. So the Ice King could tell lies after all. The next morning, for the first time since freshman year, I walked into school without a stitch of makeup on. Caleb, my deskmate, didn’t even look up when I sat down. “So? Did you do it? Is Liam Carter officially corrupted?” Across the aisle, Liam was already at his desk, meticulously wiping it down. I saw his shoulders tense at the sound of his name. I ignored Caleb and started unpacking my bag. He wasn't used to being ignored. He kicked the leg of my chair, hard. “Hey. Are you deaf?” The sudden jolt startled me. I clutched my books to my chest and glared at him, pure disgust on my face. Our eyes met, and for a second, the usual swagger in his expression faltered. “You, uh… you look good today.” The comments flickered. [Turns out Chloe’s actual face was trapped under six layers of Sephora.] [If you saw this face, could you really still call her a villain?] [She’s still a trashy burnout. Don’t let a pretty face fool you.] Seeing he wasn’t getting the reaction he wanted, Caleb sighed in frustration, grabbed my wrist, and started pulling me out of the classroom. This was his move. He’d drag his flavor-of-the-week to a stairwell or an empty hallway for a make-out session. He just assumed I’d be thrilled. I twisted my arm, trying to pull away, but he just tightened his grip, taking it as a game. Until a tall figure stepped between us, blocking his path. The clean, cool scent of pine filled the air. Liam stood with his back to me, shielding me. His voice was ice. “Let her go.” Caleb jutted his chin out. “And who’s gonna make me?” Liam didn’t move an inch. Caleb was about to shove him when a girl in a pristine white dress walked into the classroom. Ava. [The main girl has entered the chat! She’s the real deal.] [Have you guys noticed Chloe’s always trying to copy her? Ava does the sweet, innocent thing, so Chloe tries to act all pure too.] I rolled my eyes. What? I wasn't allowed to be naturally gorgeous? 4 The moment Caleb saw Ava, his aggressive posture melted away. He shot me a dirty look and let go of my wrist, turning to go talk to her. But Liam’s voice stopped him, cold and hard. “You haven’t apologized to Chloe.” Ava, who had a well-known crush on Liam, saw him defending me and her brow furrowed. “Chloe, are you really making them fight over you? That’s so manipulative.” She turned her big, innocent eyes on Liam. “Don’t let her drag you down, Liam. She’s a bad influence. Tattoos, parties… she’s just… not our kind of person.” An idea sparked. I let my body go limp and sagged against Liam’s back, pitching my voice to be as sweet and fragile as possible. “Oh, I feel so weak… I think I’m going to faint…” Liam froze, his entire body rigid as I clung to him. As he helped me stumble away, I shot a triumphant smirk over my shoulder at Ava. Her face turned a shade of pale green. 5 I moved my stuff to the empty desk next to Liam. “Hi, neighbor,” I said with a sunny smile. Liam kept his eyes downcast, his long lashes casting shadows on his cheeks. He gave a quiet “Mm,” and then started arranging my textbooks for me. First period was Advanced Algebra. Aka, nap time. I laid my head on my desk and was out like a light. But my dreams were strange; I felt like someone was watching me. I slowly blinked my eyes open and found myself staring directly into a pair of intense, dark eyes. Liam was leaning on his desk too, just inches away, watching me sleep. When he saw I was awake, his gaze darted away. He quickly started doodling in his notebook, pretending he’d been doing it all along. I rubbed my eyes and, while the teacher’s back was turned, I whispered, “You’re supposed to be the good student. Why aren’t you paying attention?” Liam Carter was Northwood’s academic god. Three years straight at number one, no exceptions. [In the book, he starts skipping class and getting into fights to be with her. His grades completely tank.] [It’s so tragic. This genius kid throws away a full scholarship and doesn’t even go to college, all for her.] [She’s a C-student, so he decides to become one too. Love makes you dumb.] Reading those comments, my voice took on a serious edge. “Liam, if you stop being the good student, I won’t like you anymore.” A flicker of genuine panic crossed his face before he quickly masked it. He looked away, giving a stiff little nod. “I understand.” 6 As I was leaving school, my phone buzzed with a text. [We’re about to go mess with Ava. You owe us a carton of Marlboros after.] It was from the leader of a group of townies from the vocational school across town. I used to hang out with them. Then I remembered. A few days ago, Ava had been running her mouth, telling everyone Caleb would rather date a literal piece of garbage than me. In a fit of rage, I’d called my old friends and told them to rough her up a bit. [See? Chloe’s a total bully. Ava says a few words and she calls in her gang.] [That’s just how girls like her are. Born rotten. They hold a grudge over everything.] On pure instinct, I grabbed Liam’s arm and dragged him toward the alley behind the gym where they always hung out. My friends were there, a menacing circle around Ava. My heart pounded. I pulled Liam behind a dumpster to watch. But the scene I was expecting never happened. Ava was leaning against the brick wall, casually taking a hit from a vape and blowing a cloud of smoke into the air. My so-called “friends” were laughing with her, one of them with an arm slung casually over her shoulder. Then I heard Ava’s voice, clear as day. “Liam walks this way home every day. The second you see him, you pin me against the wall. Got it?” “You got it, boss,” one of them replied. “We’ll tell him Chloe sent us. He’ll think she’s a psycho bitch…” Liam and I just stared at each other. She was playing us both for fools. When I got home, the comments about my grim fate echoed in my mind. I decided then and there to stay as far away from Caleb and Ava as possible. I gathered up all my lighters, vapes, and cheap makeup and threw them into the pond in my backyard. I was done with that life, done with those people. Only then could I finally fall asleep. 