Another girl just confessed her love to Levi. Thirteenth time this semester. Even though everyone knows he has a girlfriend, they still throw themselves at him like hungry wolves. Luckily, I'm used to it. After all, I'm the one who told him not to go public with our relationship. 1 Someone stepped up to comfort the crying girl, shooting Levi a playful, resentful glare. "Same old excuse, Levi? Could you at least change it up? Save the girl some face." Whoa. That's the Drama Department's Queen Bee, isn't it? Judging by those soft eyes and that intimate tone... is there something going on? I felt a spark of excitement. Is Levi about to cheat? Does this mean I can finally dump him guilt-free? Clearly, I wasn't the only one smelling drama. The mixer instantly buzzed with energy. "Ooooh~ Look who's stepping in to comfort her? Smells like the real girlfriend energy." "Saving the face he wouldn't give, huh?" "Does anyone not know our department Queen and King are the #1 ship on campus? They beat second place by two thousand votes!" "Why are they even at this mixer? Just here to flex on us singles?" "Probably just supporting the class. Otherwise, this power couple would be on a date right now!" ... The jeering got louder. Someone shoved the Queen Bee, and she stumbled, nearly falling right into Levi's arms. I whipped out my phone, camera ready. I just needed them to hug, and click—cheating evidence secured. But Levi dodged her like he was on roller skates. Smooth. Tsk. What a pity. "I told you, I have a girlfriend." Same old line. Someone laughed dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, you've said it a hundred times since freshman year. We all know you 'have a girlfriend'." Another girl giggled, linking arms with the Queen Bee. "And that girlfriend is her, right? You two been keeping it secret?" The Queen Bee shook her head frantically, blushing with embarrassment and shyness. She glanced at Levi. "Stop talking nonsense! I'm not his girlfriend!" "She's shy! She's shy!" The noise erupted. I watched Levi's expression darken. A bad feeling started to creep in. I heard him say, "She's not my girlfriend." The Queen Bee chimed in, "Exactly! If you guys keep talking nonsense, I'm gonna get mad!" The others exchanged knowing looks and laughed. We get it, wink wink. Levi's face was now black as a skillet. He looked up, scanning the crowd. My heart skipped a beat. I tried to turn away casually. But he locked onto me in a second. Then, under the gaze of everyone in the room, he parted the crowd and strode straight toward me. He touched the glass in my hand and took it away. "You have a bad stomach. Don't drink cold stuff." He downed the drink in one gulp, turned to the statues in the room, and said, "I'm taking my girlfriend home." Under the dim lights, I saw the Queen Bee's face go pale, her eyes fixed on me with a death stare. 2 Levi actually has a girlfriend. The news swept through campus that night. By morning, the school forum was flooded with my info and photos. The judgment threads were building skyscrapers. [She's so average I can't believe it.] [Does Levi have an ugly fetish?] [A flower stuck in cow dung.] [Comparing her to Sienna is an insult to Sienna. Levi needs to see an optometrist.] And those were the nice comments. Some were so nasty I started to wonder if I was some hideous monster unworthy of life. After venting their confusion, the forum reached a consensus: [I bet Levi just doesn't want to go public with Sienna yet, so he grabbed a random girl as a shield.] This theory got rave reviews. Any dissenting opinions were ignored. I lay in bed, scrolling with relish. I ignored Levi's messages and even liked the "shield" post, bringing the likes to a perfect 666. Just as I was clicking the next thread, my dorm door slammed open. My roommate—who slept on the bottom bunk—stormed in and smashed her lunch box onto my bed. I jumped up, dumbfounded, watching food splatter all over my sheets. "Are you crazy?" "You're the crazy one!" She stared at me with pure hatred. "You're really Levi's girlfriend?" "..." Right. I forgot. She's also one of Levi's secret admirers. She used to rant in the dorm about how shameless Sienna (the Queen Bee) was. "You watched me fangirl over him every day. Were you laughing at me the whole time?!" ?? I swear to God, I