7 The next morning, my homeroom teacher called me to her office. Liam waited for me just outside the door. The atmosphere inside was heavy. Several other teachers were in the office, all trying not to stare. Ava was standing next to the teacher, her eyes red and puffy. A bright red handprint was stark against her pale cheek. My teacher’s voice was stern. “Chloe, did you ask your friends from off-campus to assault Ava?” I was completely baffled. I looked at Ava, and she gave me a tiny, secretive wink. This was all her own doing. Before I could even figure out how to respond, Caleb burst into the office. He must have heard the news. Seeing Ava in tears, he charged at me without a second thought, grabbing the collar of my shirt. “Is it because I like her and not you? Are you that pathologically jealous?” The comments popped up. [So romantic! The male lead always protects the main girl, no matter what!] [You just can’t get this kind of love with anyone else!] Right. Totally. Liam, who had been waiting patiently outside, saw Caleb put his hands on me. In a flash, he was inside, driving a knee hard into Caleb’s stomach. Caleb crumpled to the floor, gasping. I gently tugged on Liam’s sleeve, trying to calm him down. Then I turned to the teacher. “If Ava is accusing me of arranging an attack, she needs to provide proof, not just force me to defend myself against rumors.” A smug smile played on Ava’s lips. She pulled out her phone and called the townie from last night, putting him on speaker. “Tell them,” she said sweetly. “Was it Chloe who told you to corner me?” “...Yeah, yeah, it was Chloe,” the guy’s voice crackled through the phone. “She promised us smokes to do it.” Ava hung up and looked at me, her eyes gleaming with triumph. “There’s your proof. What do you have to say for yourself now?” [Wait… isn’t Ava supposed to be a sweet, innocent girl? This feels a little… calculated.] [And why is she pulling out her phone in front of a teacher like it’s nothing?] [Plus, she sounds awfully familiar with that townie on the phone…] The truth was obvious, but the outcome was a joke. The teacher, not wanting to deal with it, just told us all to drop it and stay away from each other. I sighed. What else could I expect? I was the bottom-ranked screw-up. Ava was a top student. 8 Back in class, Ava was still putting on a show, her eyes red and teary. Classmates gathered around her, asking what was wrong. She wouldn’t say a word, just kept shooting me wounded, tearful glances. A little while later, members of the student council came in to do a random contraband check. I emptied my backpack onto my desk. It was filled with review books Liam had bought for me. He’d made me a whole study plan. When the student council president got to my desk, he reached inside and pulled out a vape. But I’d thrown all that stuff away. My eyes met Ava’s. She gave me another one of her innocent little blinks. I finally got it. It was her again. Within the span of a single morning, I was being dragged back to the office. Liam followed me in. Before the teacher could even start yelling, Liam spoke, his voice flat and calm. “It’s mine. It has nothing to do with Chloe.” I stared at him in disbelief, trying to understand why he would do that. [He’s so in love. He’s taking the blame for her now, and later, he’d literally kill for her.] [After Chloe dies in the bathroom, her own family is too ashamed to claim her body. Liam is the only one who arranges a funeral for her.] [In the original book, Liam is basically the villain. To get revenge for Chloe, he tries to run Caleb over with his car.] [But he doesn’t have the main character’s plot armor. Caleb just ends up with a broken leg. Liam is burned alive in the crash.] … Reading those comments, tears started streaming down my face, hot and unstoppable. The teacher hadn’t believed the vape belonged to Liam, but seeing me cry so pitifully, she must have thought she’d made a mistake. Liam was a model student. She gave him a short lecture about curiosity and let us go. In an empty stairwell, I threw myself into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck and sobbing. “Why are you so stupid?” Liam stood there, stiff and awkward. His voice was hoarse. “...Don’t cry.” I was about to answer when the flash of a camera phone blinded me. It was Caleb. He’d heard that Liam took the fall for me and had come looking for drama. He found it. Me, wrapped around Liam. He’d taken the picture to show Ava, to prove Liam wasn’t worth her time. He sauntered over, pinching my cheek with a smirk. “Nice work, Chloe. You’ve got this idiot wrapped around your little finger. As a reward, how about I take you to that motel tonight?” He turned to Liam, his voice dripping with venom. “You still don’t get it, do you, genius? I sent her to seduce you. All she had to do was crook her finger, and you came running. Pathetic, isn’t it?” I looked at Liam frantically, wanting to explain, to deny it. But everything Caleb said was true. Liam’s gaze shifted between me and Caleb. Finally, there was only silence. [The villain was just quietly crushing on her from afar. When she suddenly approached him, he thought it was a gift from the heavens. He never imagined it was all a game.] [I think he’s going to cry. My poor boy.] Liam turned and walked away. Seeing his lonely, retreating back, I yelled, “Liam! You can’t just leave without letting me explain!” He paused for a heartbeat, then kept walking without a backward glance.
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