wasn't! Levi has been a shining star since he was a kid. Even with his prickly personality, he shines. It's normal for everyone to love him. Why would I laugh? But my roommate clearly didn't see it that way. Her eyes were red, and she looked ready to scream more, but my phone interrupted her. "Zoe, are you okay?" My roommate and I both froze. I looked at my phone. When I jumped earlier, I must have accidentally answered Levi's call. He heard everything. It was awkward. His tone was icy. "I'm coming over." "Don't!" But he hung up before I could finish. My roommate finally reacted. She threw herself on her desk and started wailing like she'd been mortally wounded. "You did that on purpose!" Through her sobs, she spat venom at me: "Don't get cocky, Zoe! The last person who crossed Sienna dropped out in disgrace. She won't let you off!" Hearing this unexpected gossip, I didn't even blink. I just stared sadly at my quilt. I just changed the sheets. My spare set isn't dry yet. 3 Five minutes later, Levi arrived. My roommate bit her lip stubbornly. Levi glanced at my messy bed, his face cold enough to freeze water. Then he looked at her, undisguised disgust in his eyes. "You did this?" Being looked at like garbage by your crush is apparently hard to handle. My roommate's lips trembled, and she ran out crying. Levi stepped up onto the ladder with his long legs and started stripping my bed. I slid down to sit on his chair, scrolling the forum, eating my own melon (gossip) while dealing with him. "Move out of the dorm." "Where would I live?" "Rent a place off-campus." "With you?" I scoffed. "Dream on." He went silent. My finger twitched, refreshing the page. Two new threads popped up. [BREAKING! Campus King just entered the girls' dorm!] [Debunked! Zoe Cow-Dung might not be a shield. Her roommate just got dumped and ran out crying.] "..." Zoe Cow-Dung? Seriously?! Levi walked over with the dirty sheets in a bag. "Let's go buy new bedding." I looked up at him coldly. "Did I or did I not say I didn't want people to know?" "But I hate them throwing themselves at me when they know I'm taken." I laughed sarcastically. "Ungrateful." "I only want you to like me. Everyone else can get lost." I hate it when he gets cheesy. He's been like this since we were kids. An emotionally stunted weirdo who followed me around calling "Zoe, Zoe" like a lost duckling. People thought I was his child bride. God knows I was just a stray kid his grandpa picked up while collecting cans. Before his house, I lived under bridges and in hospital waiting rooms. And less than two years after I arrived, his parents died in a car crash. Grandpa died of grief soon after. I'm a jinx. He shouldn't be with me. 4 The rumors got wilder. Besides attacking my looks, they added new lore. They said I was a rich heiress who used money and power to force Levi to be my boyfriend. They said I was loose, sleeping with tons of guys on and off campus. They described it so vividly you'd think they were watching. At noon, I was at my new part-time job at a bubble tea shop when I heard my roommate's voice. I couldn't see who she was talking to, but I heard her say I wore cheap clothes but used cameras worth thousands. "The rumors aren't fake. She's dirty. Levi was definitely tricked." "Really?" The other voice was gentle, concerned. "Then Levi..." "There's no way Levi is with her because he likes her!" "Who knows what dirty tricks she used?" I wanted to laugh. I was about to look up when the agitated voice continued: "Sienna, no one would choose her over you! Levi wants to be an actor, and your family owns a media empire. How could he not choose you?" "What are you saying? Choose me..." The other voice sounded flustered, then sighed softly. "It has nothing to do with my family. I'm just worried about Levi. Even if he doesn't like her, his reputation will suffer. You know how important a clean image is in this industry." "Then you should steal him back!" My roommate urged. "If it was you, I'd accept it. Everyone would. But Zoe? Who does she think she is? How is she worthy of Levi?" "Stop... stop saying that. We're just good friends!" "Levi never makes friends easily. You're the special one!" I quietly lowered my head, covering my face with the ingredient list.
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